For the past several years, that work has been more of a ‘passion project’ than a true business focus.

But watching through the strategic lens of Cohesion during the past several years, we’ve witnessed a ‘digital marketing focus’ that is killing the quality and effectiveness of traditional advertising in mediums such as print, outdoor and radio — mediums still important and critical to many companies. Mediums which function and behave differently than web and digital. Mediums which, unfortunately, no longer receive the attention (or craftsmanship) they deserve.

Which is why we recently launched, ‘The Ad Crafter, a tiny, startup division of Cohesion.’ Brian Creath will serve as creative director and copywriter to develop and craft better ads for a short list of clients. We’ll be using in-house creatives, plus a short list of nationally recognized art directors and writers with whom Brian has worked in the past.

We’re not interested in becoming an agency, a design firm or other type of creative services firm…simply makers of fine advertising. To learn more about The Ad Crafter, please visit: http://theadcrafter.carbonmade.com

It’s one thing to take creative services in-house. It’s quite another to look internally for truly innovative brand and marketing strategy. Because more often than not, the time, thebroad view and the development expertise, just don’t exist on the inside. This is not to knock some very good internal marketing people. Simply to point out that everyone has a different set of skills and training. (As as many extremely talented marketing managers will tell you.)

Yes, many of the companies we talk with are struggling with perspective. Mostly, how tofind it and how to use it.

Certainly, what a company ‘needs‘ is not the same as what it ‘can‘ or ‘should‘ do. That’s where outside perspective has its primary value. And no where is this more true than in marketing.

Without outside marketing perspective, strategy simply becomes a wish list and marketing execution a never-ending series of ‘likes’ and ‘dislikes’ by committee: an environment in which, success has a difficult time surviving.

In the interest of full disclosure, I am in the business of providing marketing perspective. Developed and sold through the context of strategy and messaging, but perspective, nonetheless. It’s through marketing perspective that value and relevance can be created. That new insights and the experience of having done something before, can co-exist. Thatinternal vision and external realities, can successfully come together.

Is this a sales message? Of course we’d like to provide our perspective to help your organization develop successful marketing strategy. But more than a sales message for us, it’s a sales message for the importance of buying outside perspective. Outside (sometimes referred to as ‘third-party) perspective is a critical tool in building strategy. But obviously, outside perspective cannot be found or brought ‘in-house.’ (Then it wouldn’t be outside, anymore.)

(If you’re not buying marketing perspective from our firm, please do buy it from somebody.)

While I’m working on my next post, I hope you’ll read about how Cohesion helps organizations, here.

With limited budgets and resources (and sometimes, very little marketing experience) the marketing and sales process for many small businesses becomes sporadic and uneven.

Without a real marketing strategy and without a true plan, too many small businesses spend money on ‘things they like’ or ‘things they think they need.’ Too many are missing the bigger marketing context that could truly drive their business: The brand or marketing proposition that could truly differentiate them from competitors and create new relevance for customers.

At Cohesion, we’ve taken our vast experience (and approach) in working with Fortune 500 and midsized companies and conveniently ‘right-sized’ those services to fit the needs and budgets of much smaller businesses. With the ultimate goal of giving the small business a useful marketing platform and toolkit that will help them sell more. Today, and tomorrow.

Before you make the mistake of hiring ‘your neighbor, the designer,’ or ‘two ad guys and a computer,’ call Cohesion. Learn more about how we can help your business grow…and even function as your interim/short-term marketing director. (We even accept PayPal.)

Contact Brian Creath at 636-530-3670, or bcreath@cohesioncompany.com, for more details.

Learn more about our Video Development Services, here.

Perhaps you know a company that needs a better story?

At Cohesion, we focus on helping clients build and manage a clear, concise and compelling story—whether that story is for a single sales/marketing issue, or an entire global position. We’re not an ad agency or traditional marketing firm, but a specialized brand and marketing consultancy. To learn more about how we can help you find and develop the right story, visit: http://cohesioncompany, or email Brian Creath, Managing Principal.

After more than a decade of consulting to some of the country’s largest organizations, Cohesion’s approach has been refined to accommodate and leverage even the most complicated of situations. The fragmentation of media distribution. The growth of customer voice. The splintering of external audiences. Add to these the complexities that arise from acquisition, multiple businesses and brands, shifting categories, and more.

“Complexity is our biggest issue.”