If you build it, they will come. Many people live by this mantra; however the Tampa Bay Sports Commission decided to take a much more proactive approach. By the end of 2012, nearly $120 million will have been invested to improve the Tampa Bay Times Forum, University of South Florida Athletic District and several other local sports facilities. The Tampa Bay Sports Commission, along with Schifino Lee, has created the “Experience New Now” campaign, to communicate these extensive and impressive venue improvements to event organizers around the country.

The “Experience New Now” project kicked off with redesigning the Tampa Bay Sports Commission logo into something that demonstrates the fun and energy of the destination itself, while also communicating the positive economic impact sporting events have on Tampa Bay. The logo is also accompanied by the brand promise of “Gameday. Every Day.” Schifino Lee then launched phase one of the campaign, creating a website, print advertisement and an innovative 3-dimensional direct mail piece to highlight how the Tampa Bay Times Forum is “New Now.”

The second phase, to begin in late spring in conjunction with the reopening of the USF Sun Dome, will feature the new venues at University of South Florida. The third phase will highlight several other local sports facilities and roll out in the latter half of 2012.

In 2011, the Sports Commission brought in 114 sports events that filled roughly 109,000 hotel room nights. This number is expected to swell to 120,000 this year. For more information, please visit www.TampaBayisNewNow.com.

Being a small company doesn’t mean you need to look like a small thinker. Cary Showalter came to Schifino Lee to develop a site that could exude the professionalism and personality of his company, ShowTech Solutions. ShowTech was founded by Cary in order to share his extensive IT experience, along with his business expertise, to small business and entrepreneurs that have challenging technological needs.

The new ShowTech website showcases the wide range of services and solutions the company offers; from security & support to complete integration of all your office, mobile and cloud server technologies. The site also contains a blog, allowing current and prospective clients to not only learn about what is happening at ShowTech Solutions, but also current news in the technology industry and in-depth product reviews.

Overall, the new website will effectively inform consumers about what ShowTech Solutions does and how they do it, while also facilitating communication through blog and social media posts. To view the new website, visit http://showtechsolutions.com.

When two of the nation’s leaders in the on-hold and in-store marketing industry joined forces, the combined company needed a new brand name to fit its wider array of service offerings. Audio Messaging Systems (AMS) and IOHI together became Spectrio.

Schifino Lee worked with national leaders of Oldsmar-based AMS and Oklahoma-based IOHI to define the essence of the new company’s value proposition, and then create an engaging, original new name and brand. The name “Spectrio” reflects the broad spectrum of products and services offered by the company, while the branding matches its technology-focus and forward-thinking creativity. The new tagline: “Be heard. Be seen. Be inspired.”

Schifino Lee also acquired the web domain www.spectrio.com for the company, which was available due to the originality of the new name.

The new company combines the audio marketing skills of AMS with the interactive expertise of IOHI, to deliver solutions for on-hold messaging, IVR (Interactive Voice Response) prompts, ambient music and in-store digital signage. Spectrio’s clients include such national companies as LabCorp, Regions Bank, Terminix, Gerdau, Pep Boys, Raymond James Financial, Goodyear and Papa John’s Pizza.

This was the eleventh company Schifino Lee has rebranded in the past 12 months. “Creating new brands that help define a company’s value proposition and break through the marketplace clutter is a challenge we truly enjoy and excel at,” said Schifino Lee Principal Ben Lee. “Seeing the direct, bottom-line impact is also rewarding.”

For Spectrio, the new name has already proven popular with employees and customers. “Spectrio has received a great reaction from the new name, and it has helped them quickly frame their positioning and message to customers,” said Lee.

It’s not often a person gets the chance to examine their organization from an outside perspective.  Leaving (and returning) has given me that rare opportunity.  During my absence, I was able to understand and better appreciate the uniqueness and strengths of Schifino Lee and how the agency approaches its craft.  One of the things we do so well is immerse ourselves into our clients’ business from a customer’s perspective; and transform the key insights we glean into a strategic plan of action and creativity that truly brings the brand to life.

I’m baaaack… with renewed enthusiasm and passion for doing great strategic branding and advertising with people I love!

About Roxie Clements:

Roxie Clements is Vice President, Director of Client Services, overseeing the agency’s Account Management team and managing several of the agency’s major clients.  A strong strategist, Roxie combines her skills with focused, positive drive to produce the greatest ROI for all clients.

A Florida advertising veteran, Roxie previously supervised the Florida Lottery account and other notable clients including Florida Tourism, Winn Dixie, Wet ‘n Wild, Levitz Furniture and Barnett Banks.

Roxie is one of many children in her family.  “I have 3 sisters and 2 brothers.  My mom had 6 kids in 7 years, and we weren’t even Catholic.”  Some of her favorite ads are the AT&T campaign “where the calls drop off at the most inopportune moment in the conversation. They’re funny, memorable, uncomfortably true and very engaging.”

