inferno

When your middle name is “National”, sometimes it's hard for people to think of you as the bank next door that’s committed to growing local businesses. That’s exactly the case for Paragon National Bank.

Paragon National Bank wanted a direct mail piece to reach out to business owners and warm them up to the bank’s local business focus. Rather than mailing out thousands at once, they wanted to send out a few every week and follow each contact with a personal phone call inviting the business owner to the bank for a conversation.

This personal, neighborly approach inspired inferno’s creative. The direct mail piece features coffee imagery on the exterior inviting the business owners to “perk up” their business with a special blend.

The interior is printed with coffee-scented ink, so business owners can smell the opportunity brewing when they open the perforated panel. Inside is an invitation to come into the bank and share a cup of coffee with a friendly, business-banking expert.

As an added incentive, business owners who come in for a friendly chat receive a $25 gift card to a locally owned coffee shop, underscoring the bank’s commitment to helping local businesses grow.

In our spare time, infernites like to strike up a little competition. That’s exactly what we did at the latest AAF Memphis Admix event at Billy Hardwick’s All Star Lanes. We brought two teams to the event and mingled with some of the city’s brightest media and advertising professionals. Some participants were serious alley cats, while others were just there for pizza, beer, and laughs.

But we’re no turkeys at inferno. One of our teams dominated the lanes, winning the trophy for best team score. And if that weren’t enough, Joe showed off some hot moves (including a killer handstand) to nab the “Best Victory Dance” trophy.

Thanks to the Memphis AAF for hosting such a fun event, and thanks to the other participants for making the night memorable.  If you missed out on the fun, check out the Admix website to see photos and find out about future events.

Visit Admix here.

Congratulations to our winning team for showing that inferno can bring the heat in bowling as well as advertising.

The mission of the Exchange Club Family Center is to break the cycle of child abuse and neglect by replacing abusive and violent behavior with effective parenting skills. inferno’s partnership with the Center is longstanding and multifaceted.

inferno Partner Dan O’Brien has served as president of the Center’s Board of Directors since 2011.  By extension, many inferno employees are involved in projects on the Center’s behalf. These projects have included designing, copywriting and overseeing production of The Exchange Club Family Center Annual Report and developing the invitation for the Annual Hands of Hope Auction Party, the Center’s largest fundraiser. 

The theme of this year’s auction party invitation was “Seeds of Change.” In addition to original illustration, the invitation included floral shapes cut out of paper imbedded with viable seeds.  Planted in a pot or flowerbed, the paper could actually sprout flowers.

The inferno public relations team also spread the word by writing news and calendar releases about the upcoming event and distributing them to media outlets and bloggers.

Interest blossomed with more than 600 people attending the event. Dan provided the opening remarks and was honored to introduce the evening’s featured speaker, the Honorable Mayor AC Wharton. Several inferno employees and friends supported the cause by sponsoring tables and bidding on auction items.

The inferno public relations team also coordinated media coverage at the event.

The Hands of Hope Auction Party featured more than 250 auction items and raised $137,000 to support the Center’s various programs.

Like art, fashion is in the eye of the beholder. At the intersection of visual acuity and style is inferno client Eclectic Eye.

So there was little doubt Eclectic Eye should be a Memphis Fashion Week sponsor, but the question remained which sponsorship opportunity was the best fit.

inferno public relations specialists and the Eclectic Eye account team assessed the options and made a recommendation. They also asked Memphis Fashion Week organizers to feature eyeglass and sunglass frames from Eclectic Eye’s gallery during the weekend events.

To leverage the exposure, the inferno creative department created a special Eclectic Eye ad for the Memphis Fashion Week program and a highly coveted $100 gift certificate for inclusion in the VIP swag bags.

The ad and gift certificate helped drive attendees from Memphis Fashion Week to an l.a. Eyeworks Trunk Show at Eclectic Eye’s Cooper Street location.

inferno also created and distributed an eblast to Eclectic Eye’s loyal customers, inviting them to join the fun. Social media updates helped spread the word.

An inferno public relations specialist also captured attendees’ photos.

inferno recently welcomed Craig Locke, Director of Development at Hope House, as the speaker at our 2^nd Fuelanthropic Lunch and Learn event. Fuelanthropic is the community service initiative for inferno, encouraging each of our employees to serve a part of the community they’re passionate about.

Craig talked to inferno employees about Hope House, a Memphis-based organization that assists children and families affected by HIV and AIDS. Hope House was the employee-chosen company charity for 2012, and we decided to continue sponsoring Hope House in 2013 through fundraising, donating supplies, participating in events, and sponsoring families.

In addition to speaking about Hope House’s mission, Craig encouraged us to get involved through the Buddy program at Hope House and other events throughout the year. You can find out more about Hope House at hopehousememphis.org.

The Fuelanthropic Lunch and Learn is our chance to recognize new Fuelanthropic members and give employees a chance to share stories about how they’re using their time in the community. And, of course, enjoy a meal together.

In addition to Craig’s presentation, our own Lindsey Woodard and Liza Routh shared how they’ve been making a difference in their adopted organizations. Our employees have really been going above and beyond for the last few years. And this year, we’ve already logged over 100 hours of service, making it clear that 2013 will be another great year of service for inferno.

Way to go, everyone! Thanks for all of your efforts and community involvement.

To learn more about the heart of inferno, visit fuelanthropic.com.

inferno showcases small business owners’ fiery passions

inferno recently worked with FedEx to highlight small businesses represented in their FedEx Small Business Grant Contest.

FedEx provided a total of $50,000 in grants to selected small business owners who submitted a profile to the contest. In order to further promote the contest for FedEx, and give exposure to the wonderful small business stories for the winners, we decided to incorporate the businesses into a video series. We coordinated with the winning businesses, scoped out the story angles,  and traveled across the country to film these stories.

A standout among the entrants was grand prize winner Nicole Snow, whose business Darn Good Yarn was awarded a $25,000 grant. We sent a team to her remote operation in Sebec, Maine. 

At inferno, our natural habitat is hot, so flying into Maine in the middle of winter storm Nemo was a shock for our team. The storm made for some logistical problems, rocky flights, and a bitingly cold trip.

Luckily, Nicole and her husband opened up their home to our crew with a warmth that put us back in our element. Filming Nicole was easy for our team — she provided a unique, inspirational example of a small business owner taking an idea, giving it life, and profiting from her passion.

See Nicole’s story for yourself — check out Darn Good Yarn’s video.

Congratulations to Nicole on winning the $25,000 grant. It was well-deserved. And congratulations to the other winners, who each had an amazing story and won a $5,000 grant:

• Catullo Prime Meats – Youngstown, Ohio
• Project Night Night – San Francisco, California 
• Built of Barnwood – Bay St. Louis, Mississippi 
• Live Breathe Futbol – Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 
• Humdinger Foods LLC – Hillsboro, Oregon

There’s nothing worse than staring at a blank page or screen, waiting for inspiration. That’s why we combined inferno’s creative expertise with our love for food to offer some of our clients a refreshing take on creativity:

The inferno Thinking Cup

We asked our employees what sparks their creative ideas — and they provided several awesome suggestions. Then, we placed each of these suggestions on an insert inside an inferno tumbler. Now, the next time our clients are up late, sipping coffee, and looking for that next big idea, they’ll have somewhere to turn for a little extra creative juice.

And our clients weren’t the only ones who enjoyed our drink-and-think solution. The Thinking Cup was awarded a silver Addy.

Cheers!

After selecting Hope House as our local beneficiary in 2012, we loved the work they were doing so much that inferno chose to continue our support for Hope House through 2013. 

That’s why we participated in the Help for Hope 5k as silver sponsors on March 22. But monetary support wasn’t enough — several employees jumped at the chance to run for a good cause. 

The cold, rainy Memphis day hadn’t been enough to douse the spirit of hundreds of Memphians who came out for the fun run and 5k to support Hope House and their work with children and families impacted by HIV/AIDS.

inferno’s own Rebecca Bolding, hot off her Souper Bowl win at one of our last events, placed first in her age group during the 5k. Congrats on another win, Becca! And thanks to the other infernites who gave their time to run for a great cause:

Liza Routh

Kacie Ross

Teri Hanners

Joe McLaughlin

Ryan Knoll

Michael Overton

Anne Dugan

After the event, inferno employees met at Movie & Pizza Co. to cool down and relax. 

We enjoyed being able to further support Hope House, and we look forward to helping spread a little more hope to our city with Hope House throughout the year.

One of the greatest things about inferno is our team’s passion for service. Fuelanthropic, the agency program aimed at fueling community involvement and empowering employees to serve, has donated 8,523 civic hours since the agency’s inception in 1999.

In 2012 alone, inferno employees racked up 725 volunteer hours.

inferno hosted a special dinner February 21 at South of Beale to honor agency members who contributed service hours in 2012. The festivities included an original cocktail designed for Fuelanthropic, called Fuel’s Gold.

Joining the fun were representatives from organizations served last year, including the American Cancer Society, Hope House, AAF Memphis, and the New Ballet Ensemble.

Thanks to the following inferno employees for bringing the same creativity and spirit to their volunteer work as they do to each of our clients. We can’t wait to see what they’ll do next year!

Ashley Burton

Teri Hanners

Amy Lind

Dan O’Brien

Michael Overton

Colleen Radish

Liza Routh

Lindsey Woodard

Mickey Woodham

To keep up with future Fuelanthropic events, check out our blog, Facebook, and Twitter.

Since International Women’s Day falls in March, it seems appropriate for us to examine our industry and consider if the marketing messages we convey are in step with today’s women. 

Yes, we need to care, because more than $4.3 trillion a year in domestic spending is attributed to women. Another reason to care is that women who experience satisfying customer service are five to ten times more likely to relay that experience than a man. And there’s a flip side: brain imaging research shows that negative feelings resonate longer in women than in men.

So how is marketing directed at women missing the mark? If you look at a study conducted by Womankind LLC in July 2011, the answer is typecasting.

Womankind surveyed 217 women between ages 18 and 78. The survey assessed the roles with which women identified themselves. Then researchers compared those roles to the ones depicted in advertising.

What emerged was a clear disconnect between how women consumers view themselves and how advertisers portray women.

For example, advertising often paints a portrait of the woman who is “the dieter,” “the housekeeper, ” or the “happy shopper.” Not one of the women surveyed selected either “the dieter” or “the housekeeper” as one of her most important identities. Only five percent of the women surveyed indicated shopping among their top five identities.

To win the hearts and minds of today’s women, marketing must respect that women are multi-dimensional and show them in roles that reflect how they see themselves.

So if all women are different and want to see messages that reflect how they see themselves, how do you accomplish that with finite resources?

The answer is to develop messaging that keeps the most common self-identifiers in mind. Of nearly all the women surveyed, 95% self-identified with “friend.” Of these, 51% said the friendship role (which included “friend,” “best friend,” “companion,” and “confidante”) was one of the most important.

While the role was most commonly self-identified across all respondents, not one woman surveyed felt marketers addressed this role.

Outside of “friend,” the other roles most widely viewed as very important were “mother,” “sister,” “optimist,” “independent,” “wife,” “traveler,” “foodie,” and “daughter.” 

The survey revealed that women see themselves as a manager. More than four-fifths (83.8%) saw themselves as independent, and 79.7% saw themselves as multi-taskers. The survey also showed that nearly seven out of ten women saw themselves as planners (68.2%) or organizers (67.2%).

In short, the vast majority of women saw themselves as busy, in control, and responsible in their time and tasks. But very little advertising concurs with that insight; instead, ads depict women as overwhelmed or ineffective.

So before you launch that next campaign to reach women, think of them as friends and capable CEOs, rather than dieters, housekeepers, and shopping fanatics. 

To recognize this 10-year milestone, Eclectic Eye founders and owners Dr. Michael and Robbie Johnson Weinberg wanted a sleek and contemporary update for their logo. They also wanted an online presence that wouldn’t require frequent content updates.

As a result, inferno created a cleaner, bolder version of their Eclectic Eye logo. Changes include dropping “The” from the name, removing the square brackets, using two colors in the eye, adding a dark grey, and simplifying the shape of the eye.

For a web presence, inferno created a page with the updated brand that included only the most important information, eliminating web maintenance issues.

Eclectic Eye shares time-sensitive information, such as events and special promotions, through Facebook and Twitter pages, which now sport the updated logo.

Other updates included a new email template and an ad.

On February 1^st, while everyone else in the country geared up for the big game, infernites celebrated with a new tradition: the Souper Bowl. 

The competition was stiff as soup-chefs vied for the Souper Bowl trophy, specially designed by our own Michael Overton.

Eight employees entered the competition. And while the rivalry between the Ravens and the 49ers was intense that weekend, it was nothing compared to the match-up of our three Playing With Fire teams (the Pyronauts, Badger Force, and Cap’n Cheese and the Peppa Jacks).

infernites served up a wide range of delicious soups, from a sweet butternut squash soup to a creamy potato soup. 

While votes were tallied, full-bellied soup lovers practiced their football-flicking skills at a paper football table created for the event. 

After counting the results, event organizers revealed the top three soups, and each Playing With Fire team was represented.

1^st place: Rebecca Bolding (Cap’n Cheese) – Tortellini, Sausage, and Spinach Soup

2^nd place: Liza Routh (Pyronauts) – Artichoke Soup

3^rd place: Greg Miller (Badger Force) – Clam Chowder

(Liza, Rebecca with trophy, and Greg)

Congratulations to the winners. We can’t wait to see what yummy offerings our employees bring to Souper Bowl II. 

Below you’ll find the recipe for Becca’s trophy-winning soup.

Tortellini, Sausage, and Spinach Soup

1 yellow onion, diced

1 roasted red pepper, diced 

Olive oil, for sautéing (use garlic-infused for extra flavor)

Sea or Kosher salt and fresh black pepper

1 pound Italian sausage, ground or removed from casings, hot or sweet

Crushed red pepper to taste

4 cloves, garlic, minced

1 teaspoon dried basil, crushed between fingers

1 teaspoon dried rosemary 

32 ounces low-sodium chicken broth

9 oz. package of cheese tortellini

2 cups fresh baby spinach leaves, rough chopped

3/4 cup half & half or heavy cream (light is ok)

1 heaping tablespoon fresh basil, chopped

Parmesan cheese, fresh grated, for serving

1. In a large saucepan or soup pot, sauté onion and red pepper in a couple of tablespoons of olive oil over medium-low heat until tender. Season with salt and pepper. In a separate, large skillet brown the sausage, breaking it apart as it cooks. Add a pinch or two of crushed red pepper if you like a little spice. Add garlic to onion mixture and sauté until fragrant.

