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We’ve always liked the idea of going against the grain. So when it came to choosing our PR product, we cooked up a bunch of options. A promotional submarine… leaflet-ing Antarctica… “tagging” Mount Rushmore… all seemed like great ways to win friends and get our name out there.
But it occurred to us that before we get around to those pursuits, we should probably develop a website – if only because, like a mailbox and phone, it seemed like everyone else had one (so much for going against the grain).
As we got the lay of the land, though, we saw that putting together a website did indeed present an opportunity to be different. Because, in looking at the websites other companies were producing, we were struck by what was going on: a lot of boasting and ballyhooing about projects and wins and client lists. What we didn’t see was much of the personalities of these companies.
Here we saw an opening: we decided to put together a site that would do more than just describe our services and dazzle people with the skill of our designer. We wanted to convey our image and brand essence, to share our culture and style, to actually tell people about us. And thus was born the Maloney & Fox Web Experience: www.maloneyfox.com.
In conceptualizing our site, we thought about the people who’d go there, and how we would reward them for swinging by. We wanted to give them a laugh, let them know that we take our work seriously (though not ourselves) and leave them feeling like they hadn’t wasted their time with us. What’s more, we wanted to celebrate the hard launch of our site and thank our visitors by giving away material stuff.
Now, lots of gestures can express gratitude: a ballad soulfully rendered on the sousaphone; a polite note to a friendly emperor to say “Sorry to hear about your coup d’etat;” a hand-crafted baloney sandwich presented in a handsome burled-walnut case… all of these are commonly accepted practices when it comes to intimations of recompense and camaraderie.
But we wanted to inaugurate our website by giving away something tangible and trackable. So we worked a survey and promotion into our website that proved very popular: an opportunity for visitors to answer a few questions, and then select from our Maloney & Fox Branded Booty (chopsticks, water bottles, bracelets, collectible coasters), which is coveted in areas from Cobble Hill to Nob Hill.
The hard results were more than satisfactory; our promotion enjoyed a 30% click-through rate. As for the anecdotal evidence, we stopped counting after the hundredth complimentary phone call. And the e-mails are still coming in, attesting to the fact that visitors are spreading the word about the site and the good times to be had there.
One of the other things we like about The Maloney & Fox Web Experience is that it continues to evolve. Though it’s still in its infancy, the site will soon be a repository of all things Maloney & Fox, from the soon-to-be-completed M&F Un-dustrial Movie and more fun surveys, to anatomies of projects underway and links to client sites.
Of course, all this wouldn’t matter all that much if it weren’t helping the bottom line… and it is! Since our site went live, Maloney & Fox has enjoyed a dramatic increase in revenues, and a doubling of our client portfolio that includes names like Microsoft, Johnson & Johnson (Tylenol and Motrin), RCA, AutoNation, Alibris.com, Shutterfly, Midas, and RadioShack.
Okay, so do we really think the Maloney & Fox Web Experience is the be-all/end-all promotional product of all time? Maybe not. But just as strawberries, mangos, and winning lottery numbers all taste sweeter when you pick them yourself, we think our website shows that when you do something a little bit differently, indeed will the rewards be rich, indeed.
But it occurred to us that before we get around to those pursuits, we should probably develop a website – if only because, like a mailbox and phone, it seemed like everyone else had one (so much for going against the grain).
As we got the lay of the land, though, we saw that putting together a website did indeed present an opportunity to be different. Because, in looking at the websites other companies were producing, we were struck by what was going on: a lot of boasting and ballyhooing about projects and wins and client lists. What we didn’t see was much of the personalities of these companies.
Here we saw an opening: we decided to put together a site that would do more than just describe our services and dazzle people with the skill of our designer. We wanted to convey our image and brand essence, to share our culture and style, to actually tell people about us. And thus was born the Maloney & Fox Web Experience: www.maloneyfox.com.
In conceptualizing our site, we thought about the people who’d go there, and how we would reward them for swinging by. We wanted to give them a laugh, let them know that we take our work seriously (though not ourselves) and leave them feeling like they hadn’t wasted their time with us. What’s more, we wanted to celebrate the hard launch of our site and thank our visitors by giving away material stuff.
Now, lots of gestures can express gratitude: a ballad soulfully rendered on the sousaphone; a polite note to a friendly emperor to say “Sorry to hear about your coup d’etat;” a hand-crafted baloney sandwich presented in a handsome burled-walnut case… all of these are commonly accepted practices when it comes to intimations of recompense and camaraderie.
But we wanted to inaugurate our website by giving away something tangible and trackable. So we worked a survey and promotion into our website that proved very popular: an opportunity for visitors to answer a few questions, and then select from our Maloney & Fox Branded Booty (chopsticks, water bottles, bracelets, collectible coasters), which is coveted in areas from Cobble Hill to Nob Hill.
The hard results were more than satisfactory; our promotion enjoyed a 30% click-through rate. As for the anecdotal evidence, we stopped counting after the hundredth complimentary phone call. And the e-mails are still coming in, attesting to the fact that visitors are spreading the word about the site and the good times to be had there.
One of the other things we like about The Maloney & Fox Web Experience is that it continues to evolve. Though it’s still in its infancy, the site will soon be a repository of all things Maloney & Fox, from the soon-to-be-completed M&F Un-dustrial Movie and more fun surveys, to anatomies of projects underway and links to client sites.
Of course, all this wouldn’t matter all that much if it weren’t helping the bottom line… and it is! Since our site went live, Maloney & Fox has enjoyed a dramatic increase in revenues, and a doubling of our client portfolio that includes names like Microsoft, Johnson & Johnson (Tylenol and Motrin), RCA, AutoNation, Alibris.com, Shutterfly, Midas, and RadioShack.
Okay, so do we really think the Maloney & Fox Web Experience is the be-all/end-all promotional product of all time? Maybe not. But just as strawberries, mangos, and winning lottery numbers all taste sweeter when you pick them yourself, we think our website shows that when you do something a little bit differently, indeed will the rewards be rich, indeed.
