• Posted on: February 16th, 2011
  • By: Chris Ensor
  • Under: Marketing

Good Marketers Tell A Story

The dust has settled after the much-ballyhooed Super Bowl ad bonanza and, leaving time to reflect on the the good (VW), the humorous (Car Max), and the tasteless (pick one), but there were scores of marginal ads that left us scratching our heads thinking:  “Eh, so that’s what you get for $3M+?”

The distinction in the quality and effectiveness of ads was quite simple – marketers (read: agencies) that got it, and those that didn’t…a majority which fell into the latter category.

As a boutique marketing and design agency, we don’t have the luxury of blowing our client’s marketing dollars on ads that aren’t effective at telling a compelling story that makes a lasting impression on the hearts and minds of a specific audience.  It’s our job to get the message right the first time, and ROI is our primary criteria to measure the win.

The marketers who excelled during the Super Bowl (and in general) were the ones that understood the art of storytelling, with several advertisers managing to pull it off without uttering a single word.  For me, praise-worthy efforts included Volkswagen’s “The Force,” Sony Ericsson’s “XPERIA Play,” and Motorolla’s “Empower The People.” (I’m a lifelong mac user, and still appreciated both of these spots who took their shots at Jobs and Co.).

Hampton Creative recently had an opportunity to tell a story for a Tulsa-based Hospice Care Provider. Our client exists in an industry which provides an invaluable and necessary service, but one which is also flooded with advertisers who are all basically saying the same thing (“choose us!”) and wrangling to say it the loudest, apparently with poorly-designed billboards as their medium of choice.

We decided to take the path less travelled, and opted instead for the power of an emotional video to share the story of a family who experienced exceptional care and support during one of the most traumatic times any family could face.

The two sisters who shared their story, are authentic, relatable and credible. As they speak about their father’s final days, it’s impossible to watch and not be moved. And while the video is a bit on the longer side, we felt it was impossible to do this poignant story justice in 30 or 60 seconds.  Please take a few minutes to watch this video for Miller Hospice, and give us your feedback.

Shout-outs: Videography, and editing provided by Corey Lack Photography.  Make up and impromptu wardrobe change courtesy of Suzy Graham at Cloud Nine Productions.

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  • Posted on: August 26th, 2010
  • By: Johnie Hampton
  • Under: The Team

Thankfulness is next to Godliness.

I never really believed in blogs. I’m not exactly the blogging type. I use a mouse for picking colors and layout creation, not typing words/concepts from my inner thoughts. But when I learned that it would help our website with Search Engine Optimization. I had to cave in. After all, it’s for the business, right?

I’m learning so much about thankfulness. For this reason, I think my first entry will be about the people in my life for whom I am most thankful:

My wife Krystal
The first one I call in the morning. The last one I say goodnight to. She’s the one I share my wins and my losses with. The first one I run to when we get the big account and when it “goes to the other guy.” She’s been there when Hampton Creative was just two people in a corner office. And she’s here now that we are 6 strong and growing in an amazing suite. She’s a giver at heart and if it were up to her, I would quit my job and we’d spend the rest of our lives giving to those in need. Thank you, honey for listening to the things that only you and Jesus could. And thank you for the daily encouragement it takes for a creative guy to feel validated and want to get up and do it all over again–day after day after day. HC is channel of blessing to many because of you.

Brian Fowler
What can you say of a guy who gets to work at 5:30 AM just because he  knows his responsibility and has a desire to get things done with excellence? Thank you seems ridiculous. Our world is short on servants, Brian is evening that score.  How many days has he seen my tired face and said, “what can I do for you?” That’s more than an employee…that’s the kind of guy you can build a huge corporation with… because he’s an owner–not a renter. He’s also my training partner. We experience pain, suffering, sweat and fat loss together… We’ve run, fished, vacationed, survived the largest roller coasters in the world, built houses and are building a corporation that God finds pleasure in–together. Thank you Brian Fowler. Stop showing me up in dead lifts. Do us a favor and sweat a little more, too. You’re making it look too easy!

Rebekah Wizikowski
Appalachian Mama. Geewizzle. Queen Bee. Desserts a la wiz. The nicknames go on, but her heart never changes. Before working at HC, she attended every event I ever spoke at. She is diligent. She let me see her character before she even brought her talents to our company. She loves our clients. She genuinely cares what happens to them–and thinks with their best interest in mind. Quite the rarity these days. She continues to blossom as a web developer and designer, which is a must in our ever changing technological age. She keeps us (and our clients) out of the ditches with often shouts of “you don’t know what you’re doing!” We laugh and then we do what she says because she’s a researcher and an answer-finder. Shes knows her stuff. Clients have had to apologize to her because they admit she was right. I am so thankful for her daily support (and banana pudding).

Chris Ensor
Who knew that the moment I got up to go the restroom in a marriage seminar, I would run into a guy who would be a such an amazing pillar for me and my team. Chris is thorough, he’s concise, he’s thoughtful, he’s well-read, and he loves mid-century!  He’s been a part of every major pitch we have given. He loves a challenge and welcomes them with open arms (don’t get any ideas about bringing one on him). When I think of the steps of the righteous being ordered by the Lord–I am reminded of my steps (not too many, not too few) that allowed me to run into him that snowy day at that seminar. God orchestrated that. And God will orchestrate us moving forward to the dreams he has in our hearts as a company. Chris: there are Goliaths out there waiting on our arsenal of creative stones. It only takes one!

Piper Messimore
Eight years ago, when Krystal and I followed the Lord to start HC, the last piece of my puzzle was accounting management. I prayed. God answered: “Piper.” Funny thing is that Piper and I knew each other before we married our spouses and we have always lived less than one mile from each other. In the accounting world, trust is really big deal. Piper has earned that from Krystal and me–both personally and professionally. Good thing. When we (that would be Krystal, exactly) gave birth to our second son, Piper was the one we called on that icy night to stay with our oldest son while we slide to the hospital. These things do not  go down on a time sheet. But the sacrifices she makes are en-grained in our hearts forever.

Nathan Yoder
I’ve only known you for a few months, but I speak for the entire team when I say, “you have IT.” Many with much less than your talent level have egos that have tried to soar much higher than their short wings could carry them. You fly low, even and steady on a daily basis. I watch you work. I learn from your humility. I thank God you are on my team and want to keep you in our court– for as long as you want to play. And when you tire out– we’ll bring you a meatball sandwich from Subway. Thank you for giving up this semester to serve HC. We are honored.

This is my dream team. God’s gift to me and to HC clientele. We are strategists, creative thinkers, programmers, but most of all, we are lovers of people and servants of God to those who call us their “agency”.

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