2. Drain sausage and add to onion mixture along with the basil, rosemary, and chicken broth. Season with salt and pepper, simmer for 20 minutes.

3. Add tortellini and spinach, bring to a simmer, and cook pasta until done (check package for cooking time). Add half & half and fresh basil, bring to a simmer for three or four minutes. Serve with Parmesan cheese.

MEMPHIS, Tenn. – inferno, a full-service advertising, marketing, design and public relations firm, celebrated the dedicated members of its Fuelanthropic program with a special happy hour in the city’s South Main district. The event, which included several agency employees and representatives from local organizations, honored 9 members for their ongoing volunteer efforts within the community. As an agency, inferno was able to donate 725 hours of community service throughout 2012, bringing the total number of hours contributed since the program’s inception to 8,523.

“We are very proud of the employees who devoted such a large amount of time to assist our community,” said Tim Sellers, Agency Partner at inferno. “We encourage our employees to give back to the community in meaningful ways and our Fuelanthropic program gives our staff the ability and support to do so.”

inferno’s Fuelanthropic program provides employees with a full week of paid time off each year to help the community in a way that they choose. Fuelanthropic members use their civic time to give back through a variety of organizations, including the Exchange Club Family Center, Mid-South Division of the America Cancer Society, New Ballet Ensemble & School, Habitat for Humanity, Northeast Arkansas Humane Society, First Presbyterian’s Soup Kitchen for the Homeless and many more. In addition, the agency lends time as a whole to support its 2013 beneficiary, Hope House, with various events throughout the year.

During the event, attendees enjoyed various drinks and appetizers, while celebrating those who contributed to inferno’s Fuelanthropic initiative and the causes that they were able to support throughout 2012.

inferno is a leading full-service agency, serving clients in a variety of industry sectors including healthcare, relocation, logistics, retail, banking, agriculture, nonprofit and entertainment.  Headquartered in Memphis with satellite offices in Jonesboro, Ark. and Kalamazoo, Mich., inferno has become the strongest mid-size provider of business-to-business and consumer marketing solutions, offering experience in advertising, brand development, graphic design, interactive, public relations, social media and strategic planning.

MEMPHIS, Tenn. – inferno, a full-service advertising, marketing, design and public relations firm, today announced the agency received Silver ADDY Awards from the American Advertising Federation (AAF) Memphis Chapter. inferno was recognized for its self-promotional piece titled “Thinking Cup,” which was delivered to agency clients as holiday gifts. Michael Overton, Agency Partner and Creative Director, also received an award for his poster series titled “Peter and the Wolf,” which was created for New Ballet Ensemble and School of Memphis.

“We are very appreciative of the recognition we received for our work with these awards,” said Dan O’Brien, Agency Partner at inferno. “At inferno, we pride ourselves on producing work that makes a difference for our clients and their customers. Receiving additional creative recognition is icing on the cake.”

inferno’s award-winning self-promotional piece, “Thinking Cup,” consisted of an agency branded tumbler filled with a poster of agency tips on how to get creative juices flowing. Overton’s “Peter and the Wolf” poster series was developed during his Fuelanthropic hours, which he uses to volunteer at New Ballet.

“The Fuelanthropic program allows me to give back to the community. Receiving recognition for that work is an honor,” said Overton. “Fuelanthropic is a program that encourages our employees to support a community effort of their choosing and I’m proud to be a part of an agency that created such an impactful program.”

The ADDY Awards are hosted locally by the American Advertising Federation Memphis Chapter (AAFMemphis.org) and honor creative excellence in the Memphis advertising market. The program is the industry’s largest and most representative competition, with 60,000 entries submitted annually through a national network of 210 ad clubs and 210 college chapters.

inferno is a leading full-service agency, serving clients in a variety of industry sectors including healthcare, relocation, logistics, retail, banking, agriculture, nonprofit and entertainment.  Headquartered in Memphis with satellite offices in Jonesboro, Ark. and Kalamazoo, Mich., inferno has become the strongest mid-size provider of business-to-business and consumer marketing solutions, offering experience in advertising, brand development, graphic design, interactive, public relations, social media and strategic planning.

Cupid’s arrow found its target, which was the entire inferno staff. Employees arrived at work Valentine’s Day to receive a meeting request for a “Cupid Break” that afternoon.  A few employees conspired to surprise their colleagues with a sweet spread. Treats included homemade cayenne chocolate bark (with a dried cherries version), frosted sugar cookies, French macaroons and red-hot meringue cookies.

Here's one of the recipes from our sweet spread:

Cherry Almond Chocolate Bark by Anne Dugan

• 1lb candy chocolate
• Pinch of salt
• 1/2 cup chopped dried cherries
• 1/2 cup chopped toasted almonds

"Melt the chocolate in the microwave, stopping to stir about every 30-40 seconds. When melted, add the salt, cherries and almonds. Mix thoroughly and spread as thinly as possible on a cookie sheet covered with waxed paper. Refrigerate until hardened, about 20 minutes. Break the bark into pieces and store in a sealed container or plastic bags in the refrigerator.

Note: The nature of bark is to break unevenly. Don't try to be too neat or you'll be disappointed."

MEMPHIS, Tenn. – inferno, a full-service advertising, marketing, design and public relations firm, kicked off 2013 with its inaugural Souper Bowl competition in celebration of Super Bowl XLVII. The competition supported the agency’s 2013 beneficiary, Hope House, which works to improve the quality of life for HIV-impacted children and their families by addressing their educational, social, psychological and health needs. This is the third year that inferno has designated an annual beneficiary nonprofit and the second consecutive year that the agency has selected to support Hope House.

“We are excited to continue our partnership with Hope House in 2013,” said Dan O’Brien, Agency Partner at inferno. “Last year, our team had the chance to get to know the children supported by Hope House and we look to continue building on that relationship during this year’s effort.”

Throughout 2012, inferno hosted six agency events as a part of its yearlong Playing with Fire competition. During these events, employees brought in dozens of supplies and monetary donations to benefit Hope House.

Continuing this effort, staff members were asked to bring in a small donation for Hope House in order to participate in the Souper Bowl competition. As a result, inferno was able to collect $240 in monetary donations and dozens of supplies.

Employees, including Rebecca Bolding, Brandon Davis, Ryan Knoll, Amy Lind, Trish McLaughlin, Greg Miller, Colleen Radish, Liza Routh and Mickey Woodham, participated in the soup competition. The event winners include Bolding with Tortellini, Spinach and Sausage soup; followed by Routh with Artichoke soup and Miller with Clam Chowder.

Hope House opened in 1995 and is the only facility in the State of Tennessee designed to meet the unique needs of HIV-impacted children. It is accredited by the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC). To learn more about Hope House, please visit www.hopehousememphis.org. 

inferno is a leading full-service agency, serving clients in a variety of industry sectors including healthcare, relocation, logistics, retail, banking, agriculture, nonprofit and entertainment. Headquartered in Memphis with satellite offices in Jonesboro, Ark. and Kalamazoo, Mich., inferno has become the strongest mid-size provider of business-to-business and consumer marketing solutions, offering experience in advertising, brand development, graphic design, interactive, public relations, social media and strategic planning. 

MEMPHIS, Tenn. – inferno, a full-service advertising, marketing, design, and public relations firm, today announced the appointment of Brandon Davis as Junior Copywriter. This addition increases the capacity of the agency’s award-winning creative team.

As Junior Copywriter, Davis is responsible for working with the account and creative teams to develop copy for client campaigns that adhere to client brand standards and strategic goals. Davis reports to Trish McLaughlin, Senior Copywriter, and John Hilgart, Copy Chief and Senior Strategist.

Prior to his appointment, Davis served as a freelance copywriter for a Memphis advertising firm, where he was part of a team that created campaign concepts for print, digital media, direct mail and radio. In addition, Davis was part of a team that was awarded at the local and district Addy Awards for copy on a poster design. He attended the University of Memphis, where he majored in English and graduated Cum Laude.

inferno is a leading full-service agency, serving clients in a variety of industry sectors including healthcare, relocation, logistics, retail, banking, agriculture, nonprofit and entertainment.  Headquartered in Memphis with satellite offices in Jonesboro, Ark. and Kalamazoo, Mich., inferno has become the strongest mid-size provider of business-to-business and consumer marketing solutions, offering experience in advertising, brand development, graphic design, interactive, public relations, social media and strategic planning.

A few weeks ago, the American Advertising Federation (AAF) in Asheville, NC, asked inferno’s own Linda Corti to join them as a design expert to help judge their local Addys. Though the Asheville market is small, they demonstrated impressive creative work, with quality matching any major market. Linda, whose quiet personality is usually more at home in a design chair than a judge’s chair, spent the weekend making tough decisions with an impressive set of submissions.

Linda’s highlights from the trip to Asheville:

• Being treated like a queen by AAF Asheville with meals and accommodations (she deserves it)
• Making new friends and contacts with the other judges and AAF Asheville members
• Discovering connections between AAF Asheville and our local district
• And of course, the fantastic work from the Asheville market. She specifically praised the logo designs.

The Asheville Addys are later this month. Good luck to all of the participants, and thanks to Linda for being a superstar. We’re proud you’re an infernite!

Check the AAF Asheville facebook (the link is at www.adfedasheville.org) at the end of the month for a special interview with Linda.

MEMPHIS, Tenn. — inferno, a full-service advertising, marketing, design, and public relations firm, announced the addition of Isabelle Blais as Public Relations Account Coordinator. Previously, she worked as an intern on inferno’s public relations team. Blais will report to Ashley Burton, Public Relations Manager, and Dan O’Brien, Partner.

“Isabelle brings a fresh perspective, youthful energy and strong work ethic to the team,” said O’Brien. “We’ve enjoyed watching her grow professionally through her internship, and look forward to her successes on behalf of our clients.”

In her role as Public Relations Account Coordinator, Blais will provide support to the public relations team, assist in developing content for clients, media monitoring, and aid in coordination and planning for client special events. In addition, Blais is charged with assisting in social media efforts for clients and the agency, as well as researching new business opportunities.

She earned her bachelors degree in communications and information sciences from The University of Alabama, where she majored in public relations and minored in english. Throughout her college career, Blais was an active member of various associations, including the Public Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA).

inferno is a leading full-service agency, serving clients in a variety of industry sectors including healthcare, relocation, logistics, retail, banking, agriculture, nonprofit and entertainment.  Headquartered in Memphis with satellite offices in Jonesboro, Ark. and Kalamazoo, Mich., inferno has become the strongest mid-size provider of business-to-business and consumer marketing solutions, offering experience in advertising, brand development, graphic design, interactive, public relations, social media and strategic planning.

Dec. 20^th was inferno’s semiannual Agency Day. Our last Agency Day was the previous summer, when we traveled to The Clinton Presidential Library and Museum in Little Rock, Ark. A tough act to follow.

This time, we started the festivities with a State of the Agency presentation at our Tennessee Street location. The partners recognized colleagues Ryan Knoll and Teri Hanners with the Above and Beyond Award, which is peer-nominated and given to an inferno employee in recognition of outstanding work ethic. Knoll and Hanners received a trophy and an extra paid vacation day.

In addition, Partner Dan O’Brien bestowed his much-anticipated Legacy Awards. These awards use an obscure historical figure to honor similar qualities reflected in the employee. Part history lesson, part roast, the Legacy Awards leave no employee unscathed.

After the razzing, we strolled to Central BBQ’s new downtown location on Butler Ave with our rolling white board in tow, and our cheesy holiday sweaters begging for fresh BBQ stains.

As we trundled past groups of holiday diners from other agencies, you could almost sense what they were thinking: “Those poor folks at inferno are doing some SWOT analysis for the holidays.”

In truth, no one knows how to turn a whiteboard into a party like inferno. This was a knockdown, drag out, doodle to the death game of Pictionary. Copywriters struggled to draw, art directors scrambled for words, and account service folks conspired to establish agency supremacy.

Of course, it wouldn’t be an inferno competition without some come-from-behind, controversial, we-were-robbed, almost-Cinderella story. There was one; it’s just none of us can remember it.  

As we trudged back to the agency, with full bellies, rosy cheeks and merry memories, several infernites agreed this was the most fun agency day yet.

Thank you Dan, Michael and Tim.

P.S. Can’t wait to see what’s planned for our Summer Agency Day 2013.

Internships are a proven way to gain relevant, real world knowledge, skills and experience. It’s a way for you to get your feet wet and find out if you actually enjoy the job enough to make a career out of it. So, what’s so intimidating about that? Well, honestly, a lot.

I was fortunate enough to land a public relations internship at inferno and learn an amazing amount from a PR professional, Ashley Burton. I was lucky and came to the realization that I love what I do and I love where I am.

This is not to say that I, a recent college graduate with little experience in the world of PR, wasn’t terrified on my first day. I was petrified. In hindsight, I had little reason to worry, but here are five PR pointers I wish I had known before my first day.

1.  Public relations is not necessarily what the professors said. Learning PR in college is like learning to scuba dive in a classroom. You won’t know much until you jump into the water and hope not to sink. I thought being a recent graduate with all the PR knowledge fresh in my head would make my internship a piece of cake. I was wrong. This is not to say that I didn’t learn a large amount about PR in college that hasn’t helped me, but there is nothing that can prepare you for the real world, except for jumping into the real world.

2.  Familiar strangers: Interns are temporary creatures. They come and go. However, in order to make the most of your time and the agency’s time, you should always be willing to learn and be the best you can be. Who knows, maybe they’ll even hire you at the end of your internship...

3. Events aren’t usually eventful. It’s not as easy as you would think to grab photos of people attending. It came as a surprise to me that not all people like having their photo taken. When you need photos of attendees at an event, you need photos. Being confident in yourself is key. And, as each event passes, it becomes second nature to ask people for their photograph.

4.  Release mode: news releases are a daily reality. Writing news releases takes more inspiration than writing a 144-character tweet. News releases are a way to get your organization’s news out to the world in an objective, simple and unbiased way, while grabbing the audience’s attention. Not so simple.

5. Don’t be afraid to ask questions, as no one expects you to know everything. You are an intern and are there to learn, so don’t hesitate to ask questions if you’re unclear about something. And, understand the value of corrective criticism. The people who take the time to explain to you what you might have done wrong or could do better are actually investing their time and energy in you. That’s a good thing. Learning from mistakes transforms interns into seasoned professionals.

