A family-owned motel — well-known, but thought of as for truckers and “trysts,” — was modernized and improved, earning AAA’s 3-diamond rating (like nearby Marriott’s Courtyard and Sheraton’s 4 Points).  We changed the name from “Motel” to “Inn,” and redesigned the logo.  The branding touted the benefits of chain hotels, plus the benefit of local ownership.  Targeting area residents who expected out-of-town guests, ads featured a pun on “inn” and a statement of the message.

This home-delivery service for milk was losing sales because delivery cost more than store-bought milk, and milk was seen as a generic commodity.

Research showed that kids preferred the client’s milk, and were more likely to finish it.  Targeting affluent, health conscious mothers, we positioned the brand as better-tasting and fresher than store brands.  Children asked for it and drank it more readily.

Over the three-year campaign, over 2,000 customers were added per year (30.1%).

To convince nutritionists to offer the client’s franchised weight loss program to patients, we produced an ad in a nutritionists’ professional journal.  Typically, diet ads show “healthy” foods or a skinny model.  To convey the uniqueness of the program, we needed a headline about the benefits beyond weight loss, appealing to nutritionists (not dieters), and a striking photo (the only non-food color photo in the magazine) illustrating how most diets are not designed to change habits.

The responses tripled the clients usual yield (more than any other ad in the magazine.

The category —high-end, “lifecare” community retirement facilities — was new in New England.  The developer, a health care organization, featured health care in its advertising.  The photos of children were “borrowed interest” (attracting attention, but not illustrating the facility’s benefits).  Sales were almost zero.

Instead of health care, we concentrated on lifestyle, appealing to the optimism of healthy seniors.  We positioned the facility as an alternative to nursing homes — a destination, rather than a necessity.  By ground breaking, they had set a national record of 70% sold out.

A retailer of paints, wall and floor coverings, window treatments, and other home decorating items, needed to generate store traffic so salespeople could cross-market non-paint items.  While many stores carry the same brands, the client was unique (at the time) in offering a trial-size program, letting customers better choose their colors.

Appealing to the fear of making a costly, embarrassing error, we demonstrated an easy, inexpensive solution, attracting lots of foot traffic into the store.

The campaign was one of the store’s most successful ever, according to the company’s owner.

It is rarely a good idea to invest money in advertising during an off season.  But most people don’t purchase septic system pumping services until they desperately need it.  This series of ads showed how making a decision to order pumping pre-need highlighted the money that could be saved, through discounts and elimination of extra charges.

The client reported, “The plan paid off by increasing sales by about 40% over a year’s time.”