Marketing Professionals

Marketing professionals make business look good.

They create the campaigns that bring in customers. They keep the media aware of their clients' innovations and good deeds. They design the advertisements that get results.

And they're key in this economic climate.

As successful companies

push to increase market share, the marketing professional is often tasked with creating the plan to bring in those new customers.

It's not an easy job, but there are many outstanding marketing firms in Southwest Florida that are up to the challenge.

Florida Weekly asked many of them to tell us their story. >> IMA Creative Inc. P.O. Box 9, Estero, FL 33928 (239) 949-3034 Fax: (239) 949-3337 IMAcreative.com >>Year established: 1989 >>Principal: Gail A Webster

>>Key employees: Leo Zimmerman, creative director; Beth Davis, director of PR; Amy Hoefling, senior art director; C. Chad Elkins, director of sales

>>Number of employees: Four

>>Services offered: Marketing, advertising, public relations, Web, events, identity and collateral

>>What sets you apart? Twenty years. That really says it all. We are celebrating our 20th year in Southwest Florida. That is a big deal. We've been through the good and the bad, and managed to thrive through it all. Our team of seasoned industry veterans is second to none. Their vast knowledge and experience in not only local, but also national and international markets is invaluable to our clients. We treat each client as a partner, not just a business associate. Their business becomes our own.

>>What's your best self-promotion campaign: I'M A Creative campaign

>>What campaign are you most proud of? That is a toss up between what we are working on for Ronald McDonald House Charities and the Gulf Coast Humane Society. We are still in development on both of their Web sites and other branding activity. >>Tell us about a campaign that was incredibly successful for the client. Genus Loci Studio. We started by tweaking their logo and created everything from that point: stationery suite, Web site, brochure, ads, displays, show materials, direct mail, site signage and client events. In a down market for development, which has severely affected the landscape architecture field, we have managed to keep them top of mind and their phone ringing.

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m.creative

7201 Carousel Lane Fort Myers, FL 33966 (239) 274-7736 Cell: (239) 565-1630 www.mcreativepr.com >>Year established: 2000 >>Principal: Melinda Isley, APR >>Number of employees: One (sole proprietor)

>>Services offered: Public relations, marketing, writing and design. Media relations, press releases, feature stories, internal and external communications, social media, writing, copywriting/editing, brochures, ad copy, newsletters, annual reports, logos, brochures, advertisements, posters, billboards and more.

>>Recent awards: 2009 Florida Public Relations Association Image Award and Judges Award (Special Event Category) for 2008 Becoming Cosmopolitan fundraiser benefiting CCMI (Community Cooperative Ministries Inc.)

>>What sets you apart? As a sole proprietor with over 15 years of public relations, writing and design experience, when my clients hire me, they get me. My services aren't implemented by staff with less experience or contracted out. I believe being a Fort Myers native also benefits local clients.

>>What's your best self-promotion campaign? Satisfied clients (some I've worked with 10 years) are all the self-promotion I need or desire. It's never about me; it's always about my clients. That's why I'm not a big proponent of self-promotion. Doing my job and getting successful results for clients has resulted in word-of-mouth referrals that are priceless.

>>What campaign are you most proud of? The NoFood4You Challenge that was held in April to shed light on local school children going without any, or very little food, on weekends. It was put together in just weeks because the need was immediate and it cost nothing. It was personally rewarding to see the community and media come together to support such an important issue. The weekend event raised $18,525 for CCMI's backpack program. The campaign used traditional and social media and garnered over 35 media stories, 22 blogs, 40,000 Facebook exposures and over 310 tweets.

>>Tell us about a campaign that was incredibly successful for the client. Each year I have the honor of working with the Barbara B. Mann Performing Arts Hall on its season ticket campaigns. In 2008 and 2009, the Hall added more than 1,000 new, first-time season ticket holders (who are also yearlong Lee County residents). The Hall is on track to meet this increase again during the 2010 season.