These are the five things I wish I had known before my internship began at inferno five months ago. I have now transitioned into my new role as PR Account Coordinator and continue to learn something new every day. I am immensely grateful to everyone at inferno for giving me the opportunity to acquire hands-on experience and a chance to realize that I did in fact choose the right career path. 

MEMPHIS, Tenn. — inferno, a full-service advertising, marketing, design, and public relations firm, celebrated the completion of another successful year during its end of year meeting in late December. inferno employees come together twice a year for an update on the agency’s performance, as well as a special meal and activity. Earlier in the year, the agency traveled to Little Rock, Arkansas, where employees enjoyed lunch and a visit to the Clinton Presidential Library and Museum.

“We are very proud of all of the work our team produced in 2012 and we wanted to show our employees how appreciative we are of their tireless efforts and dedication,” said Dan O’Brien, Agency Partner at inferno.

The latest meeting began with presentations from each partner. Tim Sellers opened with an overview of the agency’s financials, and Michael Overton continued with a look at all the creative work produced for inferno’s clients.In addition, O’Brien recognized Ryan Knoll and Teri Hanners with the Above and Beyond award, which is peer nominated and given to an inferno employee for their outstanding work ethic. Knoll and Hanners received a trophy and an additional paid vacation day.

Afterward, O’Brien acknowledged agency individuals for their commitment to inferno by honoring them with an award. These awards use a historical figure to honor similar qualities reflected in each employee. Mickey Woodham, Quality Control Manager, received the Joseph M Juran Award, honoring the 20^th century management consultant. The Desmond Llewelyn Award, recognizing the actor who played Q in 17 Bond films, was give to David Zachry, Interactive Manager. Anne Dugan, Traffic Manager, received the Noccolo Paganini Award, honoring one of the most celebrated violinists of the 18^th century. Joe McLaughlin, Account Executive, was given the Dan Marino award in recognition of the retired American football quarterback. The Michael Goudeau Award was given to Liza Routh, Account Executive, in honor of the professional juggler and ex-circus clown. Isabelle Blais, PR Account Coordinator, received the Celine Dion Award, honoring the famous French-Canadian songstress.

Following the meeting, the partners treated agency employees to lunch at Central BBQ’s newest location on Butler Avenue. After the meal, everyone enjoyed a rousing afternoon game of Pictionary.

inferno is a leading full-service agency, serving clients in a variety of industry sectors including healthcare, relocation, logistics, retail, banking, agriculture, nonprofit and entertainment.  Headquartered in Memphis with satellite offices in Jonesboro, Ark. and Kalamazoo, Mich., inferno has become the strongest mid-size provider of business-to-business and consumer marketing solutions, offering experience in advertising, brand development, graphic design, interactive, public relations, social media and strategic planning.

When FedEx asked us to develop a campaign for their golf club shipping service, we wanted to make sure that the creative elements would catch golfers’ attention, and we wanted to make sure that customers could easily price and book club shipping for their next golf trip.

The hub at the center of our consumer campaign is a website that includes an interactive travel planner application. Developed by inferno, the application enables visitors to input their golf club and travel information, and then output shipping costs onto a calendar. The traveler can choose a shipping date ahead of their next golf trip and initiate a cost-competitive shipment.

The marketing campaign includes email, FedEx and third party web ads, mobile ads, FedEx Office^® banners, and a how-to video. We also reached consumers at one of the most important “point of shipping” locations – golf pro shops. inferno developed a toolkit containing both printed and interactive marketing tools that pro shops can use to promote their own FedEx club shipping.

The entire campaign was given extra lift by cross-marketing it with the FedExCup^® website, which inferno redeveloped as part of the project.

Good lip service can work wonders for business — as Transnetyx recently demonstrated on a trip to Northwestern University’s campus with a handful of representatives, a truckload of cupcakes, and one savory ad campaign. 

To publicize the company visit, we created a concept that whet researchers’ appetites and drove foot-traffic to the cupcake site. Faculty and staff members received print flyers and emails with the message “Hit the Sweet Spot,” impelling them to have a treat and a chat with the Transnetyx team.

The Memphis Jewish Community Center (MJCC) has welcomed members of all cultures and faiths for decades. If that comes as news to you, you’re not alone.

The MJCC asked inferno to communicate their inclusive culture with a new brand and an unprecedented marketing campaign. We developed a logo that reflects the Center’s diversity and welcoming attitude, while also giving the Star of David a contemporary look. The new tagline, “A place for everyone,” makes the Center’s inclusive attitude perfectly clear.

We’ve also extended the new brand identity to encompass some of the MJCC’s most impressive features, which include a fitness facility, a waterpark, arts classes, and a school. inferno put the whole thing together for the MJCC in a brand standards guide to assist their internal marketing team.

The brand marketing campaign launched in December, 2012, with print and outdoor advertising that features current MJCC members. The campaign will expand into other media in 2013.

During the holidays, some people donate clothes, while others collect toys, kitchenware, or other home goods. This year, inferno provided all of the above as gifts for three deserving Memphis families.

Through Hope House, inferno pledged to fill the needs of three local AIDS-affected families. After receiving the families’ wish lists, we divvied the requests among our three “Playing with Fire” teams and resumed our favorite office rivalry.

We’re proud to report that every team fulfilled all of their families’ wishes, hauling in items like dolls, Tupperware containers, and winter coats.

If you have been following the inferno blog, you know the “Playing with Fire” team competition reached a fevered pitch in December as the Pyronauts’ lead narrowed with the results of the Bake-Off. 

In a power coup, Team Badger Force was the quickest to gather its family’s gifts for Hope House — nabbing 10 extra points and securing the title of champion for 2012.

Seven infernites had the pleasure of delivering the presents in-person and sparking up a few fun-filled chats and play sessions with the children of Hope House.

See our most recent Playing with Fire event.

Learn about our last visit to Hope House.

Speed and responsiveness are two qualities that inferno client NuVasive® values most. But that comes as no surprise to us – the cheetah is the company’s mascot. When an employee or vendor provides outstanding service on a specific NuVasive project, they show their appreciation by granting the high-performing individual the NuVasive Spot Award.

inferno Account Executive Ryan Knoll was recently honored with a Spot Award for his assistance with the NuVasive trade show booth for the annual North American Spine Society meeting. The award thanks Ryan for his “cheetah-like” responsiveness in coordinating the production and delivery of quality marketing materials for the trade show.

Congratulations, Ryan!

Read about our other Spot Award recipient, Teri Hanners.

inferno was the official marketing sponsor for the March of Dimes Signature Chefs Auction for the fifth consecutive year.

Highly anticipated by foodies, shoppers, and March of Dimes supporters, the Signature Chefs Auction is the largest special event for the Memphis Division of the Tennessee Chapter of the March of Dimes, raising hundreds of thousands of dollars each year. All proceeds from the November 18 event go directly to the Memphis division and help to support the March of Dimes mission: to prevent and alleviate the harmful effects of premature birth.

This year, we updated the Auction’s direct mail pieces, program book, and event signage using last year’s hit messaging, “the key ingredient is you.” 

inferno Public Relations Manager Ashley Burton moved to Memphis 7 years ago. Though she plunged right into the city, its events and its culture, she still felt like an outlier.

When she met people who asked her about her origins, Ashley would explain that she was from Bedford, Ind. Whoever asked would usually respond with, “What are you doing in Memphis?”

It seemed to Ashley that her new home city was greatly under-appreciated.  This outlook changed when Ashley attended Leadership Memphis’ FastTrack program. After ten classes between Sept. 8 to Dec. 1, 2012, Ashley “graduated” and had an opportunity to reflect on what the program meant for her.

“During my FastTrack experience, it was invigorating to spend time with people who saw Memphis in a positive way,” said Burton. “The topics we discussed and the people I met made me really see Memphis as a great place with a positive future.”

Offered by Leadership Memphis, FastTrack is a community leadership development program that builds on each participant’s personal leadership skills and expands their Community IQ. Participants gain a stronger understand­ing of how to take Memphis to the next level through an increased understand­ing of self and community, experiential learning processes and exposure to high-profile community leaders and organizations.

According to Ashley, if you look at the areas where Memphis is lagging behind other cities, such health, education and the economy, it can be overwhelming.

“Through FastTrack, I met enthusiastic people who wanted to share information so people like me could plug in to the community and make a difference,” said Ashley.  “It made me confident that Memphis can overcome these challenges and emerge as a city people feel good about calling home.”

Mickey Woodham, Quality Control Manager for inferno, spoke to fellow employees about her work for the Harwood Center, as well as her civic time spent at her church’s soup kitchen. 

MEMPHIS, Tenn.  — inferno, a full-service advertising, marketing, design and public relations firm, recently held an event to recognize staff participation in the agency’s Fuelanthropic program, which gives employees a full week of paid time off each year for community service. Since the program’s inception, inferno has contributed more than 8,500 hours of service, including both agency-sponsored and individual efforts. The event featured Eric Leo Bleier of the Memphis Grizzlies Foundation and highlighted staff members who are using their Fuelanthropic time to make a difference in and around Memphis.

“At inferno, we encourage our employees to give back to the community through service year round,” said Tim Sellers, Agency Partner at inferno. “The Fuelanthropic program empowers our employees to make a difference in the community and provides a platform for them to share their volunteer experiences and opportunities with one another.”

Sellers opened the event with an explanation of the Fuelanthropic program’s history and mission, and then introduced Bleier. Bleier spoke about the volunteer mentoring opportunities available through the Memphis Grizzlies Foundation’s Team Up program, as well as the volunteer needs of the Foundation’s partnership organizations.

Afterward, several employees shared how they individually use their civic time to help the community. From the soup kitchen at First Presbyterian Church to the American Cancer Society’s Harrah’s Hope Lodge, inferno employees showcased how they use their Fuelanthropic time to give back to Memphis throughout the year.

The event closed with the inductions of Liza Livingston and Teri Hanners as Fuelanthropic members. In addition, Ashley Burton, Teri Hanners, Liza Livingston and Colleen Radish were presented with the branded Fuelanthropic hardhat for using at least three days of civic time this year.

“As an employee, I’m not only allowed to volunteer my services for charitable organizations, I am encouraged to do so,” said Mickey Woodham, Quality Control Manager at inferno. “Fuelanthropic is a wonderful opportunity for us to give back to the city in which we live, and I am proud to work for a company whose partners came up with such a novel idea.”

inferno is a leading full-service agency, serving clients in a variety of industry sectors including healthcare, relocation, logistics, retail, banking, agriculture, nonprofit and entertainment.  Headquartered in Memphis with satellite offices in Jonesboro, Ark. and Kalamazoo, Mich., inferno has become the strongest mid-size provider of business-to-business and consumer marketing solutions, offering experience in advertising, brand development, graphic design, interactive, public relations, social media and strategic planning. 

The inferno ethos is to do work that makes a difference. That may mean choosing clients who trust us to do work that blazes new trails or helping our clients be more successful as they bring a life-changing spine product to market or raising funds for any number of non-profits who help our community.

For inferno, this philosophy also means empowering employees to make a difference. We’ve branded this effort Fuelanthropic.

inferno grants employees one week of paid time off each year to work in their communities. inferno has donated more than 8,500 hours in service as a company and through employee’s paid civic time.

As part of the program, inferno recently hosted Memphis Grizzlies Foundation coordinator Eric Leo Bleier for a lunch and learn. Eric described volunteer mentoring opportunities available through the foundation’s Team Up program. He also highlighted the volunteer needs of the Foundation’s partnership organizations.

Afterward, infernites gave mini presentations on how they used their civic time off to help organizations such as Harwood Center, Habitat for Humanity and Hope Lodge.

The lunch and learn wrapped up with special employee presentations. Liza Livingston and Teri Hanners were inducted as members of Fuelanthropic.  In addition, Colleen Radish, Liza Livingston, Lindsey Woodard and Ashley Burton received Fuelanthropic hardhats for using at least three days of civic time this calendar year. Congratulations!

Diversity in the workplace goes beyond race, religion or sexual orientation. It also includes stuffing – in the bird, in the dish or good old “Stove-top” from the box. Yes, infernites are diverse in how they approach Thanksgiving. 

Our ranks include Gung-ho gobblers, embracing family, food and football with zeal. We have User Experience (UX) Managers, those who are burdened with making sure Thanksgiving  comes off without a hitch for all their guests. We also have PC Pilgrims who seek a socially responsible and sustainable Thanksgiving. And, we have Curmudgeons, November’s bah-humbuggers. (They just want it to be over. )

In honor of diversity, inferno invited employees, clients, friends, and fans to take the agency’s Thanks Giver Quiz the Wednesday before Thanksgiving. The quiz was a totally unscientific way to determine the respondent’s Thanks Giver style.

If you missed the quiz, you can still take it.

Quiz takers answered nine multiple-choice questions. Once completed, participants received their Thanks Giver profile and were able to view a pie (chart) depicting the overall makeup of respondents in real-time.

And, do you know what we learned from it?  The Norman Rockwell-style Thanksgiving is not extinct; unbridled technology and rampant consumerism has not destroyed this holiday.

In fact, the vast majority of the 188 people who took the quiz (64%) were Gung-ho Gobblers. We also learned the number of User Experience Managers and the Curmudgeons were equal with 30 of each (16%). The smallest slice of the pie (chart) went to the PC Pilgrims (4%).

We hope you all enjoyed the holiday, whatever your style may be.

Check out all the Thanks Giver profiles:

The Gung-ho Gobbler

You’re a red-blooded, all-American fan of Thanksgiving. Whether you’re playing chief in the kitchen or keeping the guests stocked on age-old family jokes, you’re sure not to miss a minute of the turkey day celebration. You’re probably the keeper of the secret family recipes and always have the scoop on your out-of-town relatives. Your rosy-cheeked enthusiasm may annoy the curmudgeons, but we say embrace it! A great Thanksgiving is two-parts stomach and one-parts heart — and that’s you.

The User Experience (UX) Manager

With great holidays comes great responsibility — at least by your standards. If you’re not talking turkey with the deli manager, you’re making reminder calls on travel arrangements, potluck assignments, and the mandatory dress code. Whatever the task, you’re taking charge. (Chances are you have permanent dibs on carving the bird too.) Don’t worry — we know it’s not because you’re a control freak. You just want things done right. Everyone else would say thanks if they weren’t so busy enjoying your holiday handiwork. Take it as a sign of a job well done.

