VOLUME 25 | ISSUE 1

Seize the Oppor tunity

Be Wor th Remembering

The Schedule of Growth

Pla in Truth

© 2013 Trozzolo.com 816.842.8111

I N S I D E T H I S I S S U E

Strategy and discipline. Talent and inspiration. Integration and engagement. And an approach that helps businesses and people grow. That’s Trozzolo. A partner. A place to prosper. A Kansas City expert. Where advertising, branding, public relations and digital blend to motivate markets without bias toward media or method. Where messages are amplified. And progress becomes the norm.

Advertising | Public Relations | Branding

Work it. Grow it.

Get Strategic & Get Remembered

The Multitask Master

The Passing Lane Angelo Trozzolo

Noteworthy

We Believe in Winning Streaks

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The Fourth of July is a wonderful

celebration of what it means

to be an American. A time to

celebrate our past and embrace

the future. It’s also a time for family

traditions, and for us those traditions

include the family photograph. As we

lined up all eight of our grandchildren

for the traditional “My, look how they’ve

grown!” photo, I could not help but feel

what grandparents everywhere feel – an

overwhelming sense of pride. And the

words of my father rang in my head:

“They grow up so fast.”

As the cameras and iPhones snapped,

I was consumed by the need all the

adults felt – to capture this growth before

it slipped away. Kids and growth are a

magnificent force of nature, and there’s

nothing we can do to stop it. If you blink,

you just might miss it.

After a great day with family, the

house fell silent. Not that we didn’t

appreciate it. After a day filled with

screeching and little feet running wildly

through the house, it was a nice silence.

But sitting back I could still see the signs

of a family full of life, growing up fast

and roaring through the house.

Growth can be that way – if you’re

listening for the signs. Whether it’s as

blaring as a house full of small children

on the Fourth

of July, or as

discrete as the

cold hot dogs

left at the end

of the day.

Real growth

for your busi-

ness is there,

too. True, it’s

rarely as easy to spot as the growth of

your grandchildren. It can’t be captured

by a Polaroid, or measured in decibels

after dessert. Business growth is harder

to see, yet so easy to uncover if you’re

willing to do the little things that can

bring it out of hiding.

Sometimes business growth can be

found in the notes from this morning’s

meeting. Or waiting in your inbox.

And it’s often hiding as an opportunity

right in front of you. A potential

to take something functional and make

it profitable.

However you define growth (Hiring

more people? Improved profits? Better

branding?), now is always the best time

to find it and achieve it. Not tomorrow.

Not the day after tomorrow. Now.

Because if you wait, you might miss it.

Here are some quick and easy

growth opportunities for your business:

Capturing GrowthMOVING THE NEEDLE BY PASQUALE TROZZOLO

Pasquale Trozzolo

REFRESH YOUR WEBSITE. If you

find that every time the subject of

your website comes up, you begin

the conversation with an excuse,

it’s time to stop apologizing for that

outdated website. Make it a boon to

your business instead. A refresh is

faster and easier than you might

think, and probably more beneficial

than you give it credit for.

GOOGLE YOURSELF. Are your search

results where you want them? Search

engine optimization is not optional for a

growing business, and easy-to-use tools

are readily available. Remember, your

business can’t grow if it can’t be found in

the world’s most complete phone book.

UPDATE COMPANY BIOS. This is an

easy one. Make sure bios for your team

are up-to-date. It might be about time

to stop bragging about all those great

accomplishments from 2009! If half

the information on your site is wrong

or outdated, there’s not much point in

having it. Regularly maintaining your

site will make it apparent your business

is on the ball and equipped to take on

more work.

TAG IT. Does your tagline have any tag

left? Maybe it worked six years ago. Now

it might be sending the wrong message to

your audience. Taglines should be fresh

and cutting-edge, not worn out and cliché.

An updated tagline can give your brand

the spark it needs to reach a new audience.

Sometimes a business needs to

have its height marked on the wall.

And sometimes that business needs to

keep eating its Wheaties. If you need

advice on how to grow your business,

and a partner to help you do it, finding

overlooked opportunity is what we do.

Our team is ready to deliver simple,

impactful tools to help you capture and

build on growth.

After all, you don’t want to be caught

without a camera when the big moment

is yours for the taking.

Sometimes a business needs to have its height marked on the wall.

HIGH RETURNTROZ ZOLO.COM 3

Whether through a talking pig, an

emotional TV spot or an entirely new

brand platform, the work we do is

strategically designed to grow our

clients’ businesses – to connect with

the audience and create movement

in their direction.

WORK IT. GROW IT.

