Posted by admin on July 23, 2010 | 1 Comment
Following an astounding year of growth, Gragg Advertising is proud to be listed in the #4 position of the Ingram’s Magazine report of the 100 fastest-growing companies in Kansas City.
Filed Under: Uncategorized
Posted by admin on July 23, 2010 | No Comments
Gragg is excited to announce that since April, we have welcomed 12 new employees to the team! Take a few minutes and get to know a little bit about them.
Gragg was excited to welcome Richard Aubuchon to the Interactive Department as Interactive Manager. Rich earned a Bachelor of Arts in English Education from Northeast Missouri State, now known as Truman State University. Before joining us at Gragg, he spent the last eight years operating a web development company, Ambition Solutions.
Favorite travel: The Caribbean
Interests: Spending time with his wife, son and daughter
Fun fact: He spent 12 years in the broadcasting industry before starting his own company
________________________________________
Greg Barry has recently teamed up with Gragg’s Information Technology department as an Interactive Programmer. Greg has a degree in Broadcast Journalism from the University of Kansas. Before arriving at Gragg, he worked from home in his pajamas as an Independent Contractor.
Area of interest: Web Programming
Favorite travel: Anywhere outside of the United States
Interests: Playing with his daughter, chatting with his wife, riding his motorcycle and playing bass in an internationally acclaimed rock band, Trucker! (“We’re huge in China…”)
Fun fact: Greg is an Aries and enjoys long walks on the beach
________________________________________
Gragg recently welcomed Heather Clarke to the team as an Account Executive. Heather received a Bachelor of Arts from the University of South Florida and completed her Master’s in Business Administration with the University of New Haven. Prior to working at Gragg, Heather worked for Security Global Investors as a Director in Institutional Client Relations.
Favorite travel: Paris
Interests: Going anywhere that she can bring her dog, catching a performance at the theater or symphony, or exploring more of KC since she just moved to the city
Fun fact: Ran the Kansas half-marathon last month
________________________________________
Candace Claytor has recently joined Gragg as a Junior Account Executive. Candace has a Bachelor of Science in Journalism from the University of Missouri-Columbia. Before joining the Gragg team, Candace worked with Moosylvania Marketing in St. Louis, as well as Barkley in Kansas City.
Area of interest: Advertising…duh!
Awards/honors: Dean’s List recipient; Greek Week Royalty
Favorite travel: New York
Interests: Running, being with friends, music & yoga
Fun fact: She was married in December, and her birthday is September 11th
________________________________________
Gragg was pleased to welcome Megan Deines as a new Account Executive. Megan acquired a Bachelor of Science in Journalism from the University of Kansas. Prior to landing at Gragg, Megan worked with MMG Worldwide and GlynnDevins.
Favorite travel: Europe
Interests: Cooking, walking her dog Miles
Fun fact: She is a huge KU basketball fan
_
________________________________________
Gragg was eager to welcome Ashley Earnest as their new Senior Interactive Analyst. Ashley has a Bachelor of Science in Journalism from the University of Kansas and is currently working on her Master’s in Business Administration. Most recently, Ashley worked with Knit Rite Inc. as the Business Development and Marketing Manager.
Area of interest: Everything
Awards/honors: 2009 Regnier Foundation Venture Challenge Business Plan Competition $15,000 Business Launch package; Ingram’s Magazine’s Top 20 in Their 20’s
Favorite travel: Everywhere
Interests: Traveling and learning
Fun fact: She has a dog named Squishy
________________________________________
Dorie Iraoui recently teamed up with the Business Development department as a Business Development Account Executive. Dorie graduated with a Bachelor of Science in International Business. Prior to Gragg, Dorie worked as an Admissions Counselor.
Awards/honors: Top Sales/Leadership Award at NAU 2008 & 2009
Favorite travel: Morocco
Interests: Entertaining and enjoying life with family and friends
Fun fact: She loves to read, clean and do yard work
________________________________________
Paul King joined Gragg’s Creative Department as Creative Manager. Paul graduated from the University of Kansas with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Graphic Design. Paul’s professional experience includes work with creative groups such as River City Studio and Hallmark.