The Politically Correct Pilgrim

You might not be Thanksgiving’s biggest fan, but you can enjoy any event that upholds the golden standards of justice, equality, and sustainability. At least, you appreciate that for one day out of the year, people are a little more conscientious. Your relatives might pull a few faces when social debates get heated, and you’re probably told to put a lid on the political ranting. But you don’t mind — no number of dirty looks could put a damper on the national holiday for caring and sharing.

The Curmudgeon

You’ve never had much of a taste for Turkey day. After all, why get all worked up for such a historically inaccurate holiday? It’s simply an excuse for people to over-indulge and pretend to enjoy seeing distant relatives. That’s not to say you don’t love your family. You just don’t see the need for all of the trimmings. Holidays are meant to be just that — welcome breaks from everyday stress. Our advice: take the good food while you can get it, find an inconspicuous corner seat and enjoy the show. Consider this grade-A material for that great novel you’re planning.

MEMPHIS, Tenn. – inferno, a full-service advertising, marketing, design, and public relations firm, today announced it was honored with five MarCom Creative Awards in the program’s 2012 competition. Award levels, categories and client projects include:

• Platinum Award – Design (Print)/Logo – International Paper Recycled Logo 
• Platinum Award – Design (Print)/Logo – Tradewind Group Logo
• Gold Award – Design (Print)/Logo – Memphis Jewish Community Center Logo 
• Gold Award – Advertising Campaign – Fullen Dock & Warehouse’s “Ready for Anything” Campaign 
• Gold Award – Website/Small Business – Stash

“The inferno team sets the bar high for all of our work and we are appreciative of the acknowledgement,” said Michael Overton, Creative Director and Agency Partner at inferno. “We are fortunate to work with clients that give us the opportunity to create award-winning work.”

The MarCom Platinum Award winners are recognized for their excellence in terms of quality, creativity and resourcefulness and Gold Award winners for exceeding the high standards of the industry norm. About 18 percent of participants were Platinum Winners, while approximately 18 percent won the Gold Award.

The MarCom Creative Awards is an international creative competition that recognizes outstanding achievement by marketing and communications professionals. Entries come from corporate marketing and communications departments, advertising agencies, PR firms, design shops, production companies and freelancers. The MarCom Creative Awards competition is administered and judged by the Association of Marketing and Communications Professionals. Judges are industry professionals who look for companies and individuals whose talent exceeds a high standard of excellence and whose work serves as a benchmark for the industry. There were over 6.000 entries from throughout the United States and several foreign countries in this year’s competition.

inferno is a leading full-service agency, serving clients in a variety of industry sectors including healthcare, relocation, logistics, retail, banking, agriculture, nonprofit and entertainment. Headquartered in Memphis with satellite offices in Jonesboro, Ark. and Kalamazoo, Mich., inferno has become the strongest mid-size provider of business-to-business and consumer marketing solutions, offering experience in advertising, brand development, graphic design, interactive, public relations and strategic planning.

MEMPHIS, Tenn.  — inferno, a full-service advertising, marketing, design, and public relations firm, today announced the addition Anne Dugan as Traffic Manager and Trish McLaughlin as Senior Copywriter. These appointments will further enhance the skill set of the agency’s management and creative teams.

“Both Anne and Trish have impressive and longstanding backgrounds in the advertising and marketing industry,” said Dan O’Brien, Agency Partner at inferno. “We’re very fortunate to add such tremendous depth to our inferno team.”

In Dugan’s role as Traffic Manager, she manages the day-to-day operations of the agency’s traffic department, as well as oversees the internal scheduling of workflow through all of inferno’s departments. She will report to Tim Sellers, Agency Partner. Dugan has nearly 35 years of marketing experience, including project and organizational management. Most recently, she served as a consultant for several Memphis agencies and businesses, where she provided guidance on marketing and creative strategy for projects in several industries.

As Senior Copywriter, McLaughlin serves as the agency’s primary writer and is responsible for thoroughly exploring and assessing creative solutions for all of the agency’s clients. Additionally, she will collaborate with the creative team and account staff to streamline work from launch to completion. She will report to Michael Overton, Partner and Creative Director. McLaughlin has nearly 20 years of experience in copywriting and creative, in both the U.S. and Netherlands, where she provided freelance marketing services.

inferno is a leading full-service agency, serving clients in a variety of industry sectors including healthcare, relocation, logistics, retail, banking, agriculture, nonprofit and entertainment. Headquartered in Memphis with satellite offices in Jonesboro, Ark. and Kalamazoo, Mich., inferno has become the strongest mid-size provider of business-to-business and consumer marketing solutions, offering experience in advertising, brand development, graphic design, interactive, public relations and strategic planning.

On October 31, we threw our own breed of Halloween party — the 4^th Annual Howl-o-ween. Complete with full-grown fangs, beastly fur, and a few hair-raising howls, Howl-o-ween at inferno is an afternoon of canine camaraderie and dog-eat-dog competition to support the Humane Society.

As is tradition, infernites’ own dogs donned miniature costumes and joined in the celebration. Things quickly heated up with the doggie costume contest, where Roxie the Luau Lady won our hearts and the People’s Choice award, and Buttons the MSU Football Player took home the title of Runner Up.

infernites cast their votes for their favorite canines with an assortment of pet supplies, toys, and treats. The final “ballots” were collected and delivered to the Humane Society.

The winners of the Howl-o-ween costume contest also scored points for their Playing with Fire teams. Roxie’s owner, Creative Director Linda Corti, and Buttons’ owner, Account Executive Ryan Knoll, together scored 15 points for team Badger Force.

Read about our 2009, 2010, and 2011 Howl-o-ween parties.

On October 27, FedEx changed the game for both shipping and social networking with the launch of a new shipping application on Facebook, FedEx Ship to Friends. With the application, Facebook users can select friends as recipients and create shipments without leaving the site.

FedEx asked inferno to develop a splash page and online banner ads to help introduce the app.

The creative team wanted to position the app as a friendly and convenient way to take online relationships beyond the digital world. We paired common Facebook words with words that conveyed a greater dimension — a glimpse of its possibilities. Using these word pairs, we demonstrated how FedEx shipping enhances Facebook friendships with a personal touch.

Get a first-hand glimpse of FedEx Ship to Friends.

See more of our recent work for FedEx.

“Subrogation” isn’t a household word – not even among people who need subrogation services the most. Benefit Recovery is a leading national healthcare subrogation provider, which means that they help organizations reclaim benefits that were paid to their employees in error. For instance, if a company pays a claim promptly and the employee later receives payment again from another source or a legal settlement, the company’s health plan is entitled to its money back. Among other things, these recoveries help keep the company’s self-funded insurance plan financially viable.

Benefit Recovery enlisted inferno to refine its brand, distill its competitive advantages, and create marketing tools that speak clearly to its segmented audience.

We began by refreshing the company’s logo and introducing a tagline: “See more. Recover more.” This speaks directly to the cause-and-effect that differentiates Benefit Recovery: They have a proprietary ability to analyze health plan data that enables them to identify more cases warranting subrogation, which then enables them to recover more funds. In fact, they typically double or triple their clients’ recoveries of payments made in error.

Inferno then applied the refreshed brand to multiple marketing tactics, including business cards, a new website, and a sales brochure. The brochure and website carefully segment the messaging to address both companies that run their own health plans and “third party administrators” – companies that handle health plans on behalf of others. The messaging itself is a balance of the financial benefits (recover more money) and the human resources benefits (treat your employees with respect). 

Best of all, it’s now easy for anyone to understand what subrogation means and to see why Benefit Recovery is the industry’s most effective healthcare subrogation provider.

MEMPHIS, Tenn. -  inferno, a full-service advertising, marketing, design and public relations firm, today announced it won one gold and three silver awards in the 2012 Davey Awards, an international creative awards program focused exclusively on honoring outstanding creative work from the best small firms worldwide.

MEMPHIS, Tenn. – inferno, a full-service advertising, marketing, design and public relations firm, recently held its inaugural 2012 Tailgate App Off Competition in celebration of football season. The appetizer cooking competition supported the agency’s 2012 nonprofit beneficiary, Hope House, which strives to improve the quality of life of HIV-impacted children and their families by addressing their educational, social, psychological and health needs.

“We’re very happy to continue our partnership with Hope House as they have allowed our staff a chance to make a difference, as well as spend time with the children they support.” said Dan O’Brien, Agency Partner.

The agency hosted the event as part of inferno’s yearlong Playing with Fire competition and asked staff to bring in a small donation for Hope House in order to participate. As a result, inferno was able to collect dozens of items for the nonprofit, including paper towels, diapers, paper plates, children’s books, cleaning supplies and monetary donations. Agency employee’s delivered the donations and finished the trip with a fun play-date with the Hope House kids.

During the event, employees Robert Barnett, Beverly Hendrichovsky, Logan Mailhot, Trish McLaughlin, Kacie Ross, and Mickey Woodham brought in appetizers for the agency to enjoy while they played popular tailgate games and football trivia. Appetizer winners were Barnett with his Cheeseburger Popsicles, followed by Mailhot with Buffalo Chicken Dip and Ross with brownies and chips and dip. For recipies on winning appetizers, visit this link. 

Hope House opened in 1995 and is the only facility in the State of Tennessee designed to meet the unique needs of HIV-impacted children. It is accredited by the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC). To learn more about Hope House, please visit http://www.hopehousememphis.org.

inferno is a leading full-service agency, serving clients in a variety of industry sectors including healthcare, relocation, logistics, retail, banking, agriculture, nonprofit and entertainment.  Headquartered in Memphis with satellite offices in Jonesboro, Ark. and Kalamazoo, Mich., inferno has become the strongest mid-size provider of business-to-business and consumer marketing solutions, offering experience in advertising, brand development, graphic design, interactive, public relations and strategic planning.

It was a three-way battle to establish football trivia dominance and tailgate appetizer supremacy when infernites (inferno employees) faced off in the 2012 Tailgate App Off Competition last Friday.

Billed as a Lip-smackin’ Smackdown, the Tailgate App Off is one of a series of events in our Playing with Fire competition, which pits three teams of infernites against each other in a year-long rivalry: Team Pyronauts, Team Badger Force, and Cap'n Cheese and the Peppa Jacks.

At the same time, Playing with Fire events also support Hope House, which strives to improve the quality of life of HIV-affected children and their families.

With only a few points separating the teams, it was a heated battle for bragging rights. The teams were able to earn points three ways:

• Having a team member among the top three chefs in the App Off
• Getting the most points in Football Trivia
• Donating needed items to The Hope House

For the Football Trivia segment, employees donned football team attire and huddled up to tackle grueling football trivia questions, designed by stump-mistress Mickey Woodham.

The competition was contentious and several flags were thrown. After replays and final calls, victory belonged to Team Pyronauts.

In the App Off segment, participants went head to head with their tastiest tailgate appetizers and the crowd went crazy.

Robert Barnett (Pyronauts) won the App Off with his Cheeseburger Lollipops. Logan Mailhot (Badger Force) came in second with this Buffalo Chicken Dip and Kacie Ross (Cap'n Cheese and the Peppa Jacks) won third place honors with her chips and dip with brownies.

The big winner was Hope House, which received dozens of much-needed items to support its efforts to address the educational, social, psychological, and health needs of HIV-infected children and their families.

Within the first quarter of 2012, inferno staffers collected mounds of supplies for Hope House during the agency’s annual Soup Off competition, and participated in the 10th annual Help for Hope 5K in Harbor Town. A record $17,250 was raised during the 5K fundraiser.

Kacie’s Tailgate Dip Recipe

1 cup mayo

1 cup sour cream

1 diced fresh tomato

1pkg of Hormel bacon bits

Directions: Stir together and refrigerate. 

Robert’s Bacon Cheeseburger Popsicles

Ingredients:

1 lb. ground beef

puff pastry

bacon

onion

cherry tomatoes

sliced sharp cheddar

(hamburger) sliced dill pickles

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. pepper

1tsp. garlic powder

1 TBS. olive oil

eggs

water

skewers

Preparation:

Add salt, pepper and garlic powder to ground beef. Mix and form beef into 1-1/2" to 2" patties. Lightly brown patties on both sides in a pan.

Cook bacon and cut into quarters.

Slice onion and caramelize until golden brown in butter. Once done, set aside.

Cut cherry tomatoes in half, toss with 1 tablespoon of olive oil and about 2 teaspoons of salt. Place in oiled baking pan and bake at 450 for 20 minutes. Remove from oven and let rest for about 30 minutes.

Flour surface and roll out sheet(s) of puff pastry dough, divide into nine squares.

Make an egg wash in a bowl by whisking together one tablespoon water with an egg.

Quarter the cheddar slices.

Assembly:

Place cheese down first on pastry square. Then stack pickle, a small amount of onions and tomatoes, bacon, and finally beef patty. Pull up sides of dough around meat and pinch ends together to seal. place on silpat or parchment paper with the pinched side down. Brush egg wash on top then sprinkle a small pinch of salt over each.

Baking:

Bake at 400 for about 20 minutes until the dough is brown. Rest on baking rack for about 30 minutes. Once cooled, stick skewer in each through the side to make a "popsicle".

Logan’s Buffalo Chicken Dip

Ingredients:

2 (10 oz.) cans chunk chicken, drained

2 (8 oz.) packages cream cheese, softened

1 cup Ranch dressing

¾ cup pepper sauce (such as Frank's Red Hot®)

1-1/2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese

1 bunch celery, cleaned and cut into 4 inch pieces

1 (8 ounce) box chicken-flavored crackers

Directions:

Heat chicken and hot sauce in a skillet over medium heat, until heated through. Stir in cream cheese and ranch dressing. Cook, stirring until well blended and warm. Mix in half of the shredded cheese, and transfer the mixture to a slow cooker. Sprinkle the remaining cheese over the top, cover, and cook on Low setting until hot and bubbly. Serve with celery sticks and crackers.

Professional sports and social media were made for each other. Now more than ever before, the action and fan engagement fills the spaces between games, and even between seasons. Every NFL team has a robust, active Facebook page and players who tweet, while millions of consumer-fans eagerly listen and respond. The internet is a worldwide sports bar that never closes.

As private enterprise in all its forms tries to figure out how to monetize social media, professional sports have it easy. Social media for sports is not an advertisement for the product; it is, to a great extent, the product itself. Sports fans want nothing more than to engage with their obsession and have their say, and now the office water cooler is as big as the World Wide Web.