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E. Sue Huff & Associates Inc. - Marketing and Management Consulting

6247 Ashwood Lane, Naples, FL (239) 596-7990 Fax: (239) 596-7991 www.esuehuff.com sue@esuehuff.com >>Year established: 1996 >>Principal: Sue Huff

>>Services offered: E. Sue Huff & Associates Inc. provides strategic marketing and management consulting services to owners and managers. We help businesses and non-profits clarify marketing and management strategies, develop marketing plans, and administer marketing tactics. Our scope of services includes, but is not limited to: marketing strategies, press releases, advertising, Web site scripting, public relations, management training, seminars, workshops, human resources, and more. We help clients "Plan Their Work and Work Their Plan!" >>What sets you apart? My diverse career background in printing, graphic arts, newspapers, TV and radio gives me a well-rounded approach to helping my clients in the marketing arena. Also, becoming a part of my client's team sets my company apart. I partner with them to help bridge the gap, whether the gap occurs in the PR or HR side of the business. Having owned or managed businesses all my life gives me a great advantage when working with my clients. I am looking from an owner's perspective - I help solve issues before they become problems. I help owners and managers become pro-active to all parts of their business.

>>What's your best self-promotion campaign? Speaking engagements have always been a successful self-promotion tool for me and my company. Recently, I was fortunate enough to be asked to develop and host a 30-minute television special in Cincinnati, Ohio. The program is airing all summer on Cincinnati CitiCable with more than 400,000 viewers. The program is called "Stand Out and Get the Job" and focuses on today's job market, how to self promote, network, write a resume that works, and how to follow-up. This program gives me and my company exposure in a new market, lends credibility to my TV production talents, builds awareness of the topic, and offers value to the viewer.

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Cone Communications Company

760 Belair Court Naples, FL 34103 (239) 262-8229 >>Year established: 2006 >>Principal: Clay W. Cone, president and owner >>Number of employees: One

>>Services offered: Public relations, marketing and strategic communications.

>>What sets you apart? Cone Communications is a boutique firm committed to satisfying the needs of businesses and not-for-profits in Southwest Florida. The firm's principal has more than 20 years of experience in the local market and offers extensive knowledge in the planning and implementation of comprehensive media relations and public information programs.

>>What's your best self-promotion campaign? Networking through local professional business organizations like the Public Relations Society of America and volunteer service on a variety of not-for-profit organizations, including United Way, Step by Step and the David Lawrence Foundation.

>>What campaign are you most proud of? The name change and rebranding of the former International College to Hodges University. In May 2007, Naples-based International College received a record $12 million gift from long-time Naples residents and community benefactors Earl and Thelma Hodges. In conjunction with the gift, the institution changed its name to Hodges University and moved from college status to university status.

>>Tell us about a campaign that was incredibly successful for the client. This historic announcement enabled the independent, not-for-profit four-year institution to better position itself as one of Florida's leading institutions of higher learning and allowed it to achieve its long-term goal of university status. The move was marketed to and embraced by the community so well that the projected six-month transition period was shortened considerably.

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PKE Marketing & PR Solutions

6150 Diamond Centre Court, Suite 1001 Fort Myers, FL 33912 www.PKECreative.com >>Year established: 2008 >>Principal: Phyllis K. Ershowsky, MBA, APR, CPRC >>Key employees: Marie Mosley, APR

>>Number of employees: One almost full-time, two part-time

>>Services offered: Public relations and marketing services including PR counsel, planning and strategies, creative services, copywriting, brochures, marketing and direct mail campaigns, broadcast, online newsroom management, special events, media relations

>>Recent awards: Golden Image Award 2008 for Taylor Woodrow's Rock On Scramble & Jam, Florida Public Relations Association, and Image Award 2009 for Florida Gulf Bank Downtown Detour Survival Program

>>What sets you apart? A philosophy of continuous improvement, advanced education, 20-plus years of diverse experience and a commitment to success based on the fundamentals of public relations. We are also known for identifying clients' key publics and developing successful strategies for accomplishing their objectives and exceeding their expectations.

>>What campaign are you most proud of? Throughout my career, the campaigns I am most proud of involve organizations that are start-ups or have not yet generated awareness with their key markets/ publics. It is incredibly rewarding to develop branding/ reputation campaigns that bring the client's message to their audiences and to the media, ultimately generating more business. Just a few examples include Florida Gulf Bank, the Naples Museum of Art, Florida Spine & Brain and Taylor Morrison.

