TopRight Extends its EMM Solution Capability

TopRight announced today that Aprimo® Inc., a global provider of on-demand marketing software solutions, has selected TopRight, LLC as the first Aprimo Marketing Studio™ Field Partner to help drive successful implementation and seamless delivery of Aprimo Marketing Studio solutions to prospective clients.

TopRight, already a Certified Aprimo Business Partner for the Aprimo Enterprise platform, has expanded its EMM Solution Delivery Team to include a complete array of services specific to Aprimo Marketing Studio™.

In today’s environment, marketers are increasingly demanding the SaaS (Software as a Service) approach that Aprimo Marketing Studio offers, but often continue to face process and organizational challenges that can adversely affect Marketing Studio’s potential.  As an official Marketing Studio Field Partner, TopRight distills 15 years of experience in helping clients improve marketing operations into a structured, fast-paced approach that enables organizations to realize the amazing benefits of Marketing Studio within a matter of weeks.

“Marketing Studio offers clients the perfect blend of functionality they need now and into the future”, said Dave Sutton, TopRight Founder and Managing Partner.  “The trick is to empower organizations to implement quickly so they can immediately begin capturing the competitive advantage that Marketing Studio promises, while simultaneously laying the foundation for future expansion in a self-sufficient manner.  TopRight is unique in its broad level of experience:  our team brings marketing and solution experts.”

“We’re excited that TopRight has chosen to pursue opportunities with Aprimo Marketing Studio”, said Rob McLaughlin, co-founder of Aprimo and General Manager of Marketing Studio.

TopRight has worked toward improving the efficiency of marketing operations and increasing the effectiveness of marketing programs both as both practitioners and consultants.  Dave Sutton is co-author of Enterprise Marketing Management: The New Science of Marketing, published in 2003.  The book outlined a breakthrough strategic marketing approach based on a fact-based, scientific model.  TopRight’s EMM Team, led by Francisco Ruiz, has successfully implemented Aprimo solutions across a number of industries since 2003.

Announcing Expanded Role for Jo Ann Herold

TopRight is pleased to announce the promotion of Jo Ann Herold to Chief Marketing Officer.  According to Dave Sutton, Managing Partner of TopRight, “Jo Ann brings a unique blend of brand building, strategic thinking, creativity and insights to TopRight.  Jo Ann has been a key part of TopRight’s recent success and we are thrilled to promote her into this important role.”

Ms. Herold joined TopRight in August 2009. Prior to TopRight, she was the CMO, VP of Marketing at The HoneyBaked Ham Company.  According to Jo Ann Herold, “I am thrilled to be a part of TopRight’s growth and part of this impressive team.”.

Herold received an undergraduate degree from MS State University and an MBA in International Business from Mercer University in Atlanta.  She is an Adjunct Professor at GA State University and Mercer University teaching marketing courses.  She is also a member of the Georgia State Marketing Roundtable.  Her work has received numerous accolades and she has been awarded two AMY Awards, a Mercury Award for radio advertising, a Phoenix Award from Shirley Franklin, a Silver Effie for advertising effectiveness and was a finalist for the Catalog of the Year award by Catalog Age.  She leads the public relations for the Druid Hills Tour of Homes, and is on the Board of the Atlanta Convention and Visitor’s Bureau.

CES just ended; the Detroit Auto show is going on now…    What new products will improve our lives incrementally?  Which ones will dramatically shift the way we live?   My short list in the honorable mention category is:

1. 3-D TVs.    I guess they’re no longer the product of ‘the future’
2. Tablet Computers.  I’ve had one for three years and tested the first prototypes in 1999.  Welcome to the club
3. Electric cars
4. Google’s Nexus One phone

In our office, though, there is a clear winner, and the brilliant ThinkGeek gadgeteurs win because they sell products that used to be limited to daydreamers and do-it-poorly-yourselfers.  For example- the Tauntaun sleeping bag, the dog leash digital camera, and the throwing star coat hook.             Our winner:  The Interactive T-Shirt.

A typical Friday 'Smoke on the Water' Jam Session

Guinness is going bold with a new ad slogan: “Fortune favors the bold”.  Their latest ad campaign features a bartender sliding a fresh glass of Guinness beer down a bar.  The glass slides off the end of the bar, out the window and starts sliding through the city streets and offices.  At last, the pint arrives into the hands of a bold employee who is in the process of negotiating his team’s salary with his new boss.  The ad closes with a celebratory toast between the team of employees.

The tough state of the economy is one of the motivations behind this bold new campaign.  Although it’s a challenging time for many consumers, Guinness is trying to generate a feeling that ‘we’re going to come through this’ combined with a recognition that people are going to need to make some bold moves along the way.  Turns out that Guinness is doing a great job tapping into consumer sentiment.  Thanks to the campaign, the brand is holding strong compared to the rest of imported beer category, which was down 9 percent overall in 2009.

What are you drinking these days?