Social at Heart: Kevin Knight at Saxton Horne

Overwhelmed with social media? Not sure which "social media expert" to listen to, or what expensive technology or service to give the reigns of your social program? 

The best advice is probably to sit back, take a couple breaths, and remember why this form of media's called "social" in the first place - it's a place where friends greet, family grows together and enthusiasts gather. Social media is, in fact, the digital embodiment of the social interactions that have existed since Fred Flinstone was playing golf with pterodactyl clubs.

That's just a smidget (is that a word?) of the counseling we received from close friend and counselor Kevin Knight - an accomplished social media strategist at the very Facebook we outsiders claim to have mastered.  

Similarly, it's been found that a person is a part of up to 4 specific social circles, such as high school friends, curling buddies, and live action role play enthusiasts (helmets made of Cheerio boxes and all). Data shows that everyone can act as a connector between different social groups, bridging the gap between intricate networks of people with very different interests. 

So what does this have to do with your brand or business? Well, Facebook uses this enthralling data to craft products such as Reach Generator or the much-celebrated new Facebook Timeline. 

But the point in all this is not to get caught up in the numbers - don't be overwhelmed by conflicting "best practices" claims, or fooled into thinking that access into some proprietary technology or a magical twitter account manager is what will ultimately help your page reach it's full potential. 

No arsenal of enterprise-grade technology can communicate what you can through your brand: that you care and that your listening. 

The new Timeline layout goes a long way to streamline the way businesses interact with people, and Facebook is trying to push organizations to stop overthinking things and simply to act like people. Welcome tabs are gone, and all business pages look and act exactly like personal pages, rich with opportunites to make emotional connections in the context of having a personal history, a cover photo that says something about you, and algorithms that allow your socially engaging, relevant posts stay near the top of your fan's news feeds. 

So simply remember that it always has been and always will be about people. And because people always precede technology, your social strategy should, too; at least that's how this agency likes to do it. 

That's the key to being social not only in pretense, but at heart. 

LHM in 2011: A Year for the Record Books

A home run. A hole in one. One perfect power play. 

These and other sports clichés almost encapsulate the glory that was 2011 for the Larry H. Miller Group of Companies.

Not to toot our own horn...but seriously. LHM rocks.  

Consider this: amidst tsunamis and earthquakes that quelled automobile production on a global scale, an economy that just began to get back up on its feet, the retirement of Jerry Sloan and trade of franchise star Deron Williams, a massive NBA lockout with what seemed a dismal forecast, and last but not least, the rapture (twice), each entity of the Larry H. Miller Group found a way to shine in the face of adversity. 

Yeah, we were thrown a curveball - that's life. But we aimed for the fences and knocked 2011 right out of the park. 

So take a short break from the rigors of your daily routine and watch this amazing story about the Utah Jazz, Larry H. Miller Charities, Tour of Utah, our car dealerships, Fanzz and more - a story about a culture that Larry passed on when he left us almost 3 years ago: a culture of hard work, dedication, and love...capped off by one ridiculously monstrous hammer-down by the Jazz's own Jeremy Evans (Don't forget to #LetJeremyDunk on Twitter).  

A fitting end to a video and a year that you might call, perhaps, a real slam dunk. 

Now bring on 2012. 

Follow the Larry H. Miller Group on Twitter (@LHM) and Facebook (facebook.com/LarryHMiller)

Welcome, Lisa!

Lisa Roberts brings over 20 years of experience in account and media leadership to the marketing team. Roberts’ dynamic personality, stellar negotiation skills and attention to detail enhance her areas of expertise: management, account research and strategic media planning.  Her background has touched all aspects of advertising from creative and production to account planning and media management.

Lisa joined ThomasARTS at its inception as the Principal Chief Media Officer.  She was instrumental in developing and integrating all aspects of media from traditional and direct response media to interactive and search marketing.  Her management and media expertise were critical in the growth of ThomasARTS media to include national and regional accounts: Coventry Health Care, Zions Bank, Mozy, Select Health, United Health Care and Coca Cola. 

Prior to joining Thomas ARTS, Lisa was the Principal Media Director for Publicis Dialog – Optimedia in Salt Lake City.

She developed the direct marketing arm of the Media department and directed the strategic media planning for UnitedHealth Care, PetSmart, American Express, Kimberly Clark, Hardees, Midas, GMC, Honda and extremely successful Salt Lake 2002 Olympic Winter Games ticket sales campaign.

Roberts’s professionalism is driven by her ability to create and maintain impressive relationships with both clients and vendors, enabling her to constantly improve and enhance each strategic plan to provide best possible exposure to every client. She has provided integrated planning and buying services to more than 50 local, regional and national accounts during her career.