Area of interest: Creative
Favorite travel: Western U.S. and Europe
Interests: Skiing, fishing and traveling
Fun fact: His ancestors came to America on the Mayflower _______________________________________
Gragg was pleased to welcome Melissa Kopp as a new Junior Account Executive. Melissa has a Bachelor of Arts in International Studies from the University of Illinois. Before teaming up with Gragg, Melissa worked with the American Institute of Architects as the Member Services Manager. Before that, she was in law school in Chicago!
Favorite travel: Anywhere in Europe or South America
Interests: Having dinner and drinks with friends, running on the Trolley Trail, or relaxing at home
Fun fact: She took voice lessons for years and is classically trained in opera
________________________________________
Julie Linebarger teamed up with the Media Department as a Marketing Coordinator. Julie earned a Master of Architecture from the University of Kansas and worked with Sam A. Winn & Associates.
Area of interest: Design, especially in architecture
Favorite travel: New York
Interests: Traveling, photography and spending time with family and friends
Fun fact: She has always wanted to travel to Greece and Italy
________________________________________
Leanna Lippert has recently joined the Pay-Per-Lead team at Gragg as a Marketing Coordinator. Leanna earned a Bachelor of Arts in Communication Studies from the University of Missouri-Kansas City. Before joining Gragg, Leanna interned at Allied Integrated Marketing in Kansas City.
Area of interest: Journalism/Mass Communication
Awards/honors: Honorable mention for Layout Design for the University News, UMKC’s newspaper
Favorite travel: Colorado
Interests: Shopping, the Lake of the Ozarks, hanging out at home with her puppy and boyfriend
Fun fact: She is afraid of frogs
________________________________________
Gragg welcomed Mara Picardi, as a Search Engine Marketing Specialist, to its Interactive Department. Prior to joining Gragg, Mara received a Bachelor of Science in Chemistry from the University of Missouri-Columbia and worked for Americorps NCCC.
Area of interest: Traveling
Awards/honors: Various from high school and college
Favorite travel: Louisiana, Mississippi, New York, Chicago, Maryland, Florida and the Caribbean!
Interests: Reading, concerts, art, volunteering, painting and meeting new people
Fun fact: She lived in Louisiana, Mississippi and Maryland for 6 months doing volunteer work with the Americorps NCCC program, she has a twin sister, she loves coffee, espresso and food of all kinds!
Filed Under: Uncategorized
Posted by admin on July 20, 2010 | No Comments
The results of the Gragg Advertising Food Fight for City Union Mission are in! Following what started as a close competition, the Downstairs pulled ahead and defeated the Upstairs! Dozens of cans of beans and corn as well as other needed items were collected by Gragg employees between June 14 and July 14.
Congratulations to the lower torso of the Gragg Advertising office for the win. And thank you to everyone in the office who participated. Your donations will help City Union Mission feed local families and continue to fight homelessness and poverty in our community.
The prize for the competition will be announced via Facebook later this week.
Founded in 1924, City Union Mission is a 24/7 charity. It is based in Kansas City, Missouri, and receives no government funding. Last year, City Union Mission served over 329,669 meals for the hungry and provided over 140,956 beds for the weary. The organization prevents homelessness through community assistance, such as assisting community clients with bills, school supplies, clothing, food, and holiday projects.
For more information on how you can contribute to City Union Mission please visit www.cityunionmission.org.
Filed Under: Uncategorized
Posted by admin on June 24, 2010 | No Comments
As Gragg Advertising continues to add new faces to its already impressive roster of employees, the dangerously good looking and charismatic members of the 1st floor have taken it upon themselves to share their wealth of wisdom with the 2nd floor staffers, who seem content to sit at their computers and crunch numbers and fill out job jackets all day, rather than… say… get up from your desk and talk to somebody other than in your immediate area.
How to succeed as a Gragg Noob:
1. Company Resources: learn where they are and how to smuggle them for your own personal gain. I mean, who pays for paper anymore?
2. Start Learning Names. We have interns: Jennica and Kara. Do you know who is who?
3. Two Words: Happy Hour. It’s the only way to survive a career in advertising.
4. Being New: Enjoy this time of limited responsibilities. Because when you’re fully up to speed, you’re gonna get SLAMMED with work.
