Russo Group newsletter on Branding - this issue discusses Spring and the freshening of the brand.

1. Revelations on Spring
IN THIS ISSUE:
FEATURE ARTICLE: Freshening Up Your Brand
The hard part is to look internally, at your process, your operations,
your product and your service.
INSIDE-R NEWS
Why should great people want to work with you?
RUSSO PROFILE
According to Nicole Angers, “It is essential that clients remain in good standing with us
as well as third party vendors. If a bill is late or goes unpaid, it can put their relationship
with those organizations in jeopardy”.
A RUSSO RESULTS CASE STUDY: No. 00298-08
Branding campaign for US Coast Guard Auxiliary Endowment
GALLERY R DOWNTOWN SPOTLIGHT
Gallery R, located in the Russo building in the heart of downtown Lafayette,
is committed to the work of both emerging and established local artists
throughout South Louisiana.
Next month’s featured artist – Terry W. Grow
CONTINUE >PAGE ONE
RevelationThe Russo Group is a branding and in t egra t ed mar ket ing agenc y focused on RE SULTS.
THE NEWSLETTER OF
THE RUSSO GROUP
VOLUME ONE - NUMBER FIVE
INDEX

2. Revelation
< PREVIOUS CONTINUE >PAGE TWO
When it’s time to take a second look
To say it’s easy would not be entirely true. But every once in a while it benefits us all to take a good hard look at ourselves. Sure, it would
be easier to live in a world of self denial, avoiding mirrors like we were the long lost love child of Lestat – but in the end, there comes a
moment of clarity when we realize the time has come to make some changes.
Fortunately, fixing the physical imperfections is the easy part – dealing with what’s going on internally, well, that’s a little more difficult.
Oh, and in case I have not made myself clear – I am talking about your brand.
Just like most people, businesses are often so busy taking care of the needs of others that they fail to take care of themselves. This is
especially true for successful organizations. It is during these times that careful attention to the brand should be paid. Trust me, it is much
easier to improve your brand when you’re not hungry and looking for business. Continued Next Page
F R E S H E N I N G U P Y O U R B R A N D
A Brand Solution From The Russo Group:
OK, we’re not completely sure about the percentaGe thinG, but we do Know Guys LOVE Pizza.
We’re also pretty confident girls love pizza too. So, if we put girls, guys and pizza together, what do we get? Yep, that’s right – Love! We wish we could tell you how
many proposals and love at first sight meetings we have had at Bisbano’s. No seriously, we wish we could tell you, but we have no idea. We’re certain it’s a lot though.
So, next time you’re looking to fill your need for love and pizza, give Bisbano’s a try. Regardless of the outcome, you’re guaranteed some Pretty Freakin’ Good Pizza!
Restaurant: Mon-Fri 11a-11p; Sat 5p-11p Bar: Mon-Fri 4p-2a; Sat 5p-2a
men find women who eat piZza 99.9o
/o
more atTractive. brinG Your Guy
a Pizza from bisbano’s - and he miGht
just asK you to maRry hIm!
..............
It’s Pretty FreaKin’ Good Pizza!
1540 Johnston Street Lafayette, Louisiana Pizza Help Line: (337) 233-0420 Click: We’re WiFi Ready
M
onday
N
ight Special:
Snag
one
of our $12
pizzas
and
get a
second
one
for
just 2
bucks!
We would hate to imply that some of the other pizza places don’t make their pizzas from
scratch, so we won’t. We’ll just say it. they Don’t. At Bisbano’s we make our pizza dough from scratch daily. Same goes for the sauce.
One taste and you would swear your Mom* made it. So yes, we don’t deliver, our sign out front is kind of old and run down, and we don’t have go-carts for the kids to play in. But what
we do have is some Pretty Freakin’ Good Pizza!
Restaurant: Mon-Fri 11a-11p; Sat 5p-11p Bar: Mon-Fri 4p-2a; Sat 5p-2a
the other Guys maKe their pizza
from scratch. And by scratch we mean
they pulled it off of an eiGhteen
wheeler last weeK.
..............
It’s Pretty FreaKin’ Good Pizza!
