Week 2 Speaker: The Garfield Group

Mike@dreamitventures.com — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 08:19:53 GMT

Our speaker for the evening of June 3rd was Gretchen Roede, president of the Garfield Group Public Relations. The Garfield group Public Relations specializes in media relations, and Gretchen gave an umbrella description of their services as well as her personal history in order to introduce us to the content for the evening.

Gretchen offered the companies a few techniques for conducting "poor-man's market research", and went on to lay the marketing framework that our companies can apply to their own situation. These include the strategy document, the message model, and a comprehensive strategy plan. It was important to note the cyclical nature of the marketing campaign, with specific attention paid to the measurements and adjustments manifested by the evaluation phase.

Because the message model plays such a prominent role in the basis for communication, Gretchen addressed the three sided nature of the model itself, with each side buttressing the centrally located core promise. Specific examples of the 2000 Clinton Political campaign and '4anything' served as clear illustrations of how a concise message model can function as a vehicle for successful marketing.

Another technique Gretchen touched on was the use of 'Moniker & the Market'. She explained how a 'Y2K' Information Technology company was able to rename a technology they were strong in to address the Y2K need , and thereby define a unqiue space to work in - and how they were able be nimble in order to present the product.

Gretchen also offered some quick tips to aid companies in the brainstorming methodology and to identity a process that sounded both fun and useful to a younger stage company. At this point the discussion was opened up to questions.

The session was a very insightful look into the marketing mechanisms, both simple and complex, used to promote products and services. We thank Gretchen and the Garfield Group for her time and information that should prove to be invaluable in an ever-changing early-stage landscape.

DreamIt Ventures Blog

Week 2 Speaker: The Garfield Group