“So what are your plans after graduation?”

These are the exact words that will make any recent college grad’s stomach churn. And aside from a handful of my colleagues who knew what they wanted to do since they could talk, most didn’t have a clue what to do.  So as graduation drew closer, I began to shift from denial to panic.

By pure luck, an acquaintance mentioned the Multicultural Advertising Trainee (MAT) Program, which guarantees a paid internship, mentoring and networking with industry professionals. “Count me in!” I thought. So after passing through a nerve-wracking application and interview process, I waited anxiously to hear back from the MAT program as to which company they felt would be the best fit. The email finally came. The Phelps Group.

My first impression of the agency came from their website. As someone who is very big on first impressions, I was immediately impressed. They presented themselves openly and honestly and their personality shone through.

After two interviews and two weeks of agonizing thumb-twirling, I finally got the phone call that I had been waiting for. I got the internship! So a week after graduating from the University of California, Irvine, I got ready for my first day of work.

Within minutes of arriving, I found myself sitting among strangers at the weekly Monday Morning Meeting. As associates talked about new projects and gave recognition to their colleagues, my first-day nervousness began to melt away. This was exactly the kind of place for me, where everyone’s contributions are utilized and appreciated.

On my first day, the CFO took time out of his day to give me a crash course on W-4s and taxes, topics that no one has ever been able to clearly explain to me before. This is the perfect example kind of nurturing, warm environment that is The Phelps Group. Every Monday, after a catered lunch, a seminar is presented on a new topic to expand everyone’s knowledge base. Then, every Thursday, after another catered lunch, everyone’s creativity is combined to brainstorm ideas for new projects at the highly anticipated Brain Banger’s Ball.

In just one short month, I’ve already come to feel at home here. Not once have I ever felt I was treated like an intern who should be seen and not heard. I’ve already worked with associates from almost every team and discipline, and they’ve all been not only willing to teach, but also to trust in my abilities. I could have not asked the MAT program to place me with a better company. I am truly thankful for the opportunity that I have been given here at The Phelps Group.

Jessica Zhang | Intern

Using facial recognition technology, Japanese advertisers are testing new digital billboards that are straight out of Minority Report. These billboards are fitted with cameras that capture your image, detect your gender and age, and then create a tailor-made ad on the fly. As the ad rolls, the computer determines how interested you are, how long you’ve watched, and then submits the captured data to the company.

Watch the CNN Video.

John "Mochi" Park | VP Technology

Throughout my life people have asked me what I do for a living. When I answer that I work for an integrated marketing company, people usually ask, “Is it like an ad agency?” I respond, “Yes, like an ad agency, but more.”

Then, people usually ask if I “think up the ads”; to that question, I simply respond, “No.” Next, people ask if I “deal with the clients”; to this, I respond, “Sometimes.” And THEN, the inevitable question is asked: “So what, exactly, do you do?”

Good question. I help clients market their products by defining their target audiences and recommending ways to reach them. I try to answer the question, “Who is really going to buy this product/service and what media vehicles (TV, radio, online, outdoor, or social media, etc.) will deliver the advertiser’s message in the most compelling fashion to get the target audiences to take action?”

So, how do I do it? Basically, I combine an analysis of a lot of research and a dose of understanding about the customer’s “journey to purchase” with a little, old-fashioned, educated guessing. This combination gets refined and optimized as the campaign progresses and we learn more about its performance.

Why do I do it? That’s an even better question. It’s an interesting job where I get to work with a variety of personalities, learn about many different industries and tackle client challenges. Since media options are always changing, the need to be curious and keep current is required. In addition, being good with numbers and being a bit of a people person is helpful, too.

Is it as exciting as concepting an ad or writing a headline? Probably not. But remember, no advertisement has ever been seen by a consumer without a media plan behind it. As a huge contributor to any campaign’s success, I’m proud of what I do, even if nobody really understands it.

So, when my parents last went on vacation, my mom called to say, “Honey, can you suspend your father’s subscription to the Wall Street Journal while we’re away – you deal with newspapers and stuff, don't you?" I answered, “Yes, that’s the type of stuff I do.”

Mary Jo Sobotka | VP Integrated Media Strategy

Share a piece of your history on Historypin, a new web app created by global-movement We Are What We Do in partnership with Google.

Using Google Maps and its 'Street View' feature, users can explore, pin new photos and share the stories behind them.

My favorite feature of the web app allows users to compare a location’s past with its present by layering an old image over the modern “Street View” on Google Maps.

John "Mochi" Park | VP Technology

How do you measure the success of your brand's social media efforts? It depends on your goal.

It's tempting to simply look at your fan and follower count; however, unless your only goal is to win a popularity contest, it's not always the best way to measure success. For example, retailers don't measure the success of their store solely by the number of people that walk through the door.