The players are talking to you. The latest news from your favorite team is threaded into posts from your family and friends. A hashtag connects you to your fellow fanatics around the globe. The tailgate party goes on forever, Monday morning quarterbacking goes on seven days a week, fans roll into well-organized Fantasy Football role-playing games – and sports brands are in the face of their primary audience all year ‘round.

Does it matter, then, that social media can occasionally become your nemesis, if you’re the NFL? During the 2012 referee lockout by NFL owners, it got pretty ugly. Early on, fans alerted the NFL to a replacement ref with a personal Facebook page that made no secret about his favorite team – a team whose next game he was due to officiate. Then, after a game riddled with horrible calls, one of America’s favorite teams, the Green Bay Packers, was robbed of a win by an erroneous touchdown call for the Seattle Seahawks.

The following day, fans posted about the bad call and the lockout 750,000 times, putting intense pressure on the league to resolve the situation. The most notable tweet came from a player, Packers’ guard T.J. Lang, who wrote, “F--- it NFL. Fine me and use the money to pay the regular refs.” The post was retweeted 94,000 times and gained Lang 91,000 new followers. Soon the real refs were back, and the league publicly stated that Lang wouldn’t be fined for his incendiary – and influential – social comment.

Obviously, social media is comprised of fickle friends who no organization can truly “manage.” But in the area of professional sports, an embarrassing social media flareup isn’t a PR disaster, because taking sides and talking trash are what keep the marriage of sports and fans healthy. The more intense it gets, the more irresistible it is to watch and play along. We love compitetion, and the competitive spirit loves to have an enemy. On game day, it might be “my team” versus “their team,” but we’re just as happy to side with all the teams at once, when their managing body throws a punch at the game itself. For 48 hours this fall, the Green Bay Packers and the regular refs were America’s teams.

And this sheds some light on the strange status of the NFL as a brand, as well as its particular invulnerability to permanent damage. When there’s a dispute within the NFL, and the product quality is compromised, fans take sides, but they remain inside the brand when they do it. It’s a zero sum game. T.J. Lang’s 91,000 new followers clicked a button in a moment of rage against league management, but those fans are now receiving tweets that will help keep the NFL top of mind from now on.

In other words, the NFL has a monopoly on a consumer product group that no fan wants to abandon, so the NFL lives outside the hazards faced by a traditional consumer brand. If Coke had screwed up royally and generated a titanic social media backlash, it would be in a hole. When the NFL screws up – based on overwhelming customer feedback – it can still rely on loyalty to the product, and it can fix the problem and go on almost as though nothing had happened. Water under the bridge. Game on! The fans chalk up a victory, feel closer to the players and refs, and hand themselves over to the NFL’s sponsors.

And in this environment, it is almost impossible for social media to be anything but the NFL’s friend. When the social media jumbotron asks for “NOISE,” all noise is good noise. If fans are affirming to themselves how much they care, and reminding others why they care, too, that’s fantastic, even if someone gets thrown under the bus. Controversy fuels engagement, engagement drives “shares,” “likes,” and “follows” – and when the dust has settled, more fans are more deeply enmeshed in the brand.

In the grand financial scheme of the NFL, the $3.3 million concession to the refs (and teams, players, and fans) was small change. Meanwhile, the controversy made the start of the NFL season headline news, well beyond the sports section and all over the Internet. If the NFL were a reality TV show, we’d probably assume the whole thing was a stunt – which paid off in a social media bonanza that money can’t buy directly.

Are there any lessons that more conventional and vulnerable brands can take away from the win-win social media environment of professional sports? It’s hard to say. Who else has customers who won’t leave, who are so invested in the product that they can’t shut up about it, and whose engagement is valuable whether they’re loving or hating some aspect of your operation? Not even public celebrities can pass that test. The lesson here might be that there’s no better brand to align your own brand with than a sports brand. The almost indestructible emotional investment of the sports fan is unique in the consumer realm. You can’t manufacture that investment for yourself, but you can acquire it in a sponsorship deal.

A few infernites hit the links at Memphis National for the FedEx United Way Golf Tournament, where they had a good time on the green — and earned some green for a good cause.

Each year, FedEx invites employees and vendors to play in a tournament to benefit the United Way of the Mid-South. In our second consecutive year as an official sponsor, inferno decided to up our game and update the tournament snack cart, inferno-style.

Partner Dan O’Brien, Account Manager Colleen Radish, and Account Executives Rebecca Bolding and Liza Routh traded shifts driving the company-sponsored cart and distributing goodies throughout the course. Dan O’Brien also joined Partners Michael Overton and Tim Sellers on the green to score a win for United Way.  

It was National Boss Day on Tuesday, and inferno employees had three great reasons to celebrate, well, four if you count the DQ ice cream cake.

Unbeknownst to inferno Partners Tim Sellers, Dan O’Brien and Michael Overton, employees circulated a card and planned a snack break to show their appreciation.

Then everyone gathered to sing “Happy Boss Day to you.” Actually, we didn’t sing, but we wanted to. And, like the great bosses through history, they declared, “Let them eat cake!” And so, we did.

There were some very short speeches. Michael Overton scored points for humbleness by saying, “If it wasn’t for you, I couldn’t be a boss.”

Yes we get paid. Yes we have benefits. Above and beyond that our bosses connect with us in very personal ways. Their “please feed the animals” philosophy means we have fresh fruit in the morning or a special treat in the afternoon. They go out of their way to say “Hi” and make us laugh.

Thanks to them, working hard can still be fun. 

FedEx drafted inferno to develop a winning game plan for the company’s 2012 NFL small business promotion. FedEx Game Time is the largest FedEx customer loyalty program, now in its 13th year, and is designed to engage customers and increase shipping throughout the NFL season with a variety of competitions and incentives.

The program involves many stakeholders, inside and outside of FedEx, and targets a large, segmented customer audience, as well as FedEx Sales. There are hundreds of moving parts and nearly as many communication tactics.

inferno played multiple positions: strategic planner, team coordinator, and creative quarterback. This enabled efficiencies throughout the process, beginning with the analysis of previous years’ efforts and metrics, and ending with a carefully targeted, modular, and creatively engaging campaign, which will unfold throughout the fourth quarter of 2012.

We covered the spread of customer touch points: web, email, direct mail, landing pages, Sales support, multiple sweepstakes competitions, prize catalogs, premium items, and even a series of 11 videos featuring NFL Hall of Famer, Howie Long. 

Responsiveness is a quality that inferno client NuVasive uses to differentiate itself from its spine product competitors.  It’s not just lip service. “Speed of innovation” is the corporate tag line and “absolute responsiveness” is the internal mantra. 

Speed and responsiveness are ingrained in the NuVasive culture with cheetah imagery across the organization. As an extension of the cheetah concept, NuVasive  employees who are on the spot with solutions and performance are recognized with Spot Awards.

The value NuVasive places on responsiveness extends to its vendors. On occasion a vendor’s responsiveness is so outstanding that NuVasive recognizes the vendor with a Spot Award.

We are delighted to announce that NuVasive recently awarded this honor to inferno production manager Teri Hanners. 

In awarding Teri this special recognition, Cecille Bernabe, Marketing Communications Coordinator for NuVasive explained, “Teri went above and beyond the call of duty to make sure our sales reps got marketing literature for an important surgeon meeting…although the final prints were not ready, she went out of her way to get several made so that we could drive more business and get surgeons to use our products.”

Congratulations, Teri!

MEMPHIS, Tenn. – inferno, a full-service advertising, marketing, design and public relations firm, today announced Teri Hanners received the Spot Award from NuVasive, Inc. Hanners, Production Manager at inferno, was nominated by NuVasive’s Cecille Bernabe for the award based on her efforts on meeting a special request from the company.

“Teri went beyond the call of duty to ensure our sales reps got marketing literature for an important surgeon meeting,” said Bernabe, Marketing Communication Coordinator at NuVasive. “Although the final prints were not ready, she went out of her way to get several made so that we could drive more business and get surgeons to use our products.”

In addition to a certificate of achievement and magnet, Hanners also received an American Express gift card.

“It’s an honor to receive recognition from NuVasive, who has been an agency client for more than ten years,” said Hanners. “Our team strives to go above and beyond for all of our clients and I truly appreciate the acknowledgement of my effort.”

inferno is a leading full-service agency, serving clients in a variety of industry sectors including healthcare, relocation, logistics, retail, banking, agriculture, nonprofit and entertainment. Headquartered in Memphis with satellite offices in Jonesboro, Ark. And Kalamazoo, Mich., inferno has become the strongest mid-size provider of business-to-business and consumer marketing solutions, offering experience in advertising, brand development, graphic design, interactive, public relations and strategic planning.

Transnetyx provides automated genotyping services to renowned institutions across the globe. To highlight their position as a singular, trusted source for automated genotyping, they commissioned our help in developing a custom landing page for a targeted email campaign. 

We branded the new site with the message “Trust in Transnetyx.” Bold and direct visuals showcase the ease, benefits, and distinction of their services, while a clean design keeps content clear and easy to follow.

The landing page covers the full spread of benefits for labs using Transnetyx. By organizing our broad range of content into three sections (“Why trust in Transnetyx?,” “Who trusts in Transnetyx?,” and “When you trust in Transnetyx”) we created a site that appeals to both common questions and particular interests. 

See more of our work for Transnetyx.

inferno client, Memphis Jewish Home & Rehab, celebrated almost a century of serving our community at their recent 85^th Anniversary party. Friends of MJHR gathered to enjoy a night of refreshments, fun, and two special guests: local radio personality George Klein and renowned actor Henry Winkler (a.k.a. “the Fonz”).

inferno Public Relations Manager, Ashley Burton, with celebrity guest Henry Winkler.

Account Executive Ryan Knoll (l) and Partner and Creative Director Michael Overton (r) put inferno-level strategy to work on the links, scoring an eagle on our sponsored hole.

The NuVasive Spine Foundation — an organization that performs critical spine surgeries in disadvantaged communities across the globe — held its 1st Annual Memphis Charity Golf Tournament. Two of our own teammates stepped up to the tee to strut their stuff and show our support as a tournament sponsor. 

The September, 2012 issue of HOW Magazine – a leading journal of commercial design – featured the winners of their “2012 Self-Promotion Design Awards” competition. Among just 77 winners from around the world, inferno earned recognition for its “Thought Bubble Gumballs” promotion – a gallon jar of gumballs, specially formulated to remind people that it’s always a good idea to call inferno.

The Promotion Design Awards is currently HOW’s longest running design competition and the only awards program that exclusively recognizes design-based promotional work. The promotion previously won multiple awards at the Memphis Advertising Federation’s annual awards show. 

For more information, check out our release on this honor. Or, have a look at more thought-provoking inferno design work here.

MEMPHIS, Tenn. — inferno, a full-service advertising, marketing, design and public relations firm, was the only Tennessee-based agency to earn an award of merit in HOW magazine’s 2012 Self-Promotion Design Awards issue. The award-winning work, one of only 77 submissions selected by the magazine, was an inferno promotional piece titled “Thought Bubble Gumballs” that promoted agency partner Dan O’Brien’s 261 blog. The Promotion Design Awards is currently HOW’s longest running design competition and the only awards program that exclusively recognizes design-based promotional work.

“We’re very excited that our work has garnered this level of exposure by such a well-respected design publication,” said Michael Overton, Agency Partner and Creative Director.

In 2011, inferno launched O’Brien’s 261 blog to offer insight into the advertising industry. The blog, covering topics like managing client relationships and maintaining work/life balance, featured one post every business day for a full year, a total of 261 entries. Readers of 261 were encouraged to share their thoughts on the blog through Twitter using the hashtag #261. Each month, inferno selected one discussion participant to win a “Thought Bubble” branded oversized jar filled with gumballs.

Founded in 1985, HOW Magazine provides a practical mix of essential business information, up-to-date technology tips, the creative why and how behind noteworthy projects and profiles of professionals who are influencing design. For more information, visit howdesign.com.

inferno is a leading full-service agency, serving clients in a variety of industry sectors including healthcare, relocation, logistics, retail, banking, agriculture, nonprofit and entertainment.  Headquartered in Memphis with satellite offices in Jonesboro, Ark. and Kalamazoo, Mich., inferno has become the strongest mid-size provider of business-to-business and consumer marketing solutions, offering experience in advertising, brand development, graphic design, interactive, public relations and strategic planning.

inferno recently completed a website redesign for MINDset direct, an agency that consults with nonprofits to improve donor relationships and fundraising. The company was looking to realign their online presence with their unique personality and methodology. The result: a site with candid content and an intuitive design.

Page tabs allow for easy navigation, while direct, conversational language gives the site a personal feel. Together they create the warmth that MINDset clients have come to expect, and the welcome that potential clients are looking for. See more at mindsetdirect.com.

View more of our online work.

Every Thursday, Partner and Creative Director Michael Overton treats the gang to a favorite foodie tradition: a delicious plate of assorted cheeses and crackers. Like clockwork, the team flocks to the account area to indulge in a tasty afternoon break. 

Cheddar and pepper jack are two staples on the agency cheese plate.

Our devoted attention to all things appetizing defines a healthy portion of office culture. And it hasn’t gone unnoticed. In 2009, the Commercial Appeal cited us as an agency where food’s helped foster a richer company culture. 

You can find some of our more recent adventures in appetite on the inferno blog:

Beer & Chicken 2012

Soup Off 2012

Giving hunger a holiday

When Tradewind Group wanted a sharp new brand, the first step was to give them a logo that matched their unique personality and services. As a sales and marketing strategist for leading national companies like Procter & Gamble, Nestle, and Heinz, Tradewind Group was looking for a logo that communicated the leadership and direction that they provide to clients.

The new logo is accented by three sails, representing the company’s triad of expertise: sales, marketing, and research. Together, they propel business forward.

See more of our identity work.

This year, we wanted to give friends and clients a chance to see the summer through the eyes of inferno. So we asked the team to keep us posted on the cool stuff they saw and did, while at work and at play.

From May to August, infernites uploaded their local snapshots and clever captions to the Hot Shots photo blog. We divided our content into four favorite topics: our office, our city, our food, and our community.

See more of our summer handiwork on the Hot Shots photo blog.

How do you capture 360° capabilities on a one-dimensional canvas? When NuVasive approached us to design a brochure for their newest surgical cage product, the X-CORE II Expandable VBR, they were looking to do just that. So we assembled a team to showcase the X-CORE II and its capabilities in an introductory brochure for surgeons.

We developed a clear and approachable design to help illustrate the mechanics of the device.

