Patterson/Bach Communications, Inc.

We all love surprises (provided of course they’re pleasant ones!). When we get a nice surprise, we get a nice feeling about its source, whether it’s a person, a place or even a thing. A thing like—well, like an advertisement.

An advertisement can’t be effective unless it’s watched, read or listened to. If it doesn’t grab attention, it won’t make the cash register ring. There are many ways to make an ad attention-getting, but one of my favorites—a device that never ever fails to draw me in—is surprise: that is, something in the ad that’s entirely unexpected or even counterintuitive to the typical advertising sales pitch.

For starters I’ll cite the classic Volkswagen ad from the early 1960’s in which a VW Beetle is shown with the simple headline, “Lemon.” Obviously, the surprise here was an advertiser labeling its own product a lemon, a clunker. Reading this one word, you’re irresistibly drawn into the ad, which describes a microscopic defect in the glove compartment—a defect that would never keep an ordinary car off the lot—but was sufficient to bring this VW back to the manufacturing plant, a testament to Volkswagen’s obsession with quality.

Here’s another gem (pun intended as you’ll see) from my career. Years ago I wrote an ad for a jewelry store announcing a special weekend viewing and sale of high-priced diamonds and jewelry. The least expensive piece was a $20,000 diamond. That got me to thinking, so I wrote an ad headlined, “Our special weekend sale. Diamonds as low as $20,000.” Not too hard to spot the surprise here—“diamonds as low as $20,000? These rocks I gotta see!” And in fact, the jeweler called me the following Monday to tell me my little ad brought in a customer who purchased a $50,000 diamond. I should’ve asked for a percentage.

Recently one of our clients needed a flyer to promote a contest featuring model bridges built by teams of engineering students. If you were asked to imagine such an event, your mind’s eye would probably conjure something along the lines of a chess match in a large, muted room, with groups of brainy kids quietly, nervously huddled around their models. Playing off this stereotype, we created the flyer you see here, with the headline, “Join us for a nice little CUTTHROAT game of bridge.” The copy is almost military in style, describing the competition as “a brute test of engineering strength,” where “The action will be fast and furious.” The copy ends with: “Warning: this event promises to be ferociously competitive. It is not for the faint of heart!”
Obviously we had a little fun here, but I think you’d agree the tone and style of our flyer, given the subject matter, is unorthodox, unusual—surprising. And of course, that’s our intention, to capture the reader’s attention by describing the event in a most unexpected and unusual way. I wouldn’t be surprised to learn that our little flyer helped draw a crowd to the event.

For more examples of (pleasantly) surprising advertising, visit pat-bach.com. See how our clients have used the element of surprise to capture attention, and sales as well.

I am very excited to be a part of the Patterson/Bach team. Though I am still experiencing the initial feelings of apprehension that come with starting a new job, I am confident that the professionals at P/B are exactly the right people to help me learn valuable lessons about the communications industry.

I have to give credit to my “Writing for Public Relations” professor at UCF, Lindsay Hudock, for helping me find this internship position. During last semester, Prof. Hudock required each of her students to write a professional biography. As she explained, one of the criterions for an excellent professional biography is getting to know your subject. Thankfully, Prof. Hudock REQUIRED her students to interview a professional from the communications industry.

Like any good student, I headed straight to Google – “Communication firms near Orlando.” Of course, the search results went on for pages. After some thorough research on different companies, I finally found the one firm I hoped to interview with: Patterson/Bach Communications.

There are many reasons I chose P/B. First, their diverse list of clients. P/B has helped companies in banking, travel, hospitality, aviation, government, and nonprofit. Second, the range of services they offer – advertising, public relations, promotions, presentations, branding, and more are done all in one place. You name it – they can do it. Most importantly, I chose P/B because it is a close-knit firm. With the amount of extraordinary work P/B is responsible for, I knew these people must create an environment where collaboration occurs.

Having processed all of this before asking to interview a P/B professional, I realized that P/B would be a place I’d love to work. When I did call Megan Glass, the Public Relations assistant account executive, I not only explained my interest in interviewing her, but also inquired about the Spring 2012 internship for myself. She was more than happy to allow me to interview her and to interview me for the position.
Not only did I make Prof. Hudock proud by earning an “A” on my professional biography assignment, I also secured this internship position!

I’m wrapping up my first day in the office here, and I have to say: so far, so good.
My expectations about the company have been dead on and that is a good thing. In fact, I just received a phone call from the director of public relations, Erin Pagan, who is out of the office, but took her time to welcome me to the team. Eager to work, I am looking forward to what my opportunity at P/B will bring.

Patterson/Bach is proud to announce CenterState Bank has selected us as agency of record (AOR) to provide integrated marketing communications services, including advertising, promotions, and public relations. We have completed planning for 2012 and will begin implementation this month.

