While some agencies talk up their “partnerships” with their clients, the equation is flipped for Eric Mower and Associates. It's the brand execs at companies like Fisher-Price and Welch's who describe the agency as a partner.
“We look at them as part of our group,” says Erin O'Malley, marketing services manager for Welch's Foods. The jelly maker has used EMA for consumer promotion for 25 years. “They always come to the table with great ideas, whether it's for sweeps, P-O-S or even our tumbler designs.”
“The relationship has been exceptional,” agrees Dave Hartrich, VP for Fisher-Price; it named EMA its AOR in 2001. “Creative and execution is terrific. And they do something unique: Every quarter, they ask us, “How're we doing?' and if there are things to improve, they do it right away. So they're in tune with what we need.”
Fans like these explain EMA's steady growth (24%) since 2002, to $23.4 million in 2004.
“Clients have told us that they want to work with fewer agencies, to consolidate their work without sacrificing on the deliverables,” says Eric Mower, the company's namesake and CEO. “That's why we've been winning new clients,” including FedEx and the State Development Office of New York.
While new clients accounted for 50.6% of additional revenue last year, the acquisition in June 2004 of Charlotte, NC-based integrated marketing agency Price McNabb (for $1.8 million) brought in the other 49.4%.
“Price McNabb gave us geographic distribution into the Southeast,” Mower says. “[New client] Georgia-Pacific likes that we now have an Atlanta office, and Fisher-Price appreciates that we're in Buffalo, NY, too.”
Price McNabb brought with it intellectual property as well, including its Brand Studio, a portfolio of tools for diagnosing brand position.
“The Brand Studio lets us build our understanding of a brand and develop competitive analysis,” explains Doug Bean, EMA managing partner.
EMA's integrated marketing capabilities include sales promotion, direct marketing, event, p.r., interactive and online services. “Procurement departments in brand companies are telling marketers that they will get better economies of scale this way,” Mower says. “They get the strength of sales promotion in a hybrid package.”
“And the classic sales promotion tactics are being moved up the marketing hierarchy. That's where the traction is happening,” Bean adds.
EMA took two top prizes in the 2004 PRO Awards, in the b-to-b category with a sales incentive campaign for medical equipment firm Welch Allyn; and in the account-specific category, with work for Fisher-Price and Toys ‘R’ Us. The “Stars on Broadway” contest invited kids to pose with Geoffrey Giraffe; the images were then used on billboards at TRU's flagship Times Square store.
“Smart: build the umbrella brand, not just an individual toy brand,” the judges said.
