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– Triangle Agency Continues its Winning Ways adding to its “Agency of the Year” Honor –

RALEIGH – MSA (MarketSmart), the Triangle area marketing and communications agency, captured three “Best Practices” awards at the fourth annual SUBWAY® Agency Summit held recently in Miami.

With the three new awards, MSA continues winning SUBWAY honors having been named SUBWAY “Agency of the Year” in 2008. MSA represents SUBWAY in 27 U.S. markets, making the firm the second largest advertising agency in the entire U.S. SUBWAY system.

Presented by SUBWAY Franchisee Advertising Trust Fund (SFAFT), the Summit is a series of meetings involving the 29 U.S. Ad Agencies in the entire SUBWAY system. The Summit’s “Agency Best Practices Awards” recognized SUBWAY agencies in 16 categories. MSA received honors in:
“Best in Class” for restaurant level merchandising in the entire SUBWAY system for Frito-Lay chip sales
“Best Customer Appreciation” program in Utica, NY by thanking loyal customers with a “Buy One, Get One” campaign
“Best Every Day Value Meal” in Erie, NY for the “$5 Fresh Value Meal–Your Choice,” campaign.

“We strive to create and implement programs that will benefit our local markets. Being honored with three Best Practices awards are testament to the diligence and hard work necessary to make these programs a success,” said Lewis Finch, MSA president.

About MSA
Established in 1991, MSA is a full-service, integrated marketing and communications firm providing traditional and interactive advertising, broadcast production, public relations, branding services, research, Web development and mystery shopping. Ranked as the sixth-largest agency in the Triangle by the Triangle Business Journal, MSA has offices in Washington, DC and Milford, CT. MSA’s client list includes UNC Health Care and SUBWAY® restaurants, among others. For more information, contact MSA at (919) 463-9680, or visit www.thinkmsa.com.

About SUBWAY® Restaurants
Headquartered in Milford, CT., and with more than 30,000 locations in 87 countries, the SUBWAY® restaurant chain is the world’s largest submarine sandwich franchise. SUBWAY® was co-founded by Fred DeLuca and Dr. Peter Buck in 1965. That partnership, which continues today, marked the beginning of a remarkable journey-one that made it possible for thousands of individuals to build and succeed in their own business. SUBWAY® has been honored as the number one franchise in Entrepreneur magazine’s “Annual Franchise 500®” listing for 15 of the past 21 years, and was ranked as “America’s Top Global Franchise” for 2008. Visit www.subway.com. SUBWAY® is a registered trademark of Doctor’s Associates Inc.

* * *

Roy Brunett / Manager Promotions & Communications

MSA / MarketSmart Advertising
2530 Meridian Parkway / Durham, NC 27713
E: roy.brunett@thinkpartnership.com
P: 919.463.9680
C: 973.902.7291

Mailing Address
P.O. Box 110186
Durham, NC 27709-0186

www.thinkmsa.com

RALEIGH, NC – MSA, the Triangle area marketing and communications agency, received the prestigious “Agency of the Year” award by SUBWAY® Restaurants — the chain’s highest honor for Ad Agencies, at SUBWAY® Restaurants’ annual Global Planning Summit held in Orlando.

Presented by SUBWAY® Franchisee Advertising Trust Fund (SFAFT), the award is given each year to the agency that has demonstrated the highest-quality support for their markets, excellent media planning and buying with top tier posting, and innovative marketing and value-added initiatives. The entire SUBWAY® system consists of some 27 U.S. Advertising Agencies as well as agencies representing Canada, Australia and Puerto Rico.

“Many of our agency-partners achieved remarkable things last year and agency performance across the board was exceptional – making this a difficult decision. However, MSA demonstrated the ability to move the Subway business in its markets at an accelerated rate, managed the myriad details of their markets flawlessly, and provided great leadership to our Franchisees,” said Jeff Whitney, vice president of field marketing. “SUBWAY® Restaurants’ ‘Agency of the Year’ is our highest honor and I’m delighted to recognize such a terrific partner. They earned this award through smart thinking and focused dedication toward building the Brand, along with exceptional sales and profit results,” Whitney said.

“It’s a tremendous honor for us,” said Lewis Finch, president, MSA. “We set high standards for our work with SUBWAY® and for all of our clients. We greatly appreciate it when our hard work is recognized.”

MSA represents SUBWAY® in 27 U.S. markets, making the Triangle firm the second largest advertising agency in the entire SUBWAY® system. In addition to the top agency honor, in November ‘08, MSA took home five awards–the most of any firm, at the SUBWAY® Agency Summit held in New Orleans. The Summit is an annual series of meetings involving all SUBWAY® system ad agencies in the U.S.

About MSA
Established in 1991, MSA is a full-service, integrated marketing and communications firm providing traditional and interactive advertising, broadcast production, public relations, branding services, research, Web development and mystery shopping. Ranked as the fourth-largest agency in the Triangle by the Triangle Business Journal, MSA’s client list includes UNC Health Care and SUBWAY® restaurants, among others. For more information, contact MSA at (919) 463-9680, or visit www.thinkmsa.com

About SUBWAY® Restaurants
Headquartered in Milford, CT., and with more than 30,000 locations in 87 countries, the SUBWAY® restaurant chain is the world’s largest submarine sandwich franchise. The SUBWAY® restaurant chain was co-founded by Fred DeLuca and Dr. Peter Buck in 1965. That partnership, which continues today, marked the beginning of a remarkable journey–one that made it possible for thousands of individuals to build and succeed in their own business. The SUBWAY® brand has been honored as the number one franchise opportunity in Entrepreneur magazine’s “Annual Franchise 500®” listing for 15 of the past 21 years, and was ranked as “America’s Top Global Franchise” for 2009. For more information, visit www.subway.com. SUBWAY® is a registered trademark of Doctor’s Associates Inc.