>>Tell us about a campaign that was incredibly successful for the client. A recent campaign that was incredibly successful was the 2009 Celebrate Bonita Festival, the 11th anniversary of the event. Despite budget reductions and a shorter planning period, a fantastic committee of local residents and businesses worked together to provide the community with an exciting, entertaining festival - more than 8,000 visitors attended, there was fantastic coverage by local media, and we exceeded the City of Bonita Springs' objectives. Plus, everyone had a great time!

Susan Bennett Marketing & Media L.C.

P. O. Box 218 Fort Myers, FL 33902 (239) 277-5255 Fax: (239) 337-2185 sbennett@susanbennett.biz >>Year established: 1991 >>Principal: Susan Bennett, APR, CPRC

>>Number of employees: One and one part-time, call upon others as needed

>>Services offered: Media relations, branding, advertising-marketing, video production, strategic planning, fund-raising, grant-writing, board development, Web site development, social media, and all things PR

>>Recent awards: Dick Pope All Florida Golden Image Award from the Florida Public Relations Association for the best public relations campaign in Florida in 2008 (SWFAS Capital Campaign). This campaign also won the Grand Golden Image Award for the best printed tool in Florida, a Golden Image Award for best public service film or video in Florida plus five other awards. Image Award, FPRA Southwest Chapter, for best institutional PR program in 2009 and an Award of Distinction for best institutional video for the Grande Dames Tea for the PACE Center for Girls.

>>What sets you apart? Highly personalized service and the ability to put together the right team of professionals for each task are the hallmarks of my firm. My clients know that I am available 24/7 and will do whatever is needed to help them succeed.

>>What's your best self-promotion campaign? Word of mouth and referrals from other clients are my best self-promotion. "Do good, be good, and goodness will follow" has been my mantra since the day I opened.

>>What campaign are you most proud of? We recently completed a three-year campaign for Southwest Florida Addiction Services to build a new Detoxification and Outpatient Treatment Center. The campaign rallied support from community leaders, donors, and the media to raise $6.1 million in a struggling economy.

>>Tell us about a campaign that was incredibly successful for the client. Our events with Sam Galloway Jr. to raise money for The Soup Kitchen of CCMI stand out as some of the area's most successful fund-raisers. All of our campaigns are successful - it's tough to pick just one.

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Briggs & Rogers

Briggs & Rogers 7680 Cambridge Manor Place, #204 Fort Myers, FL 33907 (239) 278-3900 www.BriggsRogers.com >>Year established: 2008

>>Principals: Mary Briggs, APR, CPRC and Carolyn Rogers, APR, CPRC

>>Number of employees: Three

>>Services offered: We bring customers to our clients through public relations and advertising programs.

>>Recent awards: Grand Image Award and Image Award FPRA Southwest Florida Chapter 2009 Printed Tools - News Release for Madden Research Loop Announcement; Award of Distinction FPRA Southwest Florida Chapter 2009 Public Relations Programs/Special Events for SWFL Wine & Food Fest; Award of Distinction FPRA Southwest Florida Chapter 2009 Printed Tools - Old Corkscrew Brochure; Silver Award American Advertising Federation - SWFL 2009 Brochure/Sales Kit for SWFL Wine & Food Fest sponsor kit; Golden Image Award FPRA 2008 - Community Relations Programs for Taylor Woodrow's Rock On Scramble & Jam

>>What campaign are you most proud of? Lee Memorial Health System: Briggs & Rogers is implementing a multi-disciplinary approach to help LMHS connect with residents of Bonita and Estero. Key features and services of the health system are highlighted in bold and colorful ads, on a micro Web site and in events that engage residents of the area. Canterbury School: Briggs & Rogers created a series of print ads to communicate the school's advantages by highlighting its best asset - its accomplished alumni.

>>Tell us about a campaign that was incredibly successful for the client. Mark Loren Designs' Mother's Day Necklace Giveaway

Spiro & Associates Marketing, Advertising and Public Relations

1520 Royal Palm Square Blvd., Suite 300 Fort Myers, FL 33919 www.spiroandassociates.com >>Year established: 1988 >>Principals: Christopher T. Spiro, Steven J. Martin

>>Key employees: Jackie Burke, senior account executive; Jessica Barton, director of public relations/ account executive; Gail Gubelman, senior art director; Paula Rigoni, media director

>>Number of employees: 12

>>Services offered: Full-service marketing, advertising and public relations firm.

