Services

Strategy is not simply deciding to go from Point A to Point B. It's also about the options and consequences of each. As in a chess game, the best players map out several moves in their heads, winnow them down and make their best play.

Vantage Point brings this service to all its clients. With it, we help them develop their goals, tactics and targets. We can develop strategic campaigns and are available for strategic consulting on a retainer basis.

We also key in on image strategy, making you look your best for colleagues, competitors and clients through every benchmark of the project. If you look like a winner, that's already a major plus in your favor.

Advantage - Vantage Point

When two neighbors are chatting on a weekend and one asks the other, "How do you like working at '?'" The response represents the success or failure of marketing.

It's not just about how you produce, package or pitch your product/ service. It's about how you are perceived at every level, including by your team.

Because a good reputation is valuable from roll out to rolling on, we develop and package the marketing services best suited for each client's needs. Among those most frequently requested are:

• Branding
• Business relations
• Communications (External, internal)
• Community outreach
• Corporate events

• Corporate relations
• Crisis management
• Diversity issues
• Focus groups
• Hispanic/ Latino marketing

• Hispanic/ Latino outreach
• Image development
• Networking
• Positioning
• Relationship building

• Research
• Special projects
• Speech writing
• Target development
• Training for public speaking

Media relations have certainly changed since the mid 70s when the president of Vantage Point began working as a reporter. But we've kept up with the transitions, both in getting positive press and avoiding negative coverage.

Too many managers wait until the press is flooding them with phone calls and the TV cameras are at the door before they consider media. We've been hired to do crisis management from day one; however, it's always best for the client when they consider the media from the launch.

A sales manager wouldn't dream of only talking to a customer at the purchase point. It should be the same with the press corp. We teach clients about building better media relationships so that when the press is after a story the parties know one another, which always makes for a better outcome.

We also strengthen internal press operations to optimize their impact and minimize their cost. We develop the right spokesperson and do media training for them, as well as top level managers. As a corporate client once told us, "If a team member has to speak with a reporter only once, your training is worth it."

Other media services include:

• Campaign worker media training
• Developing the press secretary
• Media advisories

• Press conferences
• Press releases
• Press room set ups

Like any good partnership, government relations require both sides to work together. Vantage Point has expertise with corporations as clients, as well as representing elected officials. We have helped businesses meet with the right government leader to share a specific concern or to offer their support on a community project. For elected officials, we've helped them meet business and community leaders to present their issues, as well as gather the necessary information they needed for legislation.

In addition to networking our clients, we have coordinated political campaigns, assisted with speech writing and a wide variety of special projects.

The old explanation goes that when you see a billboard sign for the circus coming to town, that's advertising. But when your neighbor tells you the circus is coming to town - that's public relations.

That's what we do - review every avenue of information flow for our clients to determine which best reach their target groups or markets. Much of it depends on the demographic size of their target audience, as well as major sources of information. In all cases, we identify the opinion makers and determine the best ways of reaching them with our client's message.

Our services target information streams which include community relations, networking, media, press and evolving communications technology, such as the Internet, web sites, blogs and twitters.

Vantage Point has had the opportunity to do event management on three continents. In every case, we reached the goals our clients had intended. Like all our work, we don't use a cookie cutter approach. No two events are/ nor should be the same, even if it's two dinners months apart in the same hotel, each for a thousand guests.

We pride ourselves in advance work. What goals does the client seek for his convention exhibit, office opening, town hall meeting or series of seminars? And what's their budget? We have a track record for meeting goals while staying on budget.

Our expertise includes awards ceremonies, conferences, receptions, special events and presentations.

Busy professionals often put off important writing assignments. They haven't done them before. They're unfamiliar with formats. They're not sure what to say or how to start. Or the most familiar excuse - I don't have time right now.

Too often those delays can result in a poorly done "rush job" or a costly missed deadline. Frequently, the professional skips submitting a timely "Letter to the Editor" that could have brought them additional credibility as well as business.

Whether it's growing delays or the assigned writers having too much work, Vantage Point can help with your communication needs. We have decades of writing experience. Here are the areas where we have assisted clients.

• Annual reports
• Brochures
• Corporate communications, internal/ external
• PowerPoint presentations
  
  
• Newsletters
• Op Ed/ editorial page submissions
• Press releases
• Speeches
• Website text, bios, corporate/ department profiles

In many ways this is our favorite category because it allows us to reflect on accomplishments and potential. Vantage Point won't take on a client or project unless we believe we can do the best job for them and meet our goals.

We also enjoy this category because it presents new challenges.

When our client, Ald. Margaret Laurino asked us to lead a two-year effort to create a statue for American labor leader Samuel Gompers and have it installed in a Chicago park bearing his name, we accepted - because it was a challenge. We selected international, award winning artist Susan Clinard to be the sculptor; coordinated funding from various sectors, including more than three dozen labor unions; secured Chicago Park District approval; oversaw the installation; arranged the dedication ceremony on Labor Day and pulled in press coverage from all the city's major news outlets.

What's your other?