When San Diego Chargers quarterback Phillip Rivers decided to build a Web site for his Rivers of Hope Foundation, he turned to MMA Creative for a solution.
Our team of Web and content specialists helped Rivers create an integrated, interactive platform that focuses on the mission of the foundation, which is to find loving homes for abandoned and orphaned children.
"This was a huge honor for our firm to work with the Rivers of Hope Foundation," commented Mike McCloud, CEO of MMA Creative. "Phillip's passion and mission are truly special, and he was committed to excellence every step of the way."
One of the features of the site includes a "Heart Gallery," where hopeful families can view pictures and backgrounds of actual children looking for a home in the San Diego area.
The site also provides information on upcoming events, latest news and opportunities for visitors to get involved or donate to the foundation.
Click here to visit the site.
Sam's Club is now the "Official Supplier of KCBS!" Read more about this exciting development in the world of competitve barbeque right here.
This article appeared in the Feb. 5, 2010, edition of the Nashville Business Journal. A link to the story can be found here.
MMA Creative proves its chops with pay-for-performance BBQ contract
Nashville Business Journal - by Eric Snyder Staff Writer
Mike McCloud found himself having to tell his employees at MMA Creative, on a regular basis, that it really was a good idea.
The company would invest more than 2,500 man-hours in the first year of their new contract with little revenue to show in return, all for a nonprofit group called the Kansas City Barbeque Society.
MMA Creative was one of a half-dozen or so firms that was asked to make a pitch in 2006 to KCBS on how to increase its presence and grow membership. McCloud did some research on KCBS - the world's largest organization of barbecue and grilling enthusiasts, it sanctions more than 300 events and trains competition judges - and decided to swing for the fences.
"They are the NFL of barbecue," he said. "Once I got a sense of the scope and the vertical opportunities for corporate America, I thought to myself, ‘Wow, this could be a huge, huge deal.'"
McCloud correctly assumed that the other agencies would offer typical, retainer-based billing where they'd charge a base rate plus other fees, like for ad buys. McCloud caught the attention of KCBS with a performance-based billing model, where KCBS wouldn't pay up front. Instead, MMA Creative would get paid percentages from new revenue they created - if, in fact, they created any - from corporate sponsorships, new membership dues and merchandising.
"We came out and said, ‘Don't pay us anything unless we are successful, and here's how we're going to deliver the benchmarks," he said.
KCBS was game, and McCloud negotiated a four-year contract, beginning in 2007, to ensure the investment would pay off. The contract included benchmarks that could trigger an automatic renewal.
"There were many sleepless nights in year one," McCloud said. MMA staff invested 2,530 man-hours, refurbishing the brand, crafting a Web site - work they would typically have charged more than $200,000 for. That year, the KCBS account netted MMA just under a quarter of that in revenue.
"We had to do these things, or the contract was going to be a total waste of time," McCloud said. "Some of our associates thought it was too big a risk. Some didn't understand it. And some embraced it whole hog."
McCloud said the gamble has paid off - KCBS membership has grown from 5,841 at the start of 2007 to 10,366 at the start of this year, largely the result of a 25-city tour organized by MMA.
MMA created new revenue streams for KCBS, including merchandising and sponsorships, generating more than $150,000 in such sponsorships last year.
MMA's revenue's have grown as a result, with the KCBS account representing about 25 percent of the company's $2.3 million of revenue in 2009. When the first four-year term of the contract expires at the end of this year, McCloud estimated MMA will have made 40 percent to 50 percent more money via the performance-based billing.
McCloud and MMA are now doubling down. Last year, McCloud reached out for another client, scoring another four-year contract that began this year.
The new client is based in L.A., but McCloud said the contract's numbers and structures are very similar. Even the client's name is similar: the International Chili Society.
Lessons Learned
Most Defining Business Decision: Creating a full-service Web division in 2000; expanding into Nashville in 2004; recruiting former state economic development deputy commissioner Mike Kopp in 2005; and developing (the Kansas City Barbeque Society and International Chili Society) relationships.
Greatest Business Challenge: Achieving consistent profitability in a creative environment. Clients today need big-time creative solutions on very limited budgets. Solving that equation, all while satisfying the client and contributing to our own bottom line, is a daily challenge.
Greatest Client Challenge: Convincing them that there is no magic marketing spigot. You can't simply turn it on or off based on need. We develop custom marketing programs, and that takes ingenuity, process and time.
What is Your Greatest Frustration? Staying focused on the big picture. I still play a significant daily role in creative concepting, approval and client relations. The result: I don't get to budget as much time as I would like on strategic initiatives.
