Alice: There is no use trying. One can’t believe in impossible things.

The Queen: I dare say you haven’t had much practice. When I was your age, I always did it for half an hour a day.

Why, sometimes I’ve believed in as many as six impossible things before breakfast.

WHY ALICE CAN TEACH US A THING OR TWO ABOUT MARKETING

In 1865, a mathematician/logician by the name of Lewis Carroll decided to take a crack at writing and ended up penning an innocent children’s tale that has become a literary classic. Alice’s Adventures In Wonderland has grown in stature over time because it improbably bends creativity, wit and logic in directions that, on the surface, seem inconsequential and nonsensical. But Alice is ultimately much deeper, on many levels, than simply entertainment for children.

As a matter of fact, Alice has a great deal to teach us about marketing.

Think about it. It can be argued that marketing professionals daily encounter many of the same challenges Alice faced when falling down a dark rabbit hole, trying to make sense of impossible situations, searching for meaning in a sea of illogic, attempting to reason with unreasonable authority figures, and looking for ways to help people who don’t fully realize they need help, nor appreciate it when they receive it.

Sounds like a typical day in the marketing department to us.

Alice In Wonderland is a different kind of children’s book. When viewed afresh through the eyes of a different kind of ad agency, it becomes an important learning resource for marketers.

The Queen: It’s a poor sort of memory that only works backward.

March Hare: You should say what you mean.

Alice: I do; at least -- at least I mean what I say – that’s the same thing, you know.

Mad Hatter: Not the same thing a bit! Why, you might just as well say that, “I see what I eat” is the same as “I eat what I see.”

March Hare: You might just as well say, that “I like what I get” is the same thing as “I get what I like.”

The Dormouse: You might just as well say, that “I breathe when I sleep” is the same thing as “I sleep when I breathe.”

HOW LOVE SCOTT IS A DIFFERENT KIND OF AD AGENCY AND WHY YOU SHOULD CARE

Aren’t all ad agencies pretty much alike? They all provide pretty much the same services, apply pretty much the same resources to a problem, bring pretty much the same level of expertise to the table, and charge pretty much the same way for their services.

Right?

Not exactly.

In fact, in our case, not even close. We’re very different in some very important ways. We’re different in how we look at things and in how we think. We’re different in how we’re structured and how we can react. We’re different in how we relate to our clients and how they relate to us. And we’re different in how we charge.

Take those Love Scott differences out of the equation and yes, all ad agencies are pretty much alike. But when you take those differences out of the equation, you take Love Scott out of the equation.

IT ALL STARTS WITH HOW AND WHEN WE THINK

Strategy is what Love Scott does best.

And always does first.

From the outside, thinking strategically looks a lot like daydreaming. Feet on the desk, hands behind the head, staring at the ceiling, mumbling to one’s self, launching paper airplanes, doodling. From the doorway it may look like daydreaming, but when it happens in a Love Scott office, it always results in a well thought out marketing strategy… one that starts with recognizing realities and moves purposely toward relevance as a goal. Relevant positioning in the marketplace, relevant brand development, relevant messaging and relevant delivery channels.

If the goal is just to be clever, it probably isn’t going to be relevant. If it isn’t relevant, it isn’t strategic. If it isn’t strategic, it wasn’t developed by us.

Because strategy is what we do best. And it always comes first.

Alice: Would you tell me, please, which way I ought to go from here?

The Cat: It depends a good deal on where you want to get to.

Alice: I don’t much care where.

The Cat: Then it doesn’t much matter which way you go.

Alice: I’ve had nothing yet, so I can’t take more.

Mad Hatter: You mean you can’t take less; it’s very easy to take more than nothing.

THE IMPORTANCE OF HAVING BEEN AROUND THE BLOCK A FEW TIMES

Someone once said, “Experience is the best teacher.” We think they’re onto something.

We’ve been in the marketing business for more than 40 years now. In that time, we’ve seen a lot, heard a lot, tried a lot, experienced a lot, failed a lot, succeeded a lot, and, most importantly, learned a lot.

We bring the positive results of all that experience to every marketing challenge.

We’re certainly not the only ad agency with experience, but what makes us a different kind of ad agency is how we use our experience to guide our clients toward totally new and unique approaches. Experience breeds confidence. We dare to be bold… to step beyond the tried and true and reach for the marketing stars.

It’s just one of the advantages to having been around the block a few times.

The Duchess: Be what you would seem to be – or, if you’d like it put more simply – Never imagine yourself not to

be otherwise than what it might appear to others that what you were or might have been was otherwise than what you had

been would have appeared to them to be otherwise.

Alice: I think I should understand that better if I had it written down: but I can’t quite follow it as you say it.

THAT THING THAT’S BEEN FOLLOWING US AROUND IS OUR REPUTATION

We have the feeling we’re being followed. And we are.

It’s not possible to work in the marketing arena for 40 years without leaving some footprints. Those tracks in the sand turn out to be your reputation. We’re proud of the trail we’ve left. In fact, after 40 years, our reputation is one of the things we’re proudest of.

Over the years, many of the brands you’ve become most familiar with were developed by us. Many of the positioning statements you continue to see and hear were created by us. Many of the strategic marketing plans we’ve implemented are still in use.