>>Recent awards: Numerous Pinnacle, Excel, Davey and Apogee awards. The Davey and Apogee awards are on a national level.

>>What sets you apart? Without a doubt, it's our creative product. An agency is an agency, is an agency…we all offer similar services and we have similar rates. What sets us apart is our creative thinking and strategic execution and how we apply our creative and strategy in the marketplace.

>>What's your best self-promotion campaign? The e-blast campaign we did for the agency that focused on the difference between Steve and I was hugely successful. We backed it up with print ads running in Florida Weekly. The campaign showed images of Steve and myself that reflected my "big picture, larger than life" personality as well as highlighted Steve's "detailed oriented, more subdued personality." Considering the current marketplace, people are looking to hire more of a boutique versus a large agency, and when you hire the boutique, you are hiring the personalities that make it tick.

>>What campaign are you most proud of? JustGetTested.com was the launch of a national selfdirected STD/drug testing Web site. You do not require a doctor's prescription, you do not have to report to insurance companies and you are totally anonymous when using this service. It was amazing for Steve and I see our team conduct the research and drive the creative that took the site from a zero Google ranking to a four ranking in six months (the Web geeks were astounded by this). We worked with the CDC (Centers for Disease Control) in determining our target market (did you know that 48 percent of all African-American women between the ages of 17 and 19 will have, or have had an STD?). We worked with a gifted Web development company, EMCC Design, that developed proprietary software for the site. It was a genuine pleasure to track the site's success and see it earning revenue for our client almost immediately. We still service this client and their other national Web site Personalabs.com today.

>>Tell us about a campaign that was incredibly successful for the client. I would have to say "The End is Near!" campaign we did for Engle Homes. First of all, who knew how foretelling the campaign was going to be? Second, the campaign sold 141 homes in 90 days at the height of the worst real estate market ever. We employed a simple, everyday phrase in a myriad of mediums and experienced awesome results. In addition, the campaign was adopted statewide and was copied by several other companies.

Parr Media Group

13120 Westlinks Terrace Blvd. Fort Myers, FL 33913 (239) 561-8090 www.parrmedia.com and www.parrmoto.com >>Year established: 2001 >>Principals: David Grant, Dana Parr

>>Key employees: Bill Taylor, COO/partner; Brad Bleich, art director; Josh Pierson, senior designer; Matt Sutkowski, internet director

>>Number of employees: 16

>>Services offered: Full-service marketing and advertising, including in-house audio/video/Internet production, graphic and Web design, media buying services >>Recent awards: multiple Ad Fed of Southwest Florida awards, national Telly Awards

>>What sets you apart? We dive deep, dig in and work hard. Your business becomes ours in every sense of the way.

>>What's your best self-promotion campaign? Every minute spent promoting ourselves is one less promoting our business partners. The work we do for them brings us future business.

>>What campaign are you most proud of? Pincher's Crab Shack Can't Fake Fresh Radio Campaign - we introduced a cast of characters that are still talked about five years later.

>>Tell us about a campaign that was incredibly successful for the client. This year's Summer Passport Tour for the 27 Michigan Harley-Davidson Dealers gave their customers a reason to forget the dark economic cloud that has hung over the entire state and rediscover the true freedom and relief that motorcycling riding brings. We hoped for 1,000 participants. We now have 10,000 riding proud.

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Varnes Consulting LLC

(239) 734-0071 jvarnes@varnesconsulting.com www.varnesconsulting.com >>Year established: 2009

>>Principals: Jessica Varnes, principal marketing strategist

>>Key employees: Graphic design, Web design, commercial production and public relations are provided by select industry professional partnerships.

>>Services offered: Developing strategic marketing campaigns and providing timely execution of all elements within the initiative; creating, maintaining, or refining brand identity through multi-channel marketing such as: Web design and development, search engine optimization, search engine marketing, social media, print, broadcast, and outdoor advertising, public relations and event coordination.

