Photo/Design Courtesy of AAF-District 8

Rapid City-based marketing and communications firm Message earned Best of Show honors and a Judge’s Choice Award at the AAF-District 8 Regional competition in Minneapolis, Minnesota for a brand video created for Black Hills Ammunition. The video showcases how the zeal and quirkiness of Black Hills Ammo’s employees provides the ultimate connection to the ammunition they produce.

In addition, Message won three golds for a product catalog photo series, print campaign and integrated brand campaign for Black Hills Ammunition. A silver Addy was also awarded for Black Hills Ammunition’s full-page ad.

The ADDY® Awards are the nation’s largest advertising competition. Each year the competition begins at the local level with the 210 AAF clubs across the country. Entries must first be submitted in a local competition to be eligible for regional and national competitions. Local winners advance to one of the 14 regional district competitions and District winners advance to the national finals. The National ADDYS® are held in conjunction with the AAF National Conference; June 1-4, 2011 in San Diego, CA.

Advertisers featured in the AAF District 8 show included Martin Williams, Olson, Appleton Coated, Adventure, Insight Marketing & Design, Lawrence & Schiller and the Karma Group, among others.

View AAF-District 8′s Best of Show Award Winner here

A full list of AAF District 8 winners can be found here

Message won 6 gold and 7 silver ADDY awards for work entered in print, broadcast, design, sales promotion and mixed/multiple media marketing categories.
This year’s ADDYs had more than 120 entries from Black Hills area advertising agencies, design firms and marketers. Message also won the Tommy award or Best of Show
in the mixed-media, national consumer category for Black Hills Ammunition.

Margaret Skillman was awarded the Silver Medal Award, which recognizes those who have made outstanding contributions to advertising
and have been active in furthering the industry’s standards.

The 2011 AAF-Black Hills ADDYs were judged by nationally recognized creative directors, including Adobe Systems Flash Evangelist Paul Trani
and Senior Writer/Producer Barbara Ruser from SKAR Advertising.

Notable agencies participating at this year’s AAF-Black Hills ADDYs included TDG Communications, Robert Sharp & Associates, Bernard Marketing,
Ross Johnson Design and Aurora Creative.

Here’s a link to the 2011 AAF-Black Hills ADDY Awards Video Entries- Featured is our work for Black Hills Ammunition, Big Brothers Big Sisters
of the Black Hills and Special Olympics Black Hills.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=twP01lymLhg

Message was pleased to work with Black Hills Ammunition on a video showcasing the grit, zeal and quirkiness of their employees. Because of these people and their connection to the ammo – Black Hills is counted among the finest in the world.

Photo Credit: AMC

American Movie Classics, the cable network known as AMC, has pulled back the curtain on what really goes on in an ad agency. Not because it created an award-winning ad campaign, but rather by reintroducing Madison Avenue to America via the industry’s golden age, the 1960s. Mad Men has also launched everything from social media blogs and interactive casting calls for the show to an iPhone app designed to tap into popular vintage cocktails—one of the tools of the fictional trade. And, well, the not-so-fictional one too.

The show’s popularity reminds me of why I love going to the occasional cocktail party. Now, when someone lights a cigarette, and asks, “What do you do?”, all I have to say is, “Advertising.” More often than not, this answer elicits a string of non-related follow-up questions: Do you all still drink and have affairs and plot to stab others in the back? “Why, yes, of course.” I say with a wink that says otherwise.

Rarely do my dinner companions engage in deeper conversation regarding design or social media or brands. I’m fairly certain it’s because most folks believe that Don Draper’s perfect coif is the beginning and end of any ad-related topic. Back to the dinner party conversation. It usually goes something like this. Everyone’s seen an ad, right? (Collective nod.) We all know a good ad when we see one, yes? (Assorted yawns.) All right, what do you say we just skip over that talk on branding? (Glazed eyes.) End of conversation. Pass the crème brûlée.

