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New Name, New Brand, New Location.

Posted on March 4, 2013 by Lauren

How’s that for a Monday?

Let’s start at the end and work backwards.

Location.

Today is our first official day in the office at 1712 Pease St. in fabulous downtown Houston! After 15 years on South Boulevard near Rice Village, our agency has steadily outgrown the big purple house to merit a move to a custom-built low rise in the Toyota Center District.

Although we will miss the annual Rodeo trail ride down Kirby and the barbecue smells wafting from Goode Company as we walk into work in the morning, we could not be more thrilled and excited to show you the new place.

Brand.

The new design direction for the MMI Agency brand identity was inspired by a passion long held by our firm to serve clients and produce work that “mpowers” brands. Take a look around the new site – we hope by exploring you’ll get an even better sense of what we’re all about.

Name.

We’ve all been calling ourselves MMI for years. So we put a ring on it. And made it official, and toasted to the future of what has already been a long and wonderful relationship, and then got back to work.

For today, don’t mind our mess as we are getting organized and settled in to our new future.

A Hero’s Welcome at The North Pole

Posted on January 9, 2013 by Blitzen

I’m back in the North Pole… and I had a BLAST with the team at MMI Agency.

Once upon a time I was known as the “last” reindeer – normal folks (who aren’t secretly elves) aren’t quite aware of how sleigh bells and sledding work. As I mentioned, I’m the compass and Santa’s true north up in the sky on Christmas Day! Rudolph? He’s just one working headlight on a car.

Everyone knows the song dance about Rudolf. Thanks to modern advertising, it’s gotten even more out of control. Microsoft even ran a Facebook campaign to highlight the guy! But this year, I hired MMI and we fought back. After an extensive audit of the Blitzen brand, a full social media campaign (including Twitter, Facebook and Instagram!) and a heavy traditional media relations push, you could say I’m the man back on top. MMI even built me my own Bells for Blitzen website so people could follow me from brand zero to brand hero!

My favorite part of the campaign? MMI partnered with everyone’s favorite judge from The Voice and yours truly made the cover of his Christmas album.

But don’t tell anyone. It’s supposed to be a secret. We don’t want the rest of the reindeer to getting in on my big branding idea.

See you next year!

Hey, there! Blitzen again…

Posted on December 11, 2012 by Blitzen

So, my previous post let you in on the reason I’m trying get my name out there. It’s not that I’m attention-starved or anything, it’s just time to set the record straight about how things really work when it’s “Go Time” in the North Pole.

Anyway, I figured I could use a little outside help in telling my side of the story and lots of folks have been asking me, “Why did you choose MMI, exactly?” Great question.

Truth is, this is not the first time I’ve felt like the myth around “the most famous reindeer of all” was making the rest of us look bad. So a few years back I was at my sister’s for dinner, kind of outlining the problem. Her husband, who runs a bargain-basement marketing outfit, said what I needed was some “reputation management,” and he could “totally hook me up.”

I said okay, and a couple of weeks later, he calls and says he got a friend to write me my own song. He had gotten it published and said the “kids will love it!” I was actually getting pretty excited… until he pressed “play.”

So… have you heard of the “Blitzen Boogie?” Not that I’m eager to promote it, but to prove my point, here you go:

http://youtu.be/O4yJipHrhMY

Or, I can just spare you the torment, by telling you that the chorus of this song repeats about six times: “He’s a boogie-woogie reindeer, and he boogies all day!”

Really? Is that what I do??

I’m the hardest working reindeer in the entire Northern Hemisphere, and people think all I do is wear sunglasses and dance all the time?

It just goes to show, anyone can get your name out there, but you want to be known for the right reasons. So when things started to get dicey up at the N.P., I knew it was time to ditch my brother-in-law’s firm and call in some real experts. The folks at MMI really know branding, so I know I’m in good hands. As they say: “A brand is a promise.” And I promise you this: Our campaign is going to shake things up!

Stay tuned!

-Blitzen

Listen Up!

Posted on December 6, 2012 by Blitzen

Hey, Internet! Blitzen of Santa’s Reindeer Squadron Alpha chiming in. I know, it is a
little unusual to hear from us before the BIG DAY, but the North Pole is feeling some
turbulence this year.

We all know the tale (and song, billboards, movies, stuffed toys, etc.) of my co-
worker Rudolph pulling off one of the biggest “Christmas miracles” in history.
But, and no disrespect to the guy, that only went down the way it did because he
uncharacteristically showed up to work on time. Rudy’s become a bit bigheaded
since and things around the sleigh have been rough. That is why the reindeer crew is
declaring a strike until we can iron things out with the big man himself.