What does that tell you about the work we do?

Over the years we’ve become known for our strategic thinking, recognized for our creativity, appreciated for our honesty and integrity, honored for our willing hearts, and known for the longevity of our client relationships.

What does that tell you about the kind of people we are?

If you’re in business long enough to develop a reputation, ours is the kind you want following you around.

The Caterpillar: What size do you want to be?

Alice: Oh, I’m not particular as to size, only one doesn’t like changing so often, you know

BIGGER ISN’T ALWAYS BETTER

The larger the army, the slower it moves.

That’s a fact. So it’s also a fact that sometimes smaller is better. We’re a different kind of ad agency in that we’re smaller and okay with that. There are lots of smaller ad agencies, but most of them are not okay with that and live for the time when they can be much larger (and as a result, much slower). If cumbersome is what you seek, hire a large ad agency. Spend lots of time working your way around and through the various layers and empires built without regard to responsiveness… not to mention cost controls. Get used to “taking a meeting” whenever you need an answer and whatever you do, don’t cross the prima donnas in the creative department. They’re very sensitive.

Or, you could hire us, a different kind of ad agency. Smaller, more responsive, simply an extension of your own company. We haven’t had a receptionist in our offices for 20 years. When you call us, the phone will be answered by whoever hears it ring and reaches for it first. Sometimes that’s going to be the president of the company.

No layers. No empires. No prima donnas. Sometimes smaller is better.

When it comes to piles of money, however, bigger is almost always better.

The White Queen: Can you do addition? What’s one and one and one and one and one and one

and one and one and one and one?

Alice: I don’t know. I lost count.

A SURPRISE IS ONE THING YOU’LL NEVER FIND ON OUR INVOICE

The most common complaint we hear about ad agencies has to do with how they charge for their services.

Not what they charge, but how they charge.

One client came to us after complaining that their former agency seemed to spend more time figuring out how to charge them than how to help them. No matter how good you are, if you’re not viewed as bringing value to the table, you’re viewed as over-charging. Expecting one price and getting invoiced for a much different price is not going to be viewed as bringing value to the table.

Fact: clients hate billing surprises.

Consequently, so do we. So we virtually eliminated surprises from our billing procedure. Charges for all jobs, for all clients, are agreed upon upfront, before the work begins. The resulting invoice will always be exactly what we agreed upon.

No more. No less. No surprises. Ever! That definitely makes us a different kind of ad agency.

March Hare: Have some wine.(Alice looked all round the table, but there was nothing on it but tea.)

Alice: I don’t see any wine.

March Hare: There isn’t any.

Alice: Then it wasn’t very civil of you to offer it.

March Hare: It wasn’t very civil of you to sit down without being invited.

RELATIONSHIPS ARE OUR PASSION

We’re a different kind of ad agency because we consider all business relationships personal.

It’s not about the work we do, it’s about the people we do it for. So we don’t collect clients like trophies. In fact, we carefully select our clients, with personal chemistry being a huge factor. Our passion is for building quality, long-term, personal relationships with our clients, founded on mutual trust and respect.

We have to like each other as people to succeed as marketing partners.

It all starts with strategy. Strategy is king at Love Scott. Smart marketing begins with questions and a single-minded commitment to discovering the answers. The homework always gets done and a strategic direction is agreed upon before production ever begins on marketing materials. To us, the big idea is to outsmart the competition, not outspend them.

relevance marketingWe don’t believe in magic. We believe in the power of relevant marketing.

Without relevance, you have nothing. With it, you control the game. Just as creativity alone is not the answer, neither is strategy. But a chemical reaction occurs the moment good creativity fuses with a relevant marketing strategy, and that alone can clear the way to action.

Our relevance marketing services include:

• Writing • Strategic marketing planning • Design and layout • Television commercials • Newspaper ads • Logos / Corporate Identity • Video presentations • Radio commercials • Marketing consultation • Sales promotion materials • Billboards • Media planning and placement • Package design • Magazine ads • Displays and exhibits • Market research • Direct mail • Product brochures

Public relationsPublic Relations is a critical part of the marketing mix. Many businesses think they need it, but most have no clue why. By targeting, researching, listening, sharing, responding and relating, PR helps your target audience better understand you and what you stand for. In other words, PR creates awareness and understanding. And that creates relationships with those you hope to do business with.

Our PR services include:

• Media Relations • Employee Relations • Investor Relations • Community Relations • Promotions

inTeractiVeThe marketplace continues to change at breakneck speed. So do the rules for operating within it. “Who are you?” is no longer a question being answered solely by you. Today, you are much more defined by the conversation going on in the marketplace about you, and not necessarily with you.

Our Interactive services include:

• Interactive strategy • Interactive marketing • Web site development • Social media consulting • Social media marketing • Search engine optimization • Search engine marketing • Email marketing

The Duchess: You’re thinking about something, my dear, and that makes you forget to talk.

I can’t tell you what the moral of that is, but I shall remember it in a bit.

Alice: Perhaps it hasn’t one.

The Duchess: Tut, tut, child! Everything’s got a moral, if only you can find it.

LoveScott3737 Woodland Ave, Suite 510West Des Moines, IA 50266

p. 515.223.1383f. 515.223.6538

LoveScott.com