1540 Johnston Street Lafayette, Louisiana Pizza Help Line: (337) 233-0420 Click: We’re WiFi Ready
Saturday
Special:
Order a
House
Special
Pizza
and
get a
FREE
Order
of Cheese
Bread
To be completely honest, we’re not quite sure if bisbano is A real person or not.
We have heard rumors, but nothing has been verified. If he were, we imagine him looking a lot like Don Corleone from the Godfather. He probably speaks little English, uses his hands a lot
when he talks, and sings O Sol O’mio as he flips pizzas in the air. Whether he is real or not though, one thing’s for certain, the PIZZA is! We’re talking fresh home made pizza dough and a
sauce that you would swear was made by your Mom (Granted that your Mom is Italian - otherwise it’s not sauce, it’s just tomatoes mashed up into a liquidy substance resembling sauce).
But we’ll let you be the judge. Come check us out, and maybe Bisbano himself will stop by and say hello - or maybe he won’t - after all, he stays pretty busy tossin’ the dough.
Restaurant: Mon-Fri 11a-11p; Sat 5p-11p Bar: Mon-Fri 4p-2a; Sat 5p-2a
of course the piZza at bIsbano’s
Is Great, Numb Nuts. the place
is named after A friGGIn’ ItaliAn...............
It’s Pretty FreaKin’ Good Pizza!
1540 Johnston Street Lafayette, Louisiana Pizza Help Line: (337) 233-0420 Click: We’re WiFi Ready
W
ednesday
Special:
Order a
House
Special
Pizza
and
get a
FREE
Pitcher of Beer!
Part of Branded Campaign for Bisbanos Pizza
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3. Revelation
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It starts with the physical, always making sure your mark and your space is current, relevant and impactful – always keeping an eye on
market fluctuations and future opportunities. Keeping an eye on your competition doesn’t hurt either, making sure they don’t begin to eat
away at what you have fought so hard to call your own.
The hard part is to look internally, at your process, your operations, your product and your service. Ask any successful organization and
they will tell you – complacency is often the death of a thriving business.
Just like most people, businesses are often so busy taking care of the
needs of others that they fail to take care of themselves.
And no, we are not recommending that you change things just to change them – but the reality is, your consumers are changing whether
you like it or not, and you must be able to change with them. It’s easier said than done, but if you are not able to adjust to their wants and
needs, they will find someone else who is – unfortunately, loyalty only goes so far.
But if you can continue to meet the consumer’s expectations, you will continue to have their loyalty. And if you can surpass consumer
expectations, you will have earned their advocacy.
So, take a good hard look in the mirror today, and make sure your brand is ready for the next evolution. It may come from an updated
look, or an unexpected offering that your customers need, but have yet to discover they want.
Spring Cleaning... CONTINUED
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4. Revelation
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Why should great people want to work with you? The best leaders understand that the most talented performers aren’t motivated
primarily by money or status. Great people want to work on exciting projects. Great people want to feel like impact players. Put simply,
great people want to feel like they’re a part of something greater than themselves.
The American Marketing Association (AMA) defines a brand as a “name, term, sign, symbol or design, or a combination of them
intended to identify the goods and services of one seller or group of sellers and to differentiate them from those of other sellers.
Therefore it makes sense to understand that branding is not about getting your target market to choose you over the
competition, but it is about getting your prospects to see you as the only one that provides a solution to their problem.
We are all members of different clubs. Our family is a club, our church is a club, our place of employment is even a club. In some
sense we “belong” to each of these clubs by choice—we choose whom to marry, where to worship, and where to work because we
identify with the people in them in some form or fashion. I was on the East Coast recently and saw a tourist sporting a sweatshirt from
my high school across the country. I quite naturally struck up a conversation with her, as we were part of the same club.
Blogs also place you in the driver’s seat of distributing content for the web – and content is the key these days. It positions you
as an expert in your field, allows potential customers the opportunity to learn more about you, and helps proliferate your name on
search engines around the globe.
- Please Select the Highlighted Phrases for More on These Stories -
I N S I D E - R N E W S
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5. Revelation
R U S S O P R O F I L E
Nicole Angers, CFO
Nicole Angers has worked for several of the largest companies in southern Louisiana, including
Stuller Settings, Acadiana Bottling Company, and McDonald’s of Acadiana. Her duties have
included overseeing accounting procedures, preparing annual audits, planning yearly budgets, and
reconciling balance sheet accounts.