Since I am on a break, I decided to fly toward some warmer weather. After arriving in
Houston (what a great city!) and doing some plotting, I sat down with MMI to talk
strategy. That brings us to BELLS FOR BLITZEN.

It’s exhausting to be constantly thought of last because folks aren’t quite aware of
how sleigh bells and sledding work. I’m the compass and Santa’s true north up in the
sky on Christmas Day! Rudolph? He’s just one working headlight on a car.

But I digress. Follow along with my campaign this holiday season because, man,
I have a lot to say. I will be taking to Twitter, Facebook, this handy blog and even
Instagram.

Get ready; Blitzen is going to be BIG this year. Down with the red nose!

Bells for Blitzen

The Houston Rodeo and SEO!

Posted on December 1, 2012 by Maggie

Howdy, Partner!

Recently, we found ourselves thrilled to become the subject of our own case study on the value of SEO. After spending time over the last few months SE-Optimizing our website, we were SE-Found by our new partner, the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo.

We’ve been helping them revamp their own website and working together to look to the future and build on the fine tradition of what is truly a Houston institution.

We couldn’t be happier they did. They are already a part of the MMI family, and for that, we have to say thanks, and to steal a note from Humphrey Bogart – we think this is going to be the beginning of a beautiful friendship.

www.rodeohouston.com

Keeping it Legal On Social Media

Posted on November 15, 2012 by Janelle

This month’s Houston Social Media Breakfast discussion covered a topic near and dear to our hearts (or at least our inboxes) – the legal issues at play when using social media, and how to set yourself (and your company) up for success.

Some key takeaways:

Trademark early

When starting any new business venture, including activity on social media, it is crucial to do a basic search online to make sure the name you’re using hasn’t already been trademarked.
It’s also a good idea to run a search on the United States Patent and Trademark Office website uspto.gov, just to be sure.

Write a social media policy

Sitting down with people in your company to define the goals of the social media page not only will help you gain support, but also it will protect you if an issue arises.
MMI tip: Don’t know where to start on writing your social media policies? The good news is your aren’t the first to tackle this task. This website has done a fantastic job of compiling corporate and brand policies across the interwebs, for easy reference.

Understand Facebook contests

You are not allowed to run contests or sweepstakes directly on your Facebook page. For example, a post that says, “Someone who likes this post will win a $100 gift card!” is against Facebook guidelines.
Instead, you’ll need to hire a third party to create an app for your contest or sweepstakes. This places the liability on the third party if something goes wrong with the contest and therefore protects your company and Facebook.
MMI tip: Always loop in your lawyers early when beginning a social media sweepstakes. Contest rules are mandatory and need expert eyes for review before going live.

Full disclosure

It is imperative for brand ambassadors (particularly bloggers) to have a disclaimer whenever they review products that they were gifted or they are being paid to write about.
Small actions like a tweet, re-tweet or post about a brand or product don’t necessarily need a full disclaimer. But if there is a trend over time, it is wise to periodically have the brand ambassador bring their relationship with the brand to the attention of his or her readers.

Social networking sites are changing faster every year, and every organization is different, so those responsible for implementing social media programs will need to continue to build strong, collaborative relationships with internal legal and compliance teams to make sure every element they are putting into place falls in line with organizational standards.

The task can seem daunting, but after working with organizations with compliance-driven environments, including health organizations that must address HIPAA concerns, we can attest that it can be navigated successfully, no matter how complex the environment.

Orange for October? We Think Pink.

Posted on October 19, 2012 by Janelle

October is Breast Cancer Awareness month and while MD Anderson staff and physicians are all over town at speaking engagements, volunteering for walks and supporting teams and families, we help them host something special in each of the communities they serve – Sugar Land, Katy, The Woodlands and the Bay Area.

The Pink Lighting events spread hope, celebrate survivors, rally behind patients and their caregivers and offer support to people right there in the community whose lives have been affected by the disease. The evenings draw large crowds in support there to share in the pink glow, enjoy local bands and learn more about breast cancer. They also have the opportunity to interact with MD Anderson Regional Care Center staff and volunteers to learn more about the services nearby.

A rainy outlook for the evenings planned on September 29 put a damper on our plans, but we all perservered. And two weeks later we were back, with our pink glow engaging with the large crowds in the Square there in support.