MEMPHIS, Tenn. — inferno, a full-service advertising, marketing, design, and public relations firm, today announced the addition of Derrick Alston as Junior Art Director, Rebecca Bolding as Account Executive and Kacie Ross as Account Coordinator.

In his new role as Junior Art Director, Alston will assist the design team in the design and creative development of client materials, including print advertising, collateral and promotional materials and other marketing-related pieces. Prior to joining inferno, he worked as an intern on inferno’s creative team. He earned his bachelor’s of fine arts degree in design arts from Memphis College of Art, where his work was recognized with many scholarships, grants and awards.

As Account Executive, Bolding is responsible for the day-to-day management of client projects, including marketing and advertising campaigns, social media and interactive initiatives and special events. Prior to inferno, she worked as demand generation manager at a large automation specialty firm, designing and developing marketing communications programs. Bolding earned her master’s of business administration from The University of Memphis, with a concentration in marketing.

In her role as Account Coordinator, Ross works closely with the account service team to provide support in the planning and execution of marketing initiatives for a variety of clientsPrior to her appointment, she worked as marketing coordinator for a large annual event at a non-profit, working closely with the ad agency to implement the 2012 campaign. Ross earned her bachelor’s of business administration in marketing from Mississippi State, where she graduated as a member of Sigma Alpha Lambda Honor Society.

inferno is a leading full-service agency, serving clients in a variety of industry sectors including healthcare, relocation, logistics, retail, banking, agriculture, nonprofit and entertainment.  Headquartered in Memphis with satellite offices in Jonesboro, Ark. and Kalamazoo, Mich., inferno has become the strongest mid-size provider of business-to-business and consumer marketing solutions, offering experience in advertising, brand development, graphic design, interactive, public relations and strategic planning.

Biodesix recently rebranded their VeriStrat test, a blood test to help doctors determine the right treatment for non-small cell lung cancer. The new brand presents a positive, progressive posture toward the treatment process — expressed by the name “Think Forward.” When the company approached us for support in its launch, we applied a forward-thinking design to a functional folder.   

In 2011, FedEx was ready to move Diverse Appeal, an internal publication, into the digital age. They needed an agency that could handle the technical aspects of an interactive format and mobile access, while still building on the magazine’s dedication to engaging, quality content. That winter, inferno delivered the first digital issue of Diverse Appeal, and continues to design and oversee content of this FedEx publication.

inferno has branded its longstanding commitment to civic service with Fuelanthropic — an agency campaign to charge up the hearts and heat up the handiwork of infernites in our community. In addition to giving each employee a week of paid time to perform volunteer service, Fuelanthropic offers our staff a forum to share their experiences, broadcast new opportunities, and cheer along the causes of others.

Civic service has long been a staple of agency culture at inferno. “It’s part of our core purpose,” says Partner Tim Sellers. “We’re dedicated to clients who empower us to make a difference — for those same clients and in the world around us.” Since our founding, we’ve contributed more than 7,800 hours of agency time to local nonprofits. Outside of pro bono work and agency-wide efforts, team members are encouraged to find causes in the community that are important to them.

An agency wall now showcases our Fuelanthropic members — inducted by their number of volunteer hours — and the many projects they’ve adopted. 

The results? The team’s as fired up as it’s ever been. The Exchange Club Family Center, Mid-South Division of the American Cancer Society, New Ballet Ensemble & School, Northeast Arkansas Humane Society, and First Presbyterian's Soup Kitchen for the Homeless — these are just a few from a growing list of organizations that Fuelanthropic members support. And membership is steadily climbing. Recently, two new infernites joined the ranks — Amy Lind and Partner Dan O’Brien. During this summer’s Agency Day, Mickey Woodham and Partner Michael Overton were also presented their ceremonial orange hardhats, in recognition of their significant contributions to the community this year. 

The Memphis Jewish Community Center (MJCC) engaged inferno to assess and to redevelop its brand identity. But at the same time that this project was getting underway, the MJCC was getting ready for summer – when it offers day camps and opens its on-site waterpark. Some immediate marketing and PR was called for.

Despite a diverse membership, many in Memphis are unaware that the MJCC is open to everyone. And in 2012, the center also opened its summer day camps to non-members. inferno blended immediate marketing needs and the long-term objective of awareness in an early summer campaign – ahead of the launch of the new brand.

To support open enrollment for the summer camp, we developed a print ad for the Memphis Commercial Appeal summer camp supplement, in which our PR department also placed an article that both promoted the camps and sent the message that the MJCC is open to everyone in the Memphis community. 

As if taking an afternoon off to enjoy beer, Gus’s World Famous fried chicken, and a heated match of Pictionary isn’t cool enough, the creative team drummed up interest in our long-standing Beer & Chicken event with a rockin’ internal campaign. Inspired by iconic album covers from Nirvana, Pink Floyd, and the Velvet Underground, along with a hilarious take on the Lynyrd Skynyrd logo, the “Legs, Mugs and Rock-n-Roll” campaign included a series of posters, a concert ticket, and personalized all-access pass lanyards for each infernite.

Read more about Beer & Chicken in this Culture post. 

Recently, inferno held its bi-annual Agency Day, where we celebrated recent successes and looked forward to our next season of challenges. Two team members, Liza Routh and Mickey Woodham, were also recognized for their unwavering commitment to excellence with the inferno Above and Beyond Award. Our Above and Beyond Award is traditionally given to the employee who receives the most outstanding number of recommendations from his or her coworkers. However, like last year, there were so many letters of gratitude and admiration for Liza and Mickey, we had to honor two exceptional infernites.

The whole agency enjoyed a fun-packed day of traveling to Little Rock, AR, visiting the Clinton Presidential Museum, and chowing down on some good southern cooking. Needless to say, we returned to Memphis with spirits high, fully fueled for the challenges ahead.

Stash, a home furnishings retailer, wanted to update its online identity to match the distinctive personality of the Stash stores and brand. So we created a website with the kind of elegance, light, texture, and accessibility you can only encounter at one of their signature stores.

The website also features a page on “stashology,” the company’s unique approach to acquiring limited edition and overstock furniture for discounted sale. This level of company transparency, combined with user-friendly functionality and a clean, tactile design, creates an ideal balance of Stash personality and customer control.

See our work on the Stash website.

Account Intern Logan Mailhot, Quality Control Manager Mickey Woodham, and Account Executive Liza Routh

stopped by Hope House to drop off donations and spend some time with the kids.

Each year, inferno selects a local beneficiary to support with donations, volunteer hours, and community events. For 2012, we chose to aim our service sights on Hope House, an organization that strives to better the lives of HIV-infected children and their families.

At our Beer & Chicken event of the summer, we collected an assortment of items for donation to Hope House. From onesies and wet wipes to paper napkins and plastic spoons, inferno teamed up to make a hefty haul, complete with one high-performing lawnmower from Robert Barnett. A few extra-helpful infernites delivered the donations and finished the day with a fun play-date on the Hope House lawn.  

To learn more about Hope House and how you can help, go here. 

To read about our work with Hope House, go here. 

A recent New York Times article highlights the role of social media during the London 2012 Summer Olympics – the key point being that social media will actually have a role this year. Despite the existence and popularity of several social media channels during previous Olympic Games, sites like Facebook and Twitter were not actively used as a promotional tool by organizers.

According to reporter Eric Pfanner, “the Olympic movement, which sometimes steps into the future with great caution, has warily accepted the idea.” In addition to having a Twitter account and Facebook page this year, the International Olympic Committee has also developed a hub for viewers to find and follow participating athletes’ social media accounts.

This news reinforces the increased validity and impact of social media platforms around the world. With a surge of new users each day, sites like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest are changing the way we interact, track news stories and share content in real time. 

The NYT article also underscores the significant issues that social media use can generate for companies, organizations and even individuals. As Pfanner reports, “All this sharing and connecting has also created some new headaches. There is grumbling, for instance, about the restrictions that the organizers of the Games have imposed on this most freewheeling of media formats.”

Specifically, the Olympic Committee has outlined guidelines that include banning certain word combinations by marketers and restricting the posting of event video footage by athletes and spectators. While it remains unknown if organizers will be able to fully enforce these strict rules for the duration of the Games, this issue does explain why some organizations are slow to adopt social media into their overall communications strategy. 

Is your company contemplating social media use or unsure of how to use the accounts you have? There are a few key things every organization should do before taking the social media plunge:

Find your audience.

There are many, many social media channels – Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, YouTube, LinkedIn and Tumblr to name a few. Spend some time researching where your customers are spending their time, as not all social media sites will be relevant to your business.

Assess your competitors’ activity.

In addition to finding your audience, identify your top competitors and find the channels where they maintain an active presence. This isn’t an attempt to mirror what they’re doing, but it will help you identify how these channels can be used - and in some cases, how they shouldn’t.

Monitor the conversation.

Once you’ve identified where your customers and competitors are spending their time, what are they talking about related to your industry? Monitoring sites will not only help you understand what information is out there, it will allow you to identify what’s missing and how you can contribute to or enhance the conversation.

Identify your capabilities.

How much time can you afford to dedicate to social media? Identify what resources you or your team has available before investing in a full-scale campaign on several sites. You might discover that you’re only capable of generating and managing the content for one channel initially.

Execute.

Finalize what social media sites you plan to use, the content you plan to post, set up the sites and go!

Need help with your content strategy or want to reassess your social media presence? Email .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) to learn more.

WEB BANNERS CELEBRATE MILESTONE

Since 2000, inferno has been teamed with Transnetyx, a Memphis-based company that provides automated genotyping services to institutions around the globe. To celebrate and promote their upcoming achievement of 5 million samples, Transnetyx asked inferno to create new ad banners for their homepage. We took to the drawing board and developed four web banners that showcased the accomplishment as well as their innovative automated genotyping process and services. The banners also feature the clean, modern design and smart, personal voice of the company. 

To read more about our work with Transnetyx, go here. 

See our work on the Transnetyx homepage. 

Recently, several of the inferno account staff joined our FedEx clients at the FedEx St. Jude Classic. Pictured here: Liza Routh and Logan Mailhot with FedEx staffers - Clare Treanor and Kirsten Brasfield, overlooking the 18th hole of TPC Southwind in East Memphis. 

Liza, aka Laser, skillfully draws a stick man to help capture the win for her team, the Pyronauts.

Recently we held a party featuring the signature inferno combination of beer and chicken, where we brought some southern flavor to office rivalry and community support. After fueling up on Gus’s World Famous Fried Chicken, our Playing with Fire teams went head-to-head in a heated game of Pictionary. Spirits were up and gauntlets were down as the scribbling scrimmage wore on, and just as we thought team Cap’n Cheese and the Peppa Jacks would reign victorious, the Pyronauts gained the lead and stole the show.   

To qualify their teams for the competition, infernites brought an assortment of items for donation to Hope House , our selected beneficiary for 2012. Together we made a great haul — from wipes and onesies to plates and paper towels — but Pyronauts teammate Robert Barnett went above and beyond with his donation of one mean, green, lawn-mowing machine.

How do you connect scientific innovation with personal service? Biodesix is in the business of bringing the two a little closer, by crafting personal care through individualized patient analysis.

Recently, Biodesix wanted to highlight its financial support service for patients receiving the VeriStrat blood test, which helps doctors determine the right treatment for non-small cell lung cancer. So inferno created a name and logo that captured the company mission and connection to patients with a “helping hands” style icon.

To learn more about Veristrat, go here. 

In 2012, it was time to create a new ad campaign for Fullen Dock & Warehouse. The previous campaign was still perfectly on-target for Fullen Dock’s brand, value propositions, and audience – so the challenge was to meet the same objectives just as powerfully, but with a new, eye-catching series of trade ads. 

Fullen Dock is first and foremost a monumental operation: tugboats, docks, cranes, trucks, huge coils of steel, vast warehouses, towering piles of gravel and stone. All of this comes together to create a single-source supply chain hub connecting river, road, and rail. Each ad in the series needed to convey these superhuman capabilities, while also focusing on a particular aspect of service.

Our solution was to make our messaging as huge as Fullen Dock itself, placing the headlines into the photography, so messaging about the capabilities and the capabilities themselves were a single, eye-popping visual.

To learn more about Fullen Dock & Warehouse, go here. 

MEMPHIS, Tenn. — inferno, a full-service advertising, marketing, design, and public relations firm, today announced the addition of Joe McLaughlin as Account Coordinator. This appointment increases capacity and allows for further growth of the agency’s account service department.

In his new role, McLaughlin will work directly with the account service team to help plan and execute client projects, including strategic plans, marketing and advertising campaigns, interactive initiatives and special events. He will report to Colleen Radish, Account Manager, and Dan O’Brien, Agency Partner.

“Joe’s previous experience coupled with his interest in expanding his professional capabilities made him a natural fit for this position,” said O’Brien. “His appointment will further bolster our team’s ability to provide industry leading service and strategic insight to our clients.”

Previously, McLaughlin served as a marketing coordinator for an Indianapolis-based communications management software provider, where he supported the company’s marketing and sales teams. He was an active member of the American Marketing Association’s (AMA) Indianapolis chapter and served as the college membership communications chair for Indiana University’s Young Professional AMA group. McLaughlin earned a bachelor’s degree in telecommunications from Indiana University in Bloomington, Ind.

inferno is a leading full-service agency, serving clients in a variety of industry sectors including healthcare, relocation, logistics, retail, banking, agriculture, nonprofit and entertainment.  Headquartered in Memphis with satellite offices in Jonesboro, Ark. and Kalamazoo, Mich., inferno has become the strongest mid-size provider of business-to-business and consumer marketing solutions, offering experience in advertising, brand development, graphic design, interactive, public relations and strategic planning.

At inferno, we know if we’re not learning every day, we’re getting left behind. So when 4A’s held its “Strategy for Account Managers” seminar in Nashville last month, we couldn’t resist sending two of our own to soak up some innovative thinking. After a day of sharpening their digital strategy skills and building their briefing muscles, Account Executives Liz Cunningham and Ryan Knoll joined us back in Memphis to share some of their newfound wisdom with the rest of the account team. 

Memphis Jewish Home & Rehab first approached inferno with a clear-cut goal in mind: to increase visibility as a premier rehabilitation center. Following a full multi-media campaign, inferno developed a new face for the center’s seasonal newsletter.

To learn more about Memphis Jewish Home & Rehab, go here. 

You can also read more about our multimedia campaign on the inferno blog. 