For additional information on MSA please contact:
Roy Brunett / Promotions & Communications Manager
roy.brunett@thinkpartnership.com

MSA/MarketSmart Advertising
300 Perimeter Park Drive / Suite D / Morrisville, NC 27560
919.463.9680

The Magna Group, a Raleigh NC Advertising Agency is recognized by the Carolina Hurricanes as a devoted leader in their advertising expertise. And starting this Friday, October 10th, during the Carolina Hurricanes season opening game and throughout the entire season, all fans will be able to witness The Magna Group logo in the center of the ice and in other areas around the RBC Center. This has been recognized as the first time that the Carolina Hurricanes (10 Seasons) have had a local advertising agency acknowledged and advertised in the center ice. “I just want to show that even in these tough economic times, I still believe in the power of advertising,” says Mark Sokal, Partner of The Magna Group and fan of the Carolina Hurricanes, “and I still think that given the right direction and placement, it still works.”

Agreeing with Mark Sokal, times of hardship and economic distress are valuable times for companies to stand out and advertise in creative ways to help build brand recognition and identity. It seems that a advertising agency in the Raleigh, NC area is taken full advantage of the impressionable market. And remember that one of the best ways you can build a brand of loyalty and recognition is to advertise in down turning markets because the rewards are great once the market situation turns upward.

What are some of the most beneficial ways your advertising agency has been able to step out and advertise in negative markets?

While browsing the web in search of a strong advertising agency located in the Raleigh area, I came across Harbinger Agency. Turns out Harbinger Agency has been around for a while now and is certainly placing their mark of expertise on a number of companies surrounding the region. Hal Bowles, a partner of Harbinger and I had an online interview so that I could find out more about the agency and the recognition that they have achieved.

——————— Agency Interview ———————

Hal, 

How long has your company been making a “Look Forward” impact in the Raleigh area as one of the top advertising agencies?

We are currently in our fifth year of service.  We were established in 2003 as Hardin & Bowles Advertising.  Last year we acquired a website/interactive firm and changed our name to Harbinger, meaning “a sign of things to come.” We feel that our results-based agency model will become the norm in an industry plagued by hype and empty promises.

What regions of North Carolina have you been most successful in branding and marketing with clients?

Our client base is predominately in the Triangle area of North Carolina.  We have a few regional/national clients with distribution/operation throughout the world.  

Do you have many national accounts that are based outside of North Carolina, being that you are a Raleigh, NC Advertising Agency?

One of our clients, Whole Harvest (located in Warsaw, NC), produces trans fat free culinary oils and distributes their products throughout the US and Asia. We also do project work for a software company called TAKE Solutions.  They have offices across the globe.

Explain the hard working efforts and concepts of winning an ADDY award in 2008? What was the award for? Explain:

Winning an ADDY is a very tough thing.  The stars often have to align (strong product, trusting & open client, great message/creative).  The ADDY we won in 2008 was for a direct mail campaign we produced for Write Angles, a corporate training company.  Judy Griffin is the president of the firm and was fantastic to work with.  She gave us the freedom to really push the envelope.  Beyond the award, I am most proud of the fact that the campaign was a staggering success and resulted in a drastic uptick in business for our client.

Have you seen a rapid increase in web and internet marketing vs. traditional print advertising during this year’s economic crunch?

No question. One of the reasons we acquired a web/interactive firm was to bring those talents in house.  We now have website development/programming/SEO/SEM (search engine optimization & management) capabilities in addition to traditional advertising and public relations talent. Every one of our relationship clients utilizes our interactive services to help them achieve their marketing goals.  Search engine optimization and management have become absolutely crucial to our clients. The best part about the rapid increase of web and internet marketing has been on the tracking/accountability front.  Because these interactive avenues are easily tracked, our ability to gauge success has been enhanced.  

What makes Harbinger Agency stand out among the rest of the advertising agencies in Raleigh, NC?

One of the most interesting facts about our firm is that all three partners (Blake Hardin, Hal Bowles, Michael Chase) are from creative backgrounds.  Blake is a graphic designer, Hal is a copywriter, and Michael is a graphic designer & website developer). It is very unusual for creatives to head an advertising agency.  The helm is typically manned by ex-account executives or salesmen. Because we all come from creative backgrounds, we bring a different level of knowledge to our clients.  It also helps us to bridge the gap between our clients and the folks at our firm who will be executing the work.  

Where does your inspiration derive from?

Five years ago, we decided that we would make our business model work - or become park rangers.  We believed then as we do now that fantastic work can be achieved from a small agency (we have 7 full time staff and 1 part time bookkeeper).  For us to be successful requires clients willing to openly communicate and try new approaches to their marketing efforts.  Fortunately, we have been able to produce high-level work that has helped our clients’ bottom lines. Our business model:  Do good work, Have fun, Make money (in that order) continues to work for us and our clients.

In 3 sentences or less, please provide a description of your company.

Harbinger helps mid-size companies exceed their marketing goals. Period.

Influence on Education:

What efforts does your agency take to help support the colleges and schools in graphic design, advertising, and web development?

In addition to hiring local talent (Carly Caswell, Art Director, East Carolina University graduate; Angela Lavesque, Web Developer, Meredith College graduate; Julia Loughren, Media Director, Appalachian State University graduate), we often employ interning students from local universities and the School of Communication Arts. Many of these interns have been fantastic and have gone on to work in larger markets including New York.

——————— Agency Interview Complete ———————

For more information on Harbinger Agency, you can visit their website portfolio. 

Thanks to Hal and the agency at Harbinger, keep up the good work.