One of the many challenges of small business is to strike a balance of internal resources vs. outsourced expertise. Our goal as Fixators has always been to serve our clients with the most depth of knowledge and experience, while keeping a cost-effective model. After careful assessment and consideration, we’ve decided to go for it and …

How many times have you said while shopping: “Oh…I didn’t know you sold those? I always forget about this place for that?” I know I have. We pigeon-hole our favorite retailers because we know them as the place to get X but never think about them when we need Y. So, in that spirit, I’m …

I recently had the opportunity to attend Litmus Live, an email design conference held annually in Boston. In my role as Interactive Art Director at Fixation, this event is top on my list of must-attends. The email landscape is constantly changing and Litmus Live helps me (and Fixation) stay abreast of the latest email trends, …

So, when I hit the road for a client show, as I did recently for the National Apartment Association, I always look forward to the “coming to life” of the above-mentioned glorious print pieces. And, the event didn’t disappoint. The experience started from the moment I stepped off the plane. From airport signage and city …

Fixated on giving back One of the tasks for our team at our client NAA’s Education Conference & Exposition was to report on sessions for post-show content. I took the opportunity to sit in on the “CEOs on CSR” session because this year we’ve really challenged all Fixators to help define our version of corporate …

The launch ASAE’s recent launch (May 23-24 at National Harbor) of the XDP event—Xperience Design Project—ignited a lot of engaging dialogue about creating unique customer experiences that excite attendees and leave them wanting more (read: they can’t wait for your next event). Based on feedback, XDP successfully tapped into the ideas, both big and small, …

Outstanding customer service. It’s no longer a differentiator but rather a “cost of entry.” If a company doesn’t care to provide memorably great customer service, they will be left behind. And even though everyone knows expectations are set high these days, it’s not an easy task to meet them. Does anyone remember a time when …

“The ‘New Coke’ didn’t fail because of poor marketing. It failed because it tasted bad,” my client reminded me the other day. He used the infamous 1985 New Coke rollout to emphasize that awesome marketing can’t fix everything. His point was that, first and foremost, the product you’re marketing needs to be pretty darn good. …

In the last decade there has been a quiet rumbling, a slow but steady cultural shift that has allowed women to have an empowering presence in media. Big brands have given women the voice to tell their story. From Dove to Nike to Dodge Ram to Brawny, women have been asked to participate in more …

Think about all the resources required to execute a successful trade show—marketing, PR, general contractors, publications, consultants, utilities, labor to name just a few. It’s truly a remarkable feat. Every resource requires ongoing human interaction. At Fixation Marketing, we’ve worked with many different tradeshow clients and marketing service providers over the years. When asked to …