>>What sets you apart? As the owner and principal marketing strategist I am the sole contact for each client. As a business owner, I relate to clients' needs, enabling me to provide superior service. My focus is to help clients increase awareness, driving sales and ROI, and to enjoy the process along the way! Success is shared - My clients' success is my success and I am committed to helping them meet and exceed their goals. I have equal respect for every client and each project, providing consistent attention to detail and excellent customer service, no matter how large or small the project. By continually striving to be better, I push myself to stay ahead of the curve and to remain current, creative, and knowledgeable of market trends. My clients like this.

>>What campaign are you most proud of? I am impressed with all of the work I have provided clients thus far, although I am particularly pleased with the mixed media campaign developed for New Leaf Construction. The strategically planned advertising initiative incorporated the use of audio and visual media to promote awareness of New Leaf Construction. By segmenting the market and focusing advertising dollars on the most profitable target audience, they have gained exposure and notoriety in the local market and New Leaf Construction is taking the stage as a substantial player in the remodeling industry. New Leaf's Web site impressions steadily increased each week of the campaign and within five weeks grew more than 10 times its original reading. See newleafconstruction. com.

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dbr marketing inc.

2840 68th St. SW Naples, FL 34105 (239) 261-6800 >>Year established: 1988

>>Principals/key employees: Dolly Bodick Roberts, Kathy Davidson Wheeler

>>Number of employees: Two

>>Services offered: Strategic planning, advertising, public relations, event planning

>>What sets you apart? Market knowledge, strategic grounding, direct involvement of principals >>What's your best self-promotion campaign? Our client listing, which includes most of Collier County's foundational businesses

>>What campaign are you most proud of? There are many, but the Dock's "Real Taste of Naples" advertising campaign, the Town of Ave Maria public relations campaign, and the Naples Botanical Garden's "Hats in the Garden" event series come to mind.

>>Tell us about a campaign that was incredibly successful for the client. The Grand Opening of the Town of Ave Maria in the summer of 2007 combined advertising, public relations and event planning in cooperation with multiple entities, including the university and the homebuilder. We expected a few hundred, planned for a few hundred more, and drew thousands. By the time it was over, we had sent out multiple times for additional food, drink and ice, and were grateful to have made contingency arrangements for traffic control and activities. The response far exceeded the client's expectations.

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Priority Marketing of Southwest Florida

8191 College Parkway, Suite 303 Fort Myers, FL 33919 www.prioritymarketing.com blog: www.southwestfloridamarketingforum. com >>Year established: 1992 >>Principals: Teri Hansen, APR

>>Key employees: Priority Marketing's team approach is the key to its success. Every member of the Priority Marketing team plays a significant role in the company's delivery of service.

>>Number of employees: 19

>>Services offered: Marketing, advertising, public relations, graphic design, media buying, special event planning, Web site design and marketing, and social media marketing.

>>Recent awards: 2008 International Davey Awards (three); 2009 National Telly Awards (four); 2009 Image Awards (two); 2009 Pinnacle Awards (four); 2008 Summit Awards (10)' 2008 Excel Awards (three)

>>What sets you apart? Priority Marketing is a full-service marketing, advertising and public relations firm that employs a unique philosophy called Creative Logic.™ We work hard to carefully analyze each client's product or service to determine the best strategies for reaching the desired target market. Then we apply creativity and out-of-the-box thinking to develop both compelling and strategic marketing and public relations tactics. The resulting efforts stand out from the crowd and consistently accomplish proven results.

>>What's your best self-promotion campaign? Priority Marketing has never undertaken a selfpromotion campaign. Instead, we let the work we do for our clients speak for itself and serve as promotion for Priority Marketing. As we work with clients to develop effective marketing and public relations campaigns, they share their successes with friends in the business community. The vast majority of our business is generated from client referrals. Our focus and promotion is toward our client's business and that's the way we have operated for 17 years.

>>What campaign are you most proud of? The rebranding of the downtown area of Fort Myers. We did extensive research to gauge public perception of downtown Fort Myers. Based on the results, we developed the new name "The River District" and created a comprehensive communications plan that focused on changing the image of downtown Fort Myers. Starting first with changing the name of downtown Fort Myers to the River District, we then prepared a multi-media campaign to promote the name change including logo development, newspaper advertising, magazine advertising, television advertising, direct mail postcards, quarterly newsletters and media relations.

