On-Set with G/L and MOST

Geile/Leon Marketing Communications

On-Set with G/L and MOST

When prompting actors on this commercial shoot, their motivation was… getting kids out of the house and off to college!

Missouri’s MOST 529 College Savings Plan is the easy, affordable and diverse way to plan for a child’s future. G/L was on-set today with Missouri State Treasurer Clint Zweifel and family for the upcoming 2012 campaign, encouraging parents that “Now is the time. MOST is the plan.” The MOST campaign will feature TV spots, print ads, radio and direct mail.

G/L has award winning broadcast experience. We’ve collaborated on Super Bowl spots, mountaintop shoots and with talent from acclaimed comedians to State Treasurers.

Lights! Camera! And an action-packed day of filming!


 

 

 

 

 

Casa Gallardo Serves Up Fried Ice Cream to Channel 5 Hosts

Geile/Leon Marketing Communications

Casa Gallardo Serves Up Fried Ice Cream to Channel 5 Hosts

To celebrate National Ice Cream Day on Sunday, July 17, Casa Gallardo chef Antonio Murillo and Regional Director Robert Fowler appeared on KSDK’s “Today in St. Louis” 6:00 a.m. newscast. The two demonstrated how to prepare fried ice cream and explained how Casa Gallardo invented the Tex-Mex dessert here in St. Louis back in 1975.

During the segment, the Casa Gallardo guests also showed news anchor Kelly Jackson and meteorologist Anthony Slaughter how to make the tasty treat, which is really quite simple.

Casa Gallardo is a client of public relations firm in St. Louis, Geile/Leon Marketing Communications.

CG_DFIC

Good Mews for Geile/Leon MC

Geile/Leon Marketing Communications

Good Mews for Geile/Leon MC

Geile/Leon Marketing Communication‘s newest team member, Robert Mews, Senior Digital Marketing Strategist, was recently featured in the St. Louis Business Journal’s “New in Town” section. Robert hails to us from the great state of Minnesota, where he was an eMarketing Manager for Minneapolis-based Grocery Shopping Network and previously worked  at the agency MRM Worldwide.

Robert is revolutionizing the G/L approach to Digital Marketing by integrating our branding expertise with new digital technology and data-driven insight that offers clients more ways to expand their brand. Robert tailored our Digital Approach to be more effective and measurable by including ongoing features like:

  • Competitive Intelligence
  • Deep Audience Research
  • Benchmarking and Best Practices
  • ROI Forecasting

So while Mews still may need some convincing when it comes to wearing a Cardinals jersey, Robert is fitting in swimmingly at G/L. He has opened all of our eyes to the possibilities Digital Marketing has to offer. We are excited to put Robert’s expert skills to work helping our clients reach new markets and expand their campaigns more effectively.

The new Digital Suite will offer:

To Build a Better Portfolio, You Need to be Ready and Willing.

Dave Geile
Creative Director Managing Partner

To Build a Better Portfolio, You Need to be Ready and Willing.

As a Creative Director and owner of my own marketing communications agency, I had the pleasure of being asked to be an advisor to a new start up organization. The win-win-win factor behind this nonprofit concept is fantastic. It is a nonprofit set up to help other nonprofits with marketing, advertising, and promotional materials—with a dual benefit allowing young professionals the opportunity to network and get some real world experience. The organization is called Ready and Willing, and this is how it works.

First of all, as we all know, most nonprofits are living on a shoestring. Money is tight, and what is spent is done sparingly. But, they need marketing and communication materials to spread the word about their services and solicit donations and volunteers. Secondly, there are hoards of young advertising and marketing professionals out there looking to make their mark on the ad industry, trying to build their portfolios and launch their careers. This is where Ready and Willing comes in. They build a membership list of these nonprofit organizations and match them up with a team of young art directors, writers, and account service people. But you may ask, “Hey Dave, you mean you plan on turning a bunch of green creatives loose on innocent unsuspecting nonprofits?” “Waddaya NUTS! Where’s the quality control?” Glad you asked. Here’s the twist.

Ready and Willing will also host a group of member Mentors to help steer, guide and instruct these over-hormoned, zealous ad people to insure the work is on strategy, on message, and the creative is something to be proud of. This is the third win. These seasoned professionals that range from Creative Director level to agency owner types will be able to give back to the community with the very skills they have honed over the years, while also helping to mold young talent. Plus, they get to network within this group of “up and coming” talent, possibly recruiting for their own shops or scouting freelance assistance.

It’s that simple. Ready and Willing. Win, Win, Win. And aside from a small member contribution to participate, the work is all free of charge. Check them out if you are interested in helping out, networking and building your book at the same time.

