What's in YOUR coffee?

Well, if you had a cup of joe from the Vanguard At Cost Cafe throughout the month of October, you'd find great taste and great value!

TEAM teamed up with MDC Partners sister agency kbs+ (Kirshenbaum Bond Senecal+) to develop, produce, and execute the Vanguard At Cost Café at festivals in upstate New York throughout October.  Capitalizing on the recent food truck phenomenon, Vanguard made a café-on-wheels of their very own.  The goal was to bring to life the concept of a premium product at a not-so-premium price...coffee, financial services...you get the pcture!  TEAM ambassadors took to streets in upstate New York to target festival-goers and offer them premium La Columbe coffee (if you have not had it, you're missing out!) at a not-so-premium price.  Over 2,200 cups of coffee were sold throughout the program.  The At Cost Café was a huge hit among event attendees, who were pleasantly surprised (and caffeinated) to learn how we were able to provide the “perfect cup of coffee” for such a nominal fee ($0.28 cents to be exact). Being the only coffee vendor for each event, the At Cost Café quickly became a frequent hangout for coffee lovers. The At Cost Café was successful in having consumers ask questions regarding Vanguard and the relation between coffee and investments. The coffee was a great hit among consumers - many frequented our truck multiple times commenting on the incredible coffee and even better price.

A Loss

An unimaginable weekend, going from such a high on Friday, to a devastating low on Sunday. What a loss - to Dan's family, to the Andretti Autosport family, and to the racing community.  Our thoughts are with you all.  Please click here for information on the memorial service for Dan Wheldon.

Gentlemen (and Ladies), Start Your Engines!

It is with tremendous excitement that we announce the launch of Andretti Sports Marketing.  The full text of the release is printed below and the link to Stuart Elliott's piece in today New York Times is here.  All we can say is, look out (sports marketing) world, here we come!

Andretti Sports Marketing Launches To Provide Best-in-Class Marketing Expertise

New firm, a collaboration between Andretti Autosport™ and MDC Partners, delivers world-class strategy, activation management, proprietary data tracking and analytics to deliver targeted ROI for sports marketing sponsors

Indianapolis, IN October 14, 2011 – Michael Andretti today announced the launch of Andretti Sports Marketing LLC. The new venture is the result of the business expansion strategy of INDYCAR team Andretti Autosport™ to provide turn-key marketing solutions for companies both within and outside of its sponsor base.  Andretti Sports Marketing is collaborating with MDC Partners and its agencies TEAM Enterprises and BOOM! Marketing to deliver a strong network of resources in offering world-class sponsorship activation management, deal structuring, public relations strategy, proprietary data tracking, turn-key marketing consultation, digital solutions, analytics and a complete suite of sports marketing services with a core focus on targeted return on investment for sponsors investing in sports marketing.  Andretti Sports Marketing will leverage the considerable expertise of its staff in multiple sports marketing formats on behalf of corporate clients in all forms of sport as well as in professional motorsports where Andretti Autosport™ made its mark as one of North America’s leading sports marketing properties.  

Headquartered in Indianapolis, Andretti Sports Marketing will operate across the U.S. and Canada, with regional offices established in Toronto, New York and Fort Lauderdale. Management of the firm includes Chairman and CEO Michael Andretti and President John Lopes, who also continues with his role as CMO of Andretti Autosport™. “We have consistently brought together the industry’s most talented marketing professionals and sponsorship entities to our winning tradition,” said Michael Andretti.  “We are bringing that same level of best-in-class talent in broadening the scope of our marketing business in order to enable sponsors to drive extraordinary return on their marketing investment.  I am thrilled to collaborate with MDC Partners, Miles Nadal, Dan Gregory, Nicole Gallucci and their proven talent on this exciting venture.”

U.S.-based TEAM Enterprises and Canadian-based BOOM! Marketing will combine to give Andretti Sports Marketing a seamless North American activation footprint and provide an integration bridge into the overall MDC Partners agency network.

“We are excited to work with Michael Andretti and his talented staff in the growing and demanding area of sports marketing,” said Miles Nadal, Chairman and CEO, MDC Partners.  “Our vision is to continuously find new ways to bring top talent together, across different disciplines, creating innovative marketing solutions and the highest level of ROI for our clients. Between the reputation and iconic brand of Andretti Autosport™ and the cutting-edge experiential marketing expertise of TEAM Enterprises and BOOM! Marketing, we are confident that we will quickly develop an industry-leading sports marketing ally both for MDC Partners’ and Andretti Sports Marketing’s clients."