Nicole is a graduate of the University of Louisiana with a degree in Accounting. She is a CPA and
member of the AICPA and Louisiana Society of Certified Public Accountants. At Russo, Nicole is responsible for all
financial analysis, cash management, and accounting procedures.
How does your role at Russo benefit the client?
First and foremost, I make sure bills are paid. I know it may sound simple, but in many cases we are responsible for paying our client’s bills,
whether they are for 3nd party media outlets or print vendors. As an agency we represent our client’s marketing needs, as well as their
marketing expenditures – so it is essential that clients remain in good standing with us as well as third party vendors. If a bill is late or goes
unpaid, it can put their relationship with those organizations in jeopardy.
In addition, I work to make sure that our financial operations are always sound and in good standing. This is good for our company and for
our clients. It makes everyone sleep better at night knowing that we are here for the long run.
I find it strange that I am only invited to meetings when money is involved and never for my creative input. I keep waiting for that call.
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6. Revelation
A R U S S O R E S U L T S C A S E S T U D Y : N o . 0 0 2 3 5 - 0 8
THE US COAST GUARD AUXILIARY ENDOWMENT Corporate Identity / Branding Project
Background: The US Coast Guard Auxiliary is a self-funded volunteer organization that works to save lives while protecting
our ports and waterways. They are an essential part of our government’s homeland security initiatives – which includes vessel
checks, safety patrols and search and rescue. Unfortunately, they do not receive any direct government funding, hence the
need for public support. The Russo Group was chosen to help brand an effort to raise money for these citizen volunteers –
who often use their own boats and planes to help support our taxed armed forces.
< PREVIOUS CONTINUE >PAGE SIX
Click on the image to the right to play the flash entry page for the CGA Fund Site. Must have FLASH player installed. Click on “F” for free download if needed.
360.920.6444 | 4152 Meridian Street Suite 105-143 Bellingham WA 98226 | w w w.CGAFund.org
On an average day
the US Coast Guard Auxiliary will
Complete 66 Safety Patrols
Perform 10 Vessel Assists
Help 28 People
Save 1 Life
Save $341,290 in Property
Conduct 149 Operational
& Support Missions
Educate 369 People
Perform 299 Vessel Safety Checks
S T E V E P E G R A M
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
SSPegram@CGAFund.org
360.920.6444
4152 Meridian Street Suite 105-143
Bellingham WA 98226
www.CGAFund.org
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7. Revelation
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We would love to hear from you, whether you’re ready to jump right in, or you need to learn a little more about us. Perhaps you
just need someone to talk to. We’re good at that too. Either way, we look forward to speaking with you about your needs, and getting to
work on producing RESULTS.
Phone: 337.769.1530 • Fax: 337.769.1531 • E-mail: info@therussogroup.com
116 East Congress Street Lafayette, Louisiana 70501
Website: www.TheRussoGroup.com
Editor-in-Chief / Creative Director: Michael J. Russo • Art Director: Gary LoBue Jr
REVELATION is published in 12 issues yearly by The Russo Group • Copyright © 2008 The Russo Group
N E X T M O N T H A T G A L L E R Y R D O W N T O W N
C O N T A C T T H E R U S S O G R O U P
ORDINARYART(or•di•nar•y)adjective.
1.somethingregular,customary,orusual.
info@galleryrdowntown.com
A T T H E R U S S O G R O U P
Terry W. Grow, Visual Artist | Downtown ArtWalk
June 14, 2008 | 116 E. Congress St. (across from Parc Sans Souci)
ORDINARY ART (or•di•nar•y) adjective.
1. something regular, customary, or usual.
Gallery R Downtown @ The Russo Group (116 E. Congress St., 769-1530) Presenting a show featuring
the work of local artist Terry W. Grow including selections from his ‘Parker Series’ and new paintings
in the acrylic, oil, and watercolor mediums. While retaining images from everyday life and recreating
them into artistically altered pieces or abstract images, Grow’s prominent influence comes from organic
structures, with secondary motivation stemming from his roots in the Morgan City area, including natural
and industrial motifs.
Terry was recently chosen as the winner of the 2008 Shrimp and Petroleum Festival Poster and Logo
Competition, to be held Labor Day Weekend in Morgan City, LA.
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