Thought Leadership
[column width=”13%” padding=”0%”]  [/column] [column width=”57%” padding=”0%”] People have always thought of marketing and advertising as a one-way push of a controlled corporate message to the masses.

Branding done through push alone, whether it’s a product or an executive, is not thought leadership – it’s a way to invoke emotion and connection using strategically crafted words, phrases, images and video.

Thought leadership grows as a result of strategic activities over time – from speaking panels, roundtables and keynotes to educational seminars and contests. It involves how and where you put yourself ‘out there,’ whether it’s a contributed article on a site millions read, in a more formal environment, such as on stage with Al Gore or Bill Gates, or informally through blog comments, Digg, flickr and Facebook.

If you combine community engagement with a campaign that positions you as a thought leader in your space, you will do more than garner respect. Customers and influencers will come back to hear what you have to say and want to know what you’re doing again and again.

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Social Media: Community Matters
[column width=”13%” padding=”0%”]  [/column] [column width=”57%” padding=”0%”] The phrase social media is overused and has evolved into encompassing nearly every online conversation. While the term may be overused and overhyped, its impact is explosive.

We are forced into a myriad of widgets, tools, blogs, podcasts and social networks. What you craft, where you start and whether you go broad and big or narrow and refined depends on your objectives.

Some companies have targeted customers who come to them for one core interest or need, i.e., tennis, air conditioning, whereas others target all of us, i.e., HP, Home Depot, Kraft.

The openness of the Internet has changed everything – who we talk to and where, who influences who and on what platform, where we view our news, and what influences our buying decisions.

We combine the power of communities, social networks, blogs, Twitter and more with smart communications strategies to create buzz, gain credibility and drive sales. Community matters more than ever. Be innovative, be present, be engaging and be real.

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Story Development
[column width=”13%” padding=”0%”]  [/column] [column width=”57%” padding=”0%”] One product or division is doing extremely well, while another is flailing. This may mean a need for reorganization, re-focusing and narrowing down your offerings or it may be that one pitch is right and the other misses the mark.

What problem are you trying to solve? What are your customers and partners saying? What would you like your customers to say? Do you solve a problem that no one knows about or worse, understands? Or, do you already know what your Magic Sauce is, yet are having a hard time telling the story?

On top of it all, with the wide array of media at our fingertips, you now need to tell that story a hundred different ways…….visually through video, in a conversation on an airplane or golf course, on your website and blog, in 140 characters or less, through a summarized news feed, on a Facebook fan page, in a comment thread, at a trade show, on a speaking panel, through a contest or a developer forum. Enuf already….where to start?

Remember, perception is reality. We work with you to craft the right story for the right audience, using the right medium and we do it in a way that will resonate with your customers and influencers again and again.

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Market Positioning
[column width=”13%” padding=”0%”]  [/column] [column width=”57%” padding=”0%”] An intimate understanding of your business objectives is critical to a successful and effective marketing and communications plan. Before we can help you get to where you want to be, we need to determine where the world thinks you already are.

First, we dive into your business goals, then we take a look at where you sit alongside your competitors. Maybe your influencers are putting you in a category that doesn’t make sense for you strategically or perhaps they simply don’t understand what you do best.

Perhaps your product is simply too complicated and trying to convey too many features or perhaps you’re targeting too many audiences. Taking a deep look often unveils new and untapped market opportunities you may not have even considered.

We work with you to develop strategies that integrate with and meet your business objectives. It’s a building block approach – once we have defined who you are today and where you want to be, we can effectively position you to get you to the next level.

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Emerging Media & Blogs
[column width=”13%” padding=”0%”]  [/column] [column width=”57%” padding=”0%”] Many say that traditional media is dead. Depending where you live in the world, you may have a stronger opinion on this topic one way or another. One thing is certain – media influencers are emerging, converging and melding.