Lisa holds AAS degrees in journalism and graphic arts from Dixie State College, a certificate in broadcast performance, production and management from Utah State, and a BS in business management from University of Phoenix. When she isn’t brainstorming and working closely with clients on their strategic marketing plans, Lisa can be found on the golf course or visiting her family in Phoenix

We're glad Lisa chose to bring her talents to Saxton | Horne, and look forward to a long, prosperous relationship!

Farewell, Movember!

Today, as we mark the passing of November (also known as "25 More Shopping Days 'til Christmas"), it's only fitting that we pay tribute, once again, to the brave men of Saxton Horne whose frothy lip art helped to raise funds for men's health.

View Saxton | Horne's crew of moustache-laden males here. 

Our heroes, universally renowned under their official moniker, "Mo-Men Unite," raised over $500 to help promote the health of men everywhere, while courageously braving many rigorous hardships, including: 

1. The need for constant trimming and grooming

2. The removal of various items of food and clothing from one's 'stache

3. The inability to get a date or any amount of physical affection from one's significant other

4. The general embarassment of looking like one time-traveled from the Seventies into random public settings

5. The random challenges from gun-slinging strangers at saloons all across town

Yet not once was a complaint uttered from under their proud, hairy upper lips. Nay, every participant wore their "moes" with great pride, knowing that their burden was weight off the shoulders of suffering men across the globe - as well as the topic of much entertainment around the office. 

So, as we bid farewell to another Movember, we'd like to thank our men, as well as every other moustache-wielding man, with a poem:

"Remember, remember the end of Movember,

the 'staches of Sam, Blake and Scott.

I see no reason why moustache season

Should ever be forgot."

                                     - Anonymous

Happy Movember, Everybody!

Happy Movember from Saxton Horne! In addition to the better-known, more-widely-celebrated, and turkey-related holiday of the month (the day BEFORE Black Friday, if you need another hint), sweet November has been adopted as men's health month. To raise awareness for prostate and other cancers that specifically affect men, Movember participants are growing a moustache or "mo" to generate conversation and awareness. Check out the awesome "moes" of the Saxton Horne team as we check in with them on week 3 (of 5). Let us know if you would like more updates from these average, everyday facial-hair growing superheroes. 

A Very Saxton|Horne Halloween

At most workplaces, only a few notable events are worth remembering:

 1.       Clocking out.

Ok, make that one notable event. Not so at Saxton | Horne. In fact, most of us “forget” to clock in in the first place. That’s right – who needs money when you work with Elvis, an astronaut and a giant hot dog? 

Indeed, this year’s Spectacular Saxton | Horne Halloween Hullabaloo was an epic event, second only to the lunar landing and invention of the Snugee. Expect to see this photo in next year’s history books:

Everyone knows that the creativity, talent, and enthusiasm of an ad agency is measured by the sheer number of people dressed up as David Blaine. By that figure, we’re twice as good. In fact, the costume of the day award had to go to our VP of client services, a.k.a. the original David Blain, dressed up as that other David Blaine. You know, the magician dude. 

You’ll find him pictured above flashing magic cards behind our other David Blaine – namely, digital marketing manager Shawn Butler’s impersonation of the YouTube impersonation of the magician David Blaine, not to be confused with the original David Blain who works with us.

Clear enough?

It’s true – we’re no average organization. But amidst the fantastic food, clever costumes and employees with magic celebrity namesakes, the best part of the day is no doubt the satisfaction that comes from churning out quality work, day after day in our creative trenches - where the magic truly happens. That’s why, for those of us who remember to do so, the best part of the day involves one simple task:

          Clocking In. 

Facebook Changes and You!

One of the "joys" of building a "career" on the cutting edge of technology is dealing with "change." In light of last week's F8 conference, I'd like to give you my quick take-aways on the impact of FB's shifting platform and our social media efforts:

i.e. — "Change Announced: Explanation and potential impact on our service."

Comments on Pages: Any FB user can now comment on a business or brand Page, regardless of whether they "Like" the Page. This change, which is a significant departure from the previous "they must 'Like' us to Comment" rule, opens conversation on branded Pages to many more users. This hurts us because our clients are VERY numbers focused, and previously even angry customers had to "like" us to post! We will be including apps. that require "likes" for future contests in order to diminish the effect of this change.

Friend Activity Tab: This new tab will show you your friends' Likes and Comments on fan pages you like. The tab will be on the right rail of the page, like Twitter visiting the right side of the page. This simply "socializes" a unique experience for each user on the pages they like. This is good for us, especially as we get more and more well-targeted fans.

