Thursday's Open House

Thanks to everyone for coming out to see our new space last Thursday! We had a great time showing it off. Here are a few pics:

Campaigns Out to Launch

Corona Cinco de Mayo


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Morning Tongue



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Distinguish Your Company with Marketing

Whether the current state of the economy has affected your industry or not, the reality is you are probably more careful on how and where you spend your marketing dollars. To be cautious is understandable but before you make any moves consider this analogy by MarketingSherpa.

Imagine you’re a broker on Wall Street and your client’s stock is plummeting across the board. Would you sell the plummeting stocks, ride out the storm, or invest in even more stocks?

If you answered ‘invest in even more stocks’ you are right! Don’t stop investing (or marketing). The goal is to buy up as many stocks as you can now so when the market turns around you own a greater share of stocks.

This same concept applies to investing in your branding and marketing efforts during this downturn. By innovating your products or services now you'll discover non-traditional customers in new niche markets, resulting in a larger slice of the market share pie when the market comes back to life.

So although times may seem tough, take this opportunity to break away from the pack. Your next question may be ‘how do I begin?’

Dig for the Truth
Your first step is to immediately uncover new markets and new customers since your local and traditional customers are probably cutting back on their purchases. Start by researching and analyzing your current customers and their spending habits. You could identify a new trend and then respond with a new service or product to meet the changing needs.

By adopting this philosophy you are automatically setting yourself apart from your competition.

Example: Plastic Surgery Specialist (PSS) of Annapolis took notice of moms coming to them for certain procedures that would give them back their pre-mom bodies. Therefore we created the ‘Mommy Makeover’ where several procedures are wrapped up into one nice package.




Implement your Innovation:
Step two includes implementing your innovation. Take the research you gathered and formulate a strategic plan to implement your new product. In today’s economy where money is tight and gas is at a historical high people tend to stay home more. And when they’re home, they’re online – shopping, e-mailing, looking for entertainment and searching for ways to save a buck. With this in mind, make your marketing dollars work harder by using online marketing tactics such as search engine marketing.

Online campaigns are more cost-effective and quantifiable unlike traditional TV, radio and print campaigns. Since you’re launching a new product or service in a new market, you will be able to reach a broader audience at a lower cost. Plus you are able to quantify the leads better against your marketing dollar.

Example: Annapolis Lighting discovered their audience is mainly the high-end niche. Based on this we created the ‘Lighting Supremacy’ brand that targeted this audience. This new brand was launched in several integrated campaigns such as the Pink Ticket and Holiday Campaign in the fall and winter of 2007. Each campaign included a microsite, search engine marketing and an email component. These campaigns generated a 95% click-through rate, which was significantly more revenue than recent past promotions.

Visit our site, www.TheCyphersAgency.com, to contact us for help with your search engine marketing and advertising.

The Cyphers Agency has Officially Moved Up!

ANNAPOLIS, MD – May 6, 2008 – The Cyphers Agency (Cyphers), a leading full-service marketing, advertising and public relations agency recently relocated their office in Annapolis to the new building on Old Solomon’s Island Road.

This move comes on the heels of the tremendous growth spurt Cyphers experienced over the past few years. The decision to remain in Annapolis was made based on current clients located in Annapolis and the close proximity to both Washington, D.C. and Baltimore.

“Our hard work and dedication over the past decade has led us to this exciting turning point. We are thankful to our loyal customers who have worked with us over the years in helping them grow their businesses,” said Dave Cyphers, owner of Cyphers.

Most of the 5,000 square foot office is an open studio space that was designed to inspire collaborative thinking.

“We wanted to create an office environment that would influence and inspire creativity,” said Darren Easton, Creative Director at Cyphers. “Visual stimulation was the key. This space energizes people and makes them want to create work at an even higher level. There was a real push to add color, angles, a variety of lighting, and whimsical elements (such as galvanized and glass walls) to get people to see and think differently. We made a point to sweat the details instead of skip them – I think it has truly paid off.”

Cyphers current clients range from local favorites like Fractured Prune Donuts to Annapolis-based TSS Software, the nations leading national title software company. Most recently Cyphers won a 2008 ADDY award for their Annapolis Lighting mixed media campaign.

About The Cyphers Agency
The Cyphers Agency, Inc. is a full-service marketing, advertising and public relations agency with a focus on brand development and interactive services. Headquartered in Annapolis, MD, Cyphers was recently named one of the area’s largest advertising agencies by the Baltimore Business Journal. Cyphers was founded in 1989, and now has 26 employees who strategically serve and advise more than 35 regional and national clients. For more information, please visit www.thecyphersagency.com, or call 410-280-5451.

See our talented team!

Last night, the Baltimore Addy Award Show showcased the talents of the Maryland advertising community with the theme "Baltimore's Got Talent". See more about the Baltimore Advertising Association here: http://www.baltimoreadvertising.com/. We had the opportunity to show off our own special talents in a video created by our team. The show was a success and we took home an Addy award for our work for Annapolis Lighting. We'll post more about that later.

Watch the video below:

"The Newbies"

“Good character is more to be praised than outstanding talent”, but at The Cyphers Agency, we have both. We take pride in knowing we have a staff comprised of character, aptitude and determination. When we see someone that would fit us like a glove, we know we want them as part of our team. We are excited to bring on board two new employees, Nicole Thompson and Lucas Hanyok. Nicole was hired as Custom Publications Account Executive where she will be managing editorials and advertising for various publications. She brings experience from companies such as Alter Communications and Crosby Marketing. Lucas, the newest addition to our creative team originally came to Cyphers as a Freelancer. When an opportunity arose to keep him full time, we knew we could not let him go! He will be working full time on various accounts as a Graphic Designer. We are extremely happy to be working with both of these amazing people!

Everybody says they build brands!

The average American has thousands of brand experiences every day. With the heavy competition of today’s market, it is imperative to create brand awareness, and to enhance the quality of each brand experience every time we come in contact with it. The importance of your brand is relevant with the advertising, public relations, and direct marketing, as well as with every delivery of your product or service. From the messages you communicate internally to the design of your Web site, your brand must be considered with every element.

When developing a brand, you need to take a look at all of your media and use it effectively to build your brand. The goal is to help you differentiate yourself and your products from the competition. You must communicate your brand in every way you can, in every point of contact with the many groups who invent your brand with their perceptions. All your audiences, all your relationships affect what the brand is – the collective images which, over time, develop your brand.

Most companies are reluctant to accept any limitation on the image of their brand – they want it to appeal to all people. They generally end up with a brand that has no identity at all and doesn’t appeal to any particular audience. It is easy to give in to the pressure to change your image. But the advertiser who remains patient and sticks with their initial position for the long haul will eventually reap the rewards.

The success of a brand is measured by “brand loyalty” – the stream of profit generated by repeat and referral sales. Many agencies spend too much of their resources on making people feel good for the moment and not enough on creating a lasting relationship with the consumer. This process involves constant reevaluation of the brand, which includes reading the market, researching the changing environment and listening to the consumer. Once your brand creates a buzz, not only does it accelerate the branding process, but sales too. It is of the utmost importance to constantly keep that fire burning. So many brands die as a result of indifference, and that begins when the agency kicks back and throws their feet up while the praises for a job well done allow complacency to set in.

By offering the consumer the added value of a brand name, yours will more easily become their brand of choice. Branding is such an integral player in the success of your marketing campaign – it is essential that it receives the appropriate consideration.