In a land called Oz, Dorothy found herself miles away from her home after a terrible tornado that turned her world upside down, from black and white to color. She was in unfamiliar territory and had to find a way to get back home. Asking around town, everyone told her she could head over to the Emerald City where the Wizard of Oz would be able to transfer her back to her beloved state. After a long haul, she is finally granted an audience with the great and powerful Oz, who seemed overwhelming, but great, capable, and overall, convincing. Dorothy does pretty much whatever this guy says, dog and friends in tow.

But we all know that at the end of the day, Dorothy finds that the great Oz is just a man behind a curtain, pulling levers and playing tricks. He may have seemed fantastic, but in reality, he was just full of hot air…literally (bad hot air balloon joke). His promises proved empty, and Dorothy had to find another way to reach her goal.

Well, you all know the story. I promise I am getting to the point here. In today’s marketing climate, it can be hard to tell the difference between agency A and agency B. They all claim that their work is the best, most innovative, most creative, what have you. But sometimes, it is just as important to know who is behind that curtain. And if that person claims to have all the answers and to solve all of your problems before actually getting to know you, well… maybe they are just smoke and mirrors.

Working with an agency is most definitely about creating great work. It is about reaching goals, creating sales, and increasing brand awareness. But its also about the people. The right agency shouldn’t force you into a pair of rose colored glasses (they are tacky, anyway). Finding someone who creates great work is one thing, but finding someone who “gets you” AND creates great work is something else entirely – something you should want. And trust me, this isn’t an advertising unicorn. It does exist.

So while it is our job to have all the answers, to help take you to the next level, and to get your products or services out there, we won’t do that without first getting to know YOU: your goals, your desires, your needs and wants. We’re ready to create magic, but we also want you to be a part of it.

I can’t believe its already been more than a year since Tiger Woods was “rescued” from his car by his wife armed with a golf club, and went from being every kid’s role model to the scum of the earth. While the memory of the media firestorm is still very fresh, its hard to remember what it was like when Tiger was still the hottest product endorser on the market. As we blogged about earlier this year, he quickly became like the plague for brands that once clamored for him — except, of course, for Nike.

That Nike commercial with a somber-looking Tiger in one continuous shot with the haunting voice-over of Tiger’s deceased father is still vivid in my mind. It’s a revolutionary spot that not only acknowledged the controversy, but conveyed that while Nike didn’t condone his behavior, they clearly wanted to give him a second chance. It was a huge risk for Nike to go from “Just Do It” to making a moral statement.

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I don’t need to lecture you on the changes that have taken place in the way we market since the start of the economic downturn.  No, you have studied, talked about and pondered those changes at nauseam.  You get that your options have changed.  (And hopefully you know we would love to assist you in figuring out which options will best help you reach your goals.)

Times are A’changing

What I do want to talk about is how the role of the Chief Marketing Officer (CMO), Marketing Manager, Coordinator and Associate has changed.  Previously, in plentiful times the objectives for marketing included producing qualified leads for acquisition, communicating with the current customer for retention and establishing and maintaining brand recognition among the masses.  Delivery fell on the shoulders of operations, while sales was responsible for the hard numbers.  If marketing was producing the leads, their job was done.  Well, I hate to break it to you, but those days are gone.

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Today was a very special day at The Cyphers Agency – Ugly Sweater Day! We all showed up to work ready to out-sweater each other, and boy, was the competition fierce! Here’s just a few of the standouts:

Designer Lucas rocks a form-fitting style.

Dave Cyphers vogues in his favorite Bill Cosby piece.

Account Executive Julianna shows off a vintage gem, circa 1987.

Thanks to Account Executive/Social Director/Queen of all that is fun in the Universe Anna for organizing such a fun day! We all take our jobs seriously, but sometimes you just need to laugh at yourself and your co-workers. Need proof?

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Welcome, welcome, welcome! Danielle Ali has officially joined our ranks as a Social Media Coordinator here at The Cyphers Agency. She first joined us as an intern in August, sharing her experiences with you as she learned the ins and outs of the biz. She has made incredible progress over the past three months. So much, in fact, that we just couldn’t let her go!

As Social Media Coordinator, Danielle will be responsible for spreading the word about our clients. She will continue contributing to the the Push-n-Pull department and will help enhance our general marketing efforts. We are continually impressed with her passion for the industry, eagerness to learn, creative thinking, and fun attitude and personality.

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