Call us today at 800.234.2867, or

visit solomoncorp.com.

Call us today at 800.234.2867, or visit solomoncorp.com.

PROBLEM. SOLVED.

It just takes one call. Whether you’re buying, selling or recycling a transformer, Solomon Corporation offers unmatched service and an extensive inventory to quickly get you what you need, when you need it.

When it’s on the line, we are your complete solution.

[Stormont-Vail HealthCare] When Stormont-Vail HealthCare engaged us to develop a new brand positioning platform, we recommended leveraging its core competency – an integrated care delivery model that

helps patients get back to living. The website was one of many opportunities to engage and build relationships. However, the site had become outdated and difficult to navigate. We

needed to create a visually interesting, easy-to-navigate site. Challenge accepted.

[Solomon Corporation]Transformers are essential in energy production for businesses everywhere. And for America’s largest full-service transformer company, you’d think that would be difference enough. Yet Solomon Corporation stands out most for a deep-rooted commitment to quality and service. The tagline we created says it all: When it’s on the line. Solomon Corporation is there when customers need it most. With a new brand platform, messaging and logo, it is able to communicate just that.

Want to see more?Download the Layar app to your smartphone. When you see the Layar icon, open the app, hover your phone over the page and press “Scan.”

VOLUME 25 | ISSUE 1GET IT. TOGETHER.4

[Wagner Logistics] Kansas City-area companies account for nearly 32 percent of total sales in the $19 billion global animal health and pet industry. With Wagner Logistics sitting right in the center of the expanding market, opportunity was knocking, loudly. We helped them answer with a multifaceted marketing campaign, bringing the animals front and center and highlighting their ability to Bring it – as an experienced partner and leading supply chain management provider.

He needs it. You make it. We bring it.You take a lot of care with the products you make, we take the same

kind of care understanding your complex retail channels. Wagner is a

trusted partner to leaders in the animal health and pet industry because

we’ve been delivering on challenges of every size and description

for 67 years. Need an engineered solution to your logistics issue?

Just bring it.

Call (800) 817-1264 or visit wagnerlogistics.com

TRANSPORTATION | WAREHOUSING | FULFILLMENT | PACKAGING � TIER-ONE TECHNOLOGY

Wagner ad_animal health_8.125x10.75.indd 1 4/15/13 3:06 PM

[Missouri Credit Union] With more than 40 banks competing for only 200,000 residents, we were challenged to help Missouri Credit Union stand out in an emotional way. To turn the dull perception of banking upside down, we used a snarky, straight-shooting piggy bank named Hank. He advises the audience on simple ways to save – like fixing that leaky faucet or not going to the grocery store hungry. Hank makes appearances in social media, online and on the air, gaining fans and growing the brand.

[Sabates Eye Centers] As the largest full-service eye care network in the region, Sabates Eye Centers had a big message to share in its reappearance on TV. With no visual imagery until the very last moment, the spots we created tell a powerful story of what it would be like to miss seeing life’s big moments. The audience gets to experience the significance of vision – what Seeing the Best truly means.

It’s human nature. The urge to spend money now.

To break into our funds. Unfortunately, Hank

the talking piggy bank knows this all too well.

See how he handles his predicaments and get a

lesson or two at OurMoneysOnYou.com.This credit union is federally insured by the National Credit Union Administration. Additional $250,000 insured by ESI.

Your savings federally insured to at least $250,000and backed by the full faith and credit of the United States Government

National Credit Union Administration, a U.S. Government Agency

NCUA

I guess this is the day.

You know, when pigs fly.

HIGH RETURNTROZ ZOLO.COM 5

How many social media

sites are you on today,

scrambling for more

followers, more friends –

more likes or comments

for your business? The

ever-expanding volume of technology and

communication channels makes it all too

easy to lose sight of the one thing that will

truly move the needle: how your target

audience perceives your brand.

Today’s power to connect can be used to

simply say things – to put the kind of noise out

there that people are trying their best to tune

out. Or it can be used strategically, to reach

people in a way they’ll want to remember.

Your brand can achieve the same level of

emotional connection that brands like Apple

or Disney have reached. It doesn’t take a high-

dollar budget. It just takes evoking the right

kind of response – leveraging a simple and rele-

vant idea to make the audience feel something.

In our brand practice, we’ve discovered

five reasons that cause brands of all sizes

and causes to fail in making the right con-

nection with their audience (and therefore,

fail altogether):

THEY PLAY IT SAFE. Success doesn’t come

to those who are afraid to take a risk. It

can be difficult to go your own way yet

make differentiation the thing you won’t

compromise on. Be bold, and lead with what

makes you distinctive and memorable. And

keep it simple. See if you can communicate

your brand’s difference on the back of a

business card. What is the single, simple

message you can send about your brand

that you know people will care about?

