Emily Sorenson Carries the Torch on All Things Digital Marketing It’s fitting that we feature Emily Sorensen this time of year. Emily loves the Olympics and always carries the torch for all things digital at HenkinSchultz. And she never stops running. Emily’s love of various bound planners, coordinated pen colors, and hunger for discovering new digital tools is well documented. But how did her love of the Olympics come to be? Emily LOVES the Olympic Games “Like a lot of young girls, I was obsessed with the Nadia Comaneci movie. I think I probably watched it every day for a…

If you dig into the history of Valentine’s Day, you’ll get a lot of different takes on its origin: A Roman festival, an execution, martyrdom, cupids and Hallmark conspiracies. So for the sake of clarity, let’s just stick to how we mostly know it. Valentine’s Day is a holiday to celebrate relationships. It’s an opportunity to give someone you care about a grand or thoughtful gesture. And it got us to thinking about how marketing and working with an advertising agency is a lot like being in a relationship. The Introduction and the Pursuit of Marketing Agencies Every relationship begins…

For the last couple of decades, the Big Game has almost become a national holiday. And whether you're in the advertising business or not, the commercials are a popular highlight of the fun each year. Commercial development for the Big Game starts months in advance. People tune in to see what Budweiser will do, what cute animal or baby will show up and what celebrity makes a cameo. It's especially fun for an advertising agency like HenkinSchultz. “The Big Game is really the only time of year when advertising is celebrated,” says Director of Client Services/Partner, Becka Burger. “Corporations invest…

HenkinSchultz has always worked with clients to help them make a big impression – both to their customers and their own employees. Like all businesses, we need to stop and take a look at ourselves too. Until recently, when we looked at our massive HS Sign Shop wall, we saw only gray concrete. The Origin of Think. Bigger. HS has tackled some pretty monumental visual displays. Still, we know we couldn’t carve Mount Rushmore in our basement. But you better believe we could print it. And that’s exactly what we did. President Kirby Schultz summarizes our long-term agency philosophy as…

There. We said it. 2018 was a fast one. And while there are lots of upcoming holidays to slow down for and enjoy, there’s also planning to be done for 2019. So set aside some time for that awesome Thanksgiving leftover sandwich, but also some strategic thinking too. How were your 2018 sales to date? Any surprises good or bad? What trends did you see in your projections? What are industry partners or vendors anticipating for 2019? What marketing tactics do you need to pull the trigger on? Or cut back? All of these questions start to paint a picture.…

In our recent blog, we launched a new video to introduce HS into our design and brand as we continue celebrating 27 years. Yes, 27 is an odd number. But then again, we’re kind of an odd bunch. Remember Hamster Stacking? HamsterStacking was actually the first introduction of the HS refresh followed by the HearSay video poking some fun at our name confusion. Kirby Schultz himself can tell you about the mail he’s received and the name scrambling has been epic. So it seemed a good time to consider just how do we refer to ourselves? And how do we show it? This new…

At the annual chamber meeting, Matthew Luhn emphasized storytelling. At HenkinSchultz, it's something we emphasize with our clients every day. Often times, marketing is very focused on the finer points of sales, discounts, and promotions. These are all necessary things. But ideally, any benefits should be wrapped in a great story. Think about it, a great story pulls you in from the beginning. You are listening actively. You become emotionally invested in the characters and what they do. What a powerful tool to bring to any form of advertising. One example this past year is Showplace Cabinetry. Showplace has beautifully…

The Sioux Falls Chamber celebrated their 112th annual meeting and HenkinSchultz was a part of the storytelling from start to finish. Matthew Luhn was the evening’s featured speaker, sharing insights and inspiration from over 20 years of creating stories and characters at Pixar Animation. Luhn focused on the importance of telling a great story and reminded us that stories are what people really remember. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r6icV4G2IyE&t=1s   To tee up the evening, HenkinSchultz produced the dramatic live opening to the meeting with the theme of “Inspiration & Imagination.”  The live production featured an orchestral director, choir, electric guitarist and saxophonist all…

At the end of September, National Junior Achievement leaders, local alumni, students, educators and staff gathered to celebrate JA's 50 year impact across South Dakota. HenkinSchultz produced the live event that featured “Dirty Jobs” host Mike Rowe. We began our preparation several months ago, conceptualizing the featured videos for the evening. We built a larger-than-life JA logo in our studio and interviewed both children and educators interacting with it and speaking to their JA experience. The colorful set design was also used as staging elements for the live show.   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Et_FQ50Zhg&list=PLPN3M2WU0jiHtMicHAQJXhcYYnd9LaKEm&index=2   Mike Rowe gave the keynote address, entertaining the crowd…