It's important to differentiate activity from results. Gathering fans is an activity; whether or not those fans sign up for your newsletter or respond to your offer and buy your product is a result.

If you're having trouble measuring and analyzing results from social media, you probably didn't have measurable objectives to begin with. Once you have a clear definition of what it means to reach your goal, it's easier to understand what metrics you need to look at.

So whether your brand is already using social media, or you're just about to jump into social media, it's important to remember to approach it with a clear strategy. Figure out what you want from social media, set an attainable goal, use the medium in a way that will benefit your brand and help you reach that goal, and then measure your success.

Read more.

Nicole Griffith | Team Coordinator

Much has been said about utilizing social media for market research, such as mining tweets for customer input but companies can use the concept of a social network to conduct market research more actively, with market research online communities (MROCs). Sometimes referred to as "focus groups on steroids," MROCs consist of a large group of people recruited to a private online platform to participate in research activities over time. Because MROCs are on-going, there's no need to start recruiting research participants when you need feedback on a particular question. Answers can be found in days rather than weeks.

MROCs are typically comprised of a few hundred people and require an on-going commitment, as participants need to be kept engaged. This is typically done with a variety of online activities, such as online discussions, photo diaries, blogs, contests and surveys.

Some examples of effective applications for MROCs include co-innovation (involving customers in the product development process), longitudinal input (obtaining information over the whole course of the decision-making process or input about product use over time), and even identifying trends.

Glenn Schieke | COO

Well, if you use location-based social networking services such as Foursquare, Gowalla or Yelp, among others, you might just have the over-sharing syndrome: Waldo Envy. Forbes blogger David Pell pointed out "...there is an increasing number of people who suffer from a major case of Waldo Envy — you're convinced people care where you are."

These location-based social networking services work by "checking you in," or marking your current location on a map, which is then placed in a social context. Many people who check-in on location-based social networks also simultaneously update their statuses with their location on other social networks such as Facebook or Twitter. What many people may not realize is that, unless they have adjusted their privacy settings to broadcast their information to their friends only, their location is actually broadcasted for ALL to see across the Internet.

The ramifications of publicly broadcasting one's current location across social networks such as Twitter and Facebook were brought to light by a website called PleaseRobMe.com, which aggregated people who publicly posted their current location and pointed out one fact: they were not home. PleaseRobMe.com presented those people as "opportunities" and boasted a tagline of "Listing All Those Empty Homes Out There." Although PleaseRobMe.com is now defunct, its brief existence certainly raised awareness about the issue of over-sharing.

Hmmm... time to adjust those privacy settings?

Kevin Brockett | Team Coordinator

Who says no one cares about punctuation anymore? When indie rock band Vampire Weekend made a recent appearance on "The Colbert Report," the host took the group to task for its song "Oxford Comma," which opens with, "Who gives a <bleep> about the Oxford comma?" Who does? Stephen Colbert, for one.

The Oxford comma, also known as the serial comma, is the final comma in a series (e.g., "I'll have a ham, egg, and cheese sandwich"). And its perceived necessity has been subject to great debate among writers and editors ever since Strunk and White's highly influential 1918 book "The Elements of Style" (pro-Oxford comma) and the Associated Press Stylebook (anti-Oxford comma) first divided on the issue.

During the interview, Colbert pulled out a copy of "The Elements of Style" to demonstrate the Oxford comma's domination, citing the book as the source for grammar and punctuation. While the band conceded that, sometimes, the extra comma serves a purpose, it is increasingly going the way of the VCR. In fact, journalist Lynne Truss, author of "Eats, Shoots & Leaves: The Zero Tolerance Approach to Punctuation" (this century's version of "The Elements of Style"), has gone as far as to state, "Nowadays... A passage peppered with commas — which in the past would have indicated painstaking and authoritative editorial attention — smacks simply of no backbone ... and out-of-date reference books."

Ouch. Take that, Colbert.

Point is, even in an era of truncated texts and tweets, punctuation and its use remain important to communications and readers' perception of copy. Does that mean the rules can't (and don't) change? Of course not. Yes, even punctuation must move with the times.

A moment of silence for the Oxford comma...

Kristen Mccarthy Thomas | Public Relations Specialist

Everyone recognizes that trust is paramount for establishing credibility in social media messaging. But how do you build trust in a medium where online identities may be little more than a logo and a few lines of copy? If you text, you already know: responsiveness. When someone sends you a text, if you want continued interaction you need to respond — and the quicker the better.
 
Blogger Greg Ferenstein points out that when only text is available, participants judge trustworthiness based on how quickly others respond.