URGENCY TRUMPS CONSISTENCY.

A common trap – especially as more new

people come into an organization and want

to make things fresh – is to respond to what

others are doing

and not think long

term for the brand.

Taking the long

view can be the

difference between

wildly successful

and wildly off

mark. You need

to make sure your

brand comes first and your branding (brand

signals) second. Be different and relevant,

yes, but always stay true to your brand.

THEIR AUDIENCE HASN’T BEEN

DEFINED AND REFINED. If everybody

is a target, nobody pays attention. When

you make the commitment to narrow

your target audience, you’re not leaving

opportunity behind. You’re reaching

those who will care the most – creating

impassioned champions who will help

BY JEFF MADDEN

GET REMEMBEREDGET STRATEGIC

Jeff Madden

VOLUME 25 | ISSUE 1GET IT. TOGETHER.6

you get others to love you, too. Stay close to your audience.

Tap into their cultural cues.

THEIR POSITIONING ISN’T CONSUMER-CENTRIC. The only

way to win is to begin with the end in mind. Smart brands take

a consumer position. When someone is exposed to your brand,

what response do you want to evoke? Rethink the traditional

response, which is unlikely to lead to action. Maybe your

audience wants to feel like your savvy business partner, rather

than a customer being sold something.

THEY’RE TOO NICE. Great branding doesn’t come without a

fight. Every organization has something it needs to overcome,

and being too nice won’t get the job done. The competition isn’t

always an organization – it could be a misconception. And it has

to be beat.

Before you hit “post” or run your next ad, think about how the

message conveys your difference, and how your target audience will

perceive it. Remember, it’s not what you say; it’s what they hear.

Jeff Madden is an account supervisor and branding expert, helping our

clients locate and capitalize on their strategic branding difference.

When it comes to building a big brand with a

small budget, we really like the story of the all-natural

personal care brand, Burt’s Bees:

Burt was a beekeeper, selling honey out of the back

of his pickup truck. Roxanne was a single mom, living in

a one-room tent. In 1984, Roxanne volunteered to help

with Burt’s bees, and soon the two teamed up to make

and sell candles from Burt’s stored-up beeswax.

With hard work, a quality product with a relevant

difference, and a lot of brainpower, what started as

a $200 sale at a local craft fair has since become a

household name and a business worth more than

$1 billion. Consumers wanted a natural product and a

company that cares about the environment. Burt and

Roxanne didn’t get lucky; they got strategic.

HOW DID BURT’S BEES BUILD SO MUCH BUZZ?

HIGH RETURNTROZ ZOLO.COM 7

hat exactly does Josh

Brewster do? The more

appropriate question is

what doesn’t he do? Josh is

involved in so much at our building and

around the community that sometimes we

swear he’s hiding an identical twin who

just happens to share his sense of humor

and his fondness for cowboy boots.

Even with three young kids and a

rather demanding schedule, Josh recently

completed his Master of Business Admin-

istration at Rockhurst University. Never

stopping to catch his breath, his most recent

promotion to account vice president has

him leading the Nonprofit, Government,

Education and Association team, while also

serving on the board of directors for multiple

Kansas City organizations – including his

role as president of the Rockhurst High

School National Alumni Association.

And then there are the hobbies he just

can’t give up, like coaching youth foot-

ball or seeking out the city’s best dining

options. (Would anyone else really like

for him to bring his restaurant reviews

back to the blogosphere?)

And only fitting for his love of Kansas

City, Josh was also accepted into the highly

selective Centurions Leadership Program, a

two-year commitment to join other commu-

nity leaders in building our city’s future.

As for his day job, Josh brings a level of

passion and persistence that has given client

engagement a whole new meaning around

here. “The work we do right out of the gate

sets the tone for the whole relationship,”

he says. “Client engagement is not finished

when the client comes on board. I help make

sure that what was promised is delivered

and that the strategy stays on point.”

Josh reminds us that the most important

part of our work is not talking about what

we can do, but listening to what our clients

need. “If you’re just flapping your gums,

you can’t hear what clients or prospective

clients are saying. The most rewarding

experiences come when we listen to and

correctly understand our clients’ chal-

lenges,” he says.

Josh’s favorite part of his job? “I like

to be out of the office.” OK … there was a

little more to it: “I enjoy getting out there –

talking and engaging with people and

businesses around Kansas City. It’s great to

watch companies grow and succeed here,

and we want to play a big part in that.” We

agree, Josh. Now, don’t you have some-

where to be?