Simply put, it can be difficult to explain branding in terms that just about anyone can understand. And no matter how well you define it, the sound of Don Draper striking another match will likely sound, ahem, sexier. Certainly sexier than the definition found on Google: “Branding is a traditional advertising method used to elicit latent response from a target based on cumulative impressions and positive reinforcement.”  Accurate, yes, but if it’s that complicated to read, not many will do what it takes to apply those principles to their business. So, for the sake of simplicity, let’s boil it down to its essence: A brand is the sum of everything you do. This includes anything or anyone that comes into contact with the consumer on your behalf. Branding is the packaging on your product; it’s the way you answer your phone; it’s the clothes you wear; the search function on your website; the wording on your performance reviews; the shape of your business card; and the Franklin Gothic typeface in your ads. Basically; it’s everything beneath the surface that supports your messaging.

To put this in perspective, let’s consider a few variables in a typical purchase decision: price, packaging, perceived value, color/shape, shelf placement, celebrity endorsement, product features, distribution, word-of-mouth, consumer reports, promotions/incentives and values/lifestyle match. Obviously, branding cannot carry the entire burden of sales. However, what branding can do is even better. Branding can set the stage for selling, by starting a relationship between your business and the consumer. As any salesperson worth his or her salt will tell you, sales are always built upon relationships.

In less complicated times, brands were simply used to identify cattle. In English lexicon, the word “brand” originally meant anything hot, like a burning stick. By the Middle Ages, it became common practice to burn marks into livestock to identify the owner. In the process, a proliferation of brands emerged, making it necessary to record them in books that local ranchers could carry in their back pocket. Laws were passed requiring registration of brands and the inspection of cattle driven through various territories. Penalties were often imposed on those who failed to obtain a bill of sale with the corresponding brands of the animals purchased.

Today’s media landscape would be much easier to sort out with a brand book. Magazines have branched into hundreds of specialty titles. TV and radio have grown to hundreds of channels each. And the Internet has become a huge, potentially overwhelming source for news, music and entertainment. As a result, media outlets have been forced to focus on a niche like a laser. Whether it’s Mad Men, NPR, The Wall Street Journal or XM Radio, much of today’s media content is keenly tailored for a well-researched and narrow market. Media has been splintered, and there’s no going back. Is this a good thing as it applies to brands? My guess is that most consumers would say that it undoubtedly is—there are better options, custom-fit to varied lifestyles. And most advertisers would say that it undoubtedly is not—it’s simply harder and harder to truly connect with potential consumers who are fine-tuning their radar against the constant barrage of messaging.

So, what is a business to do in this rapidly-changing-highly-evolved-tricked-out world? It must devote time and effort to better defining their brand as it pertains to its target audience. Despite all the changes, nearly every medium still has its merits. Rather than trying to use them all, which is what advertisers used to do, businesses need to do what the media have done. They need to focus. The days of a company being all things to all people are over. Those responsible for branding need to understand—truly and deeply understand—whom they are trying to reach. Then they must craft a compelling—truly compelling—messaging platform to touch those people.

So, what’s your brand? If you’re like many small business owners, you don’t have one. That’s okay. You’re in the majority. Most people don’t expect you to have one. Instead, they expect you to just fade away into obscurity. Your job now is to find out who you really are. Think of what embodies your work, something you can stick to. Then find out what you need to do to make it a reality. And if you are seeking a truly intoxicating Don Draper-like experience, consider hashing it out over a three-martini lunch.

Jason Alley is principal of Message, a full-service marketing & communications firm in Rapid City, South Dakota.

This is South Dakota. Which contrary to popular belief, isn't near Georgia.

“Where are you from?” one couple asked me during a stay in Lake Tahoe, CA.  When I replied, “South Dakota”, they promptly nodded their heads and she said, “I thought so, I could tell by your accent”.  This struck me as particularly funny, since I did not think I spoke with an accent. Later they confessed that they thought South Dakota was somewhere near Georgia! I admit I wasn’t sitting by a geography whiz, but we all must confess that we make mistakes when we are talking to people whether we intend to or not.

Mistakes matter in the marketing world. Not only should we know our geography, we also need to know a slew of other demographics like ethnic background, age and income. And hey, how about what do your customers want or need and who makes the spending decisions on products?

