our marketing blog

Problems are Opportunities

We’re growing. Philosophically, it’s right in line with our founding principles. When things get tough, we want to run counter to the crowd. As of this day in what has really been an otherwise forgettable year, ReThinc Advertising now becomes ReThinc Advertising and Public Relations. I couldn’t be more excited and no, I haven’t been…

Find Your Happy Place

Let me be clear that the purpose of this blog is to educate. I really don’t use my blog as a sales tool to attract new clients but as the owner of a digital ad agency in Phoenix I do have to write a self-serving piece relative to what we do every so often to…

ZOOM A ZOOM ZOOM

2020 brought with it a new, not so awesome reality that no one was expecting. There have been plenty of byproducts from it and most are not good whatsoever. One exception has become the cornerstone for business meetings both external and internal. Zoom has become our new virtual conference room and portal by which we…

A Post for the Times

I don’t think it’s overly surprising that recent events have resulted in an uptick of social media use and before you hit the delete button, this is not a pitch to hire a digital ad agency in Phoenix that specializes in social media advertising … swear. You’ll have to read on to see if I’m…

What is Normal Anyway?

Like all businesses, the COVID-19 pandemic most certainly has had a profound impact on ReThinc Advertising. We’ve shuttered our office and responsibly worked from home for the past eight weeks. Our clients have slashed budgets, curtailed operations, and done everything they can to weather the economic devastation we’ve all experienced these past two months. As…

Fake It Like a Morning Person

Every workplace has them. Those people who have worked out, showered, had breakfast, and are on their second cup of coffee by the time you’ve hit snooze for the third time. I know ReThinc has at least one. I truly believe that mornings are the most crucial part of the day. So what can you…

Marketing Basics in a Time of Uncertainty

We interrupt our regular scheduled blog to speak directly to small and medium sized businesses that find themselves in a situation that is, in a word … unprecedented. How many times have we heard that word lately? Unlike a lot of what you read these days, we’re going to stick to what we know best…

A ReThinc Rom-Com

Love stories have a way of becoming convoluted over the years. Details are forgotten, as are some of the early pitfalls that come with all relationships. The true bliss of starting my own advertising agency and having it become successful is nothing short of a love story. Not to say that my previous ‘relationships’ with…

Marketing is Complex, Yet Simple

Subscribing to Google Alerts ensures that I get no less than a dozen marketing articles in my inbox each day. Typically, and may I say thankfully, these articles are short and to the point so I endeavor to read as many as time permits. They say knowledge is power but for a full-service ad agency…

HO, HO, HOw to Market Effectively During the Holidays

It’s that special time of year again … your inbox has a few more solicitation emails, your social feeds are really pushing some of those products you showed interest in, and the newspaper at your grandma’s house is a lot heavier than it was back in October. Oh, and your co-worker with the sniffles is…

LinkedIn or Out

As the owner of a digital marketing agency, I get asked all the time why LinkedIn is not a more prolific platform for my B2C and B2B efforts. On the surface, it readily identifies a person’s occupation, title, education, affiliations, and even interests. As a social media platform, it’s a veritable gold mine of information.…

A Brand New Name Game

Let’s pretend for just one moment you’ve decided to start your own company. You’ve got the knowledge to put forth a great product, the staff to provide stellar service and a location that’s going to bring you the traffic you need to make a healthy profit. Now, all you need to do is come up…

And Then TV Got Weird…

I love the TV media business but it’s an understatement to say that things got weird a few years back. Not to sound like an old guy, but times used to be much simpler than they are now. I mean, cable used to be the big deal that changed a landscape that consisted of a…

Alexa, What’s This Month’s Blog?