W

THE MULTITASK MASTERNew Adventures, New Business – The Everyday Schedule of Growth

I enjoy getting out there – talking and engaging with people and businesses around Kansas City.

VOLUME 25 | ISSUE 1GET IT. TOGETHER.8

I love most everything about this place.

But what I love the most is that we make

recommendations based on what is best

for our clients. This seems a bit obvious,

a no-brainer even. Still, I’m always surprised

to hear stories to the contrary.

The only way you can truly help a client

is to dive into its world. Understand how its

business operates, how it makes money and

where its biggest opportunities to

grow lie. Again, pretty straight-

forward – common sense, in

fact. Yet we hear time and

time again how rare this

is in the communications

business.

LOSING TRACTION

The Sports Car Club of America

(SCCA) came to us 18 months ago looking

for help. Almost 70 years old with 40,000-

plus members, SCCA is the country’s

leading amateur auto racing organization,

but its reputation and membership were

in decline.

SCCA asked us to develop a campaign

to boost membership. And that is what we

set out to do. However, our research began

uncovering something deeper – more than

what a mere advertising campaign for

member recruitment could solve. Each year,

SCCA gained 10,000 members, but even

more than that went out the door.

Something about this was not right, so we

dug even deeper. We quickly discovered that

the membership issue needed inside attention.

There was a time when SCCA was

about the only amateur racing game in

town. Whether you were looking to auto-

cross, road race or rally, SCCA was it. Over

the past decade, that has changed. Many

competitors have popped up – some started

by disgruntled former SCCA members, tired

of all the bureaucracy.

To make a long story short, the last thing

SCCA needed was a campaign to

attract new members. Instead,

it needed a renewed focus

on member participation

and satisfaction. When we

recommended shifting gears

from recruitment to partici-

pation, the executive staff and

board of directors listened to us,

heard us and ultimately agreed.

BEGIN WITHIN

As a volunteer-run organization, SCCA

doesn’t necessarily have complete control

of its operations. Unlike McDonald’s, the

“burgers” aren’t exactly the same at every

location across the country. To help level

the playing field a bit, we recommended the

installation of a Chief Participation Officer

(CPO) to be the boss of hospitality and the

face of SCCA at all major events. We built

a training program, trained the CPOs and

developed technology to aid in executing

their job tasks.

We developed a brand platform and

key messaging that reminded members

of SCCA’s place in the motorsports world.

Despite the

proliferation of

competing orga-

nizations, SCCA

is still seen as the

leader in amateur

motorsports. It’s

the safest, provides

the best competi-

tion and is the most

well-run. SCCA is the country’s best amateur

motorsports organization, and it’s time they

acted like it.

OVERHAULING

When my colleague Jeff Madden and I

attended SCCA’s national convention this

year we were greeted with a completely

different attitude than the year before. It

was a 180-degree turnaround. In fact, we

walked into the opening meeting and all 400

attendees were standing and reciting the

brand mantra we had created. Energy, pride

and confidence replaced the pessimism we

heard the year before.

What’s the moral of this story? Some-

times what a client thinks it wants is not

what it needs. While some may have ignored

the signs and simply taken the easy route –

creating a membership campaign – we

recognized that was not in the best interest

of the client in the long term.

SCCA needed to restart its engines. At

Trozzolo, we’re not afraid to tell it like it is and

take the road less traveled. And that’s one of

the things I love most about this place.

Angelo Trozzolo

Presenting Plain TruthTHE PASSING LANE BY ANGELO TROZZOLO

HIGH RETURNTROZ ZOLO.COM 9

KAYLA BLEVINS, account executive.

Kayla arrived on our account team by way

of Columbia, Mo., and Bergamo, Italy.

She spent time studying business at the

University of Bergamo, gaining a valuable

international perspective on marketing.

Kayla graduated from the University of

Missouri with a bachelor’s in journalism

and a minor in business.

SARAH BROCK, field marketing coordi-

nator. Having studied in Spain, Sarah

speaks fluent Spanish and can handle

a Flamenco guitar as well as a pizza

cutter. Good thing, since she works on a

pizza account. Sarah spent two years in

internal communications with Ford Motor

Company after graduating from William

Jewell College with a Bachelor of Arts in

organizational communication, Spanish

and applied critical thought and inquiry.

EMILY DRAPE, account executive. Emily

came to us with boundless enthusiasm

and experience in retail, fundraising

and the arts. She has one of those rare

ambidextrous brains, equal parts creative

and strategic, and enjoys writing as well

as account services. Emily received a

bachelor’s degree in English and creative

writing from the University of Kansas.