Andretti client and Chief Marketing Officer of OneAmerica Financial Partners, Inc. Brian Lauber greeted the announcement with enthusiasm: "We have been working with Andretti Autosport™ for over six years and value their professionalism and brand strength.  The MDC Partners collaboration allows OneAmerica the ability to leverage the Andretti brand along with a full suite of professional marketing offerings through a strong network of established agencies that specialize in all aspects of agency work and activation - this is the kind of leverage any CMO would dream of and now Andretti Sports Marketing delivers it in a single package!"

About Andretti Sports Marketing
Based in Indianapolis with regional offices in Toronto, New York and Fort Lauderdale, Andretti Sports Marketing LLC manages turn-key marketing solutions that drive targeted return-on-investment for its professional sports marketing clients. Led by racing legend Michael Andretti, Andretti Sports Marketing collaborates with MDC Partners’ agencies BOOM! Marketing and TEAM Enterprises, blending a winning formula for corporations leveraging their brands within the sports marketing industry and to provide a seamless North American activation footprint. For more information on Andretti Sports Marketing, visit www.andrettisportsmarketing.com.  For more information on Andretti Autosport™, visit www.andrettiautosport.com, Facebook.com/AndrettiAutosport and on Twitter @FollowAndretti.

About TEAM Enterprises:
Based in Fort Lauderdale, TEAM Enterprises, an MDC Partners company (MDCA), is one of the nation’s largest and most successful experiential marketing firms, with a network of over 450 full time employees and 7,000 event specialists across North America.  The firm services blue-chip clients including MillerCoors, Bacardi USA, Sears, DISH network, Elizabeth Arden and Subway, and produces immersive, interactive brand experiences that physically engage and influence consumers where they live, work and play.  For more information on TEAM Enterprises, visit www.teamenterprises.com and Facebook.com/TEAMenterprises and on Twitter @TEAMenterprises.

About BOOM! Marketing:
With headquarters in Toronto, BOOM! Marketing, an MDC Partners company (MDCA), is one of Canada’s leading interactive, experiential agencies with a national network of over 2000 full and part time Boomers who produce world-famous, high-rate-of-return work for clients including Energizer, Clorox, Maple Leaf and Target.  For more information on Boom! Marketing, visit www.boommarketing.ca and Facebook.com/boombanter.ca and on Twitter @Boombanter.

Getting The Day Off To A Good Start

This is how we started our day today*:

And what a fine way to start the day that Facebook posting was!  We all get caught up in the daily grind - even when we love what we do, sometimes we forget why that matters.  As critically important, and satisfying, as it is to run a company that helps our clients' businesses grow, it's even more important, and satisfying, to see our people grow!  As the great philosopher said, "A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step."  For some, that first single step can be their first job here with us.  One of our great strengths as an organization is how many people have come up through the ranks with us, from first promo specialist gig to experienced manager.  It is a pleasure to behold, and to be a part of.  This post today made us stop and think about how many journeys of a thousand miles have started, and continue to start, here with us, and it made us very happy.  And it also made us think of how important social media has become in our lives, because without it, we probably wouldn't have gotten such a lovely start to our day.

*(name intentionally partially obscured)

We Are Up To The Challenge!

Bacardi U.S.A. has been a client of our since our early days in Boston in the late 80's.  Together we have grown, evolved, and flourished, and we have each expanded our portfolios to add new capabilities (TEAM) and brands (Bacardi U.S.A.).  So we were especially excited to help welcome a new product to the venerable House of Bacardi:  a delicious spiced rum called Bacardi OakHeart.  To kick off the launch's three-month experiential program, on the night of September 15, we challenged 15,000 consumers in markets across the country to take...The OakHeart Challenge!  Consumers were invited to sample the product, either alone or with cola, and to come up with their own unique three-word toast for a change to win an OakHeart stein, or the grand prize of a goodie-filled barrel.  For those who weren't out on the town that night, consumers could get in on the fun via the brand's Facebook page (and they still can - check it out here.)  To read more about it in Event Marketer Magazine, please click here.

What a hot summer!

Integrated marketing is more important now than ever before.  For our client Miller Coors, we helped make their 360° Miller Lite "Save Summer" campaign come to life with consumers at thousands of events across the country.  Our "Lite Guards" helped protect beer drinkers from making "unmanly" choices, both with real life beverage decisions, and using interactive games on iPads.  They also helped consumers participate in the digital components of the program, as well, by educating consumers and waitservice staff on how to enroll in and collect Taste Points via FourSquare and Facebook.  the Lite Guards were a hit wherever they went, helping to bring above-the-line marketing campaign to life in the experiential world...and saving summer while doing so!   Read all about it in Event Marketer Magazine here..