>>Tell us about a campaign that was incredibly successful for the client? The rebranding of Denny Grimes & Company. Respecting the highly competitive nature of the real estate industry, we developed a brand for Denny Grimes & Company that ensured the company stood out among the thousands of licensed real estate agents in the area. Grimes is considered an expert source for residential real estate and has the highest name recognition among Realtors in the local market based on market research.

Gravina, Smith & Matte

Marketing and Public Relations 1520 Royal Palm Square Blvd. #160 Fort Myers, FL 33919 (239) 275-5758 www.GravinaSmith.com >>Year established: 1983

>>Principals: Amy Gravina, APR, Laurel Smith, APR, Tina Matte and Sharon Arnold

>>Key employees: An enthusiastic staff and a network of writers, graphic designers, photographers, market researchers and other professionals

>>Number of employees: 10

>>Services offered: Strategic public relations and marketing programs, media and community relations, issues management/public policy, events, social media, strategic planning

>>Recent awards: Junior Achievement named Amy Gravina a Lee County Business Hall of Fame Laureate

>>What sets you apart? Gravina, Smith & Matte's longevity and familiarity with the market helps craft efforts that build awareness, generate traffic and increase revenue. With a combined century of experience, the firm's principals function as integral members of client teams, while bringing an outside perspective. The firm also is distinguished by its roster of long-term clients including Bank of Florida, Bell Tower Shops, Bonita Springs Utilities, Children's Museum of Naples, FGCU, Celebration of Reading, Hope Hospice, Lee County Department of Natural Resources, McCaw Wealth Management Group, Naples Winter Wine Festival, Oswald Trippe and Company, Quail West, Southwest Florida Transportation Initiative, Veritas Employer Services, Water Enhancement & Restoration Coalition and Wiltshire, Whitley, Richardson & English.

>>What's your best self-promotion campaign? Out-of-the-ordinary holiday cards.

>>What campaign are you most proud of? Since 2000, the firm has helped Oswald Trippe and Company coordinate and promote the annual Blue Chip Business Award, which recognizes small businesses that have overcome adversity to achieve success.

>>Tell us about a campaign that was incredibly successful for the client. The annual Celebration of Reading brings members of the Bush family and best-selling authors to Southwest Florida, raising more than $12 million in nine years to support family literacy.

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NOISE

695 Tarpon Bay Road Sanibel, FL 33957 (239) 395.9555 www.make-noise.com >>Year established: 1986 >>Principals: John Sprecher, Milissa Sprecher >>Key employees: Every one of 'em >>Number of employees: 11

>>Services offered: Integrated, effective, returnproducing brand development including: Strategic planningmarketing; brand development; multi-media or single-media campaigns; Web developmentSEO; interactive marketinge-marketingPPC; social mediarich mediasocial/Web video; broadcast; print; direct marketing; identity; collateralsales support; sales promotion

>>Recent awards: Number one award-winning agency in 2009 Advertising Federation of Southwest Florida Addy competition. Hospitality Sales & Marketing Association International tourism awards. National HealthCare Marketing awards.

>>What sets you apart? Left brain and right brain, conveniently (and uniquely versus most agencies) bundled in one brain. We believe: · Great branding is the product of research, strategy, hard work and inspiration. · Great branding, in the right hands and right minds (those powered by left and right brains), will always positively impact sales.

>>What's your best self-promotion campaign: Not important. What's important is the next question. >>What campaign are you most proud of? Every one of them. We are equally and passionately committed to the success of each of our clients, consumed by the excellence and fiercely gratified with every campaign that pushes the needle forward for our clients.

>>Tell us about a campaign that was incredibly successful for the client. Invite us in for a meeting. We have a caseload of success stories, studies and secrets we can share with you. We'll even show you how to throw a boomerang.

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AboveWater Public Relations and Marketing LLC

107 Madison Drive Naples, FL 34110 (239) 596-9149 Fax: (239) 596-8639 www.abovewater.com >>Year established: 2001 >>Principals: Cynthia M. Dobyns, president >>Key employees: Cynthia M. Dobyns >>Number of employees: Five full- and part-time

>>Services offered: Strategic marketing, traditional and social media relations, advertising design and placement, research and public opinion, crisis PR.

