Client Services

Think back to the first day of school, possibly where you didn’t know anyone, and you sit there staring at the wall, your hands, the desk or anything else to avoid eye contact. One would think this wouldn’t ever happen again once school is completely over but that is not the case.

As most new kids in class, you feel this anxiety of starting your first day in a new environment and ask yourself: “Was this the best decision?” “Will I get along with everyone?” “Why does it feel like I’m starting over again?” The anxiety just keeps building and building.

Lucky for me, I knew the moment I sat down on my first day with Jan that this was the place for me. I came from the event marketing world and had background in Higher Education, so it just makes sense professionally to combine my experiences into one. That is why I am excited to be at PlattForm!

How can I describe this place? Typical ad agency? Kind of, but not really. We dress more casual than most businesses, which means jeans are allowed every day of the week! On our breaks we can enjoy a game of ping pong, playing video games on the Wii, and even relax in the yoga room. We have random eating competitions between departments, video messages about fun events, and occasionally costume contests. PF is so much more than a ‘typical’ ad agency!

Everyone is on the same side, willing to put forth that extra 150% and strive to meet the needs of our clients. Not to mention, I was welcomed into the company with open arms and everyone is willing to takes steps to ensure my success.

A main goal within the company is to dive right in, get involved and progress quickly. Goals are posted all over the company, which is very motivating and inspiring. I have goals in my life but keep them to myself until they are achieved and then create new ones. Now, I have weekly, monthly, and annual: team, department, company, internal client and external client goals. It is definitely a shift from the average, “Set three goals and we will review them sometime” business style. It is actually refreshing to have a breakdown of these goals to really achieve.

Goal: writing a Blog. Mission accomplished!

Wow, over 2 months ago I started at PlattForm! Achieved a few goals, and with all the experiences I have gained I feel like I have worked here for years, but in a good way!

KC Magazine Honors Tracy Kreikemeier with selection to 50 Most Influential Women List

This March, our favorite Cornhusker fan finally gets her due. KCB Magazine announced its fourth annual list of the 50 Most Influential Women in Kansas City and it includes our CMO, Tracy Kreikemeier.

The publication’s selections were taken from nominations made by local business executives and ultimately decided by ranking the candidates according to the following criteria: business acumen, career advancement and/or entrepreneurial spirit; board affiliation; community involvement; and awards and recognition.

“It’s an honor … and it’s exciting, but it would have never happened without the support of so many other people who believed in me and who helped point me in the right direction when I needed it,” Kreikemeier said.

KCB Magazine, published by Anthem Publishing, Inc., is a monthly business lifestyle magazine available at bookstores and newsstands in greater Kansas City, and via subscription.

Tracy’s work ethic and sincerity in relating to her friends and coworkers here have already taken her to the top of the PlattForm organization and increased her profile within the career education sector. But outside our company’s walls, Tracy has been a quietly kept secret of corporate achievement in the local business community.

As CMO, Kreikemeier oversees the Client Services, PR & Marketing divisions of PlattForm. She is deeply involved in forming marketing strategies for PlattForm clients, and everyone knows she logs thousands of flying miles every month for client visits. But she is also responsible for guaranteeing consistent sales and marketing materials.

She said her favorite aspect of her job is people, both her PlattForm coworkers and the company’s clients.
While she’s not one to attract attention to herself (we had to convince her to go through with this article), the corporate world has taken notice anyway. Congratulations, Tracy!

Have you ever flipped through the pages of a magazine and wondered how much of the publication is really created by the employees, staff writers and producers behind the company name? More than half of the reading seems to be from vendors and other commercial companies battling for effective exposure to a targeted public.

At PlattForm, the magazine writers and producers are a small collective group of mostly volunteers and the work sometimes doubles for press releases sent out also. Quite the idea right there in itself!