5. Start working towards a goal, no matter how big or small. (THIS MEANS DONATE CANS FOR THE FOOD DRIVE!)
6. Don’t feel bad after the 1st Floor totally brings more cans in for the City Union Mission. It’s not that you didn’t try, it’s that you didn’t try hard enough. We would never call you losers… more like… disappointments.
7. BRING IT 2ND FLOOR. BRING. IT. ON.
Thanks for your help with the food drive! We only have THREE more weeks. STOP HUNGER NOW.
Filed Under: Uncategorized
Posted by admin on June 21, 2010 | No Comments
Gather ‘round! Gather ‘round!
The “Food Fight” is on at Gragg Advertising!
Come one, come all! To what’s slated to be the most spectacular, knock down, drag out, furious grudge match this side of the Mississippi since Joe “Big Chin” Jones and Lenny “Tiny Fists” Leavens squared off in The Garden, oh so many years ago!
That’s right! Did you hear? It’s all over the news! Gragg Advertising’s gone and become a house divided!
Yes, sir!
After years of tense build up, the sharp witted, techno-savvy and fleet-of-foot “Mad Dog” Downstairs, chock full of gumption, is set to go toe-to-toe for 10 rounds with the fierce, quick-fisted “El Gato” Upstairs.
Don’t miss this one, ladies and gents! It’s sure to bring down the house!
How are they gonna duke it out, you ask?
Well how else? With a true old-fashioned charity canned food drive, you ninnies! Pay attention!
Gragg has partnered with City Union Mission to collect as many non-perishable canned foods as they can ‘til July 14th. Donation barrels have been placed on the first and second floors of the agency, strategically placed like powder kegs set to blow during this burning conflict of Charity vs. Hunger!
The floor with the most canned goods in the barrel at the end of this battle royale wins the prize.
“What’s the prize?” you ask? Well heck son, don’t you think if I’da known that I’da told you by now? That’ll be revealed at the end of the fight. Try to keep up!
Now, to promote what’s to be the fight of the century, Gragg has concocted three posters to get the message out. You’re all challenged, as these two heavy weights duke it out, to head over to the Gragg Advertising fan page on Facebook (facebook.com/graggadv) and vote for your favorite poster by becoming a fan of Gragg Advertising and “Liking” your choice.
Don’t miss your chance to back a fighter and help stamp out hunger in Kansas City this summer! Go to facebook.com/graggadv now and vote!
Here’s a preview of what you can vote on:
Filed Under: Uncategorized
Posted by admin on May 12, 2010 | No Comments
Children’s Mercy Hospital gives its patients the opportunity to get out of their rooms and participate in activities during their Wednesday Night Live session. Each session is by a volunteering company or organization with an activity of their choice for the children. Gragg Advertising entertained children during the Wednesday Night Live session on March 10, 2010 and worked alongside them to create their very own stuffed animal!
Each child walked in, and excitement beamed on their face as they chose an animal (dog, cat, bear, monkey, etc.) that they wanted to be their new best friend. Gragg Adverting employees then fill the animal and gave the child the opportunity to give the new friend a voice by choosing a sound to put inside.
“I will never forget the look on their faces as they created their new little friends,” Leslie O’Hara said, another Gragg volunteer. “This project was a hit with the children.”
The next step was the most important part: bringing their new friend to life! Each child took a star and placed it between their hands, closed their eyes and made a wish. They rubbed the star between their hands to give it warmth, kissed it to give it love, put it against their forehead to give it thought and then placed it in the animal. They decorated a t-shirt for their new best friend to wear and filled out a birth certificate that would say the name of the animal, who it belonged to and what the child chose to fill it with.
“Being a goofy kid at heart, I suggested they all say ‘My animal is filled with spaghetti’,” Gragg Advertising volunteer, Katie Bracken said.
The Children’s Mercy Hospital event coordinator commented on how the event was one of the best turnouts they have seen in months. The children were not the only ones who enjoyed the activity. Gragg employees could not help but enjoy the experience as well.
First time volunteer Angie Claycomb was happy to be involved with the event. “It was nice to see them put their current hurdles at the back of their minds and enjoy themselves. The kids were terrific.”
