Innova Ideas & Services

Some months ago, I started to research Hispanic social networks in preparation for a presentation I was to give in St. Paul, MN. What started as simple fact finding quickly turned into a side project, but hopefully, a worthwhile one. I have to say this is not truly original thinking...

The “Mac vs. PC” campaign just keeps on going. You can hardly watch prime time TV without coming across one of these ads, the most recent of which features a guest appearance by Patrick Warburton as a top-of-the-line PC. La...

Translation problems continue to be ubiquitous. By now, most marketers know that translating marketing messages is a task best left to experts. If I had a dollar for every time someone recalls the Chevy Nova story, I would have taken an extra vacation to Puerto Rico by now. Yet, the story persists...

Photography can make or break a project. Whether it’s stock photography or a photo shoot, the tone can be set by the images the viewer sees first. An image can convey a message in seconds that can in turn be paired with supporting copy to drive your point home. ...

Last Friday, a crew of Sigler Companies volunteers (from Innova, Sigler and Signify) helped Food at First serve dinner to some hungry folks in need of a free meal. And, well, we came away pretty inspired by the event...

It’s official. You’re seriously out of the loop if you’re not on Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, LinkedIn or any combination thereof. Over 272 million people worldwide use social networks – it’s definitely a place advertisers need to be. But as I...

If you walked into a salon for an appointment and your stylist greeted you with dirty, tangled hair, would you feel comfortable letting them create your new look? The same concept applies to marketing agencies who want to help clients with their social media needs. Practice what you preach...

Just prior to the economic downturn, sustainability and Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) were breaking into mainstream corporate thinking. Will the newfound, simplified vision of our needs and wants in today’s economy take that trend even further? ...

I work with many B2B clients who are concerned about lack of awareness for their products and a slowing pipeline of sales. Many built their business on referrals or word-of-mouth and have never had to rely on targeting prospects and winning new business...

With the economy in flux and many companies reallocating money from marketing budgets, businesses are revisiting the importance of search engine optimization (SEO). SEO is far from new, but people are seeing it as a timely opportunity to get free exposure from search engines...

Innova’s sister company Sigler Printing has made the news! Last week, Iowa NBC affiliate WHO-TV 13 ran a series of stories focused on local environmental efforts. On Wednesday, they featured Sigler Printing and addressed how the company is reducing its environmental footprint. ...

Congratulations to Sigler Companies’ CEO Ron McMillen! Ron was named Business Person of the Year by the Ames Chamber of Commerce. In a brief ceremony on Feb. ...

A couple of years ago, I was invited to address a breakfast club of CEOs, presidents and executives of some of Des Moines’ most well-known companies. The group suggested I speak about Hispanic marketing and the importance of communicating directly with this viable demographic segment. ...