2008 RMG Annual Report
Dear Friends,
For 37 years, Risdall Marketing Group (RMG) has been inspiring the
marketing industry through client work, a unique approach to business
and a
commitment to the community. Long before integrated was the buzz word
du jour, RMG was embracing the philosophy of "doing what it takes to
make
an impact for our clients."
Since 1972, RMG – and its team of account managers, Web developers,
creatives, public relations pros and social media geniuses – has been
integrating
specialties to help our clients create, build and benefit from their
brands. We grow our knowledge base through participation and leadership
in
professional associations and paying it forward to the next generation
with community and academic involvement.
2008 was a great year for RMG. We hired 22 new people and added or
expanded 101 accounts. We also became more involved in local nonprofits,
community
and professional organizations and ventured into new academic settings.
We like to announce news as it happens – which you can read at www.risdall.com,
in our "News" section – but as we reflect on 2008, we thought we would
showcase some of our best work and proudest moments.
RMG Growth
Our 2008 annual capitalized billings totaled more than $190 million.
Bringing in 101 new and expanded accounts and growing our roster to more
than 80
staff members, we literally outgrew our first-floor office and moved
some of our team to a new space upstairs.
One of the biggest factors behind RMG's growth was integration – we
have offered integrated marketing capabilities since we first opened,
but now we are
making the commitment to lead clients down that path. Our social media
and online capabilities led to the creation of a new division, Risdall
Online
Marketing Group (ROMG). Led by CEO Jennifer Risdall and supported
by nine dedicated team members, ROMG has a team of experts that maximize
client visibility
on the Internet through organic search, paid search and other online
strategies.
New team members Cindy Lord and Jared Roy joined the agency in 2008.
Cindy joined as president of Risdall
Strategic Consultation, which offers an integrated,
pragmatic approach to strategy, research, account planning and
branding. Jared joined as president of Risdall Integration Group and
works to use everything
from social marketing and Web site optimization to search engine
optimization, PR, online and offline advertising, collateral, special
events and more to
create cohesive and effective campaigns for clients.
Clients
Despite the economic hardships that many companies have experienced,
RMG delivered brilliant marketing ideas to clients that helped them
thrive and grow.
With a combination of new Web site development, collateral development,
public relations, online marketing, advertising, marketing
communications and social
media projects, RMG is one of the top five marketing agencies in the
state of Minnesota.
RMG's diverse client roster includes medical device companies,
museums, consumer electronics, school products … and the list goes on.
A few of RMG's new clients in 2008 included:
There are too many clients to name them all here, but we are proud
of all the work we have done in 2008. We're especially proud that
longtime clients Archway,
Magnum
Research, Premier
Mounts and Smith
System utilized new tools and cutting-edge Web technology to
develop fresh marketing strategies and further position
themselves as market leaders in their respective industries.
Professional Association and Academic Involvement
Professional organizations such as the
Public Relations Society of America (PRSA), the
Advertising Federation,
the
International
Association of Business Communicators (IABC) and the
Business Marketing
Association (BMA) have RMG leaders as members and active
participants.
In 2008, Eva Keiser, Brant Skogrand and Joel Swanson were appointed
to the boards for BMA-Minnesota
and PRSA-Minnesota,
respectively. Additionally, Rose McKinney
completed her term on the PRSA board as immediate past president and
John Lutter was appointed to the University of Minnesota's School of
Journalism and Mass
Communication (SJMC) Alumni Society board of directors. Lutter is the
fifth RMG employee to serve on the SJMC Alumni Society board.
If you visit the journalism or communication departments of
Minnesota universities, chances are that you will encounter at least one
of RMG's employees
participating at the school in some way. From teaching as adjunct
instructors to serving as mentors, RMG employees give generously of
their time.
In December 2008, RMG hosted the eighth annual "Intern for a Day"
program for University of Minnesota School of Journalism and Mass
Communication students. More
than 50 students attended and listened to presentations by each
division president, participated in client brainstorming sessions and
focus groups, and had the
opportunity to have one-on-one discussions with professionals in their
fields of interest.
Nonprofit Work
Staying involved in local, national and worldwide charities and
nonprofits has been a staple of the Risdall organization since the
beginning. In the past year,
RMG has been involved with
Ronald McDonald House,
Northwest Youth and Family
Services (NYFS),
Minnesota Organization
on Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (MOFAS),
Opportunity
Partners and the
Children's
Home Society.
After creating a fetal alcohol syndrome awareness and education
campaign, RMG was honored in 2008 by MOFAS as its partner of the year.
In 2008, we also solidified our partnership with the World Ice
Racing Circuit (WIRC) to share the exciting sport of ice racing with
the world. We were privileged
to be the title sponsor of the 2009 Risdall North American Tour which
kicked off in December. We were thrilled to see ice racing become the
center of attention at
the 2009 St. Paul Winter Carnival. More than 5,000 people watched as
competitors from around the world – and two NASCAR drivers – competed on
Lake Phalen.
Awards and Recognition
A longtime member and active supporter of local chambers of commerce,
RMG was honored with two "Business of the Year" awards. The
Twin Cities North
Chamber of
Commerce and
MetroNorth Chamber of Commerce presented Vice
Chairman and COO John Risdall with these awards at their annual
luncheons.
In September, the Web Marketing Association (WMA) honored the agency's
interactive division for outstanding Web development by awarding it 29
WebAwards, the most
ever by a single agency in a WebAward competition. Interactive agencies
and Web site marketing departments from more than 47 countries around
the world entered the
annual competition.
RMG also received the Top Agency Award, which recognizes the
agency's consistent and outstanding Web development and design
capabilities. Among the RMG Web sites
honored, it received the "Best B2B Web site" and several "Outstanding
Awards" for The
Occasions Group. Other top winners included Envelop Gun Cases,
the Minneapolis
Rotary Club, Vision-Ease
Lens and the Minnesota
Medical Association.
In June, PRSA recognized the agency's PR division with a
Bronze Anvil in the Media Kits (Special Events/Commemorations) category.
Working with longtime client Premier
Mounts, the agency created a 1977-themed media kit to honor the
company's 30th anniversary. In addition to receiving a Bronze Anvil
award, the media kit was also
honored by Minnesota PRSA and received a Classics Award for Best Media
Kit (Events).
Already two months in, 2009 is shaping up to be a wonderfully busy
year for RMG. We've already hired a few new folks, started some new
accounts and hit the road for
some new business. Recession is not a word that is said around the RMG
office because to us, it doesn't really feel like one is happening –
we're as busy as we have
ever been. In fact, January 2009 was our best month yet!
We would love to share our good fortune with you. Here's to a great
2009!
Best,
John Risdall
Risdall
Marketing Group
651.286.6702
john@risdall.com
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