Helping Miller High Life Thank Veterans

We do a lot of cool, interesting, fun programs here at TEAM for a lot of cool, interesting, fun clients.  But one that is especially near and dear to our hearts is the "Give Veterans A Piece of the High Life," in which we help our client, Miller High Life, raise money for the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA.org) to thank returning vets and their families for their service.  Just wrapping up its second successful year, this program was originally conceived as a national program supported with traditional tools like advertising, POS, appearances by beloved purveyor of common sense Windell Holmes and on-package messaging.  When we heard about it, we wanted to help do our part too, and so worked with Miller Coors field marketing managers to develop an experiential program that would bring this terrific initiative to life with consumers, retailers and service industry people directly.  The program was such a hit in its first year that it was expanded for the second year.  Check out this link to hear from veterans themselves what Miller High Life's partnership with IAVA.org means to them.  Promo Magazine did a terrific two-part article about the program which you can read here and here.  We look forward to rolling it out again next year, but definitely don't wait 'til then to thank a veteran!

TEAM is IT again, according to Event Marketer!

Happy to say that once again, TEAM in among the select agencies that made Event Marketer magazine's 2011 IT LIST - and that is due, in large measure, to the great job you do! Congrats and thank you! Take a look at the full listing at Event Marketer's site here.

A Good Shave for a Great Cause!

To celebrate the launch of our client Bic's new Flex4 razor, BIC TEAMed up with the men of Orange County Choppers (OCC) to support the BIC4Good program.  The program was an initiative to ask Americans to shave their heads - in real life or virtually via website.  In return, BIC Flex4 would make a donation to charity.  TEAM was asked to take this initiative to the Buffalo Chip Campgrounds in Sturgis, SD, which is host to the legendary Motorcycle Rally Week.  Our goal?  To convince at least 375 biker dudes, who are quite fond of their luscious locks, to shave their heads and help BIC donate $15,000 to the the Kids & Chrome Foundation (KIDS = local kids of Sturgis and CHROME = the Sturgis Motorcycle Museum & Hall of Fame).  We created a BIC4Good mobile barbershiop to activate at The Chip, which featured three shaving stations that consumers visited to get their heads shaved by our licensed cosmetologists.  Nightly from 6-10 pm our barber chairs were occupied with an array of bikers eager to help support the good cause.  The crowd response was astounding - as quickly as you mentioned that BIC was doing this for local kids' charities, people would jump into the chair.  We heard comments like "For kids?  I'm in - I haven't cut my hair in 10 years, but I'll do it for kids!"  We are thrilled to report that we signficantly surpassed our goal, and BIC donated a nice, fat check to the Kids & Chrome foundation.  Learn more about it here.

Top 10 Ranking in 2011 Promo100

PROMO magazine, one of the leading industry publications, released their 2011 Promo100 list yesterday.  For over 15 years, PROMO magazine has been publishing this “state of the business” list which ranks agencies by net revenue.  This year TEAM was ranked as one of the top experiential/event marketing agencies, at number 8, and TEAM’s overall promotional agency ranking rose from last year’s #51 to this year’s ranking at #30.  As the executive editor of PROMO magazine, Patty Odell, states, this listing “recognizes the best and brightest agencies” in the industry, and as we know, at TEAM, our people are our product.  We take tremendous pride in this public recognition.  This past year has been a great one for us – capped off by our new rankings - and we know that the year ahead looks to be even brighter.

Full editorial coverage will be published in the Aug/Sept issue, but in the meanwhile, you can download the PDF for the full rankings here:   http://www.b2bmarketingtrends.com/Webcasts/2011_PROMO100_Webinar_Dwnload.pdf

Making our Debut at the Event Marketing Summit in Chicago! #EMSCHI

Last week TEAM president Sean O’Toole and Bacardi Brand Manager Jason Dyke made TEAM’s inaugural presentation at the Event Marketing Summit. The summit, organized by Red 7’s Event Marketer magazine, is a 3-day conference with almost 1000 attendees gathering in Chicago to learn from thought leaders in experiential marketing.  While Bacardi has taken part in years prior, this was the first time that we had been asked to participate, and it was an even bigger honor given that the summit focuses on brand presentations and rarely invites agencies to speak.

