Author: Joe

Joseph S. Grano, Jr., has a record of success providing vision and strategic direction to organizations experiencing rapid growth and change. He is one of those rare individuals who have made a successful transition from corporate leader to entrepreneur and owner of his own growing company.
Joe Blog

And the Oscar goes to..

I had the distinct pleasure of seeing Tom Sherak, President of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences speak to a private audience at the Ringling College of Art + Design in Sarasota last night. Beyond the fascinating Hollywood stories about this year’s Oscar presentation, he reminded the audience of something important, “Oscar” is a brand and one of the most recognized brands worldwide.  It has endured for more than eighty years and continues to thrive.

We at Next-Mark look at brand strategy on a daily basis. Ultimately, we strive to assist clients create, build and sustain their brands through every economic, social and cultural cycle.  Will your brand thrive?  Let us know how we can help.

And the Oscar goes to..
Joe Blog

Don’t Red Light Your Marketing Mix!

I snapped this as I returned to the office earlier this morning. I started thinking about how it relates to a lot of business organizations we deal with on a daily basis – a red light on a clear blue sky. The red light represents a dated marketing mix, resistance to the digital game and reluctancy to step out of their comfort zone – the clear blue sky represents limitless opportunity. FYI – this is a rare moment of philosophical-esoteric-ness, I usually leave this stuff to the designers and creatives but sometimes, when I actually focus on driving (not emailing, texting, facebook-ing and tweeting) I surprise myself with where my mind goes. At Next-Mark, our intuitive approach to marketing gives our clients what they need to get the green light and accelerate into the marketplace.

What does this image say to you? Besides “it’s waaaay too nice to be working today!”

Red Light
Don't Red Light Your Marketing Mix

 

Joe Blog

HIMSS 2012 After thoughts . . .

Just getting back from HIMSS 2012.  I have been attending this event since 2000.  It’s clear that companies in the health information technology arena need our services now more than ever before.  Whether it’s strategic communication about ICD-10 or targeted content on major healthcare issues.  Our team is poised to support these issues with strategic messaging supported by impactful design.  Also, I continue to see companies with a specific need to enhance their brand communications and identity.  Our goal is to provide innovation and creativity yielding powerful results!

Joe News

Next-Mark to Serve as Premiere Sponsor of the Sarasota Film Festival

Sarasota, Fl, February 14, 2012 – Southwest Florida marketing, communications and business strategy firm, Next-Mark, LLC, will be a premiere sponsor of this year’s Sarasota Film Festival. Next-Mark will provide expertise in the design and visual brand identity of advertising, communications materials, merchandising, signage and other collateral. Next-Mark Director of Creative Strategy Rob Welling, a Ringling graduate and award-winning graphic designer, will head the design team.

“The Sarasota Film Festival is a visionary organization, and we are truly honored to participate in one of Sarasota’s most spectacular events,” said Next-Mark founder and President Joseph Grano. “The creative energy generated by the Sarasota Film Festival is something that Next-Mark thrives upon,” he explained. “It’s such a great fit,” Grano added, “with our creative talent helping to showcase others’ creativity.”

“We are looking forward to this partnership,” said Kathy Jordan, Managing Director for the Sarasota Film Festival, “and we are very excited to have Next-Mark involved.”

The 14th Annual Sarasota Film Festival will take place April 13-22, 2012.  Events will be held throughout the Festival at some of the most beautiful and exclusive locations in the

Sarasota area, inviting celebrities, filmmakers, film enthusiasts, media and even student filmmakers to experience what happens when Hollywood hits the beach.

About Next-Mark, LLC

Next-Mark was founded in 2005 to help client organizations reach their full potential through marketing success. Breaking away from the constraints of traditional marketing service organizations, the Next-Mark team takes an intuitive marketing approach, integrating our experience, analytics and innovation in developing strategic marketing solutions to meet client individual needs. Next-Mark focuses on internationally and nationally recognized brands along with growing companies across a broad spectrum of categories, including healthcare, technology, retail, environmental, marine products and tourism, among others. With clients from Alaska to The Netherlands, its roster includes industry leaders such as LexisNexis, Elsevier Health Sciences and Indyme Solutions, among many others.

About the Sarasota Film Festival

For the 14th year, the annual Sarasota Film Festival will bring the best new and veteran independent filmmakers to the Gulf Coast. The Festival showcases superlative cinema alongside exciting programs and events, with more than 180 films screened each year, including features, documentaries, shorts and kid-friendly picks.

