Shonda Lewis and Ersula HayGood helm Sticks and Stones Promotions, a dynamic marketing and public relations firm known for its innovative strategies and unwavering commitment to clients.
How does Sticks and Stones Promotion utilize its over 30 years of brand and promotion experience to benefit its clients?
Ersula: We utilize our 30 years of experience by making sure that our clients feel heard. We want to understand our client’s vision because we know from our experience that everyone has a vision for their business. Everyone has an idea in their head what they want their business to look like and how they want their business to be received from the audience. So, the number one thing that we’ve learned in our 30 years of experience is making sure that they’re heard and making sure that we’re bringing their vision to reality and not our vision for them.
Can you elaborate on the role of creativity and out-of-the-box imagination in your promotional strategies?
Shonda: We definitely think out of the box. Ersula and I brainstorm a lot together, and what we do is look at the brand and see what other brands are doing. We do a comparison of how we can make the brand that we’re representing different, and how we can make it stand out. We’re always looking at technology, like, how can we do things that are different using technology and just making an impact? Also, in doing that, we want to make sure that the consumer who is using the brand can benefit from it and get the message. So strategies, we do a lot of brainstorming. We’ll do the pros and cons. Again, we make sure we know our customers and our clients and see what, you know, sometimes people get stuck, and so we come up with ways to just get them in an innovative and fun way to get them out of the norm.
Share with us a method that you guys employ to promote clients as winners through media campaigns, publicity events, marketing blueprints, and promotions.
Shonda: You promote them as winners. Basically, the question is how do you make them stand out? Well, we worked with an attorney, and, you know, as attorneys, sometimes they’re just, very, very serious. So we did a photoshoot with her, and we were still bringing the edge with our stylist, but we were still giving the message that the person was assertive, and about business. She wanted to be a boss babe that doesn’t play around. She always wanted to wear black, and we’re like, okay, can you wear a different color? You can still have that same message and not have to just wear black all the time. So with that, we created an ad and a message that still gave the edge and the pop, like, ‘I’m a boss babe,’ but also showed her in a different light.
Ersula: I want to elaborate on that, too. We start by making sure that we have the look right. We start with the glam. The glam is the most important thing because we’re trying to make sure that when the attention comes; the business is well highlighted. So we start with the glam and we do a photoshoot so we can make sure that when they’re seen as far as the public’s view, the business is viewed professionally. And then we go into a social media campaign, but we also do more than just social media. That’s when we’ll do print. We’ll also do billboards. We have different ways of advertising. We’ve even done commercials. We’ve even done TV news segments to kind of bring the hype to the business… We also have a podcast that we’ll feature clients on to help them gain exposure.
How does the team stay updated on the latest trends and innovations in branding and promotions to ensure cutting-edge strategies for your clients?
Ersula: Very good question. This is where we do a lot of research. We research other PR companies. We want to see what other people are doing. We also have various people that we look to within our industry to help us as far as to stay up-to-date with trend-setting things. We have a good marketing company that does digital imaging. They will let us know the latest trends. Some businesses don’t necessarily need to implement the latest trends because they may not appeal to their target audience. Otherwise, we stay up-to-date so we can provide our clients with fresh ideas.
Shonda: Ersula and I stay up late a lot of nights. We research, we read and study, and we’re watching videos. We pay attention to the latest technology and we are always looking for new ways to meet the needs of our clients.
What is the significance of the motto “Fame is for everyone. We create the hype,” and the philosophy of your company?
Ersula: Everyone wants to be successful. And most of the time, especially if you’re in America and a lot of other countries too, when you look at success, a lot of people connect it with celebrity and fame. So we’re saying we create the hype because we’re going to bring you the attention that your business needs to succeed. As long as your business is succeeding, you will feel confident when you walk into those rooms. Everybody can achieve a certain level of fame for a moment, but we create the hype to make sure that your business is profitable under our watch.
Can you give the best example of how you bring your client’s vision to life?
Shonda: It goes back to a question that you asked us earlier. We make sure that our clients are heard. We start with the initial consultation. We want to understand who you are, what is your vision for your business, and where you see yourself in one, three, or five years. Once we understand what you’re looking for, and then our goal is to exceed your expectations. And, of course, if you see the need for us, you will want to keep us around a lot longer.
What role do community engagement and social responsibility play in the initiatives that you undertake?
Ersula: Oh, I love that question. We host business expos, and the whole reason is so that we can know every business that’s out here in Columbus. We can see the different levels of different types of brands and companies. We have Fortune 500 companies and we have small, successful mom-and-pop shops. This keeps us engaged, and that keeps our names out there. It keeps us in the know. It allows us to understand as far as who the competition is locally, let alone nationally. So, we keep the community involved while also giving back by allowing various kinds of business owners to have a platform to advertise and promote their brands while networking to better serve each other.
In what ways does your company function as an extension of the client’s in-house marketing teams?
Ersula: If they have an in-house marketing team, a lot of times they’re reaching out to us because they want to know how can they up their game or how to do something different because maybe what their team is doing, may not be getting them the right exposure. So, what we’ll do is we’ll work with them, see what they have, and then we’ll give our advice based on what we see the client needs. Sometimes it’s about creating a whole new image and a whole new look. A lot of times, they may need a second set of eyes to look at their plan and explain why it is not working or won’t meet the goals they want to accomplish.
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