>>What sets you apart? AboveWater's professional expertise reflects more than 20 years of agency and in-house corporate communications experience. As a boutique firm, AboveWater offers big agency services without big agency fees.

>>What's your best self-promotion campaign? The name of the company. AboveWater is memorable, appears at the top of most lists and lately, seems appropos as more businesses find themselves struggling to stay above water.

>>What campaign are you most proud of? We are proud of our results for all clients. Measurability is important to us so that we can ensure a return on any marketing investment, large or small. Highly successful campaigns that we've done for Sweetbay Supermarkets or the Bentley Naples dealership are rewarding, but no more so than our work on behalf of small businesses, festivals, and charitable or arts organizations like 21st Century C.A.R.E. or Opera Naples.

>>Tell us about a campaign that was incredibly successful for the client. AboveWater worked with Collier County Utilities and Solid Waste departments to introduce curbside recycling for residents and to announce mandatory recycling for businesses. Our work included collateral production, direct mail, television, radio and print advertising and posters to communicate the importance of being "green," by reducing waste and preserving our beautiful environment in Southwest Florida. The 2005 campaign kick-started an effort that has seen an increase in recycling in Collier County every year.

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Dolan Marketing

P. O. Box 650 Cape Coral, FL 33993 (239) 283-2803 www.DolanMarketing.com >>Year established: 2004 >>Principal: Gail M. Dolan, MBA

>>Key employees: Gail Dolan handles all business development, marketing strategies, and project design and management services for the firm, subcontracting to the best graphic designers, Web developers, videographers, photographers, as needed.

>>Services offered: Marketing, public relations, advertising and copywriting

>>Recent awards: Praises from our many satisfied clients are our best rewards.

>>What sets you apart? Ask our many satisfied clients! We believe it is smart, well articulated content for media ads, press releases, customer letters, brochures, and web sites. We make every contact with your customers the best it can be. By using just the right words and eye-catching design, we can alter the look, feel, and effectiveness of your message. You will get noticed … we guarantee it! >>What's your best self-promotion campaign? The business has been built through our many business contacts and satisfied client referrals.

>>What campaign are you most proud of? Public relations work for Alliance Financial Group, helping to build their brand and promote their outstanding financial planning and wealth-management services, as well as their many philanthropic projects that benefit our community.

>>Tell us about a campaign that was incredibly successful for the client? It's hard to select just one! The recent John Marazzi Nissan Independent Marketing Agents hiring event in Naples was enormously successful. The dealership paid out $13,800 in sign-on bonuses to 138 new IMAs, in response to print advertising and an enthusiastic multimedia campaign that helped us get the word out to the community. I was also instrumental in mobilizing multimedia coverage for the Lee County Bar Association's Law in the Mall event held in April 2009 that drew about a hundred people to Edison Mall to get free legal advice. It was part of a week of events celebrating Law Day, that included a successful blood drive, Bar and Judiciary Appreciation reception, Shadow Day, and an awards luncheon recognizing area law enforcement officers, teachers, and community leaders.

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Clark and Christopher Creative Marketing

2465-C Tamiami Trail Port Charlotte, FL 33952 www.makingyourmarketingwork.com >>Year established: 2001 >>Principal: Jon Clark, president

>>Key employees: Marty Clark, public relations; Nicky Manson, project manager; Phillip Geist, graphic design >>Number of employees: Four

>>Services offered: Public relations, copywriting, logo identity, printing, creative ad design, agency services such as media negotiations and placement, Web site development, corporate apparel, promotional marketing, direct mail marketing, trade show marketing and brand marketing.

>>What sets you apart? Let me describe it this way… Our company culture is not based on winning awards for ourselves, rather increasing profits for our clients by creating massive top-of-mind awareness by building integrated marketing campaigns based on being relevant, focused, frequent and persuasive. Winning awards seem like a great thing, but you can't pay the bills or bonuses with awards. Our pat on the back comes by creating success with our clients. Oh, and the fact that we do what we say we're going to do, when we say we're going to do it, and to the best of our ability.