Over the past few months, Schifino Lee has been celebrating 1-, 2- and 3-year “anniversaries” with our clients on the launch of their new brands, new websites or other milestones. To commemorate these events, Schifino Lee has created special anniversary cakes and delivered them as gifts.

The initiative was kicked off in November, with Auditz celebrating the 1-year anniversary of the company’s website; next it was America’s Battery Recyclers, who celebrated the 2-year anniversary of its name and branding. December marks anniversaries for Jones Lang LaSalle’s Urban Centre branding, Fountainhead Practice Management’s website, and Franklin Street’s rebranding.

So far, the response has been nothing but positive (who doesn’t love cake). Clients are surprised and appreciative of the unexpected treat; and it reminds them to start thinking about updating and renewing the work.

ToyMakers of East Lake is a non-profit organization that restores used bicycles to top condition and donates them to underprivileged children throughout the Tampa Bay area. When Schifino Lee made Clark & Martino aware of this initiative, they thought it would be a great opportunity to promote and encourage head-injury safety by donating new helmets with the bikes.

“We are very excited to partner with the ToyMakers of East Lake on this initiative,” said Dan Clark, Partner at Clark & Martino. “We truly believe in promoting safety through proper precautions, and we are grateful to help these children enjoy a happier and safer holiday season.”

ToyMakers of East Lake was just as enthusiastic about the new partnership. “Under the able leadership of Trevor Charlton, who founded the ToyMaker’s bicycle initiative, we’ve been delivering restored bikes to Tampa Bay children for several years now; including safety helmets is a natural fit and we sincerely appreciate the partnership with Clark & Martino in this effort,” said Bob Helms, President ToyMakers of East Lake.

If you’d like to make a monetary donation to support the initiatives of the ToyMakers of East Lake, please visit www.toymakersofeastlake.org.

“Tampa’s Lowry Park Zoo is a pillar to the identity of the Tampa Bay community, and many don’t know about their very important work to preserve our nature and wildlife,” said Paola Schifino, Principal of Schifino Lee. “Schifino Lee is thrilled to be able to contribute to this effort.”

Tampa’s Lowry Park Zoo is a 501(C)(3) not for profit organization and is accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA). The AZA is America’s leading accrediting organization for zoos and aquariums and accredits only those institutions that have achieved the highest standards for animal care, education, wildlife conservation and science.

Read the full artical on the Tampa Bay Business Journal.

Wishing you and your loved ones peace, heath, happiness and prosperity in the coming new year.Watch our Schifino Lee Holiday Video.

In September, AACSB International of Tampa, Florida, introduced eNEWSLINE Live (ENL), a series of live-streaming videos that address global topics and trends in management education.

Hosted by John Fernandes, AACSB’s president and CEO, the bimonthly videos will feature experts from business education who will provide insight on a variety of topics. The first video, streamed in September, featured Steve Reinemund, dean of Wake Forest University Schools of Business in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Reinemund spoke on the topics of sustainability, corporate social responsibility and ethical leadership.

For information about ENL and upcoming video segments, visit www.aacsb.edu/enl/.

When Tampa Bay law firm Clark & Martino, P.A. wanted to make a bold and innovative communications move, they connected with their brand marketing partner, Schifino Lee, to develop and launch a mobile version of the law firm’s website designed for smart phones.

“We wanted to go the extra mile in making sure our information is readily available in the most convenient way possible,” said Dan Clark, partner at Clark & Martino. “Creating a mobile website was a natural way to make ourselves more available to the public and legal community.”

While creating a mobile website is fairly uncommon for law firms, Clark & Martino realized the benefits of maximizing accessibility for a highly mobile audience. Having a mobile website results in exponential customer satisfaction gains as more people than ever use their mobile phones to access the web.

“A mobile site can either complement a consumer’s overall brand experience or undermine it. The good news is that companies are really starting to take this seriously as they understand the critical role that customer satisfaction plays in the mobile experience,” said Eric Feinberg, Director of Mobile Strategy at ForeSee, a company that analyzes people’s experiences with mobile sites.

Clark & Martino’s mobile site takes key features from the firm’s traditional website and puts them on a mobile friendly platform that optimizes functionality and usability on the smaller screens. The Clark & Martino mobile website makes it easier for people on-the-go to access the law firm, get directions, interact with staff and learn more about Clark & Martino and its services.

“With people wanting immediate information wherever they are, it makes sense for service providers to consider creating a mobile website,” said Ben Lee, Principal of Schifino Lee. “Making your website more accessible can increase customer satisfaction, greatly enhance the brand experience, set yourself apart from competitors, and grow business in very tangible ways.”