Once of the key elements of marketing is to know your audience.  The company I work for basically serves South Dakota and in a few places we barely cross over the borders of Wyoming and Nebraska.  The South Dakota Quick Facts from the US Census Bureau lists SD with 9.9 persons per square mile.  Definitely, we qualify as rural; this gives a whole new meaning to the word remote.  We definitely do not live in the land of skyscrapers, stiletto heels and Armani suits.

There is nothing more frustrating to receive than advertisements for products you cannot receive or when you are in business dealing with solicitors from entities you do not serve.  Case in point, every year we receive solicitation calls from the Fraternal Organization of Yada Yada.  When these folks call I ask them where they are calling from, the answer is usually Houston, TX.  My next question is what percentage of the funds return to South Dakota?  Well, at this point the caller is on the defense and their offense is to repeat information previously supplied and not answer the question.  This only makes it easier to thank them for calling and discontinue the call.  Get it? They know nothing about the company and we are not their customer. They do not know their audience.

You need to take the time to know your audience to keep them from disconnecting. Before each marketing campaign we sit down to identify what we are promoting, what the campaign entails, why we are promoting this product and who will receive the product information.  Not altogether far from the infamous Who, What, When, Where, Why, and How we were taught in grammar school. We try to be extremely careful and only advertise to customers that can actually receive our products.

Who are you talking to? What are you providing? Where are you located? Why do you need this product? And, how can I make it happen for you?  All of which is said in my best South Dakota drawl.

Thanks to our guest contributor Becky Drury, Traffic Coordinator, Telecommunications Company in SD.

This award-winning radio effort for the State Of Montana focused on the rich palette of destinations and activities available. By pitting the perception of Montana as a rugged and wild place against the reality of  it being ‘that place’ with all the amenities one could find anywhere else made for a convincing message. The radio spots also rang true to travelers seeking the diverse activities this fine state has to offer. Visitation to both of Montana’s national parks increased significantly in 2009.

[soundcloud url="http://soundcloud.com/yourmessenger/fudge-it" params="show_comments=true&auto_play=false&color=ff7700" width="100%" height="81" ]

Client:  Big Sky Resort
Copywriter/Producer-  Jason Alley, 2008
2008 Gold Regional Addy in the Pacific Northwest

At the time, Big Sky was known for their abundance of terrain for beginners and experts alike. The challenge was to carry out the idea that Big Sky became the biggest skiing in America. Building on their already strong position (“Behold, the biggest skiing in America” being their tagline), we introduced to their target audience the myriad benefits of skiing there via the Big Guy and his angelic choir. The results were impressive, with an increase in season ticket sales and summer visitation.

Check out two spots from the campaign:

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[soundcloud url="http://soundcloud.com/yourmessenger/big-sky-resort-winter-season-pass-60" params="show_comments=true&auto_play=false&color=ff7700" width="100%" height="81" ]

Web video featuring World Champion Bullfighter Loyd Ketchum shot on location in Stanford and Lewistown, Montana. Director/Producer- Jason Alley, Message

“I’ve worked out a series of no’s. No to exquisite light, no to apparent compositions, no to the seduction of poses or narrative. And all these no’s force me to the ‘yes.’ I have a white background. I have the person I’m interested in and the thing that happens between us.”

- Richard Avedon

Web video featuring Native drum group Blackfoot Confederacy shot on location in Glacier National Park and the Blackfoot Reservation near Browning, Montana.

Director/Producer- Jason Alley, Message

“I’ve worked out a series of no’s. No to exquisite light, no to apparent compositions, no to the seduction of poses or narrative. And all these no’s force me to the ‘yes.’ I have a white background. I have the person I’m interested in and the thing that happens between us.”

- Richard Avedon

Web video featuring the Yahoo™ Yodeler Wylie Gustafson shot on location near Dusty, Washington. Producer/Director- Jason Alley, Message

“I’ve worked out a series of no’s. No to exquisite light, no to apparent compositions, no to the seduction of poses or narrative. And all these no’s force me to the ‘yes.’ I have a white background. I have the person I’m interested in and the thing that happens between us.”

- Richard Avedon