On Tuesday May 17, we held our 45 minute presentation about the convergence between social media and traditional engagement marketing being the sweet spot for brands to win the heart, minds, and ultimately dollars of their consumers.  Our goal with our presentation was to show, rather than just tell – after all, we ARE an experiential marketing agency! To that end, we created a mini-event in the conference room.  The room was filled to capacity – we were in the largest room which holds approximately 330 people – and attendees were lined up outside the doors waiting to get in well in advance of our 4:15 scheduled start time.  As the attendees walked in to the room, which was fully branded with “Bacardi Together” signage and a state-of-the-art bar loaded with Bacardi product and branding, brand evangelists offered guests a Bacardi Cuba Libre (after all, we were the last presentation of the day, and it WAS happy hour back in Miami!).  Throughout the presentation, TEAM’s Bacardi Portfolio mixologist Pablo Moix was creating signature Bacardi cocktails and afterwards, offered to show interested attendees how to make a classic Bacardi Mojito.  After the presentation was over, we created a second event at a local key account, the Bull and Bear, which featured several Bacardi drinks on special, including the new Arctic Grape flavor, which was very well received.  We had our wonderful brand evangelists interacting with guests, inviting them to engage with interactive Bacardi games on iPads and the summer-themed green screen photo station. Despite it being an unseasonably chilly Tuesday night, the place was packed and a great time was had by all.

The presentation highlighted the Bacardi Together platform and tactics of “1 million likes” and the million-sample Flavor Blitz, which is a strategic and massive-scale example of the important symbiotic relationship between events in the real and cyber worlds.  It was a terrific forum to explain how an actual experiential program, in conjunction with the harnessing of the power of social media, works in tandem to build brand affinity, create memorable brand experiences, and continue building a loyal consumer base for Bacardi and their new flavors.  We tracked the evolution of experiential marketing and how we have created ground-breaking experiential programming for Bacardi over the course of our 2-decade-long relationship, and discussed where we see the industry going in the near future. If you’re not already familiar with some of the incredibly powerful applications for Augmented Reality, you should definitely acquaint yourselves!

We had a terrific time in Chicago, and look forward to our next opportunity to continue the conversation with our experiential marketing peers. If you’d like to continue the conversation with us, or would like to learn more about the content of our presentation, please contact us at info@teament.com. Please take a look for yourselves by checking out our photo album entitled Chicago Event Marketing Summit 2011 at https://www.facebook.com/TEAMenterprises.

A Fresh Perspective About A Great TEAM

To say I’m the ‘newbie’ of the MillerCoors TEAM is quite an understatement. The day I walked into the thrice-yearly training meeting in LA was literally my sixth day on the job. But there was something about being in my hometown and the territory I used to call on when I was in the field. Even though I’m from Chicago now, it felt like home which is a good thing, since all of the sudden I was meeting and seeing hundreds of new faces!

As I walked into the welcome festivities, I quickly scanned the room for any one of five familiar faces who I knew would be there.  No luck.  So I "eenie, meenie, miney, mo'd" it and chose a table to mingle with.  What are the odds that out of all the people there, I chose the Chicago crew?  And with that, I met some of the nicest and most welcoming people there.

Overall, it was an incredibly planned and thought-out few days of speakers, inspiring brand roll-outs, way too many “Winning” comments (the whole Charlie Sheen thing was compounded by being in L.A.) , and of course, hanging with my new peers…all done with a great view and under the twinkly ceiling of the “Starlight Room”.  To meet, eat, and party all in the same space was quite impressive and those involved in the planning (our rockstar, Alissa Tellier) definitely deserve some props.

The fun part for me was simply sitting back and observing. The side conversations…the banter….the accents! It was actually kinda cool being a ‘no-namer’ there because I was just like a fly on the wall taking it all in and piecing it altogether. The amount of acronyms thrown out that week was astounding – if I didn’t know better I would have thought there was a secret TEAM and MillerCoors language.  I actually had some fun trying to decipher and make up my own interpretation. (I was only slightly bummed to find out that a “S.I.N.” event was not an impromptu trip to Vegas.) But I have been assured that I'll be fluent in that language sooner than I expect!

The collaboration that went on that week was impressive and exciting to witness. Watching the AMs in multiple forums in which they shared their knowledge and collaborated on best practices was my personal favorite. Everyone had SO much to address and recommend. This ensures that TEAM keeps our finger on the pulse and continue to provide engaging AND relevant brand plans to our field superstars and build our clients' business.

And the parties... There’s something about getting people into their "out on the town" attire and out of the hotel that guarantees that bonding will ensue!  After all, we were there in support of our client MillerCoors and their full portfolio of wonderful brands!  From the beer pairing dinner, to a bar crawl on Hollywood Blvd, to a great night of Jay Leno, TEAMY awards and bull riding, these folks know how to have a good time. I think I’m gonna like it here….

written by:  Lindsey Kops, Account Director for MillerCoors business & based in Chicago

Get Fit + Go Green = Very Smart!