So, he reasons, it is better to respond to a long Facebook message acknowledging that you received the message, rather than to wait until there's time to send a more thorough first message. Wait too long and you are likely to be labeled unhelpful or, worse, a host of expletive-filled attributions.

To increase your social media responsiveness, Ferenstein suggests making sure Facebook, LinkedIn, et al, send you e-mail alerts. Then, only archive the e-mail once the message has been responded to.

Tom Rector | VP Senior Copywriter

There is a trend in people entering longer search queries, defined as averaging five to eight words. These were up 7% between December 2009 and April 2010. Searches of eight or more words increased 4%*.

As consumers become more search-intelligent and explicit in how they search, it's become imperative to develop a solid strategy around long-tail search queries. Driving more click volume is one thing, but engaging users who are at the end of the buying cycle translates into better conversion rates and increased profitability.

Ask your marketing team how to find which search queries are applicable to your Website.

* Experian Hitwise

The Phelps Group has been recognized for the fourth year in a row by The Los Angeles Business Journal as one of LA's "2010 Best Places to Work." The rankings of the 75 "Best Places to Work in Los Angeles" will be unveiled at the annual awards luncheon scheduled for the week of August 2. We will keep you posted on where we rank! Wish us luck!

KTLA-TV Morning News broadcasted live from Panera Bread in Studio City with Panera Bread franchisee Keyshawn Johnson talking about summer salads, healthy options and Panera Bread’s community support. Check out the clips to see what Keyshawn had to say!

Our very own Janette Rizk spoke on the new media panel alongside new media experts from the Huffington Post, ecofabulous.com and Dwell at the Eco Expo on Environmental Education (e4), one of the largest educational environmental conferences in the nation that is entirely student run. The event kicked off with a leadership dinner catered by some of NYC’s top chefs and keynote speaker Matt Peterson, president and CEO of Global Green, USA. Students and professionals participated in panel discussions, dialogues and interactive workshops on the environment from a global perspective, science, school food sustainability, green schools, new media and eco-lifestyle. Panelists and speakers included Fred Krupp, executive director at Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC); Jeremiah McElwee, global Whole Body coordinator at Whole Foods Market; and Amy Leonard, senior vice president at Levi Strauss Global. http://e4-nyc.org

Here’s something that anyone involved with setting marketing budgets should know:
 
The cost of brand building may be 40% less than what most marketing executives believe it to be.   

What?
 
Think about it.  When a dollar is invested in real estate, its tax deductibility is spread out over 30 years.  When equipment is purchased, the deductibility is spread over 5-7 years.  But when a dollar is invested for marketing communications, it is immediately tax deductible.
 
This means for most profitable corporations (who commonly pay 40% of profits in taxes) a dollar invested in marcom is actually costing the bottom line only 60 cents.  A dollar invested in marcom can often do more to build the value of the company’s stock than any other investment.

Intangible assets – like brand cache and good will – may account for as much as 80 percent of the purchase price of acquired companies.  For example, the Ford brand is worth more than all its factories and inventories; the Google brand is worth thousands of times more than its hard assets.
 
Surprisingly, I’ve never seen this thought in print (although, that may be a matter of what I don’t read).   But, it is certainly not top of mind with most CEOs or Boards of Directors, even though the value of the brand is the most important line item on the balance sheet.
 
Agree?  Disagree? Have additional thoughts?  Let us know.

Joe Phelps | Founder & Head Coach

The Phelps Group’s Kimberly Daily and her team, AcuitasLA, won the Monty McKinney Award at the 2010 AAAA’s Institute of Advanced Advertising Studies.

The IAAS is one of the AAAA’s most prestigious and long-running advertising training programs.  In the program, 6 teams of 7-8 agency professionals with 1-3 years of experience attend the 16-week course to further develop their skills in a wide range of marketing disciplines. Teams use the course lessons to develop a comprehensive brand analysis, creative idea and media plan to present to a discerning client. This year, teams developed a plan for Pepsi Max – the highly-caffeinated, zero-calorie cola with the taste of Pepsi.  Each team presented their plan to a panel of 6 judges:

· Pam McNeely – Tantara Media Partners
· Eric Johnson – Ignited
· Simon Little – Simon Little Brand Consulting
· Gary Schmidt – West End Consulting Group
· Kristen Latto – TBWA\Chiat\Day
· Patrick O'Neill – TBWA\Chiat\Day

AcuitasLA won the judges' approval with their “Get Some” campaign which captured the target of men age 25-35. The team expanded the concept of “Get Some” across traditional marketing platforms, digital media, and social media, along with sampling events and partnerships.  View samples from the presentation:

This win continues The Phelps Group’s long-standing tradition of bringing home the Monty McKinney Award. The award is named after the iconic former chairman of both DDB/West and TBWA\Chiat\Day who has lent his name to the IAAS award for over 25 years.