>>What's your best self-promotion campaign? We custom created our own version of the Staples "Easy Button," but we call it our "Great Idea" button. We direct mail, via UPS, the button, along with promotional materials asking for appointments from marketing directors, human resource managers. Our open rate is 100 percent and our appointment rate is 80 percent.

>>What campaign are you most proud of? It's one and the same for the last question. See below…

>>Tell us about a campaign that was incredibly successful for the client. One of our most successful clients to date is Greg Padilla Bail Bonds in Sacramento, Calif. We created their radio campaign back in 2006. Using only overnight spots on two stations, in 30 days we doubled their revenue from $1.1 million to $2.2 million. Today, we have their ads playing 40 times a day, seven days a week over 10 stations and they own the radio airwaves, and are able to be very discriminating about which business they want to accept or turn down.

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Quenzel & Associates Inc.

12801 University Drive, Suites 1,2, & 3 Fort Myers, FL 33907 (239) 226-0040 www.quenzel.com >>Year established: 2005. >>Principals: Colleen Quenzel, Earl Quenzel.

>>Key employees: Natalie Bene, Laura Lang, Lisa Avery, Haley Meeks.

>>Number of employees: 10.

>>Services offered: Branding, advertising and Web marketing (Web design, search engine optimization, e-mail marketing, social media).

>>Recent awards: It seems like the advertising business is second only to Hollywood when it comes to giving themselves awards. Quite frankly, we've never seen a statistical correlation between advertising awards and a client's business results.

>>What sets you apart? Our clients get more customers. Here's why: • Our Q&A Marketing Audit puts the focus on customer facts and competitive reality. With it, we can uncover unique, new insights about your customers' beliefs and expectations and quantify the most important elements of your marketing mix and brand value proposition. This, of course, allows us to identify new sources of competitive advantage. • Q&A Strategic Marketing Plans define the best way to win in the marketplace with tangible actions to drive positive, bottom-line results. • The Q&A Creative Process transforms unique, customer insights into effective branding, advertising and Web marketing with a compelling messaging architecture and brand identity. • Our Q&A Marketing & Metrics process enables us to quickly and accurately test a variety of creative and media alternatives in the marketplace. This allows us to cut unproductive efforts and redirect resources to those ideas achieving the greatest marketplace success… so, our clients get more customers.

>>What's your best self-promotion campaign? Our Monthly Client Results meetings. When our clients win in the marketplace, we win.

>>What campaign are you most proud of? Good, Better, Best. We never let it rest until your good is better and your better is best.

>>Tell us about a campaign that was incredibly successful for the client. We never kiss and tell.

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Nexxa Group Inc.

12165 Metro Parkway, #24 Fort Myers, FL 33966 (239) 225-1516 www.nexxagroup.com >>Year established: 2005 >>Principal: Holly Paulus, president >>Key employees: Kimberly Dowell, project manager; Sandy Francis, customer relationship manager; William Francis, tech support.

>>Number of employees: Three

>>Services offered: Sales and marketing leads, new movers, business prospects, data hygiene, data enhancement, data processing, database development, data analytics, data compliancy and online tools.

>>What sets us apart? Nexxa Group combines big business capabilities with small business nimbleness and the latest in technology and innovation to help other companies reach their targeted marketing goals. We specialize in the database information and strategies used for successful new client acquisition, loyalty and up-selling/cross selling campaigns across different direct marketing mediums.

>>What is your best self promotion campaign? We developed a content-driven guidebook with tips, strategies and case studies to help utility and other direct marketers see what was working in finding new customers in their market areas. Though technically self-promotional, the articles in our newsletter were written by journalists and provided real-life interviews with some of our customers and internal experts as to what was working in direct and database marketing campaigns.

>>Tell us about a campaign that was incredibly successful for the client.One of our customers targets new movers in specific market areas around the country. This customer needed more quality leads for its sales force to maximize its sales and being first in home was a priority. We worked with our client to develop a new mover data strategy program that could be used across its integrated marketing campaign from direct mail to sales leads. Based on the data that was provided for multiple uses, our client increased its sales by more than 37 percent from its previous campaign.