CHICAGO, Oct. 15 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Integrated marketing agency TargetCom today announced a repositioning of the firm that reflects its expanded offerings and provides clients with a wider range of services designed around measurable outcomes. The agency, founded in 1988 and based in Chicago, is part of MDC Partners, Inc. (NASDAQ:MDCANASDAQ:TSX:NASDAQ:MDZ.A), a leading marketing communications company.
Central to the repositioning is the agency's continued focus on results-based marketing, the core capability on which TargetCom was founded. Over the last five years, the agency's roots in direct marketing have extended to encompass strategic planning, consumer research and creative execution in print, television, radio and digital.
"Clients want results and performance to achieve their growth goals, and we've added significantly to our offerings to help them do that," said Nora Ligurotis, TargetCom president. "We have a seasoned senior management team that has worked in every medium across many categories. We no longer consider ourselves just a direct marketing firm, but a channel-neutral, full-service integrated agency that works with clients who are serious about growth." To reinforce its new direction, TargetCom has upgraded its web site and marketing materials to more clearly define its results-oriented approach. "What makes us different is our hybrid approach that supports brand and response equally. We practice both the art and science of marketing, and have a shared commitment with our clients to achieve measurable growth," Ligurotis said.
TargetCom became part of MDC in 2000. "We have a multi-disciplined staff of 30 professionals with specialized skills," Ligurotis said. "Being part of an entrepreneurial network, we are unencumbered by 'big agency' layers or silos. Our size and expertise enables true integration in our approach. Others talk about it, but we deliver it." "The TargetCom of today has a staff of very talented and highly entrepreneurial professionals who have a track record of delivering targetable, measurable and cost effective results for their clients, " said Miles S. Nadal, Chairman and CEO, MDC Partners. "Clients value agencies by the results they deliver, not the time they put in. That's why TargetCom is a valued partner to its clients, and to MDC Partners." TargetCom retains several of its original clients, including the Chicago Tribune, and has a high retention rate that is unique in an industry with frequent client turnover. "Three of our largest clients have been with us for eight-plus years, and we believe that's because we forge partnership relationships with clients to address business issues, not just advertising," Ligurotis said. "Clients have come to know they can trust us to execute flawlessly and get measurable results." Although TargetCom still has a core competency in direct mail, the majority of the agency's revenues today come from broadcast direct response and strategy work. For TrueCredit, the online credit bureau and wholly-owned subsidiary of TransUnion, TargetCom delivered double-digit sequential and annual growth in web traffic with its "TrueStories" campaign, featuring real customers who overcame credit problems like identity theft and bankruptcy.
"Our strategy was to use their stories to trigger empathy in the viewer as they might relate these situations to their own lives," Ligurotis said. "The TrueCredit campaign is an excellent example of our expanded capabilities and hybrid approach to build brand awareness and generate inquiries," Ligurotis said. "We believe good television and direct response are not mutually exclusive, and our work for TrueCredit over the last five years demonstrates this philosophy." For U.S. Cellular, an eight-year TargetCom client, the agency's work is heavily focused on print and direct mail to attract and retain customers in the highly competitive cell phone industry. Last year alone, TargetCom produced 65 different print pieces with more than 200 creative components customized to reach the target segments. "That's an intense production schedule, but one that our team has the experience to handle flawlessly," Ligurotis said. "We thrive on relationships with demanding clients who have high expectations." TargetCom (http://www.targetcom.com/) is a brand-integrated marketing agency headquartered in Chicago that provides strategic planning and implementation across direct mail, print, television, radio and interactive channels, with back-end analysis throughout. The agency is part of MDC Partners, Inc. (http://www.mdc-partners.com/), a leading provider of marketing communications services based in New York and Toronto. DATASOURCE: TargetCom CONTACT: Nora Ligurotis, President, TargetCom, (312) 822-1102; Marge Ferroli, (708) 524-5264
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