The phenomenal results belie the challenging shoot: near record heat for the time of year (well into the 90s all day for our offsite work), a large cast, and a tight shooting schedule over two days. Spots were filmed at a local home and at the Institute’s facilities, where we were constantly on alert for emergencies, any of which would require us to vacate our “set” quickly for patients. The professionalism, organization and generosity of MVHI’s staff, which serve them so well in their work, made our jobs much easier.

It’s always rewarding when planning, preparation, hard work and great people come together to create great work. Enjoy.

image courtesy of WKTV.com

As we work to inspire others, we are often inspired ourselves. We’re celebrating a local family that has taken adversity and turned it into a positive experience for others. Jason and Kristy Nole found a way to give back to a community and organization that helped their daughter in their time of need, the Children’s Miracle Network (CMN) at Faxton-St. Luke’s Healthcare in Utica. The CMN provides programs, services and life-saving equipment for children and families in Central New York. Their month-long “Dining for Miracles” event will be hosted at their family-owned restaurant, ANCORA!, and include other local restaurants as well.

“Children’s Miracle Network is an organization that positively impacts so many members of our local community,” said Jason Nole. “I wanted to give back in some way. I thought, what better way than through Dining for Miracles.” We couldn’t agree more. Read the whole news article here.

Also interesting: Jason’s newest restaurant, Simmer, was branded and named in collaboration with Romanelli Communications. We couldn’t be prouder to work with so generous a client and friend.

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Building on strategies established last year, we hit the ground running with client First Source Federal Credit Union’s 2010 promotions, including new television spots and video blog entries. Fulfilling their mission of financial education, their first TV spot talks about why Credit Unions in general are better than banks, carefully avoiding mention of First Source in the copy.

In addition to TV, we’re making their Member experience even more personal with a new web feature: video blogs by Credit Union staff. First Source wants the video entries, which tie into TV spots, to continue conversations about topics of interest to the community. The first features Credit Union President and CEO Mike Parsons explaining in more detail what makes Credit Unions better. First Source’s growth is a strong indicator that many people are embracing his message. Check it out—you might be surprised.

We work very hard to show what makes our clients special when planning their marketing strategies. They all have great stories to tell and it’s our job to make sure they are seen, heard, and remembered. This past week, one of our clients, White’s Lumber, came to us with a great story that we wanted to share with you.

White’s is a family-owned lumber and home improvement business that has been serving the communities in and around Watertown, NY since 1892. We were absolutely amazed by this rarity, and wanted to express it to the general public in their branding. After much research and collaboration with White’s, we arrived at their new tagline: “Quality Across the Board”. We understand the importance of establishing a good brand and expressing it in everything our clients do. White’s Lumber has embraced theirs wholeheartedly, always providing ‘quality across the board.’ How did we know we were conveying this message successfully? Check this out…

A customer had come in to pay for an order at White’s Lumber and wrote out a check for his bill. After reviewing it, one the store’s accounting staff brought it to Brad White, the owner. The check writer had gotten the name wrong. Who had he made it out to? Not White’s Lumber, but “White’s Quality.”

A question we often ask new clients is: how do you express your company’s brand? Does it reflect what you do or does it get lost in translation?

We’re proud of our clients and the work we do for them, and events like this let us know we’re telling their stories well. Now if only they could cash that check…