TEAM and client KMart went back to school last week with a LOT of bikes.  The idea was to connect with college kids to introduce an affordable, high quality and fun way to get around campus - especially for college freshmen who aren't allowed to have a car at the University of Miami.  With a great group of brand evangelists demonstrating the products, talking to consumers, and organizing test "drives", TEAM and KMart reached hundreds of students and sold almost 70 bikes in just two short afternoons!

See pictures here.

What's in a Legacy?

Bacardi to be exact and on February 1^st, 2011 a handful of the nation’s top mixologists proved just that on South Beach!

After years in this industry, there is one tell-tale sign for me that everyone is having a great time and TEAM has pulled off another great event….I call it “the Midnight Grin.”  As I ran from one end of the event to another (in a blazer in Miami, no less!) looking for waiters to remove trash, refill ice and count heads, I noticed the grin on people’s faces.  Sure, part of it could have been the complimentary Bacardi Gold mojitos, but something was in the air and there was no doubt….This event was one for the record books.

TEAM hosted the national finals of the USGB Bacardi Legacy Cocktail competition at the legendary Fontainebleau Hotel’s La Cote in South Beach.

It was truly an “all hands on deck” process for TEAM.  From the photographer, event planning and set up, to finding KOLD draft ice (Never heard of it?  Definitely worth looking up!) for the bartenders, having our Brand Ambassadors on hand to work with the mixologists…. Melissa, Gabe, Ryan and the rest of the South Florida team hustled to make this complex event look effortless, only to be left with tired feet and a huge smile of satisfaction at the end of the night.

The invite list was capped at 300, but for this evening over 600 showed to consume, dance and of course..watch the mixology competition.  The ground floor was full of bars, food and a great band. The second floor had a cigar roller, a different bar for each featured Bacardi cocktail and of course…the competition.  TEAM invited the top bartenders, GMs and trendiest locals to a truly Miami event.  In the end, John Lermayer from the Florida Room (please tell me you have checked out the Florida Room on a Tuesday night if you have visited Miami…if you haven’t you’re missing a great night out!) won the Legacy competition.

However, if you ask me, Bacardi and TEAM won the night.  In an effort to kick off the new “Bacardi Together” campaign this year, bringing everyone together is just what we did (felt like most of Miami, in fact!).

To leave you with a quote from the local Bacardi Market Manager, “This is truly what a Bacardi event in Miami should be.”   Cue the “Midnight Grin.”

You can see great photos of the event here:

http://www.944.com/nightsites/gallery/bacardi-national-legendary-cocktail-trade-event/

But if you’re still not getting a clear picture of the event...Remember the old Bacardi Mojito ad where everyone’s dancing as a bartender mixes up mojitos in Miami Beach?  Yeah, it was like that!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5RFxGn6C6ak

-William K. Domico

Regional Program Manager

TEAM enterprises

Welcome to TEAM Enterprises

Welcome to 2011, and to the new TEAM enterprises website.

To paraphrase Mick Jagger in “Sympathy for the Devil,” we’ve “been around for a long long year […] and saw it was a time for a change.”  Change in the industry, change in the marketplace, and change in our branding and website.

While we are in no way suggesting the chaos described in the Stones song, we know the marketing industry as a whole has come through turbulent times of late.  However, we have noticed an interesting trend.  Agencies which have been able to adapt, to provide nimble and creative solutions to their clients’ challenges, and to create a tangible and significant positive impact to their clients’ bottom line have actually thrived while the economy has been sputtering.  Happily, consumer confidence is returning, and with it, marketers’ desire to connect with consumers in new, meaningful, engaging ways that make a positive difference in their lives.  We at TEAM are more ready than ever to help clients, both new and existing, to do that and more.

Since our founding in Boston in 1989 to our present day in Fort Lauderdale, we have seen a lot of change, and have grown to offer a wider and ever-expanding set of capabilities.  2010 was a great year for us, as we grew our portfolio of clients, joined the MDC Partners network of industry-leading agencies, and made strategic new hires and investments which bolster and expand our services and capabilities.  Marketers know that while national branding messages remain a critical constant, below-the-line spending is now more important than ever.  It is no longer sufficient to have traditional passive advertising – now marketers need to interact with their consumers in the physical world.  Engaging with consumers where they live, work and play is an essential part of reaching them in a meaningful way, and it is the essence of what we do for our clients every day at TEAM enterprises.

We see 2011 as a big year for our industry and our company, and look forward to where we’re going strategically.  Our new branding reflects that enthusiasm; we felt it was high time our website showcased all that we are, and all that we can do for you.  We look forward to engaging you on how we can help expand your business tomorrow and well into the future.

Sean O'Toole, President