Joe Blog

Greetings from San Diego!

Although, it has been a little wet and on the cold side, the business climate is very hot.  We are very lucky to have San Diego clients and partners who engage with us and understand the power of Intuitive Marketing.  Back in Sarasota tomorrow! 

Joe Blog

Super Bowl Recap

Thankfully we had a great showing on the field this year, ’cause the commercials (except for one or two) were not too impressive. VW’s “Dog Strikes Back” was a favorite around the office along with Bud Light’s “Rescue Dog,” and Acura’s “Reflections” featuring Jerry Seinfeld. For a full replay of this years Super Bowl commercials click here! And let us know, what was your favorite?!

Joe Blog

Going Viral… with Super Bowl Commercials

Have you noticed that a lot of companies are choosing to go viral with their 2012 Super Bowl Commercial Campaigns? We’ve seen a lot of organizations using media outlets like YouTube and Vimeo to preview their much anticipated pieces. Allowing viewers to share them on their various social networks and thus gaining substantial traction before the big game.

Do you like this, sort of, premature exposure? Or does it ruin the anticipation, the build-up, the “they spent whaaaaat! for that?” Well, this has been a topic of discussion around the water cooler (or Keurig, to be exact) at the Next-Mark HQ this week: Is the viral exposure gained prior to the Super Bowl worth it?

Absolutely. Companies are trying to minimize the number of people who are not exposed to their commercials. By releasing previews they are getting people talking – garnishing the interest through “likes” and “shares” that they couldn’t capture during a timeout late in the 4th quarter.

Check out these that have some serious views…

http://youtu.be/WUFSHzT2xuY

http://youtu.be/cpi2IAec9Ho

 

Joe Blog

Super Bowl-Ad Week Preview

It’s that time of year again. When we get a chance to watch the work of the nations best creative talent. There’s also the whole Eli – Brady match-up to get stoked for, which should be equally as entertaining as the commercials (let’s hope).

I’ve managed to dig up who some of this years’ big players (off-the-field) are; H&M featuring a half-naked David Beckham, don’t worry fellas we’ve got an equally-as-naked Adrianna Lima in the latest addition from Kia, a plethora of other automobile makers including a Twilight-esque Audi Ad and a lot of barking from VW, the Polar Bears are back from Coca-Cola, and the viral-released Ferris Bueller spin-off from Honda. That’s just to name a few. What other brands are you excited to see? Stayed to hear more on Super Bowl-Ad week.

http://youtu.be/VhkDdayA4iA

 

Joe News

Marketing Communications Leader Adds Strategic SEO Services To Its Capabilities

SARASOTA, FL (January 25, 2012) – Next-Mark, LLC, a marketing, communications and business strategy solutions company, announces the addition of Search Engine Optimization (SEO) services to its capabilities.

Next-Mark SEO services are designed to improve the visibility of websites on search engines (Google, Yahoo, Bing, etc) through a series of strategic content-driven and technical initiatives. To provide these tools, Next-Mark has partnered with an industry leader with more than a decade’s experience in developing SEO strategies for leading companies throughout the U.S. and internationally.

SEO is the employment of front-end and back-end tactics to help search engines find a web site, assure its prominence in the results and drive traffic to it. It incorporates site design, menus, management systems, images, videos and content, among other elements. As a marketing strategy, SEO considers how search engines work, how people use them, precise search terms and key words employed and even the search engine preferences of targeted consumers.

The importance of SEO is undeniable, according to Next-Mark founder and President Joseph Grano. “After all,” he explained, &ldquot;the Internet is the No. 1 medium for research today, and it is a proven fact that consumers expect the best companies, products and services to be in the top results.” If they don’t see something promising in a brief look at entries, he added, “Most people simply type something else in and see where it takes them.”

As a result, SEO service companies are proliferating, Grano noted. &ldquot;Today, businesses have many choices for SEO services and strategy,&rdquot; he conceded, &ldquot;but very few firms can provide the full-range of SEO services, including content direction, technical support and web development, all under one roof.&rdquot; “In addition to our scope of services,” Grano added, “we believe

our SEO package is unique because of our intuitive marketing approach that integrates sound SEO practices as part of a client’s comprehensive marketing plan,” Grano added.