Status Update Character Limit: FB just increased the status update character limit from 420 to 5,000. This does NOT mean that we should increase the length of our messages. :) 90% of what you create should still be under the 420 limit. This DOES remove the necessity for Notes, however, when posting your longer messages. This may lead to a solution for posting or reposting blogs… more on that down the road.

Frictionless Sharing: Facebook’s new social plugin (via Open Graph) installed on clients' websites will create a notification anytime a "signed-in" FB user visits the website that will appear on his or her FB page as well as through the Facebook News Feed. This may drive "friend" traffic to the site.

Per Post Metrics: FB improved its reporting from the per-post Engagement and Impression metrics for admins to aggregate metrics that we can view on the Insight tab and as part of exported Insight reports. We use BrushfireSocial.com, so are not currently relying on these reports, but will keep watching them.

Shawn Butler | Online Marketing Manager

Now You Have a Friend in the Social Media Business

How can a team of social media experts help your business? Studies have shown that social media is a powerful way for brands to interact with their customers online, increase loyalty, and resolve issues.

Saxton | Horne is taking our clients' brand communication to the people! With our social media service for the Larry H. Miller Automotive Group of dealerships, we are building out a new method of customer communication. 

Larry H. Miller Dealerships are not just saying that they listen, they are actually monitoring and responding to people who post to the company on the most popular social media sites. Employees are able to hear from and communicate with the customers in a way they never have before, which leads to more happy customers being taken care of and becoming happy car owners.

Why not talk to your customers in the places that they're talking about you? Saxton | Horne wants to be your friend. Find us on Facebook and see how we're doing social for our clients!

The Art of Selling - by NOT Selling

This week, a client gave our copywriting team the challenge of a lifetime: "We have a car that we want to get rid of, but we want to make it worth our time." Our solution: "The Awesome Car Giveaway Sweepstakes." Tell us what you think...

You Don’t Deserve to Win this Car*

Face it, this sweet ride was made for a certain kind of person and, sorry to tell you this, it’s probably not you. First of all, it’s a white ’95 Ford Escort. So, if you need a flashy red sports car because you have a weak-sauce personality, forget it.

You may have noticed this car doesn’t have a trunk. That’s because it’s a station wagon, which is way better because it’s like the Swiss Army Knife of cars. It also means that everyone will be able to see what you have rolling around in the back of it. If you can’t live your life in the open like that– don’t even enter.

Oh, by the way, it’s a manual transmission. That means you’ll have to decide what gear it needs to be in at all times, and it has 5 of them. Not everyone can handle that kind of on-the-road responsibility.

If you think you have what it takes to harness this kind of awesomeness, there are two ways to enter: check in on Facebook at the Larry H. Miller Ford Fan Page or complete an entry form when you test-drive a car at the dealership. Tune in to our Facebook page on July 30th to see the live video announcement of the winner. Only one will be worthy. Is it you?

*Note: This contest never ran. There was no winner, no losers and, incidentally, there weren't even any participants. This post is just demonstrating some of the fun and awesome thinking that went into a contest that never even happened. We're sorry if that kind of blows your mind a little.

Getting Our Hands Dirty…

In most businesses, and in advertising in particular, sometimes you have to roll up your sleeves and get your hands dirty. When a recent project for America First Credit Union called for writing on a dirty car window, getting our hands dirty took on a whole new perspective. 

A solid week of rain had ensured that every car in sight had been through the car wash courtesy of Mother Nature. We called our friends at MediaGrabbers and arranged to use their studio for the photo shoot, but there was still the question of making a dirty window we could write on. After a little experimentation, we soon discovered that dirt doesn’t really behave like dirt when trying to get it to stick to the window – it’s either too light or too muddy. Jamie Harris, the senior designer on the project, dashed to the hobby store and located a bag of model train ballast. Jack Sanford, resident creative director, went to the grocery store to find the rest of the ingredients for the dirty window recipe. Here’s what the shopping list looked like:

The winning combination was the Ovaltine powder mixed with the ballast material. Needless to say, we made a mess of the Dodge Durango and the studio floor. After a little testing, we had the right combination and proceeded to dirty up the windows. As fate would have it, the Mother Nature car wash was in full operation on the return trip, so the Durango didn’t look any worse for the wear.

Back at the office, Jamie went to work on the image and gave it a little love in Photoshop before placing the image in the layout. When the day was done, getting our hands dirty left us with the sweet smell of Ovaltine success.