“We were impressed with Patterson/Bach’s high level of knowledge and expertise, along with their recent marketing success in our industry,” says Cindy Robbins, chief retail banking officer, CenterState Bank. “Patterson/Bach committed to immersing its team in our company, learning all about us, in order to best leverage multiple advertising and public relations strategies and take full advantage of the incredible potential to grow our business.”

CenterState Bank, Inc. [NASDAQ: CSFL] is a Florida-based bank providing online banking, commercial lending, residential mortgages, and investment services from more than 50 banking offices in Florida. CenterState Bank was founded in 1989 and acquired its correspondent banking division in 2008. For more information, please visit www.CenterStateBank.com.

This October, 25 years ago, I started working at Patterson/Bach. We were known as Patterson Advertising back then. This October, 20 years ago, I convinced my beautiful girlfriend of 4 years to marry me.

Running an advertising agency can be very challenging. Nothing stays the same. I’ve had to re-train myself about every 5 years to learn a new technology or to try and understand the next generation of consumers. Just when I thought I had a handle on Baby Boomers, I had to quickly get a grasp on Generation X and then Generation Y. Just when I thought I had figured out the Internet, I had to master social media. Who knows what’s next!

Someone once said the only constant is change. Well, in the ad business change is not only constant its exponential. Through all of this change there has always been one constant in my life, my marriage to an incredible person and soul mate Carolyn Bach. Through thick and thin, the good times and bad, she has been by my side on this crazy roller coaster ride we call life. We’ve faced all kinds of challenges from buying out a disgruntled partner, to landing the big account, to loosing the big account. We’ve made it through three hurricanes, two great kids whom we’re still knee deep in raising, the passing of loved ones, broken friendships and healed relationships. We’ve walked on glaciers, swam with sharks, caught the big fish, and traveled the world together.

So, to celebrate our 20-year marriage, we took a couple of weeks off and visited some places, Venice, Italy, and the Greek Islands, well . . . that haven’t really changed that much.

My favorite time in history is the Renaissance Period. This is where some of the most memorable artwork was created. Our time in Venice was inspirational to say the least. The Basilica in St. Mark’s Square was amazing. The Doge’s Palace was full of paintings and frescos from some of the most talented painters of the 15th century. My favorite piece of artwork was a painting rendered by Titian, one of the great human figure painters of all time. Traveling by water taxi or gondola keeps your pace slow and easy, giving oneself time to reflect and enjoy the moment and person with whom you are sharing that moment.

From Venice, we took off for the Greek Islands. Now this is a place where you could get off the ship and never be seen again —I mean really lose yourself. Corfu, Santorini, and Mykonos where all incredible. The most picturesque and romantic place we found was a tiny village call Oia. It’s on the tip of Santorini overlooking what was left of the Caldera from an ancient volcano. This place deserves a trip and long stay of its own. When you land on Santorini be sure and take the donkey ride up the mountain. It’s a great local tradition. Due to insurance purposes, this would never be allowed here in the U.S., but in Greece it was as common as Ouzo and Gyros.

Can’t wait to see what the next 20 years will bring!

Patterson/Bach Communications is proud to announce its new client, Feed Your Faith Ministries! Feed Your Faith Ministries has partnered with musical artist, Warren Barfield, as well as T.V. and film actor, Kirk Cameron, to highlight their events. The P/B Team is putting together a media campaign to help promote the cross-country tour.

Feed Your Faith works with national speakers, writers, and musicians to provide faith-based workshops and fundraise for charities throughout the Southeast United States. The organization is currently hosting a multi-city tour around the U.S. as part of their “Love Worth Fighting For” Marriage Event.

If you’re interested in a successful media buy, contact us at 407-645-1880!

It took months of planning, more than a few late nights, and Patterson/Bach’s promotional skills to help turn MetroWest Master Association’s (MWMA) National Night Out 2011 into the most successful safety event the community has hosted yet.

More than 600 people gathered at MetroWest Golf Club for an evening of crime-prevention education, safety awareness, and entertainment. Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer, Orlando Police Chief Paul Rooney, City Commissioner Samuel Ings, and Orange County Sheriff Jerry Demings attended the event to recognize MWMA’s “Stomp Out Crime” theme for receiving second place in the National Night Out theme contest among all events held in Orlando.

The Patterson/Bach PR team enthusiastically accepted the task of working with MetroWest Master Association to increase safety awareness in its community of 14,000 addresses of residents and businesses through its 2011 launch of “Stomp Out Crime,” a themed initiative bringing together existing safety programs (i.e., Neighborhood Watch for homeowners’ associations, Crime-free Multi-housing for condominium-owner associations, and apartment complexes and Business Watch for local businesses), diligently outreaching to inform everyone about these programs and increasing active participation.

Call Patterson/Bach at (407) 645-1880 to have us help you with successful community outreach and event planning and management!