Mentors: One person who has had a profound impact on my career and continues to give me daily motivation is Jesse Kaufman, a former competitor who became my first senior vice president and partner at MMA.
- Mike McCloud
MMA Creative Inc.
President/CEO: Mike McCloud
Address: 700 Craighead St., Suite 105, Nashville 37204
Phone: 615-297-6886 (Nashville), 931-528-8852 (Cookeville)
Web site: mmacreative.com
Revenue: $2.3 million
What they do: Advertising, marketing and Web design
You can reach Eric Snyder at esnyder@bizjournals.com or 615-846-4254.
Mike Kopp was invited to join local business and community leaders in Jackson, Tennessee and from across the state who gathered for an intensive strategic planning session hosted by the Jackson-Madison County Chamber of Commerce. The session focused on proactive steps the chamber needs to be taking to stimulate continued job growth and job retention, including Web marketing strategies.
MMA Creative teamed up with Video One Productions to conduct interviews with leaders in health care and government for a video that will be used to globally promote the new Nashville Medical Trade Center.
Mike McCloud, MMA's president and CEO, will moderate a retail summit hosted by the Cookeville-Putnam County Chamber of Commerce on Tuesday, Oct. 6. The Retail Recovery Summit will be held at the Leslie Town Centre in the Estes Williams Business Center from 5:30-7:30 p.m.
The summit, which will focus on how to survive and thrive in today’s economy, will feature a panel of consultants from media, marketing and merchandising professions. Each speaker will discuss how to get the most out of a retailer’s budget and marketing efforts, as well as answer questions from attendees in an open forum atmosphere.
“Finding ways to help our retail membership has been a strategic focus of the chamber for quite some time now,” stated McCloud, who will moderate the panel and provide marketing insight during the event. Now in his third year as a director of the chamber board, McCloud served as the initial chairperson for the retail committee as it developed a strategic plan of support and growth for retail members.
“I’m excited about this seminar and the experts we’ve lined up to help our retail membership,” said McCloud.
In addition to the advice, local chamber media partners have donated $3,000 in free advertising that will be given away to several lucky attendees at the conclusion of the forum.
Speakers for the summit include Heather Kent, an award-winning advertising manager in Murfreesboro with Gannett; Ron Covert, a 20-year radio veteran from Lawrence, Kan., and partner with Wizard of Ads Academy; Mable Willoughby, a regional merchandizing manager for Cracker Barrel; Gib Prosise, Southeast local sales manager for Comcast Spotlight; and McCloud, who will discuss social media in addition to moderating the panel.
Local media underwrote the speakers’ fees, which allowed the Chamber to offer the program free of charge to interested retailers.
For more information, contact the chamber at 931-526-2211.
As the official health care provider of the Tennessee Titans, Saint Thomas Health Services wanted to kick off the 2009 NFL season properly. So, once the pregame festivities wrapped up and the Titans-Steelers tilt was underway, Saint Thomas launched a Web and social media campaign built around its relationship with the Titans and head coach Jeff Fisher.
Of course, this effort was in the planning and development stages for months. Led by Rebecca Climer, Saint Thomas’ vice president of communications, the MMA Creative team was given the green light to provide insight and creative on how best to use social media’s interactive and viral nature to get even more mileage out of the hospital system’s broadcast campaign featuring Fisher. Having already redesigned the Saint Thomas Health Systems Web site and developed a social media strategy for the health care provider’s service lines, MMA was in the perfect position to take the ball and run with it.
By sharing creative and working in conjunction with the Titans interactive department, MMA developed a page on the official Titans Web site highlighting the broadcast campaign’s videos. Additionally, the page features links to the Saint Thomas Facebook page and customized YouTube channel (both of which also feature the videos).
Two other elements that were added into the mix include interviews with Fisher: one that focuses on his philosophy on life, and a nine-part series of candid interviews that take place behind the scenes.
“This is a very unprecedented move for both an NFL club and one of its corporate partners,” said Mike Kopp, MMA’s senior VP for strategy who has been working with Saint Thomas and the Titans. “No other team has the type of unique partnership that exists between Saint Thomas and the Titans. It’s really a relationship that’s a win-win for both, and we’re proud to be a part of it.”
MMA Creative president/CEO Mike McCloud and senior VP/strategy Mike Kopp will conduct breakout sessions during the 56th Annual Governor’s Conference on Economic and Community Development, held at the Gaylord Opryland Hotel in Nashville Sept. 14-15.
During Session 4 on Monday, McCloud and Kopp will discuss the state's newest tool to market Tennessee to investor companies: www.investtennessee.org. They will also show off a Web service that TVA offers to small communities who need a Web presence but have very limited financial resources.