Last weekend I awoke in the middle of the night with sharp chest pains. It was a bit disconcerting as I contemplated waking my wife or figuring out how to get better on my own. Feeling confident that I wasn’t having a heart attack, I opted for a few moments on the couch after grabbing…

DIY Marketing

At ReThinc, we don’t operate with a hyper-competitive mindset to outbid other ad agencies. The “win the account at all costs” mentality is in a word “unbecoming” and in two words “not necessary.” I’m going to forego sharing the three-word descriptive due to censorship issues. We just don’t see our industry as one that requires…

How to Find and Hire the Best Agency for your Business

In my opinion, there are lots of good ad agencies in the Phoenix market. I would go on to say that you can pretty much find whatever you are looking for in regard to size, capability, and cost when it comes to your marketing needs. I think perhaps the biggest challenge is finding an ad…

How to Work From Home and Actually Be Productive

One of the founding principles of our company is to do things differently. Our agency president (or as I like to call him, my husband) is always preaching the practice of constant daily improvement in everything we do. This is how we are able to excel for our clients while keeping pace with the rapid…

Re501(c)(3)

There are many things that I appreciate about my peers in marketing and media. They are truly a generous lot that donate their time, money, and energy to a wide array of charitable endeavors. I feel as though we, as an industry, embrace the importance of corporate responsibility in a big way. At ReThinc, we…

Death, Taxes, and Digital Outpacing Traditional Media

A significant, yet certainly not wholly unexpected milestone is happening this year. According to the super smart people on the internet, digital ad spending will surpass traditional ad spending in the United States. These people go on to say that by 2023, digital will account for two-thirds of total media spending. A whopping $129 billion…

So You’re Working With An Ad Agency…

I’m not sure how many of you that read my blog are business owners or decision makers that work with an ad agency. If you are, or perhaps you may be in the future, I encourage you to read on. This blog will help you to work more efficiently with your agency, save you time,…

Lookout 2019

I went back and read the last three blogs I’ve written in January. I should almost apologize to those of you that read them that I was a bit redundant - we’re a digital ad agency in Phoenix, it’s the start of a new year… growth, growth, growth. To my defense, it was quite easy…

‘Twas the Night Before ReThinc

ReThinc Advertising will be celebrating our 10th year in business this month. That seems like a long time but to me it’s been a blur. We started this thing with $8,000 in capital funding from my 401K, some borrowed furniture, and a few less than marginal computers. Oh, and we did this in the midst…

Google Your Business

In some ways there may not be enough room on our website to host a blog on just what Google is looking to accomplish with their business strategy. And let’s be honest here, I’m not remotely qualified to put forth that kind of analysis. What I can address is how to best utilize Google for…

Bot Stop – Green Light Your Ad Impressions

My very brilliant and slightly cynical digital manager is quick to reply to many of my blog submissions with a “what’s your point?” or a “how does this help/position us better to clients…” which can be challenging but only because he’s right. I have a relatively loosely structured strategic plan for blog writing topics. The…

Marketing a Small Business in 2018

At ReThinc Advertising, we interact with a lot of businesses. As we approach our 10th anniversary we find ourselves working with larger, more established brands each year. That’s both a good thing and a little bit sad as we really made a name for ourselves by helping small businesses to grow. Many of those businesses…

Know Your Customer

Marketing has its fair share of complexities. Especially in this day and age when one must fully understand both digital and traditional means of outreach. To be a leading ad agency in Phoenix you must possess a level of expertise in all things marketing including one that is often overlooked by clients who take on…

Busy ≠ Productivity

In today’s world, it’s easy to be busy. In fact, I bet you’re really busy right now. You might be eating a sandwich, scrolling through Instagram stories, checking emails or even having a conversation with someone. (If in fact you are doing all of these things while reading this blog you can simply stop here;…

Ad Relevancy vs. Consumer Privacy… What Will Marketers Do?

