Thots by Stephanie Kruse
It might be a bit ironic for the CEO of an ad/PR/digital marketing agency to write a piece on "when it's time to switch agencies." For those of you who can get past your immediate skepticism about the proverbial “fox in the henhouse”… read on.
In defense of my authorship, I feel more justified in being able to write this particular column in that I’m...
I just returned from a trip to Iowa, so farm land, corn prices, the drought, $125,000 tractors, and childhood memories are on my mind. So, what better time for another in the series of blogs on business and life lessons learned from my father?
My dad was raised in the depression; hence, his frugal nature and hyper-attention to business detail (all the better to drive success and profits to the bottom line of his business, which...
My dad was uber pragmatic. Even his hobbies that seemed to pursue beauty (antique crystal collecting, rare coin collecting) had a practical, investment-oriented element to them.
My mother was also practical, but definitely had an eye and a longing for fashion, even as an Iowa 'farm wife.'
She and I would head to a big nearby town for some shopping (yes, there WERE places to shop in Iowa), and often come home with a few shopping...
Am channeling my Dad again today with memories that spill over into life and business lessons to ponder. This one revolves around a memory of me at an early driving age, backing out of the garage, SOOOO very carefully (wouldn't want to scrape the Chrysler). All of a sudden he yells from the passenger seat... "Don't back over the pitcher's mound!!"
Let me explain. My dad loved baseball. But he loved just about any sport either of his...
A few weeks ago, I lost my dad. He was funny, intelligent, stubborn, compassionate for those who are down and out, and a great business person. It just happened to be the business of farming. I learned a lot from him whether he knew it or not.
This is lesson one: Someone has to hold the flashlight.
When I was little and wanted to help my dad repair things (like a car or a tractor), he'd always say "You can hold...
In the days since we announced our acquisition of Fuze, a national digital marketing firm, a lot of people have asked me “Why did you do that?” and “What does this mean for KPS3?”
This move was part of KPS3’s strategic vision to continue to bring a truly integrated marketing agency option to our region. ...
One-hit wonder. One-track mind. One-issue candidate. None of these have a very positive connotation, do they?
It’s true as well in how you should approach your marketing communications. It’s not the best strategy to use only one “channel” to reach your target audience (channel meaning the method, means or location by which you put your message out, such as a specific type of media or pathway). Channels can include a variety of avenues...
This morning I listened to a radio news story about a national summit held recently on the future of middle-range professional and managerial jobs, given new technology. The summit showcased WATSON, the robot famed for winning the TV game show "Jeopardy" against a human superstar show winner.
At the summit WATSON defeated highly intelligent teams of humans from both MIT and Harvard; the audience applauded wildly whenever a human got...
At KPS3 at any given moment, we are probably developing strategic "tag lines" as part of a client's branding process. Tag lines may be simple phrases (ideally) but writing good ones can be uber difficult to do. Tag lines need to be strategic (reinforce the unique brand position of an organization or product), memorable, concise and relevant.
A tagline is NOT the brand, but it is meant to immediately...
NIIASocial Media Presentation KPS3 2011
Yesterday, I was honored to be asked to address the Nevada Independent Insurance Agents (NIAA) state convention on using digital media (specifically...