CHRIS FLOWERS, production services

director. Chris has probably produced

more films than most Hollywood

producers. She’s performed every job in

the production management process, from

line producer to executive producer. Her

experience with local production compa-

nies includes editing, motion graphics,

visual effects and interactive design.

Chris graduated from MidAmerica

Nazarene University with a Bachelor of

Arts in management and human relations.

KIRK KIRKPATRICK, senior writer. Kirk

brings new meaning to the expression

“been there, done that.” He’s a veteran

writer who’s written national and

international campaigns for many of the

largest brands in the world and won many

important advertising writing awards.

NOTEWORTHY

NEW ASSOCIATES

Sarah Brock

Emily Drape Chris Flowers

Kirk Kirkpatrick

Kayla Blevins

(Right) The Trozzolo Team brought home the hardware at the PRISM awards,

where we received 16 total awards.

(Opposite Page) Members of Team Trozzolo enjoyed the annual JDRF Walk to Cure Diabetes, one of the organization’s largest fundraisers.

VOLUME 25 | ISSUE 1GET IT. TOGETHER.10

Kirk graduated from California State

University with a Bachelor of Arts in mass

communications. He went on to earn an

MBA from UMKC.

PRISM AWARDS

Trozzolo once again made a strong showing

in the Kansas City Chapter Public Relations

Society of America PRISM awards. We

collected 16 awards, including a Best in

Show Finalist for our “Go Business. Go.”

campaign for mobank – which captured gold

in the reputation and brand management

category. Other awards were: Papa Murphy’s

“Mini Murph” launch, City of Riverside,

Mo., annual report, Missouri Credit Union

“Salute Our Heroes” campaign, Beerfest,

Alphapointe centennial event, Camp

Fire USA rebrand, JDRF gala, Kauffman

Foundation Global Entrepreneurship

Week, Kauffman Foundation Maker Faire,

KU Edwards Campus annual report, KU

Edwards BEST Building grand opening,

Missouri Credit Union consumer products

campaign, Missouri Credit Union video,

Missouri Bank Main St. guest column and

City of Riverside, Mo., “Do Good” campaign.

PHILLY AWARDS

In Kansas City’s annual nonprofit awards

competition, Trozzolo captured two first-

place awards – the first for the JDRF Dream

Gala in the invitation category and the

second for an identity campaign produced for

Camp Fire USA.

HEALTHCARE ADVERTISING AWARDS

It was another successful showing for us

at the Healthcare Advertising Awards by

Healthcare Marketing Report. We walked

away from the event with 18 awards for:

Christiana Care Health System, NICU

graduate print; Salem Health, Heart &

Vascular Institute capabilities brochure;

Unity Health System, Sleep Disorders Center

invitation; Baptist Health, logo; Rocky

Mountain Hospital for Children, Center for

Maternal Fetal Health positioning campaign;

St. Joseph’s Hospital & Medical Center, U.S.

News rankings promotion; Unity Health

System, Joint Replacement Center website;

Unity Health System, brand positioning

campaign; Cooley Dickinson Hospital, brand

positioning campaign and Unity Health

System, Sleep Disorders Center radio.

ASTER AWARDS

When it comes to our clients, there’s no such

thing as too much recognition. We’re proud

to partner with Cooley Dickinson Hospital,

Baptist Health Richmond and Memorial

Hospital on recent campaigns that received

recognition at this year’s Aster Awards, an elite

competition recognizing the nation’s most

talented healthcare marketing professionals

for outstanding excellence in advertising.

TROZZOLO COMMUNICATIONS GROUP

raised $5,500 for the annual JDRF Walk

to Cure Diabetes, continuing the agency’s

20-plus-year relationship with the local

organization. We held several fundraising

activities, including a company garage sale,

a coloring contest and raffling off vacation

days. Sporting “Rock’em Sock’em Robots”

themed T-shirts, the Trozzolo team enjoyed

the walk.

AWARDS

COMMUNITY SERVICE

WE BELIEVE IN WINNING STREAKSRECENT NEW CLIENTS INCLUDE:

American Trailer & Storage

Avila University

Cerner

Copaken Brooks

Chuy’s

HealthONE

Huron Regional Medical Center

NIC, Inc.

Regional Medical Center, San Jose

Ronald McDonald House Charities KC

Scott Rice Office Works

Solomon Corporation

St. Joseph Metro Chamber of Commerce

Eagle Materials Kansas City

811 WyandotteKansas City, Missouri 64105

PRSRT STDU.S. POSTAGE

PAIDAlpine Litho-Graphics

64131

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