As you know, ReThinc is an advertising agency in Phoenix. There’s nothing private about that. You may also know the clients we work with, the markets we work in, the work we specialize in, and the fact that we all love dogs, pizza and beer from Four Peaks Brewery. There’s more you’d find out about…

Marketing For Sale

As a leading digital ad agency in Phoenix we get our fair share of solicitations for services that claim to “drastically enhance” what we do for our clients. Almost all of these come from some unknown, non-local entity that really should cut to the chase and just ask us for money. The ask inevitably entails…

How We Stay Creative

As an award-winning graphic design firm in Phoenix, ReThinc Advertising has high standards for our creative department. It takes a lot to be a creative at our ad agency. You must have a college degree, you need to have a jaw-dropping portfolio that impresses our Creative Director and our Associate Creative Director (both of which…

Understanding the Basics of Search Engine Marketing

Search engine marketing (SEM), which includes pay-per-click (PPC) and search engine optimization (SEO) gets a great deal of attention in today’s digital marketing landscape. It’s not overly complex but it’s also not so simple that you can execute search engine marketing properly without help from an outside entity. Typically that’s a digital ad agency or…

A Healthy & Happy Marketing Plan

A lot has been written or said about the ever-shifting digital landscape. Most recently, the rather seismic shift with Facebook moving to be less advertiser-friendly might be the best example of how platforms are attempting to keep audiences more engaged with their product. As such, they will do what’s in their best long-term interest. As…

The Secret to Success

The New Year affords everyone a bit of reset. It’s a new beginning and time to implement self-improvement that is forged by resolution. As the owner of a leading digital ad agency in Phoenix, I like to think that any form of improvement does not need to wait for a new year. That being said…

Our Most Important Message of the Year

With the holiday fast approaching I want to take this opportunity to write a blog that has nothing to do with marketing or advertising. Don’t get me wrong, we’re still working hard and come 2018 we’ll be sharing ways to improve your brand, your brand’s outreach and perhaps a thing or two about what we’ve…

These are a few of our favorite things…

I love the holidays … it’s an absolutely magical time of the year. During the holiday season I get to spend time back home with my family, I also get a nice respite from work and I get the opportunity to show appreciation to the special people who make my life so wonderful throughout the…

I Love My Website

I never really thought about this, but your company website is a lot like your girlfriend. In an effort to be more inclusive please know that you can substitute significant other for girlfriend at any time. It should all make sense. It’s just easier for me because: A. I have a company website (two of…

Stephanie vs. Email

As the principal of a busy digital ad agency in Phoenix, it is my job to keep the company organized, keep our clients happy, make certain that projects are done on time and communicate with an owner that I would affectionately characterize as very ‘hands-on’. (pun intended) Like many of you, email is my friend…

Content is King

I read an article today on how Cancun is becoming the violent crime capital of Mexico with 133 murders through July this year. That’s a homicide rate that is double of what it was last year. The rise in violent crime is threatening to disrupt the 20 billion dollar tourism industry. Authorities are attributing the…

A Sign of the Times

You don’t have to be the owner of an ad agency in Phoenix to see firsthand the impact that digital technology has had on traditional forms of advertising. For the most part, the digital revolution has not been kind to print, radio, television or cable. I’m not here to say that digital technology has decimated…

Y the C…

R-E-T-H-I-N-C … wait, shouldn’t that be a K? As the owner of this Phoenix digital marketing agency, I’ve pretty much heard it all. From people thinking that we accidentally misspelled our company’s name (for 8 years now?) to others who for the life of them can’t pronounce the name properly because the C throws them…

The Irony in Email Marketing

I’m trying to get my head around sending an email about sending an email. Irony … sure, let’s call it that. Before this blog starts sounding like an Alanis Morissette song let’s get to the point that email marketing (when done right) is a righteous way of reaching your target market effectively. The one advantage…

Your Tagline is Showing…

Advertising is not getting any less convoluted anytime soon. I mean as the owner of a Phoenix advertising agency I see firsthand just how difficult it is to “differentiate your company from the competition while creating resonance with your target audience.” (Wait for it…) As a branding agency in Phoenix, ReThinc Advertising will do everything…