Filed Under: Uncategorized
Posted by admin on May 7, 2010 | No Comments
Kansas City, MO – Gragg Advertising, a full service direct response marketing agency with a focus in online technology, is excited to unveil the second iteration of its client and vendor portal, ALPINE.
ALPINE is the interactive portal Gragg clients use to monitor and track all incoming lead flow by campus, campaign or lead generation service. Launched on April 13, 2010; this version of ALPINE includes enhanced filtering and graphing features that allows for quick views deep into lead data housed in the aggregation system.
“Leads come in 24 hours a day, 365 days a year,” says Katie Leas, Internet Master Vendor Manager at Gragg Advertising. “The data found in ALPINE is in real-time and means your numbers are always current, even at midnight on a weekend.”
The new ALPINE features a dashboard with current lead summaries, lists of leads generated and trending for the month. Clients can view quarterly statistics, actual versus cap projections and hundreds of statistical reports. The chart wizard in ALPINE allows for easy display of data, including separating leads by source, program requested, quarter applied and more.
“We had some tricky requests when it came to reports. Everyone wanted to view things differently,” says Leas. “With this filtering, clients can set their own parameters and include and exclude each data point as they see fit. This means a client can look at exactly what they want, without being overwhelmed with data and not suffer from analysis paralysis.”
ALPINE allows Gragg Advertising’s clients to listen to Internet2Phone™ leads, pull weekly real-time analysis reports and view or download creative content.
Gragg Advertising’s vendors also reap the benefits of the advancements in ALPINE. It is now easier for a vendor to post accurate information as each Pay-Per-Lead prospect is found. Vendors also now have the ability to find creative assets required to create a landing page that contains the school logo and lead validation fields and still maintain a cohesive brand image.
“The new ALPINE also allows vendors to easily see not only aggregate and detailed lead reporting, but ‘Failed Post’ reporting as well,” says Leas. “Now vendors can see why Gragg Advertising’s system may be rejecting their leads and refine their own internal process.”
The advancement of ALPINE also allows clients to view lead data verification. This ensures leads delivered to a client are both high quality and accurate. With this feature, unqualified leads are reduced and clients see savings on their budget.
For more information, contact Darryl Mattox at 816-931-0050.
Gragg Advertising is a full service direct response marketing agency with a focus in online technology. Located in the River Market of Kansas City, Missouri; Gragg Advertising was established in 1992. Working with a variety of companies across the nation and around the globe, its clients see a quantifiable return on investment for their advertising and marketing dollars. Gragg Advertising specializes in direct response marketing focused on driving consumers to retail, education, legal, medical, financial and industrial businesses. The agency combines traditional branding strategy with proven direct response marketing tactics in order to create advertising that is both memorable and measurable.
Filed Under: Uncategorized
Posted by admin on April 19, 2010 | No Comments
Since October 2009, seven new employees have been hired to continue the growth of Gragg Advertising.
Angie Claycomb has been hired as a Marketing Coordinator for the Operations Department. A graduate of Northwest Missouri State University, Claycomb earned her Bachelor of Science in Advertising. Prior to joining Gragg, Claycomb worked as an Admissions Coordinator at a local career college.
Jack Flatley has joined the Interactive Department as an SEO Specialist. Flatley was trained in Search Engine Optimization from a veteran software engineer from Deloitte & Touche and later became the Head SEO Specialist for Virtual Inventories, Inc. Flatley has extensive experience working in SEO, web development and e-commerce.
Jennifer George has been added to Gragg Advertising’s Creative Department as a Video Editor and Producer. George earned her Bachelor of Arts in Mass Communications from Kansas State University. In her seven years in the industry, George has won five Telly Awards, the premier award that honors outstanding local, regional, and cable TV commercials and programs.
Leslie O’Hara has joined the Pay-Per-Lead Department as a Marketing Coordinator. A graduate of the University of Kansas, O’Hara earned her Bachelor of Science in Journalism. O’Hara coordinates the Pay-Per-Lead accounts for a number of Gragg Advertising’s largest clients. Prior to Gragg, O’Hara worked in Sales and Marketing in the healthcare field.
