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From moe. to mannequins, advertising agency looks for right fit with clients

CLINTON — With a degree in political science from Union College in Schenectady, Joseph Romanelli headed to Albany after his 1989 graduation and became involved in the political scene.

But after a few years of working on political campaigns, he was ready to return to the Mohawk Valley, and join the advertising agency started by his father Donald in 1973.

“We did kind of grow up in the business,” Romanelli says of himself and his sister, Beth Romanelli-Hapanowicz. “Whenever they needed a child in a photo shoot, we were the guinea pigs.”

Since joining the company in the early 1990s, Romanelli has helped steer the agency through an expansion of its offerings — along with the ever-changing world of technology. (more…)

For years the folks who brew Saranac beer have been huge fans of the band moe. The members of moe. have also been huge fans of Saranac beer. moe. has actually been singing about their hometown brew in their song Happy Hour Hero for almost 10 years, (originally recorded on their album Tin Cans and Car Tires (1998).

Romanelli Communications, an ad agency within just a few miles of the birthplace of Saranac (The Matt Brewing Company) and the birthplace of members of moe., loves music and beer, (especially music by moe. and beer by Saranac). Put them all together and you end up with a Saranac TV Commercial with Happy Hour Hero as the soundtrack.

“From the very beginning we wanted great music in this spot,” said Fred Matt, Vice President of The Matt Brewing Company. “It was important to us because it’s part of the Saranac culture. For the past few years we’ve hosted concerts by moe. at the Brewery and have been the major beer sponsor of moe.down. The more we worked with Romanelli to develop the TV spot the more we both felt that Happy Hour Hero really belonged there.”

“It is perfect for a moe. song to be the soundtrack of the Saranac commercial,” said Bernie Freytag, Creative Director of Romanelli Communications. “Both moe. and Saranac achieve high quality in what they produce. They stay genuine and true to their art without hiding behind gimmicks.”

“When we heard that there was a Saranac commercial being produced and they wanted to feature a moe. song, we were all for it,” said moe. guitarist, Al Schnier. “Saranac is a great beer brewed in our hometown. We already do moe.down together because the guys in the band love the beer, so it was a good fit that just made sense.”

Freytag continued, “The line in Happy Hour Hero – “a Saranac will do just fine” was a perfect fit. It’s all about being content with something fundamental , like great beer. That’s why we chose it. At that moment, you don’t need anything else.

Immersing themselves in the Saranac brand, Romanelli really discovered who Saranac was. Saranac is about being comfortable, laid back and spending time with friends. They’re authentic, the real deal. Their beer is meant to be savored, truly tasted and enjoyed. The Matt Family has a gorgeous, state-of-the-art Brewery where they’ve been making great beer since the late1800’s. Saranac is about great beer.

Matt continued, “What’s nice about this spot is that we’re using original music that is real and unscripted. It really speaks to the authenticity of the Saranac brand. The phrase has a laid back unassuming tone to it, which is what we’re all about. So your day was rough, you’ve opened a Saranac, and now, everything’s going to be just fine.”

This collaborative effort between Saranac, moe. and Romanelli has resulted in a new Happy Hour Hero recording and the birth of the Saranac Quality TV spot, “Great Beer”. The spot is planning to run in the Utica/Rome, Albany, Syracuse and Ithaca/Cortland markets and can currently be viewed on YouTube and Saranac.com.

Romanelli Communications, a local marketing services agency, is hoping to inspire a new holiday tradition by donating its “secret santa” funds to the Stevens-Swan Humane Society of Oneida County this year. Instead of exchanging gifts between co-workers, employees of the firm decided to pool their holiday gift dollars and make a group donation to a local charity. They chose the Stevens-Swan Humane Society because of their mutual love of dogs.

“One of our employees, Erinn Riley, suggested we might consider another form of giving this year,” said Joe Romanelli, President of Romanelli Communications. “She had seen a news story on how people that have fallen on hard times are abandoning their pets. Like many charities, animal shelters are getting overwhelmed. And since almost everyone in our Agency owns one or more dogs, this kind of donation was a natural for us—we all immediately loved the idea. I think it reflects a larger trend toward charitable giving this year.”

The Stevens-Swan Humane Society (SSHS) of Oneida County is a private nonprofit organization that provides a safe haven to all domestic pets that must be surrendered, are stray, abandoned, homeless, abused, or injured. They serve as a safe haven for nearly 5,000 animals each year that need to be sheltered, regardless of circumstance. (more…)

Romanelli Communications recently launched the viral marketing campaign, “I Love U” to promote the upcoming Utica Music Fest (UMF). The event will take place in Utica, September 18th – 20th, 2008.

The I Love U campaign was posted to YouTube just 2 weeks ago and has already received a 5-star rating and over 3,000 views. The main video has also been posted on MySpace and sent via email to hundreds of recipients, who are continuing to pass it on. Support media for the event include a mobile billboard that residents will see around the greater Utica area, a traditional billboard, posters and t-shirts, all rockin’ the UMF logo.

“This is a brand new event for Utica and we hope it will become an annual festival,” said Joe Sweet, founder of UMF. “We have a lot to offer in music, culture and history, and we want to bring people here and show it off.”

Sweet continued, “When it came to promoting this event, there was no question in my mind of what to do—call Romanelli. They really understand the music scene and were able to work with us on cool and different ways to get our message out there.”

Joe Romanelli, President of Romanelli Communications said, “Strategically speaking, viral marketing was definitely the way to go for this campaign. Music already has an underground vibe and the music scene is all over MySpace and YouTube. This festival will draw people from well outside the Utica area, so it made sense to generate internet and word-of-mouth buzz. TV and radio would just not have had as big a reach in such a short amount of time. ‘I Love U’ has started to take on a life of its own, which is exactly what we’re looking for.”

“Creating the identity and campaign for UMF was a unique challenge for us,” said Bernie Freytag, Creative Director at Romanelli Communications. “We needed to marry the promotion of this festival with the promotion of our city in general. This music fest is something Utica has never done before and we needed to showcase and celebrate all that Utica has to offer. By repeating I Love U, using different musical styles and highlighting Utica landmarks, we were able to create a strong sense of unity for Utica through music. That’s what this festival represents.”

Over 200 bands are scheduled to perform at 18 venues throughout Utica during the 3-day festival. Advance tickets for the Utica Music Fest are available at www.uticamusicfest.com. A full weekend pass gives you access to all music venues for just $20.