MEMPHIS, Tenn. — inferno, a full-service advertising, marketing, design, and public relations firm, has received eight awards in the 18^th Annual Communicator Awards, an international awards program that recognizes outstanding work in the communications field. The awards, including two Gold Awards of Excellence and six Silver Awards of Distinction, were in recognition of the agency’s work within several different client industries.

“It’s gratifying for our team to be recognized for work in a multitude of media,” said Michael Overton, creative director and agency partner. “We pride ourselves in finding the right creative solution for our clients and are pleased that our work continues to garner industry attention.”

The award levels, categories, client and entries include:

Gold Award – Brochure, Recruitment: The Recording Academy, “Your Voice Amplified”

Gold Award – Marketing/Promotion, Self Promotion: inferno, “261 Thought Bubble”

Silver Award – Print Advertising, Campaign: Valley View | K&D Agri,  “Logo Campaign”

Silver Award – Brochure, Business-to-Business: Cartus, “Leading the Way Every Day”

Silver Award – Annual Report, Nonprofit: The Exchange Club Family Center, “Steps Toward a Better Life”

Silver Award – Corporate Identity, Logo: Jonesboro Roofing Company, “Jonesboro Roofing Company Logo”

Silver Award – Websites, Employment: G2 Technology, “G2Technology.com”

Silver Award – Websites, Sports: University of Memphis, “BeAMemphisTiger.com”

The Communicator Awards is an international awards program recognizing big ideas in marketing and communications. Founded nearly two decades ago, The Communicator Awards receives more than 6,000 entries from companies and agencies of all sizes, making it one of the largest awards of its kind in the world.

inferno is a leading full-service agency, serving clients in a variety of industry sectors including healthcare, relocation, logistics, retail, banking, agriculture, nonprofit and entertainment.  Headquartered in Memphis with satellite offices in Jonesboro, Ark. and Kalamazoo, Mich., inferno has become the strongest mid-size provider of business-to-business and consumer marketing solutions, offering experience in advertising, brand development, graphic design, interactive, public relations and strategic planning.

Last week, inferno had the pleasure of honoring Production Manager Teri Hanners for her ten-year anniversary at inferno. Since joining us in 2002, Teri has been a one-woman show of insight and efficiency. A woman who can hit a curve ball, she is ready to handle any problem and steer every project safely to shore. 

“Teri has been so much more than just an outstanding production manager for the past 10 years,” says inferno Partner Dan O’Brien. “She has scheduled lunches, dinners, and field trips, coordinated moves and expansions, led other departments, and managed every variety of fulfillment project. She is more than just a member of the inferno team – she is a large part of the soul of the agency and what makes it a great place to work.”

Teri was named Memphis Advertising Federation Production Manager of the Year in 2004, and we are thrilled to be a part of this additional notch on her proverbial belt.

Congratulations, Teri, and thanks for your hard work and dedication! 

MEMPHIS, Tenn. — inferno, a full-service advertising, marketing, design and public relations firm, received a Silver District ADDY^® award for its work on “Your Voice Amplified,” a membership recruitment brochure developed for The Recording Academy, the national organization behind the GRAMMY Awards. The brochure will now move on to compete in the American Advertising Federation’s National ADDY competition.

On a local level, the brochure won multiple awards during the Memphis Advertising Federation’s 2012 ADDY Awards including Best of Show in Art Direction, two Gold ADDYs and a  Silver ADDY.

With over 60,000 entries annually, the ADDY^® Awards are the largest and arguably toughest advertising competition. The American Advertising Federation, a not-for-profit industry association conducts the ADDY Awards through its 200 member advertising clubs and 15 districts. It is the only creative awards program administered by the advertising industry for the industry.

inferno is a leading full-service agency, serving clients in a variety of industry sectors including healthcare, relocation, logistics, retail, banking, agriculture, nonprofit and entertainment.  Headquartered in Memphis with satellite offices in Jonesboro, Ark. and Kalamazoo, Mich., inferno has become the strongest mid-size provider of business-to-business and consumer marketing solutions, offering experience in advertising, brand development, graphic design, interactive, public relations and strategic planning.

inferno has served local non-profits as pro-bono clients almost as long as there’s been an inferno. And recently, the staff has followed the agency partners’ lead and taken it upon themselves to support a different local non-profit each year with year-round events, donation drives, and volunteer time.

This year, inferno was asked to vote on the 2012 beneficiary. We chose Hope House in Midtown, which exists to improve the quality of life of HIV-affected children and their families by addressing their educational, social, psychological, and health needs. Within the first quarter of 2012, inferno staffers collected mounds of supplies for Hope House during the agency’s annual Soup Off competition, and participated in the 10^th annual Help for Hope 5K in Harbor Town. A record $17,250 was raised during the 5K fundraiser.  

For the remainder of the year, inferno will donate and volunteer in support of the nonprofit while battling it out in our Playing with Fire competition, which pits three teams of infernites against each other in cook-offs, trivia, doggie costume contests, and other assorted events.  

Read more about our support of Hope House in this Commercial Appeal article. 

Learn more about Hope House at hopehousedaycare.org.

MEMPHIS, Tenn. — inferno, a full-service advertising, marketing, design and public relations firm, today announced it has been recognized with two Bronze Telly Awards in the organization’s 33^rd annual competition. The winning entries, completed with video production partner Running Pony Productions, include a video developed as part of the agency’s FedEx 777 campaign and a capabilities video for Windmill Rice.

These awards come as the agency celebrates a successful start to the year with recent recognition from the American Advertising Federation (AAF) Memphis Chapter’s 2012 ADDY Awards, the AAF of Northeast Arkansas 2012 ADDY Awards and the National Agri-Marketing Association.

The Telly Awards honor TV commercials, film and video of outstanding quality.  Judges are from top advertising and production companies and are all past Telly Award winners.  This year, the organization received nearly 11,000 entries from all 50 states and several countries around the world.

inferno is a leading full-service agency, serving clients in a variety of industry sectors including healthcare, relocation, logistics, retail, banking, agriculture, nonprofit and entertainment.  Headquartered in Memphis with satellite offices in Jonesboro, Ark. and Kalamazoo, Mich., inferno has become the strongest mid-size provider of business-to-business and consumer marketing solutions, offering experience in advertising, brand development, graphic design, interactive, public relations and strategic planning.

 

As inferno’s longest-standing pro-bono client, The Exchange Club Family Center holds a special place in the hearts of the partners and the staff. That’s why we were thrilled that this year’s Hands of Hope Auction Party well-surpassed the Center’s fundraising goal by raising more than $130,000 for programs that help break the cycle of child abuse and neglect. inferno designed the invitation, which you can view here.

 

inferno partner Dan O’Brien, who is president of the Center’s board of directors, spoke at the event. inferno account executive Liza Livingston and production manager Teri Hanners (pictured here with their winning auction items) also represented inferno at the fundraiser, which was held at The Columns and drew a crowd of more than 500 people.

 

To learn more about The Exchange Club Family Center of Memphis, go here. 

 

View inferno’s other work for The Exchange Club Family Center of Memphis.

“Simple can be harder than complex:  You have to work hard to get your thinking clean to make it simple.  But it’s worth it in the end because once you get there, you can move mountains.”  - Steve Jobs, Apple Inc.

Bringing music industry professionals together is at the heart of The Recording Academy’s mission. So when they wanted to promote networking events in Chicago, Los Angeles, Seattle, and Santa Monica, they asked inferno to develop invitation templates that would help draw a crowd at mixers, panels, and professional development events. The invitations are housed on their membership site, grammy365.com.

To see other award-winning work we've completed for The Recording Academy, go here and here.

MEMPHIS, Tenn. — inferno, a full-service advertising, marketing, design and public relations firm, has announced that Hope House will be its annual nonprofit beneficiary for 2012 and will receive volunteer support and donations from the agency and its employees throughout the year. Hope House, located in Midtown Memphis, exists to improve the quality of life of HIV-impacted children and their families by addressing their educational, social, psychological and health needs.

Hope House is inferno’s second annual nonprofit beneficiary following the agency’s support of the Mid-South Food Bank in 2011. Over the course of last year, the agency and its employees contributed nearly 550 pounds of food and $525 to the nonprofit, as well as served as onsite volunteers during the Action News 5 Food Drive for the Mid-South Food Bank.

“We’re happy to continue this tradition,” said Dan O’Brien, agency partner. “It further supports the agency’s commitment to the community, while allowing our staff to become more familiar with the amazing work that area nonprofits are doing in and around our community.”

In late February, inferno hosted its first of several cooking competitions during the year and asked staff to bring in a small donation for Hope House in order to participate as a competitor or judge. The staff collected more than three boxes of items including baby diapers, toilet paper, paper towels, laundry detergent, baby wipes, children’s books and toys, which were delivered during a staff site visit in March.

“We’re honored that inferno has chosen to offer their support for the next year,” said Craig Locke, Director of Development for Hope House. “It’s great to see businesses getting out like this to help make Memphis a better city. Their involvement will mean the work to the children and families at Hope House.”

Hope House opened in 1995 and is the only facility in the State of Tennessee designed to meet the unique needs of HIV-impacted children. It is accredited by the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC). To learn more about Hope House, please visit www.hopehousememphis.org.

inferno is a leading full-service agency, serving clients in a variety of industry sectors including healthcare, relocation, logistics, retail, banking, agriculture, nonprofit and entertainment.  Headquartered in Memphis with satellite offices in Jonesboro, Ark. and Kalamazoo, Mich., inferno has become the strongest mid-size provider of business-to-business and consumer marketing solutions, offering experience in advertising, brand development, graphic design, interactive, public relations and strategic planning.

inferno produced a 30-second radio spot to strengthen the MorSoy Xtra soybean seed “Born and Bred” campaign, a print ad series developed for Cache River Valley Seed. The spot features the voice of “Arkansas Outdoors” TV show host John Philpot, who reinforced the localized angle of the campaign – that MorSoy Xtra was made specifically for the Mid-South by Mid-Southerners. 

Click here to listen. 

To listen to the 2012 ADDY-winning radio spot for Cache River Valley Seed, go here. 

During our 11-year partnership with NuVasive^®, inferno has been in the OR and witnessed the innovative spine company’s products and procedures firsthand. That intimate knowledge is vital when working with medical illustrators to develop accurate surgical technique brochures. This brochure covers multiple techniques when performing a MAS^® TLIF (Transforaminal Lumber Interbody Fusion) procedure with easy-to-use page tabs.

A client recently needed a stand-up banner to film a video on location at Bluff City Coffee. And they needed it fast. So inferno developed copy and design in about one hour for the sign that is now prominently featured in the South Main coffee shop and eatery. 

It was fitting that the “Show Us Your Grits! Gumbo” reigned as champion over this year’s inferno Soup-Off Krewe. The second annual soup-cooking contest was held on Fat Tuesday, and once again competition was heated. Seven infernites vied for the crown, but Robert Barnett won by a landslide for his New Orleans’ staple. The entire inferno staff also donated items for this year’s Playing With Fire competition beneficiary, Hope House. 

2012 Soup Off Results

1^st Place – Robert Barnett

2^nd Place (tie) – Liz Cunningham and Amanda Dent

3^rd Place – Dan O’Brien

Liza Livingston

Colleen Radish

Michael Overton 

Soup Off Recipes

Show Us Your Grits! Gumbo

Made by Robert Barnett

3 boudin sausages - casing removed

6 cups chicken broth

2 cups water

1 onion chopped

1 yellow bell pepper chopped

2 celery stalks

8-10 cloves garlic sliced

1 chicken boullion

1 shrimp boullion

2 bay leaves

1 tablespoon dried thyme

1 teaspoon red pepper flakes

5 tablespoons flour

3 tablespoons olive oil

2 tablespoons butter

1 can diced tomatoes with juice

1 can tomato paste

1 tablespoon filé

2 tablespoons dried parsley

1 pound of shrimp

1 large tablespoon chipotle puree

2 smoked andouille sausages chopped finely

1 pound of crab

1-2 pounds cod

Instructions:

To make the roux, add olive oil and butter to a pre-heated pot set on medium. Stir in flour – one tablespoon at a time, making sure it's well incorporated into oil (no lumps) before proceeding. Once all flour has been added, stir until roux is nice golden brown.

Add chopped onion, celery, and bell pepper to the roux, and sweat for about 10 minutes or so until translucent.

Add canned tomatoes, tomato paste, chicken broth, water, (chicken, shrimp) bouillon, bay leaves, chipotle paste, thyme, red pepper flakes, filé, dried parsley, and sliced garlic. Simmer this mixture for about 30-45 minutes until the color has deepened to a reddish brown.

Add andouille and boudin, then simmer for another 15-20 minutes.

Add cod (make sure to break it up into small flakes), then add crab. Cook for another ten minutes.

Add shrimp and cook for about five minutes. Let it rest for about ten minutes, then serve

Winter Squash Soup

Made by Liz Cunningham

2 pounds butternut squash

4 tablespoons olive oil

2 carrots coarsely chopped

2 ribs celery chopped

1 medium onion, coarsely chopped (about 1 cup)

3 cloves garlic minced

6 cups chicken broth

1 teaspoon of pureed chipotle peppers in adobo 

Salt and pepper to taste

8 oz. whipping cream

Toppings:

Small tub of sour cream

Chopped fresh cilantro

Additional pureed chipotle peppers in adobo 

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cut butternut squash in half lengthwise and scrape out seeds and strings. Use 2 tablespoons of olive oil to coat insides of squash. Lay face down on baking sheet and bake in preheated oven for 30 to 40 minutes or until tender. The thin part will cook in about 30 min. Cut off that part and return the rest of the squash to the oven and cook 5 to 10 minutes longer or until a toothpick glides in easily. 

Use the remaining two tablespoons of olive oil to sauté carrots, celery, and onion in a medium-sized stockpot until tender. Add garlic, salt, pepper, and chipotle seasoning and cook two minutes more. Remove squash from over and let cool. Scoop meat into the stockpot with the chicken broth. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 30 minutes. Blend the soup either with an immersion blender or by placing small batches in a blender. Right before you serve, add whipping cream and heat to almost boiling. Garnish with sour cream, cilantro, and chipotle peppers.

Serves 8.

