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  • Hello. I'm Stacey Pilcher. I am a strategic marketer and brand consultant who is passionate about helping my clients build their businesses.

    I started my business in 1999 and believe inspiration comes from within - and also within the Grand Canyon - that's why you can find me hiking there every year.

    I started this blog to help my clients think about new opportunities. How can I help you?

    • Keep your head out of the sand.

    Posted by staceypilcher on Wednesday, March 23rd, 2011 | No Comments

    Why was 2010 such a banner year for the Publicis Groupe?  Is it Maurice Lévy, CEO? “The shock that the Internet caused is still not finished,” Mr Lévy says.  “We need to be ahead of the curve; otherwise we will not be able to accompany the client of tomorrow.”
    Acquisitions:
    2000 Saatchi & Saatchi
    2001 Leo Burnett Worldwide
    2007 Digitas (online marketing)
    2008 Performics (search marketing)
    2009 Razorfish (largest digital agency)

    It’s not about being all things to all people – it’s about watching the trends and owning brands that are of the future. Advertising agencies are interesting entities, since it is their job to understand consumers and keep clients and their products relevant, yet they struggle to stay relevant themselves.  Agencies have always tried to be a one-stop shops, but now the industry is so specialized that no one agency can do it all.  It is important to work with a variety of talent. 

    That’s why Lévy gets it.  Sales and margins improved in 2010 and the company purchased a PR firm in China and 49% of a talent agency in Brazil.  In 2011, it started by purchasing Chemistry agency in Brazil. Lévy doesn’t rebrand the companies he buys. He buys them so that his holding company has strength in the direction things are going.

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    Good communication embraces ingenuity.

    Posted by staceypilcher on Thursday, February 17th, 2011 | No Comments

    Call it clever, resourceful, creative, inventive, inspired, or imaginative.  It’s what makes inventors relentlessly pursue solutions and entrepreneurs zero in on new ideas. Good communication embraces ingenuity to tell the story of a product or service in a memorable way.

    People are inherently ingenious, always finding solutions to problems or making something from nothing.

    Many mornings I jog along the canal banks in Phoenix.  It is a great place to exercise without traffic and the route is flat and scenic.  In fact, using the canals for exercise is an ingenious use of space otherwise wasted. There are always joggers, walkers, cyclists, fisherman, ducks and puppy dogs.  But yesterday, I saw the most ingenious use of the canal yet.  A man, jogging, was approaching holding a leash, but his dog was not visible.  As the man passed I could finally see the dog at the end of the leash joyfully swimming along in the canal. The man had created a completely new spin on an age old activity with Man’s Best Friend.  

    How can you be ingenious today?

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    Test Your Brand

    Posted by staceypilcher on Monday, January 31st, 2011 | No Comments

    Have you measured the status and effectiveness of your company’s brand lately?  Answer “Yes” to any of the following questions, and you need to consider new strategies and tactics to keep your brand fresh, relevant and profitable in today’s marketplace.

    1. Do you depend on a loyal customer base with few new customers acquired each year?
    2. Has your brand identity been consistent over the years, yet never updated?
    3. Is social media a mystery to your company?
    4. Is consolidation changing the face of your competitive environment?
    5. Have distribution points changed for your products?
    6. Do you feel that your product is slowly being usurped by new technology or offerings?
    7. Have your consumers changed consumption patterns since the recession?
    8. Do you have one “star” product outpacing all others?  

    Over the next few months, I will be discussing these topics and providing insights and suggestions on building brand and market share. Stay tuned.

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