Getting Your Marketing House in Order

Spring is here and many of us are cleaning out closets, pantries and other parts of our home that we might otherwise ignore. As a business owner it may be time to clean up your marketing efforts as well. It’s beyond obvious to say that marketing is changing. That change could potentially lead to stale…

Show Your Content Some Love

Like Romeo and Juliet, content and search engine optimization come from two completely different worlds. SEO is very technical and content is creative. But unlike the star-crossed lovers, good content and SEO don’t have to subject themselves to the same tragic fate. If content and SEO are done correctly, the two can bring out the…

ReThinc Your New Year

2016 was a great year for our clients and therefore a great year for ReThinc Advertising. We had three clients experience record growth, six clients achieve new milestones and not one single client had a flat or down year. For ReThinc we won three Addy awards and two AMA Spectrum awards while being named the…

It’s About Time You Write a Blog

According to recent research from Orbit Media Studios most bloggers (56%) say it takes them three hours or less to write a typical blog post. Now for the purposes of this blog let’s quantify that everyone who writes a blog isn’t necessarily a “blogger”. I don’t know how Webster defines it but to me a…

Make Media Great Again

ReThinc Advertising has drastically increased their media buying efforts in the Phoenix market these past two years. If all goes as planned we will be doing the same in the Seattle / Tacoma market next year. Media buying (both digital and traditional) is a core competency for our agency. ReThinc is a digital forward agency…

The Key to Marketing Success

Sometimes we are so caught up in the technical aspects of marketing that we forget the basics. The complex marketing executions that so many of us are doing these days can distract a business from the most critical principles of advertising. I mean by the time you properly optimize your site, fine tune your digital…

ReThinc Your Website

OK, so as of last year there was something like 935,951,027 active websites in the world. It’s safe to say we’ve surpassed the one billion mark sometime over these past few months. Websites are as varied as anything else in this wonderful world of ours but for the purposes of this blog we’ll categorize them…

Why We Work Hard

If there’s one thing I’ve noticed in my two some decades of business experience it’s that there is one common thread to success… hard work. Regardless of a company’s size, getting an entire company to consistently work hard is difficult. At ReThinc, we consistently work hard. Here’s how: First off, we do what we do.…

Marketing That Gets an “A” for Attribution

I recently received an email from one of our clients that contained these two brief sentences: This is the vision for our relationship. Finding the right attributes that demonstrate successful results with clear ROI across the various marketing channels we choose to invest. It was followed by this URL that had a bunch of words…

SEO is Overrated

I was making a random list of things that were overrated; it looked something like this – turkey bacon, Latin jazz, soccer, search engine optimization, breakfast at OHSO, and suddenly I’m like WAIT… HOW CAN I SAY THAT ANYTHING THAT EVEN REMOTELY TASTES LIKE BACON IS OVERRATED?!?! So I took turkey bacon off the list.…

Size Matters

Being a business owner is no walk in the park. Problems come at you like spider monkeys and solutions don’t necessarily knock on your door or miraculously appear in your email inbox.(Or do they?) Marketing your business has become one of the most challenging aspects of business ownership. Seeking help is no picnic either as…

UP TO BOT – The Good and Bad of Internet Bot Traffic

I’ve got bad news. Your digital media buy has been compromised. Those impressions you counted on to improve your sales efforts weren’t exactly served to the potential customer you had targeted. Unfortunately, that gleeful young sales rep with the used Prius, undersized button down and skinny jeans forgot to mention that a certain percentage of…

Blogs with Benefits

A few weeks ago everyone at ReThinc was encouraged to write a guest blog for our website. Having guest bloggers is the “cool” new thing to do. While staring blankly at the white paper and blinking cursor, I wasn’t sure where to even begin. I think that is the problem for a lot of people…

Don’t Box Me In

According to a recent study by Media Dynamics, the typical American consumer is exposed to an average of 360 ad messages each day. That’s impressive. That being said, this study goes on to say that we (typical Americans) outright ignore 90% of said ads and retain less than 5% of the messages that we are…