During Session 5, also on Monday, the topic will be social media and its impact on economic development.
Click here to learn more about the Governor's Conference.
While most cities are feeling the pinch of decreasing tax revenues, the City of Clarksville is enjoying annual growth thanks in part to a new marketing campaign by MMA Creative. To find out more: http://www.newschannel5.com/Global/story.asp?S=10953259
MMA was proud to partner with Tennessee Association of Mental Health Organizations in a 50th Anniversary marketing campaign that garnered a 2008 Award of Excellence for "Best Special Project" from the Tennessee Society of Association Executives for its design and effectiveness.
The essential and most significant phase of the project, according to Teresa Fuqua, director of member services, was the "Keeping the Promise" public policy document.
"MMA Creative was engaged to provide consultation and design of the document to assure a quality product," said Fuqua. "The end result was an incredibly powerful document that portrayed 50 years of our association keeping the promise, while depicting sustainability for years to come.
As part of the TAMHO 50th Anniversary Project, our team updated the TAMHO brand, which included creating a 50th anniversary logo and a new corporate color scheme. The new icon has multiple translations that are representative of both the organization's name and its mental health mission.
MMA also assisted TAMHO in rebranding its Web site, complete with flash technology, an interactive service access directory, convenient links and resources and a "members only" information and resource access area.
The Nashville For All Of Us business and community coalition that defeated an English Only ballot initiative earlier this year has been awarded the coveted Silver Anvil award from the Public Relations Society of America for its successful communications efforts. The award was announced at PRSA's national event in New York City on June 5. MMA Creative served as an advisor to the campaign, and developed and executed the campaign's direct mail program. This year’s competition featured 893 total entries, and 126 organizations were selected as finalists. Nashville For All Of Us won the award in the category of Public Affairs.
MMA President Mike McCloud recently conducted two national webinars for members of the Association for Manufacturing Technology. The presentations focused on today's Top 10 Customer-Driven Web Trends and how to integrate them into next-generation web platforms. More than 60 capital goods and tooling companies from across the nation participated in the webinars.
In a standing-room only crowd of small and large business owners, Mike McCloud and Mike Kopp recently shared their thoughts on the state of Social Media and why businesses should care. From Twitter to Facebook, Google to Wikipedia, the "Mikes" unveiled insights and case studies on how their clients are harnessing Social Media for positive results, as well as avoiding some of the pitfalls that can damage a company's brand. To find out more, contact MMA today, and stay tuned to updates on where the Mikes will be speaking next.
MMA Creative was tapped by Nashville's community and business leaders to help defeat an English First amendment to the city's charter. In addition to providing strategic counsel, MMA developed and managed the massive direct mail campaign for the January 22, 2009, special election.
In a joint effort with Alliance for the Cumberlands and the U.S. Economic Development Administration, MMA Creative has helped launched letsgoplateau.com. The site showcases the Plateau's many natural resources and historic sites. It also features descriptive videos and a soundtrack from local musicians. The site was the subject of a recent feature article in the Knoxville News-Sentinel. Learn more by visiting letsgoplateau.com.
In an attempt to fight underage drinking and negative peer pressure, MMA has helped Power of Putnam (POP) develop and launch a comprehensive marketing campaign aimed at local youth and their parents. The campaign features a "NO" theme built into "KnowPower", and will use teen-related messaging/design features to extol the benefits of turning away from alcohol use and abuse.
When leaders in Clarksville sought a way to put Tennessee's fifth largest city on the national map, they turned to MMA Creative. Utilizing the agency's economic development background and marketing expertise, a new slogan was developed that not only promoted the City's growing advantages in many key areas, but also its geographical location as the gateway to the Volunteer state. Today, "Tennessee's Top Spot" has already been proven and acknowledged by the recent announcement of a worldwide site selection by Hemlock Semiconducter, a Dow Corning company that will invest over a billion dollars in the Clarksville area.
Think traveling gnome...only, with a barbeque bib! That kind of represents one of the most ambitious marketing programs ever developed and successfully completed by MMA on behalf of a client. And what a fun-filled, appetizing promo it was! After 6 months of planning and 8 months of touring throughout the U.S., MMA helped the Kansas City Barbeque Society spread its BBQ wings, introduce new grilling techniques to backyard grillers everywhere, and expand its membership in 2008. The tour, which was underwritten by national sponsors like Tabasco and Weber Grill Creations, visited 25 cities from coast to coast before pulling into Lynchburg, Tenn. for the World Invitational BBQ Championship. The tour is now ramping up for its second year and will include additional sponsors to make it bigger and better in 2009.
