Finding an Agency: FabCom Introduces a New World of Interactive Strategic Marketing and Advertising

At my former company, marketing, advertising and strategy integrated together represented the new world waiting outside. FabCom helped us open the door to interactive, strategic marketing.

PART II: Finding an agency – FabCom introduces a new world of interactive, strategic marketing

But that meant entering unchartered waters because we were unfamiliar with how a full service cross channel, cross media marketing and advertising agency worked. Naturally, we had questions about how bringing on this Phoenix area marketing and advertising agency would impact our public relations and corporate communications team. Would they take over? Would we have to eliminate any of our public relations department team members? How would we all work together to connect to this brave new world of cross channel, cross media marketing and advertising?

FabCom had ready answers that quickly put our concerns to rest. Our marketing director not only would remain an integral part of the joint public relations, marketing and advertising team with FabCom but also would manage the agency-company relationship. In fact, it became a joint partnership that was maintained consistently throughout our many years and branding and positioning campaigns with FabCom. Marketing and advertising strategy meetings were conducted weekly, with phone calls in between as needed to maintain open, two-way communication. What resulted was a well-oiled, cooperative, collaborative working relationship with FabCom’s specialized online and offline marketing team that gave us the opportunity to offer input and remain in sync with our new direction. We followed FabCom’s strategic marketing road map that, with each campaign, was woven into our organization’s business plans, mission, vision, values, goals and objectives. Brian’s team dove right in to assume much of the additional work. Because our team’s role in public relations and corporate communications continued to be a vital part of the FabCom strategic marketing plans, members of our department team also were involved to some degree in fulfilling advertising and marketing tactics related to each campaign. We enjoyed the opportunities to point our compass in new directions.

We didn’t realize how much we were siloed and the extent to which an independent marketing and advertising agency could move the needle until we were presented FabCom’s signature strategic marketing and advertising plans.

Initially, we hired this mid-sized marketing and advertising agency to help us secure market share that a competitive institution was driving away from our neurology and cardiac programs. FabCom’s first strategic plan for us, which included marketing and advertising, ultimately exceeded goals so much they were hired to create another three-year plan. The overall market share that was gained ultimately secured the organization’s position in the market and led to the building of a “heart hospital within a hospital.” Because of FabCom’s clear direction and expertise in cross channel, cross media advertising and marketing campaigns, again this Phoenix area marketing agency was retained, this time for naming, branding and positioning this new entity in the community. From there, more opportunities arose to work with them, including development of a physician specialty branding and positioning campaign and a relationship marketing based newcomer welcome program.

It was these comprehensive plans and related tactics that helped us discover the right marketing and advertising can make a significant difference between a one-dimensional business plan and a comprehensive strategic marketing and advertising plan. Our strategic marketing plans created connected, integrated road maps that cast the net further than ever before to help us meet our goals and maximize ROI.

In a matter of weeks after the launch of our first strategic marketing plan, a wide range of cross channel, cross media advertising and marketing opportunities opened up through FabCom that would have taken us years to develop on our own with the hiring of additional expertise plus the investment in and learning of the latest technologies to make it happen.

FabCom consistently generated more ROI than we would have ever been able to accomplish alone. I was amazed to learn that, on average, an organization’s in-house public relations and marketing teams on average only earn a .7 percent (that’s point 7, less than 1 percent) return vs. an average 4 percent return from FabCom – a significant difference.

It was through FabCom, with eyes opened wide to all of the newest cross channel, cross media methodologies and technology in the marketing and advertising industry, that we were able to leverage the strengths of our system, build loyalty, expand our reach, and hardwire our branding and positioning in a new age. FabCom tied it all together. They were the missing link.