PRINCETON JUNCTION, NJ—(Marketwired – January 16, 2017) – Creative Marketing Alliance (CMA), a full service, award–winning, strategic marketing and integrated communications firm, announced today it is celebrating its 30–year anniversary.
For a small business that exists in a fleeting and fragmented industry, the milestone was no easy task. Few companies survive long enough to enjoy three decades of prosperity. Only one–third survive at least 10 years, according to the U.S. Small Business Administration.
“Recessions have come and competitors have gone, but we have relied on our core beliefs and creativity to create a leadership position in a fragmented industry,” said Jeffrey Barnhart, founder, CEO and president of CMA, which was recognized as the 2016 Outstanding Small Business of the Year by the MIDJersey Chamber of Commerce. “Hard work built our name and smart work built our company.”
Barnhart founded his firm thirty years ago to be a strategic partner for clients after his experiences working with firms that could not meet his needs.
“Back then, you didn't really have integrated marketing and communications companies, you had ad agencies and PR firms,” Barnhart, who ran the in–house marketing department at Hightstown, N.J.–based Philips Lighting before founding CMA, explained. “I found that a lot of agencies didn't take the time to understand my business in order to provide the right strategy and tactics I needed. My concept, based on the experience of sitting on the client side, was to be an extension of the company's in–house marketing department.”
Strategic planning is key to every one of Barnhart's initiatives. “Strategy is your compass, if you don't have a strategy, you don't know where you are going,” he said. “It's how you navigate to your goal. If you don't have a goal and a compass to guide you, you could be going full steam ahead in the wrong direction.”
For 30 years, Barnhart has employed several strategies to differentiate his firm from rivals:
Recession proof. To bolster revenues during economic downturns, CMA quickly created an association–management division. The change in business strategy is ingenious: While marketing expenditures are reduced in economic downturns, the demand increases for educational resources from trade groups. The marketing division coupled with the association management division provides financial stability. Today, the Princeton Junction–based firm is one of 75 accredited firms that serve associations in the United States.
Full–service marketing. When competitors have cut their labor force and services, CMA continues to add new offerings to its full–service marketing firm. The corporation has grown to offer the following services: social media marketing, digital advertising, email marketing and website design.
Client–side recruitment. To deliver on its promise, the firm continues to seek experienced, creative marketing professionals who have spent most of their careers on the client side. As a result, CMA has become a full–service marketing firm that talks as much about client strategy and outcomes (e.g. sales, revenue, ROI) as outputs (e.g. press releases, events, social media posts).
Results–oriented teamwork. Since the company's inception, CMA's “we” mindset has produced results that include increased revenue for companies and increased membership for associations. From a brand awareness perspective, CMA's PR team places one of its clients in the news — on average — once every 12 hours. As a result, the strategic communications group puts its clients in front of more than 26 million targeted audience members worldwide every 30 days.
Valuable core values. All CMA employees, many of whom who have been with the organization for more than 10 years, and several more than 20, share a set of guiding principles. “Our core values are something we gave great thought to — to define what made that key CMA associate,” Barnhart said. “When we first outlined the core values, we looked at key people in the agency who we felt exemplified CMA and we looked at the key values they had in common and came up with the seven core values — passion, enthusiasm, excellence, professionalism, solutions–oriented, accountability and teamwork.”
To discover how CMA can provide your business with strategic solutions and business opportunities, visit the firm's new website at CMAResults.com.
About Creative Marketing Alliance
Creative Marketing Alliance (CMA) is a full–service, award–winning strategic marketing and integrated communications firm that builds reputation, relationships and return on investment. It creates and manages results–driven marketing programs using Marketecture, a strategic analysis that helps clients understand how their company can best be positioned in the marketplace. For 30 years, CMA has provided innovative solutions, which include public relations, social media marketing, and publications along with an in–house studio for digital and creative design. If you're expecting results, please visit www.CMAResults.com, call 800.852.4269 or email us info@cmasolutions.com.
Image Available: http://www.marketwire.com/library/MwGo/2017/1/13/11G127312/Images/CMA_30th–5e7f5491747cbe1cac0a76968408fa0e.jpg