St. Olaf College, Concordia College, Independent Colleges of Washington latest to select firm

McVey Marketing Inc. is pleased to announce that three more organizations have selected the firm as a strategic marketing partner. The latest organizations to sign with the firm are St. Olaf College in Northfield, Minnesota, Concordia College in Moorhead, Minnesota, and the Independent Colleges of Washington, a consortium of 10 independent colleges based in Seattle.

St. Olaf College has hired McVey Marketing Inc. to provide consulting services in the areas of visual brand identity and brand development. St. Olaf is one of the top-ranked liberal arts colleges in the country, enrolling 3,000 students from 45 states and 18 countries.

Concordia College has hired the firm to provide consulting services in the areas of media relations and media training. Concordia is an award-winning college of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and enrolls 2,800 full-time students from 37 states and 36 countries.

Independent Colleges of Washington has hired McVey Marketing to provide services in the areas of marketing research and planning. ICW represents 10 highly regarded private colleges and universities and their more than 33,000 students. The association's member colleges include: Gonzaga University, Heritage University, Pacific Lutheran University, Saint Martin's University, Seattle Pacific University, Seattle University, University of Puget Sound, Walla Walla College, Whitman College and Whitworth College.

McVey Marketing is pleased and proud that these three highly regarded organizations have selected the firm as a strategic marketing partner.

"We retained Gary McVey and McVey Marketing Inc. to consult with us on the development of a new visual identity and brand for a new educational organization, and to provide strategic counsel and communications to advance equity and achievement in K-12 schools. The logo and brand identity the firm developed for Coalition for Kids was very well received by our stakeholders, and it was instrumental in raising awareness and enhancing our image with key target audiences.

The firm's counsel and communications activities in support of our public policy agenda and other strategic goals has been important to our success and helped us achieve results and exceed expectations. I value the outside expertise and skills that McVey Marketing brings to our efforts, and confidently recommend Gary McVey and his firm to others seeking to build strong brands and achieve results."
-Jim Field, President
Minnesota Independent School Forum &
Co-Founder Coalition for Kids
Saint Paul, Minnesota

Saying more with less
We live in a world where we're constantly barraged by marketing messages and other information. It seems no space is safe from advertising messages, with the latest frontiers being tray tables on airplanes, and sidewalks and manhole covers in metropolitan areas. So how do you break through the clutter to reach your most desirable prospects with a persuasive message that's memorable? You say less, and you say it with images instead of words. Less can deliver more -- more emotion, more impact, more results.

Advertising and other marketing tactics by such brands as Absolut and Target are perfect examples of the visual, less-is-more approach. Absolut's ads usually include one large image and no more than three words. For instance, a swimming pool in the shape of -- you guessed it -- the very distinctive shape of an Absolut bottle, with three simple words. Absolut Miami Beach.

Target's advertising is often equally minimal and always visual. Its trendy, design-forward marketing helped the successful company create an entirely new brand category in retailing: the upscale discounter. And the ultimate proof that less is more and that visual symbols are often more effective than words? Target's name never appears in its advertising and marketing. Its highly recognized red bullseye symbol is all that's needed. Try communicating more with less and thinking visually.

Ask and you shall receive
If you're not basing your marketing strategies and tactics in sound market research, how do you know you're reaching the right prospects with the right messages in the right ways to reach your goals? Asked another way, how will you know if you're raising the bars in levels of awareness and perception, customer/stakeholder satisfaction, etc., if you don't know where you're starting from?

Establishing what you're going to measure and how, and determining baseline levels for future comparison are essential components of any successful marketing program. They are also critically important to demonstrating return on investment to your superiors and to your organization's stakeholders.

Among the two best open-ended research questions to ask your audiences are: What do you like most about our organization? What do you like least? You'll be amazed by the honest feedback, as well as how quickly trends develop that you can act upon. You'll never know how your customers or stakeholders perceive you, what their unmet needs are, or how you can exceed their expectations unless you ask.