Professional Documents
Culture Documents
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”.
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
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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
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
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.
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
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.
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.
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.
On an average day
the US Coast Guard Auxiliary will
Help 28 People
Save 1 Life
STEV E PEGR A M
E XSave
ECUTI$341,290 in Property
V E DIR ECTOR
w w w.CGAFund.org
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.
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.
Website: www.TheRussoGroup.com
REVELATION is published in 12 issues yearly by The Russo Group • Copyright © 2008 The Russo Group
June 14, 2008 | 116 E. Congress St. (across from Parc Sans Souci)
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.