Chicken Tortilla Soup

Made by Amanda Dent

Four large bone-in chicken breasts

1 onion, 5 celery stalks, and 4 carrots - chopped in chunks

Water (6 or 7 quarts) 

Black peppercorns

Two heads of garlic

Generous amount of Kosher salt

Spices: cumin, chili powder, Aleppo pepper flakes, Mexican oregano

1 tablespoon of olive oil

Dried black beans – soaked and cooked but firm

Red and green bell peppers

Fresh corn 

Garlic

Spices

1 can of fire-roasted tomatoes

1 can of chilis

Toppings:

Tortillas

Queso fresco - shredded

Limes

Fresh cilantro

Jalapenos

Mexican crema

Stock:

Throw chicken breasts, onion, celery, carrots, water, peppercorns, garlic, kosher salt, and spices into a large stockpot. Bring to a boil, then simmered for about four hours. Keep tasting and adding spices as you go. Remove the chicken breasts and let them cool. Strained the soup and placed it in the refrigerator. Tear off pieces of the chicken in bite-sized chunks. Place both chicken and stock in separate containers and refrigerate for a night.

Soup:

Sautébell peppers, corn, and garlic in olive oil. Add to your stockpot along with your chicken, stock, blackbeans, garlic, spices, canned tomatoes, and chilis. After scooping up all the fat deposits in the stock, throw everything into a stockpot and let it simmer for about an hour.

Cut tortillas into strips and toast in the oven for about 15 minutes (or until crispy). Top with tortillas, or if desired, queso fresco, lime juice from fresh lime, fresh cilantro, sliced jalapenos, or Mexican crema.

Avgolemono Soupa

Made by Dan O’Brien

1 4-pound chicken

2 quarts water

2 teaspoons salt

1 small sliced onion

1/2 cup chopped celery

1 cup rice, or 3/4 cups orzo (We used orzo.)

Black pepper

4 eggs

2 tablespoons cold water

Juice from 1 to 2 lemons  

Instructions:

Cut up chicken coarsely, cover with water, and heat gradually to its boiling point with onion and celery. Cook until chicken is tender, about 1.5 hours, adding salt at the halfway point. Remove chicken and set aside on warm platter. Strain broth. Bring back to boiling, and stir in rice or orzo. Cover and simmer over moderate heat until tender. Salt and pepper to taste. 

Cool the soup slightly, then blend with Avgolemono per instructions below:

Avgolemono:

Separate eggs. Beat egg whites until stiff. Blend in egg yolks, then add water and lemon juice, beating until thick. With ladle, add a small amount of hot broth to the egg mixture, blending quickly. Pour this into the soup and stir well. Salt/pepper all to taste, and serve immediately. 

Black Bean Soup with Chipotle Chilis

Made by Colleen Radish

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 large white onion, chopped

1 medium-sized red bell pepper, chopped

1 medium-sized green bell pepper, chopped

4 garlic cloves, minced

4 teaspoons ground cumin

1 16-ounce package dried black beans (soaked overnight)

2 tablespoons chopped canned chipotle chiles

7 cups chicken broth

2 15-ounce cans black beans (drained and rinsed)

2 tablespoons fresh lime juice

2 teaspoons coarse kosher salt

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

Garnishes: 

Sour cream

Plum tomatoes

Lime wedges

Heat olive oil in large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion and both bell peppers and sauté until beginning to brown, about 8 minutes. Add garlic and cumin, stir 1 minute. Transfer mixture to 6-quart slow cooker. Add dried beans and chipotles, then 7 cups chicken stock. Cover and cook on high until beans are very tender, about 6 hours. Transfer 2 cups bean mixture to blender; puree until smooth. Return puree to remaining soup in slow cooker. Add canned beans.  Stir in lime juice, salt, and pepper.  Cook on low for 1 hour.

Ladle soup into bowls. Spoon sour cream into each bowl. Sprinkle with tomatoes and lime and serve.

Creamy Tomato-Parmesan Soup

Made by Liza Livingston

2 (14-ounce) cans Italian plum tomatoes, undrained

1 cup whipping cream

1/4 cup chopped fresh basil, plush extra for garnish

1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

1 bag Caesar parmesan croutons

Combine all ingredients except cheese and croutons in a food processor. Pulse until mixture is smooth. Pour mixture into a saucepan. Cook over medium heat until thoroughly heated. Stir in cheese and heat until melted. If desired, garnish with extra basil and croutons.

Serves 4.

Hot Wing Soup

Made by Michael Overton

1 whole onion rough chop

2 stalks celery rough chopped

salt

pepper

4 cloves of garlic diced

1 teaspoon fresh ginger

1 teaspoon red pepper flakes

8 ounces roughly chopped baby porcini mushrooms

2 cans chicken broth

1 large can crushed tomatoes

1/2 cup brown sugar

Half a bottle of hot sauce

A shot of inferno vodka

Small handful of fresh cilantro

1 stick unsalted butter

Sauté onion and celery in 2 tablespoons oil olive oil till softened, then add garlic, ginger, pepper flakes, and mushrooms. Cut 2 pounds of chicken tenderloin into 1-inch sections. Coat in a mixture of hot sauce and cornstarch in a skillet with a little oil. Add to soup. Salt and pepper to taste. Garnish with blue cheese crumbles and sour cream.

MEMPHIS, Tenn. — inferno, a full-service advertising, marketing, design, and public relations firm, has announced its multiple wins, including a Best of Show for Art Direction, from the American Advertising Federation (AAF) Memphis Chapter’s 2012 ADDY Awards. In addition to the Best of Show honor, the agency took home three Gold ADDYs and two Silver ADDYs. The winning work was developed for The Recording Academy and inferno.

“We’re thrilled by these awards, which serve as a direct reflection of our art direction and copywriting expertise,” said Michael Overton, creative director and agency partner. “I’m proud that we’ve built a collaborative atmosphere that involves every department – from account service to production – in the design process, resulting in work that moves the needle for our clients.”

The award levels, categories, client and entries include:

Best of Show – Art Direction: The Recording Academy, “Your Voice Amplified” Brochure

Gold ADDY – Advertising Arts & Sciences, Arts Brochure: The Recording Academy, “Your Voice Amplified” Brochure

Gold ADDY – Copywriting, Print: inferno, “Thought Bubble”

Gold ADDY – Local Only Art Direction, Print: The Recording Academy, “Your Voice Amplified” Brochure

Silver ADDY – Advertising Self-Promotion, Direct: inferno, “Thought Bubble”

Silver ADDY – Local Only Copywriting, Print: The Recording Academy, “Your Voice Amplified” Brochure

The ADDY Awards are hosted locally by the American Advertising Federation Memphis Chapter (AAFMemphis.org) and honor creative excellence in the Memphis advertising market. The program is the industry’s largest and most representative competition, with 60,000 entries submitted annually through a national network of 210 ad clubs and 210 college chapters.

inferno is a leading full-service agency, serving clients in a variety of industry sectors including healthcare, relocation, logistics, retail, banking, agriculture, nonprofit and entertainment.  Headquartered in Memphis with satellite offices in Jonesboro, Ark. and Kalamazoo, Mich., inferno has become the strongest mid-size provider of business-to-business and consumer marketing solutions, offering experience in advertising, brand development, graphic design, interactive, public relations and strategic planning. 

inferno’s longest-standing pro bono client, The Exchange Club Family Center of Memphis, hosts its biggest fundraising event every March. For the past few years, the Hands of Hope Auction Party was held at Minglewood Hall, which is known for live music from nationally known rock acts. But in 2012, the fundraiser changed venues to the historic and elegant space of The Columns at One Commerce Square - a drastic change from the concert-centric Minglewood.

The Exchange Club asked inferno to create a drastically different look for this year’s invitation — more classic and less classic rock. “A Night of Hope” themed invitation was designed with a subtle nod to the venue, known for its iconic pillars, and a vintage-inspired illustration. 

MEMPHIS, Tenn. - inferno, a full-service advertising, marketing, design, and public relations firm, has announced its work earned top honors, including Best of Show for Print, from the American Advertising Federation (AAF) of Northeast Arkansas 2012 ADDY Awards. In addition to the Best of Show honor, the agency’s work won seven Gold ADDYs, three Silver ADDYs and one Bronze ADDY. The winning materials were developed by inferno for Cache River Valley Seed, LLC; Jonesboro Roofing Company and Valley View | K&D Agri.

The award levels, categories, client and entries include:

Best of Show– Print: Valley View | K&D Agri, “Bigger Done Better” Campaign Fractional

Gold ADDY – Consumer or Trade Publication: Valley View | K&D Agri, “Loops Done Better” Fractional

Gold ADDY – Consumer or Trade Publication: Valley View | K&D Agri, “Bigger Done Better” Fractional

Gold ADDY – Consumer or Trade Publication: Valley View | K&D Agri, “You Need It. We’ve Got it.” Fractional

Gold ADDY – Consumer or Trade Publication: Valley View | K&D Agri, “Bigger Done Better” Campaign Fractional

Gold ADDY– Consumer or Trade Publication: Valley View | K&D Agri, “Loops Done Better”

Gold ADDY – Consumer or Trade Publication: Valley View | K&D Agri, “You Need it. We’ve Got it.”

Gold ADDY– Consumer or Trade Publication: Valley View | K&D Agri, “Bigger Done Better” Campaign

Silver ADDY – Elements of Advertising: Jonesboro Roofing Company, Company Logo

Silver ADDY – Interactive Media, Websites: Cache River Valley Seed, LLC; MorSoyXtra.com

Silver ADDY – Consumer or Trade Publication: Valley View | K&D Agri, “Bigger Done Better”

Bronze ADDY – Radio, Local :30 (One Metro): Cache River Valley Seed, LLC; Dixie Wheat Winning Lineup

inferno is a leading full-service agency, serving clients in a variety of industry sectors including healthcare, relocation, logistics, retail, banking, agriculture, nonprofit and entertainment.  Headquartered in Memphis with satellite offices in Jonesboro, Ark. and Kalamazoo, Mich., inferno has become the strongest mid-size provider of business-to-business and consumer marketing solutions, offering experience in advertising, brand development, graphic design, interactive, public relations and strategic planning.

Self+Tucker Architects’ website is in the spotlight this week on Show-EE, the official ExpressionEngine showcase gallery for the best designed and built ExpressionEngine sites on the internet. inferno revamped the site and created a polished, modern online presence for the renowned Memphis architecture firm, while making it easy to navigate their vast portfolio of work. The site also won a Platinum MarCom award and Silver Davey award. 

See the Show-EE post here. 

Go to selftucker.com to view the entire site. 

MEMPHIS, Tenn.  — inferno, a full-service advertising, marketing, design, and public relations firm, has announced it won two first place awards and two merits from the National Agri-Marketing Association, or NAMA, in the organization’s Midsouth Best of NAMA competition. More than 20 different organizations and agencies were honored for their marketing work in agriculture during the Midsouth NAMA Chapter event earlier this month. All of inferno’s winning work will now advance to the National Best of NAMA competition in April.

“We’re thrilled to be recognized by the National Agri-Marketing Association for our work in the agribusiness sector,” said Tim Sellers, agency partner. “The specific work we entered has not only garnered industry attention, but more importantly, has served as extremely effective communications tools for our clients.”

The award levels, categories, client and entries include:

First Place – Single Page Ad Series: Valley View | K&D Agri, “The Writing is on the Bin” Campaign

First Place – Radio Series: Cache River Valley Seed, LLC, Dixie Wheat/MorSoy Campaign

Merit – Corporate Identity: Valley View | K&D Agri, Valley View | K&D Agri Logo

Merit – Single Page Ad Series: Valley View | K&D Agri, Valley View | K&D Agri Logo Ad Campaign

inferno is a leading full-service agency, serving clients in a variety of industry sectors including healthcare, relocation, logistics, retail, banking, agriculture, nonprofit and entertainment. Headquartered in Memphis with satellite offices in Jonesboro, Ark. and Kalamazoo, Mich., inferno has become the strongest mid-size provider of business-to-business and consumer marketing solutions, offering experience in advertising, brand development, graphic design, interactive, public relations and strategic planning.

End-of-year and mid-year updates are the norm here at inferno. The partners keep us in the loop when it comes to work, financials, clients, and internal initiatives. And there was plenty to share when we recently gathered to reflect on 2011 and look forward to 2012.  

The partners announced the winning team for the inaugural Playing With Fire competition. Three teams were pitted against each other in cook-offs, various games, and a canine costume contest — all while collecting donations for the Mid-South Food Bank. Members of Cap’n Cheese and the Peppa Jacks, lead by partner and creative director Michael Overton, were crowned champions of the yearlong competition. Account Executive Ryan Knoll was recognized for earning the most individual points. See our team logos here. 

The first “Above and Beyond” awards were given to Art Director Amy Lind and Senior Writer and Strategist John Hilgart. This peer-nominated recognition program began last year, and an inferno staffer will be recognized biannually for his/her outstanding efforts. Winners receive a beautiful award (pictured with Amy and John, respectively) and an additional vacation day. Congratulations to our deserving Above and Beyond award winners!

After the reviews, accolades, and announcements, we gathered at the Rendezvous for barbecue and beer, followed by bowling at Billy Hardwick’s All Star Lanes to finish out the day. As you’ll see by the smiles in the photo gallery, it was an excellent start to a new year at inferno. 

In the agricultural community, a neighbor’s recommendation is just about the most compelling and effective marketing tool you’ll find. So inferno developed a print ad campaign for Cache River Valley Seed where their customers take center stage. The ads further strengthened the local and personal appeal by emphasizing that MorSoy Xtra soybean seed is designed and produced in the Mid-South – for a crop that will thrive in the Mid-South.

To see more of inferno’s agribusiness work, go here.

In 2011, inferno was an agency divided — into three teams for our first Playing with Fire competition. The yearlong event pitted teams against each other in cook-offs, various games, and a canine costume contest — all while collecting donations for the Mid-South Food Bank. And our friendly competition paid off, with a total of $525 and 543 pounds of food donated to the Mid-South Food Bank and food banks in our satellite locations of Kalamazoo and Jonesboro. Here are our team-spirit inspired logos, which adorned food bank collection boxes.

We capped off a year of supporting the fight against hunger by volunteering at the WMC-TV food drive in West Memphis. Read about it here. 

inferno further strengthened Cache River Valley Seed’s MorSoy Xtra brand by building a website that reflected that brand aesthetically, and demonstrated, in detail, which soybean seeds are ideal for specific regions and climates.

The no-nonsense functionality makes it easy to view all the MorSoy varieties and immediately get in touch with a MorSoy rep or to find a dealer. Go to morsoyxtra.com to view the website.

View the MorSoy Xtra logo and MorSoy Xtra print campaign.