Technomarketing

It’s probably the world’s greatest understatement to say that technology and automation have had an impact on marketing. Just to be real here we could easily take the words ‘marketing’ out of that last sentence and replace it with just about any other noun in the dictionary and still be spot on (I tried this…

Marketing to Millenials

Wikipedia loosely defines millennials as people born between the early 1980’s and early 2000’s … and thank God we have Wikipedia to clarify that as this definition seems to be all over the board. Sometimes referred to as Generation Y a lot has been made of this group as they continue their ascension into the…

ReThinc Your Review

As if we don’t have enough acronyms to worry about in our lives along comes ORM. When I first heard the term ORM I thought, “I love that band” only to realize that it actually stands for Online Reputation Management. This is the process by which a business manages their ratings and reviews on sites…

Dear Ad Sales Professionals…

Owning an ad agency here in Phoenix has given me an interesting perspective on what I used to do for a living… namely, selling media. Let’s establish a couple of givens. Companies that sell you media are ‘for profit’ just like yours. They must operate in a landscape that has a vast amount of pressures…

The Road to Advertising Success

Navigating today’s vast and fragmented marketing landscape isn’t as hard as you might think. I’m not saying it’s a cake walk either. Let’s look at some of the fundamentals and see if we can’t help you with your marketing efforts. Let’s start by dispelling a few widely held myths… 1. Traditional media is not effective…

Tag… You’re It!

It’s no secret that your internet behavior is readily known by some and readily tracked by others. Before you throw your computer in the pool, move out of state and legally change your name, let me explain. A lot of companies have gone to great lengths to develop tracking software that allow marketers the ability…

Effective Email Marketing

What is the most effective, most utilized and least expensive form of digital marketing? According to a recent survey of digital marketers email was consider the most effective for building brand awareness, the best at boosting awareness and the top digital asset for customer retention. Companies with smaller budgets are especially appreciative of email’s value;…

The Name Game

Just for a drill, let’s think of a few great names in the local corporate world … names that encapsulate the essence of the business; names that differentiate themselves from their competitors and resonate in the mind of the consumer. Is this a tough exercise for you? It was for me. I could think of…

10 Things You’ll Learn While Interning at ReThinc Advertising

I slept through my first meeting with the boss, but lucky for me they still let me intern at ReThinc Advertising. Every day was different – some busy days with strict deadlines, but others full of freedom to take on tasks that you want. While no day is the same, here are ten things you…

No More Blurry Logos

When you started your business, you likely had someone create a logo for you. Some gifted designer took his or her time to create just the look you wanted and developed a logo for you to put on signs, letterheads, emails and other communications. This logo is the starting block for your company and has…

Traditional Media Isn’t Dead

So traditional media is dead … right? I mean listen to any pundit and they will tell you that television, radio and print all died sometime shortly after cable and satellite brought the DVR to market. If not then the nails were definitely in the coffin when Apple, Netflix and Amazon all collectively said “hey…who…

Bullseye! Digital Re-targeting

Digital Re-Targeting is not the latest, but some might argue it’s the greatest when it comes to advertising on the internet. Here’s how it works. You need a pair of brown shoes for that navy suit you just bought at Banana Republic. You get on the search engine of your choosing and the wonderful acronyms…

Can I Yelp You?

In today’s world, companies can no longer rely strictly on their advertising messages to drive home the benefits of their product or service. Well shot TV commercials, celebrity voiced radio ads or perfectly framed photo shoots are great for attracting potential customers but complete reliance on these traditional forms of advertising is a mistake. More…

Raisin’ Brand

At Rethinc … we are in the business of brand building. We devise the assets you need to put your brand forth in the marketplace. Even the smallest business has a brand. In its most modest terms, a company’s brand can be represented by something as simple as its name. Brand building takes place when…