Along with being on the Board of Directors with Ready and Willing, David Geile is Creative Director and Managing Partner of Geile/Leon Marketing Communications. G/L is a convergence agency specializing in Brand Development, Strategic Positioning, Interactive Marketing, and SEO strategy.

 

Sit Down & LINK Hard & Long about What You Just Did

Geile/Leon Marketing Communications

Sit Down & LINK Hard & Long about What You Just Did

As a copywriter in the weird and whacky digital world, interactive writing has taken a 2-fold purpose:

1. Deliver the message in entertaining fashion

2. Use any means possible to achieve top 10 search rankings (easier said than done)

As the G/L scribe, I’m expected to write riveting, attention-grabbing copy, while incorporating awkward SEO words and linking the H.E. double hockey sticks out of the site. So you are sitting there wondering, why I’m sitting here blogging instead of linking more!? Well Mr./Ms. High Horse, did you ever stop to think that maybe um…’duh- I’m going to link this blog’? Because I am, already have.

Linking is the time-intensive, frustrating, never-ending game of strategy. And it is also completely and undeniably CRITICAL to gaining higher rankings. Some people thought Google algorithms might eliminate importance of linking, but according to Aaron Wall and Andy Hagans, SEO experts,:

“I wouldn’t hold your breath for search engine algorithms to place less importance on link popularity until the Semantic Web arrives, or maybe when HTTP gets replaced by a new protocol. Because links are still the basic connector, the basic relationship, on the Web. And for the forseeable future, they’re going to be the easiest way for a computer program to judge the importance and trustworthiness of a Web page.”

So just sit back and link about it. You might say, “Hey Bonnie! I am linking. Get off my back already!” and to this I would respond that you still aren’t linking enough. We need to be more creative using continuous optimization. Something that keeps me awake at night is knowing that every second I’m not linking, my competitors might be. Paranoid? -maybe.

Popular practices in link building include:

  • Submit Links to Directory
  • Leave Comments with Link
  • Ask politely or exchange for Links for Links
  • Develop Interesting Content That Generates External Links

The power of linking in relation to search ranking is undeniable. It trumps even the most-littered-with-keywords SEO writing. So now, as a copywriter in the year 2011, I need to write awesome copy (duh I already do that), use keywords like crazy, and then link till my fingers get carpal tunnel. Easy enough.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Casa Gallardo Steps Up To The “Plate”

Geile/Leon Marketing Communications

Casa Gallardo Steps Up To The “Plate”

Kudos to Geile/Leon PR client, Casa Gallardo Mexican Restaurants, for their ongoing commitment to St. Louis-area charitable organizations, through the Charitable Menu campaign.

Here is a photo of a check presentation from Casa Gallardo to the St. Louis Crisis Nursery. This check is for $1,042 and represents a portion of the restaurant’s sales on specific menu items from January through April of 2011. Pictured from left: Stephanie Kababie, PR Coordinator, St. Louis Crisis Nursery; Robert Fowler, Regional Director, Casa Gallardo Mexican Restaurants; Ebonee Shaw, Development Coordinator, St. Louis Crisis  Nursery.

Casa1

Founded in 1986, the Saint Louis Crisis Nursery is an independent, not-for-profit agency funded by donations and committed to preventing child abuse and neglect. The agency provides short-term, emergency shelter for children, birth through age 12—whose families are faced with emergencies or who are in crisis.

Casa Gallardo has 5 locations in the St. Louis metro area: Westport Plaza, South County, Des Peres, Bridgeton and Fairview Heights, IL.

Tim Leon Featured in Business Journal

Geile/Leon Marketing Communications

Tim Leon Featured in Business Journal

Our own Tim Leon, President and Managing Partner of St. Louis Ad Agency Geile/Leon Marketing Communications, is one of three local business people contacted by the St. Louis Business Journal to offer an opinion on “How to: Choose An Intellectual Property Attorney” column. The piece ran in the July 1 edition of the Business Journal.

Tim Leon, president and managing partner of Geile/Leon Marketing CommunicationsbizWatch … said knowledge is what will get you out of an ugly mess.

“I want expertise anytime you are dealing with disputes,” Leon said. “If there is a dispute, I would like an attorney who is aggressive to get a resolution.”

Using local law firms is preferable, according to Leon. His IP attorney is conveniently across the street from his office. “Having that face-to-face interaction is important.”

Leon’s words of wisdom and the full article are available to view at the online version of “How to: Choose an Intellectual Property Attorney; Search for IP attorney should be first priority”.

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