Kyle Person has been added to the Creative Department as an Art Director. Person is a graduate of UMKC with a focus on design and studio art. Person recently served as an instructor at the Art Institute of Las Vegas, and he has extensive experience with web design and print, as well as strategic marketing and branding. In 2009, Person won two Summit Creative Awards, which celebrates the creative accomplishments of small and medium sized advertising agencies.
Bill Saulsberry has joined the agency as a Business Development Account Executive. As Gragg Advertising continues to expand into new sectors, Saulsberry brings seven years experience in the financial services field. Most recently, Saulsberry served as District Director of Operations with Axcess Financial.
Sarah Weber has been hired as an Interactive Analyst in the Pay-Per-Lead Department. Weber earned her Bachelor of Arts in Public Relations from Oklahoma Baptist University, and has worked as a Public Relations Associate of ExxonMobil Chemical. Weber uses Gragg Advertising’s extensive tracking technologies in order to find the most efficient way to gain leads for clients.
Filed Under: Uncategorized
Posted by patrick on March 22, 2010 | No Comments
Gragg Advertising attended the Community Financial Service Association of America Conference (CFSA) March 3-6, 2010 in La Quinta, California. CFSA is the premiere educational and networking event of the payday advance industry. Conference attendees are briefed on the latest legislative developments, industry trends and marketing strategies. The event was held at the beautiful La Quinta Resort & Spa. There were 26 breakout session that covered topics ranging from: “Acquisitions & Mergers in the Payday Advance Industry” to “The Top 10 List of Things to do as a Payday Lender if you want to be SUED”. Some topics that are gaining interest in this industry were “Marketing Strategies for Today’s Retail Challenges” and “Utilizing Social Media”.
For vendors wanting to showcase their services to the Payday Loan Industry, CFSA is a must attend! Mark your calendars for March 3-6 2011 and plan to head to Hollywood, Florida for CFSA’s annual conference.
The leadership of this industry is very passionate and willing to collaborate with organizations who understand their passion and desire to ensure the industry continues to thrive.
Gragg Advertising is looking forward to an amazing 2010 and developing relationships started at CFSA.
For more information about the Conference, contact Lisa Olmedo at 816-931-0050 x325
Filed Under: Uncategorized
Posted by patrick on February 16, 2010 | No Comments
In 2009, Ingram’s Magazine highlighted Gragg Advertising as one of Kansas City’s fastest growing companies. In 2010, to accommodate this growth, Gragg Advertising’s founder Gregory Gragg stepped into the role of CEO and Chairman. Darryl Mattox, formerly the Agency Director, was promoted to President to manage the daily operations of the company.
Gragg has 20 years of experience in the industry of direct response marketing. In 1992, he had a vision to open an agency that could measure, analyze and place media ensuring the best return on investment for his clients. Today, this vision has become a reality. As the economy suffers, Gragg stresses it is more important than ever to know a company’s marketing efforts are working both online and off.
“We have moved from a traditional offline media agency to a marketing technology company,” Gragg said. “Our growth has developed as technology has advanced. Pay-per-lead, lead aggregation, database management, IT development for clients and more are available to help reach our target demographic.”
Mattox credits the company’s growth to internal strengths and staying ahead of today’s rapidly changing marketplace. “I am fortunate to have several strong leaders in the agency who have been and continue to be instrumental in the exceptional growth of Gragg Advertising,” Mattox said. He continued by commenting on the future of Gragg Advertising. “The landscape of marketing technology is changing daily. By seizing these opportunities, we have a great chance not only to maintain but also exceed our growth over the next five to 10 years.”
Gragg and Mattox are both extremely passionate about teaching others, and feel it is their duty to identify and implement new technology and pass this information on to their clients in order to serve them successfully.
Gragg Advertising is a full service, direct response marketing agency in the River Market of Kansas City, MO, established in 1992. Working with a variety of companies throughout the United States, its clients see a quantifiable return on investment for their advertising and marketing dollar. Gragg Advertising specializes in direct response marketing focused on driving consumers to retail, education, legal, medical and industrial businesses. The agency combines traditional branding strategy with proven direct marketing tactics in order to create advertising that is both memorable and measurable.
Filed Under: Uncategorized
Gragg Advertising Twitter
Gragg Advertising Linkedin
Gragg Advertising Facebook