While regional newspapers are folding and print as a medium is declining, some of our favorite A-list personalities and outlets are migrating to the online world. Other individual brands are coming out of nowhere and making a play for A list positions through whatever purple cow identity they think will stick and can sustain a following.

The tools that have enabled ‘anyone can be an author or content creator’ opportunity, have also resulted in a cluttered and fragmented view of the online world. Most of us suffer from information overload on a regular basis and consumers and businesses alike are craving filters to help them make sense of it all.

There’s so much noise in the blogosphere and tweetosphere that it’s tough to identify what’s unique and who’s real. We research, read, sift, and help you make sense of the key players and the emerging ones.

You can create as much hype as you want, but unless you have a congruent voice, connect with influencers in a way that is memorable and know how to share your Magic Sauce in a way that continuously engages, your message falls on deaf ears. One hit wonders don’t create sustainable businesses.

It’s essential to have a team who is not only ‘plugged-in,’ but knows how to effectively navigate their way through both old and new media. Our campaigns help you connect, educate, engage, inspire and develop relationships that have lasting power, the kind that can have a positive impact on your business and your brand.

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Vision & Brand Alignment
[column width=”13%” padding=”0%”]  [/column] [column width=”57%” padding=”0%”] A few things we’ve observed over the years is how often an executive doesn’t tap into the power of their unique voice and how often they’re not in alignment with their products, services and corporate vision.

Alignment with your vision is powerful. If you’ve ever watched Steve Jobs on stage, you’ll understand the power of alignment and the impact it can have on your business in the short and long term.

Can you be a visionary without having a vision? Can you have vision without being a visionary? If you have one, is it in alignment with the actions you and your team take regularly? What drove your decisions when you started and what drives your behavior today? Does your company make decisions that feed that vision? Think about it.

We don’t come in with magic wands and create a corporate vision with the wave of a hand, However, we do help you identify what that vision is or craft a new one if the old one is dead, tired or simply not working for you anymore.

Live it, breathe it, feel it, be it – make it your journey just as visionaries like Steve Jobs and Richard Branson have done with Apple and Virgin. Large or small, the same principles apply. People ‘feel’ whether your story is real. They can ‘feel’ whether you’re passionate about your story and they can ‘feel’ whether you’re in alignment – or not.

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Strategy & Brand Analysis
[column width=”13%” padding=”0%”]  [/column] [column width=”57%” padding=”0%”] Having the right strategy in place is half the journey in crossing the magical chasm. Timing, having a great product or service and a compelling message that resonates with your audience are part of that strategy, as is building a community if one doesn’t organically emerge on its own.

Remember, people need to find you before they fall in love with your offering and developing an effective strategy for how you roll things out in the market is key to your success.

Assessing where your brand currently is or where you want it to be is a pre-requisite to understanding what market direction to take and when.

Whether you sell a product, service, an idea or hope, getting an analysis of where you are today and want to be tomorrow is an integral part of the process. We look for the holes, assess your weaknesses, strengths, threats, opportunities and current market perception. Then, we identify what works and what doesn’t and more importantly, why.

We also help you identify what business you’re really in. Is Starbucks in the coffee business or is in the business of building communities and meetings around coffee and scones? Is Zappos in the shoe and retail business or is its core providing a lasting memorable customer experience that brings people back time and time again?

Is Virgin in the airline business or is it in the relaxation, decadence and entertainment business while you move from point A to point B? You get the point.

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[column width=”47%” padding=”6%”] Reboot Britain
July 6, 2009 — London, England

Fortune Brainstorm Tech
July 22-24, 2009 — Pasadena, CA
[/column] [column width=”47%” padding=”0″] TED Global
July 21-24, 2009 — Oxford, England

Fortune Brainstorm Tech
July 23-25, 2009 — Chicago, IL

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Enter the world of Magic Sauce Media^TM. We know how to craft a story that makes you stand out from the crowd. Join us on a journey, read our philosophy and learn how teaming up with us can help you get to the next level.