Magazine advertising ranks among the top mediums recognizable to the general public. According to the Magazine Publisher’s of America web site (www.magazine.org) the following table shows the breakdown of advertising spending per medium in 2006:

Share of Advertising in 2006
Magazines (18%)
Sunday Magazines (1%)
Newspapers (17%)
National Newspapers (3%)
Outdoor (3%)
Network TV (18%)
Spot TV (14%)
Syndicated TV (3%)
Cable TV (13%)
Network Radio (1%)
National Spot Radio (2%)
Internet (7%)
TOTAL (100%)

Who would have guesses that more companies spend money on magazine advertising than they do on television? And so much more than internet and outdoor advertising? However, it does make sense that a targeted public and demographic reads a certain type of magazine on a regular basis more than it would watch a certain television program looking for a specific thing.

PlattForm’s experience in the magazine industry is focused on the Key Magazine and Career College Central publications. As a whole, about 75% of our sales come from the ads that are sold within the publications. The other 25% accounts the subscriptions and copies sold.

The actual magazine industry standard is a little different than PlattForm’s numbers. According to a proprietary study of 93 representative magazines, in 2005, 55% of revenue came from advertising, and 45% came from circulation.

It makes you think a little bit more about the type of work put behind the favorite magazine you pick up from the grocery store check-out stand. A lot more dollars can be attributed to the pretty models and slogans than once previously thought. And you thought the cover price was outrageous…. Pffh!

Did you know the average consumer uses the public bathroom 3.2 times per evening while out on the town? Imagine the product/service retention that a viewer would have after being exposed to the exact same advertising 3.2 times in just a few hours.

According to www.bathroomadvertising.com, this new spin on print advertising is becoming one of the fastest growing audience attention grabbing avenues the industry has seen yet. It’s 100 percent gender specific, catches 100 percent of the readers’ attention, and it’s the only place a person would choose to stand in line to read advertising. It’s also an opportunity to advertise a very personal product – most wouldn’t put a tampon ad on a billboard on Broadway Avenue, but would put it in the women’s restroom at Hooter’s, for example.

Fortune Magazine says, “The ads reach the audience most coveted by advertisers: 21-35 year olds who like to go out and spend money. Restroom ads also allow companies to target a gender with 100 percent accuracy.”

Stickers in the sink … TV’s in the mirrors … LCD screens on the automatic hand dryers … and the reading material hanging on the back of the stall doors and above the urinals. You might even see it on the tampon disposal box, toilet paper roll and soap dispensers.

Automatic flush has led to automatic conversation with a poster, or even a perfume, cologne or air freshener scent automatically dispensed for your pleasure.

One thing to think about is the subconscious psychological association that might occur. Some advertisements might create a negative connotation. Foul smell and dirty bathroom floor while reading about Charlie’s Limo Service? Not really sure how many prospects Charlie will hear from when they associate the smell of urine and dirty paper towels with his company’s logo. However, most of the time, viewers see the ads when out for a good time with friends or family … usually in a good mood and having a pleasant time. It’s a risk that most advertisers are willing to take.

Here are some numbers that really paint the picture for advertisers looking for alternatives to new or current campaigns:

• 84 percent recalled seeing specific advertisements in the washrooms.
• 92 percent were able to name specific advertisers without prompting.
• 88 percent recalled at least FOUR selling points in the ads surveyed.
• 98 percent reacted positively or neutral to seeing ads in restroom facilities

Next time you are out, take a good look at the type of advertising you are exposed to without even knowing it. It’s quite interesting and effective at the same time.

By Nici Krehbiel, Kat Reves, Casey Liddle and Kris Little

Service is the key to the PlattForm Client Services team’s ability to go above and beyond our competitors. From leads to graduates, Client Services manages the entire marketing campaign for our clients. We are the voice of our clients and the face of PlattForm.

As a Client Services team, we live and die by our goals. The goals we set are the foundation for our service. We set goals as individuals, as a team and for each of our clients to measure our standard of service. These goals become the stepping stones for our success and are reevaluated for relevancy.

Proactivity is just another piece of the pie. We strive to be proactive in our marketing strategies and work with the school to stay on the cutting edge of lead and start generation. Being solution-focused and always planning with the end in mind is our way of never losing site of the goal – exceeding start goals, of course!

Client Services is dedicated. Dedicated to the success of our clients. We care about the people we work with at each school, the students and the staff. We truly believe that in order to achieve ultimate success, we have to build a partnership with each client.

We change lives one lead at a time.