Click here for Patterson/Bach’s Montverde Commercial

With the economy in its present state, these are not flush times for many private, college preparatory schools. Competition for students is great, and tuition costs are a concern to parents making tough decisions about family finances. However, thanks to smart marketing decisions by Montverde Academy and smart marketing solutions from Patterson/Bach, the Montverde, Florida, academic institution is doing just fine.

It all started with Montverde Academy Headmaster Kasey Kesselring’s determination to market aggressively in challenging times, as Patterson/Bach spearheaded three marketing initiatives:
• Web-based marketing to parents and students outside the U.S.
• Direct marketing, including television advertising, to parents and students in Montverde Academy’s service areas and market.
• Solicitation marketing to potential donors for a capital campaign project.

The results of our marketing campaigns? In the words of Headmaster Kesselring, “I give them an A+.” Our local and international marketing helped Montverde Academy enjoy a record recruitment year, with the highest number of new students in the school’s 100-year history. Meanwhile, Montverde Academy’s capital campaign has allowed it to move ahead on development of a $5 million athletic complex that will allow students to develop their talents outside the classroom with a high-quality facility. We congratulate Montverde Academy on its most recent successes, and we look forward to many more in the future.

Call Patterson/Bach at (407) 645-1880 to have us help you develop a creative marketing plan that delivers results!

Persuading people to switch banks isn’t easy. It’s one of the tougher challenges for a marketing firm, so when Federal Trust Bank asked us to create a “switch campaign,” we rolled up our sleeves, brewed lots of strong coffee, and got busy brainstorming ideas.

The result was our Federal Trust Bank Cool Camaro Contest, a marketing campaign that created lots of traffic (pun intended) at FTB branches and, ultimately, netted the bank nearly 200 new customers and more than $300,000 in new deposits.

Promoted through a combination of advertising and public relations, the campaign invited consumers to drop by their local Federal Trust Bank branch offices and register to win a brand new, cherry red Camaro. Inside the branch office, registrants were greeted by FTB “Switch Agents,” on hand to help interested individuals make the switch to Federal Trust Bank. The gorgeous Camaro was showcased at each of FTB’s 11 locations, as the bank hosted local business after-hours events. These events also featured local radio stations and well-known DJ’s.

Our six-month campaign received more than 4,000 entries, and on July 29, finalists each received a key, one of which started the Camaro. The lucky winner, Mr. Gabriel Padilla, drove off with the car—and a big smile on his face. We congratulate Mr. Padilla on winning the car, and we congratulate Federal Trust Bank for a great promotional campaign that achieved tremendous results!

If you need help creating a successful marketing campaign, call Patterson/Bach at 407-645-1880.

Would it surprise you to know recent studies show more than 25% of American adults are using location-based services? With the growth of mobile technology, your audience is using these services to find local recommendations, opinions, and specials. If you’re not using this to your advantage and reaching out to potential customers, what are you waiting for?

Recently, a retailer doubled its store traffic, with nearly half being first-time customers, through mobile promotions coupled with traditional advertising.

In another example, one of America’s largest pizza chains gained social media traction with its use of a handy mobile app, which helped them surpass more than $1 million in sales in just 3 months. They continued to foster mobile and online interaction by teaming up with Foursquare to offer location-based rewards for customer loyalty. Even well-known hotel chains are looking at ways to deliver localized content and partnering with search engines to keep clients connected.

The development of new location-based services is at an all-time high. New studies estimate nearly $2 billion will be spent by companies on location-based mobile campaigns in 2015. You could be missing out on an audience who’s searching for you. At Patterson/Bach, we know how to deliver your message to the right people at the right time and at the right location.

Call Patterson/Bach at 407-645-1880 to learn more about how to effectively promote your brand with location-based social media.

Building up your brand and driving customer loyalty to it is no easy task. So why is it that companies are venturing beyond their comfort zones to debut new logos, name changes, and reposition their product?

In the past year, we’ve seen companies like Starbucks and the Gap change their logos to mixed reviews. The negative feedback on Gap’s logo was enough to convince the company to return to their old standard. Starbucks had its fair share of critics as well, but maintained the logo change that represented the new direction their brand was heading in (namely, offering more than just coffee products). This month, another pioneer in its industry, Netflix, made the bold decision to separate and rename their services. The decision came after price hikes were announced earlier this year, to the chagrin of consumers, and the delight of competitors.

Only time will tell how Netflix and their newly named DVD service, Qwikster, will fair. Customer speculation concerning Netflix’s price hikes and renaming paints the brand in a negative light, giving their Marketing department a lot of work to prevent what could be a disaster for the DVD-rental and streaming-video giant.

The Netflix CEO justified the split as a way to improve each service, and in his apology to consumers, addressed more about the marketing and business implications rather than consumer and public benefit. Netflix is seeing a growing group of once-loyal customers leaving and denouncing the service, and it seems a name-change won’t be enough to save them.