Morgan and Company

Raised Floor Living

Eric Morgan — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 03:48:12 +0000

We recently launched an initiative that utilized some cool interactive tactics. Instead of the old standby strategy of driving people to a website for Southern Forest Products Association’s Raised Floor Living campaign, we brought the site to the people. By employing expandable ad units, the creative transforms from a standard call to action ad into the Raised Floor Living website when rolled over. So the web user visits the Raised Floor Living site without ever leaving the web page they were initially on. Creative? Yes. Effective? No question. With an expansion rate of 9.53% it was amazingly effective, smashing the usual click rates of most traditional creative tactics.

With a consistent Average Time on Page of almost 2 minutes, its clear that traffic was a highly qualified audience. Prior to the initiative, the Average Time on Page was in the neighborhood of 0:35 seconds. A strong jump in engagement between the brand and the consumer.

The most compelling metrics are a comparison of web traffic year over year during campaign periods. With the 2009 initiative securing 87,330 unique visits, Morgan + Company was able to increase site traffic by 58% over the campaign period during 2008.

The Ultimate Endorsement?

Eric Morgan — Sun, 10 Jan 2010 03:03:47 +0000

How about this for an endorsement – Barack Obama on a billboard in Time Square wearing your jacket during his trip to the Great Wall in China. I’m sure that will grab some attention and sell a few jackets. Well it did grab some attention – from the White House. Turns out that the Weatherproof brand used the image without the approval of Obama and has since been ordered to take down the board. If they were trying to get noticed, mission accomplished. Even if they received a slap on the wrist in the process.

Is there any bottom?

Eric Morgan — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 03:55:09 +0000

A recent article from the Wall Street Journal highlights the endless decline of newspaper circulations. Some points worth noting: For the last 6 months the average weekday newspaper circulation dropped almost 11%; the San Francisco Chronicle’s circulation dropped 26% and the Miami Herald’s circulation dropped 23%. With less revenue due to the loss of circulation/subscription income, publishers must increase ad rates and subscription rates to balance the books. Unfortunately most publishers fail to see that raising rates isn’t the solution. Its time for a new approach to their business model. But is it even possible for the newspaper industry to survive, much less turn things around? What model could be the answer to a non-digital channel’s pain in the 21st century? They won’t ever be the medium for late breaking news or two-way communication with their audience (unless you factor in their online properties). Maybe more in-depth articles, investigative reporting? Does anyone have the answer? If so, I’m sure there are a few publishers out there that would like to hear from you.

Eric

Track Record

Eric Morgan — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 01:28:54 +0000

I’m not sure if its a testament to the work we we do, the clients we partner with or the people inside of Morgan and Company (maybe a combination of all of the above). But for a second year in a row Morgan and Company made the Inc. 5,000 list for growth from 2005 to 2008. I can attest that the people make a huge difference. Smart, curious and passionate about the art and science of communication. Thank you to all for the great work and for keeping New Orleans on the map. Eric

We are shaped by our surroundings

Eric Morgan — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 08:33:35 +0000

This has never been more true to me than on the car ride home yesterday. I picked up my little girl from daycare and while in route to the house I suddenly recalled having forgotten to take care of something earlier in the day. Ok, I forgot to order the sandwiches for my monthly poker game. So logically the first (and only) thing out of the my mouth when I realized the oversight of such an extremely important task was to say the F word. Half way through the word I tried to recover with a quick and very sloppy transition into the word fudge, but the damage was done. My daughter heard the F word. Definetely not the first time but for some reason she latched on to it this time around. In fact she managed shout it out twice in the next three blocks of our drive. In my quick thinking I switched to my wife’s strategy (yes, she’s said the F word in front of my daughter) which is to follow up my daughther’s F word with “Truck?” Where do you see a truck honey? Even at 22 months I don’t think she bought it. We are product of our surrounding. And that surrounding and environment can be powerful in shaping our behavior. You have to love the art of communication.

Eric

There are no boundaries

Eric Morgan — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 08:22:27 +0000

This article in yesterday’s Wall Street Journal demonstrates that there really are no boundaries left for those of us in the world of marketing. I don’t necissarily agree with this approach to selling a movie (or any product for that matter) but I can see how a case can be made for incorporating such a tactic. Of course it must make complete sense in response to the goals at hand. And the sublty of this pitch was done in good taste. Too bad the movie has been a flop in terms of gaining recognition on other levels. A perfect opportunity wasted.

Eric

Innovators

Eric Morgan — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 18:30:37 +0000

Under the leadership and hard work of our very own Damien LaManna, Net2NO was named an Innovator of the Year by New Orleans CityBusiness. Congrats to Damien and the rest of the folks at Net2NO for their role in building a greater social change agents and tech experts community in New Orleans.

Digital Divide? Don’t tell the homeless.

Eric Morgan — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 21:46:21 +0000

This article from the cover of Friday’s Wall Street Journal (5/29/09) was astonishing. I’m sure no one would have thought of the homeless in our communities to be so connected, much less put such an emphasis on that connection. But in reality, homeless or not, as Americans we are all addicted to the consumption of information, news, opinions and everything else. And for some (if not many) the internet is way to escape reality or maybe even enhance it. As a marketing firm full of media planners and buyers, it is our job to determine how people gather information, how they reach decisions and how communication shapes who they are as individuals. I think this article speaks volumes to who we are as individuals. Or should I say who we are as connection junkies.

Eric

Jazz Fest 2009 Report

Eric Morgan — Sun, 26 Apr 2009 01:41:57 +0000

Our annual trek to the first day of Jazz Fest was a great success. We snuck out at noon on Friday to grab lunch and catch a few acts. The weather was perfect and the food was amazing. Crawfish bread, boudin balls, duck po-boys and crawfish sacks. Oh, and beer. In between our stroll around the Fair Grounds where we took in the sites and booths, we caught Buckweaht Zydeco, Trombone Shorty and Spoon. So far, the Fest is off to a great start.

Team meeting with all accounted for…

Emily and Jennifer trying to fit in at Jazz Fest… (you guessed it, they’re not local).

Nee Nee, Katie Kelly and Mr. Twitter enjoy the music at the Gentilly Stage…

Creativity

Eric Morgan — Sat, 25 Apr 2009 19:34:40 +0000

Those who roam the halls of Morgan and Company devote their brain cells to devising ways to bridge the gap between brand and user. In the historical sense, the media planners and/or media buyers would maintain a focus on the tried and true – the :30 spot, a print or maybe some billboard at the intersection of Someplace and Somewhere. All a great way to add to the noise and blend in with the herd. To change the game, we’ve devoted time and energy over the years to creating an intricate path, which when followed properly, reveals key aspects of an individual’s life that demonstrated how we can create a meaningful dialogue with them on behalf of the brands we represent.

As a little exhibition of the outcome of our work, the video clip below showcases one of our more recent success stories. We recently created a partnership between the New Orleans NBC affiliate WDSU and our client Island View Casino Resort in Gulfport, Mississippi. It took longer than expected but it was well worth it. The opportunity to present real time images of the Gulf Coast during weather reports within highly viewed news segments is a great way to form a bond with the viewers. Brand awaress and name recognition is achieved by delivering a feature that consumers want from their weather forecast. All the while being far more effective than a traditional tactic. And we also have the technology in front of the audience online so they can access it 24/7. And just in time for summer. Great job team.

Eric