Swire Marketing, a boutique agency specializing in the cable industry, has launched Top Shelf, a revolutionary approach to cable marketing. "Top Shelf was developed to provide a simple, effective, and affordable one stop alternative to traditional cable direct mail and advertising efforts," says Zachary Swire, owner / founder of the Glendora, Calif.-based firm. (Visit http://www.swiremarketing.com). Top Shelf is currently in the Beta phase.
"We know our clients have many choices when selecting a cable marketing agency, so Swire Marketing decided to create a program offering the client more creativity and flexibility, along with hands-on account management and personal service," Swire notes. "In order to better serve our cable clients, we approached several industry leaders and asked for their input in the development of Top Shelf.
"Typically, agencies and printers who specialize in cable marketing provide what they call 'Off-the-Shelf' concepts, which are generally pre-done, customizable concepts," Swire explains. "These programs may save the client time and money, but there are intrinsic limitations in terms of creative design and the amount of customization that is available," Swire describes. "Top Shelf at once simplifies the process and allows for a product that is graphically exciting to the consumer and fully customized to suit the client's image and message. In addition to enhancing the creative possibilities, we've developed a proprietary system that will lower 800 number costs per call and increase the response rates.
Joe Felbab, vice president of marketing for Time Warner Cable, Los Angeles, gives positive feedback on the Top Shelf approach of providing pre-done concepts and showing the response rate. "The Time Warner Cable marketing managers would benefit from Top Shelf's instant pricing, which would allow them to enter a quantity and get an immediate quote online, thus shortening the time it takes to get a project started," Felbab says. "I also like the idea of showing the results of a campaign as well as the cost per call. Many agencies have response numbers that relate to certain creative concepts, but there is no central system enabling them to easily review all available campaigns and get an instant quote. Another feature that would be valuable is an 800 number system to track the response to the ads and test which formats, such as self-mailers, postcards and radio, work best with various markets," Felbab adds.
Swire Marketing has responded to the clients' desire to track the effectiveness of their campaigns by enlisting Main Trax, a technologically advanced response tracking company based in St. Paul, Minn., to participate as a key strategic partner in the Top Shelf beta.
MainTrax partner David Patchen notes, "We're pleased to be a part of the Top Shelf beta and are excited about helping Swire Marketing substantiate their results for clients. As a business model, MainTrax is leveraging its relationships with strategic partners such as Swire Marketing, which ultimately will take cable marketing to a new level. MainTrax was initially a spin off of a marketing agency that provided 'Off the Shelf' creative work, so we understand the importance of fact based media measurement and analysis for the clients," Patchen explains. "MainTrax has developed proprietary technology that enables clients to quickly identify what's working and what's not. Agencies will also benefit by gaining insights that they can use to fine tune and improve their own strategies moving forward," Patchen concludes.
Roya Jackson, acquisition and multicultural marketing specialist for Cox Communications in San Diego, notes "A lot of agencies have canned concepts that can be customized, but those agencies are often limited in their ability to change the design to better suit our needs. Swire Marketing is never so married to a concept that they are unwilling to make the modifications that we request. When we are planning a new project, we enjoy viewing Swire's online portfolio, which gives us a range of fresh ideas. Swire takes the initial concept and then crafts it to fit with our current visual approach in reaching our selected target groups. Swire is also very flexible and easy to work with, which we greatly appreciate," she states.
John Jameson, marketing specialist for Cox Communications in Middle Georgia concurs. "I really appreciate Swire Marketing's diligence to detail, he says, noting that Swire is one of the few shops that accurately checks their work before. This saves me a lot of time and energy, and these days, that means more to me than anything."
About Swire Marketing
Founded in 2005, Swire Marketing is a dynamic young agency with a fresh approach to traditional advertising and marketing. With over 12 years experience in cable marketing, Swire Marketing has a proven track record working with leading companies such as Time Warner Cable, Cox Communications and Bright House Networks. Renowned for eye-catching design and out-of-the-box strategic thinking, Swire Marketing offers corporate identity / branding, direct mail and other collateral, radio spots, and Internet marketing.