Madison+Main’s Weekly Report 3/3/14

Hey folks,

When I say things to myself like, “I’m glad February is over,” and “I waited almost two hours to get my oil changed,” I am ashamed of myself. When I get angry and walk around my house brooding for two hours because VCU lost a game they should have won to UMass, I take a step back and think, “your priorities are all out of whack.” People in the Third World have real problems. We don’t. Not counting First World problems, it was a great week at Madison+Main.

On the bright side, it didn’t snow last week…

Monday (2/24) – I have never liked the month of February. From a personal standpoint, it’s cold and dreary. From a business standpoint, it’s cold and dreary and 10% shorter than other months. That means business in February should automatically be 10% down, right? #FirstWorldProblems

On Monday afternoon, we worked on creative concepts for Virginia ENT and developed a new tagline for the practice. Out of five choices, one was a “clear winner.” In the afternoon, I played Dr. Dave and took Nurse Sue to Advanced Orthopedics, where Dr. Ellison gave us the official prognosis: She’ll be off her feet for at least two more weeks. (My wife broke her knee skiing…#FirstWorldProblems.)

Madison+Main got a shout out from Richmond BizSense reporter Brandy Brubaker in The Pitch on Monday, with the release of First Bank‘s new TV spot “First in Loan$.” Thanks to Broadscope Media for doing such a FINE job. Take a look and let us know what you think. Click here to watch!

Tuesday (2/25) – On Tuesday we hosted some clients for lunch, and in the afternoon I gave a presentation on Branding and Social Media to three dozen marketing and business development executives at Hunton & Williams. Two dozen were in the room, and another dozen were scattered across the globe watching via video conference. Conclusion? My jokes fall really flat over video conferencing. #FirstWorldProblems

Wednesday (2/26) – On Wednesday, Sarah Murphy, Brandon “Dingles” Singletary and I traveled down to Richard Bland College to quarterback a joint press conference with Fork Union Military Academy. Sarah did a great job getting lots of coverage for a historic agreement between the two schools. The story was picked up by a wide variety of media outlets, including NBC29 in Charlottesville, the Richmond Times-Dispatch and Virginia Business, just to name a few. PR tip of the week: don’t pitch reporters, try to HELP them.

FUMA President, Rear Admiral J. Scott Burhoe, shakes hands with Richard Bland College President, Dr. Debbie L. Sydow

Thursday (2/27) – On Thursday morning we met with the marketing and event team at the Central & Eastern Virginia Chapter of the National MS Society (in case you didn’t know, Madison+Main has provided pro-bono marketing and PR services for the Society for almost five years). We put the finishing touches on 2014 event marketing plans here in Central Virginia and in Tidewater. The Madison+Main-iacs will Walk for MS on Saturday, April 26th; we hope you’ll support us by clicking here and making a small donation. In the afternoon we met with our new client – and my son Jack’s “all-time favorite place” – SkyZone. In case you haven’t heard, SkyZone–a fun and fabulous 37,000 square foot indoor trampoline park–officially opened one month ago and business is jumping.#ILoveAGoodPun (We’re very excited about working with SkyZone…what a fun brand!)

Friday (2/28) – The March Media Mixer will be held on Wednesday, March 19th at Richmond’s landmark restaurant, The Tobacco Company. Click here to RSVP.

Friday, we put the finishing touches on a “gorilla” marketing campaign that we believe will have everyone in Richmond going “bananas.” It launches Monday. Stay tuned.

This fierce looking team is now 9-1.

“I’m Chiquita Banana and I’ve come to say –
bananas have to ripen in a certain way,”

David Saunders
President & Chief Idea Officer
Madison+Main