1.Why we use a retainer + equity model.
Two reasons. First, we want our clients to know that any recommendation we make about how and where they spend their marketing dollars is based solely on what's in the long-term interests of their business. We take no markup on any service or program that we recommend. Second, we believe that our efforts will make a major contribution to your success. If that happens, we'd like to share in that success.
2. One brain to train.
Most startups today have to develop, educate and manage their network of agencies one at a time—creative, web, PR, social media, analytics—educating each one about their technology, market and business strategy. With Crowded Ocean, you educate us once and we take it from there, training all agencies, producing all programs, and managing all schedules/budgets.
3. We practice 'tough love' with our clients.
Here's a fact: you know more about your market and business than we ever will. Here's another one: we know the world of marketing (its costs, schedules, players and tricks) better than you ever will. Our job has two parts: 1) to develop and execute your marketing strategy and schedule for your first year of operation; 2) teach you everything we know in the process so that you can succeed after we're gone. To do the first part, we drive ourselves--and our clients--to tight schedules, holding all of us accountable at all levels. We challenge your perspectives and encourage you to challenge ours. The end result is greater productivity and a stronger understanding of how both of our businesses work.
4. We want to work ourselves out of a job.
While our network of small, integrated agencies is what you need for your first 18 months of operation, our goal is to help you become so large and successful that you need a specialized agency for each marketing area (web, design, social networking, communications, etc.). As you reach that point, we’ll help you hire and train our replacements in each discipline.
5. So what? Who cares? (Our mantra)
Good marketing comes down to repeatedly asking and answering these two questions—and in that process refining your outreach and your message.
"Who cares?" has to do with targeting your audience—who they are, their primary and secondary business needs, and what they’re looking for in the way of solutions. "So what?" is all about connecting with that audience, ensuring that your positioning, messaging and offerings are in line with their business strategy and needs.
6. Brand is great. Sales are better.
Technology isn’t an end in itself—it’s a means to solve customer problems and drive sales. It’s the same with your brand. While we’re big fans of branding, we believe your brand should be measured not by how it makes your customers ‘feel’ but by how it defines and drives your business. Build great products that solve customer problems, produce compelling programs that engage your customers, and your brand will take care of itself.
7. Whole-brain creative.
Great creative starts with strong positioning and compelling messages. We work with you to develop a platform of left-brain messages that brings the customer to a set of logical conclusions; we then reinforce these conclusions with impressive creative that delivers those messages with emotional impact. The result is a memorable program that drives business while reinforcing your brand.
8. N:1 Marketing (Building social communities that work)
Marketing has always been a 1:N (one to many) discipline, with the goal being to reach the right crowd with the right message. But with social media and the Internet, we’ve entered the world of N:1 marketing, where your customers’ buying decisions and loyalty are guided more by their peers than by you.
Staying involved with your users is a year-round activity that can yield better ROI than any other marketing investment or strategy. So we’ve created a unique set of programs that attract, engage and motivate your customers: microsites, communities, forums, viral marketing contests, virtual events, and the use of new social tools as part of your business outreach strategies.