Sunday, May 13, 2012

Better Times are Upon Us

Better Times are Upon Us
America is coming back

You know, we all like to be busy. It gives us a sense of purpose and dignity. After almost four years of economic turmoil, I think Americans are weary and determined to get things going again. It’s time. I especially enjoy hearing people talk about their recent bursts of activity. It gives me hope and feeds my enthusiasm.

Our AEC (Architecture, Engineering and Construction) friends tell us of a steady stream of RFPs, keeping them crazy busy, just trying to capitalize on every opportunity. Profits remain relatively low, but an RFP is like fuel to a smoldering fire.

Our friends in the economic development industry are seeing the same thing. New deals are beginning to surface and old, tabled deals are coming back to life. Once again, we’re beginning to experience exciting times in America.

I don’t think anyone can name one particular industry that’s leading the way to recovery, but auto makers and parts suppliers are especially active. There’s also a lot of talk about businesses coming back to America, reshoring from Asian countries as a result of increasing shipping costs and increasing pay rates.

At Brand Acceleration, we’ve been very fortunate throughout the recession. We’ve remained busy as companies and communities have continued to promote. In recent months, we’ve seen a significant burst of new business, presumably a result of the new activity being experienced by our clients. I can’t help but believe that there’s a serious excitement out there that is firing people up and encouraging them to jump start their marketing activity. I get calls almost every day from people seeking suggestions about new and unique ways to get things going.

This sense of renewed optimism is no more evident than at conferences and trade shows. There’s an exciting buzz that is so infectious that attendees just can’t wait to get back home where they can put their newfound knowledge and excitement to work.

Looking at my calendar, I see that I’ll be attending at least one conference per month for most of the year. My list of speaking engagements is filling up, too. Later this week, I’ll have the honor of speaking at the MidAmerica Economic Development Council (MAEDC) meeting in Kalamazoo, Michigan, a beautiful city. If you’re ever in need of a speaker on the topics of branding, location branding, web development of management, I hope you’ll give me a call. It would be an honor.

For us, this flurry of new business activity has given us the opportunity to help our clients with such services as brand research, logos, web sites, videos, social media management, e-mail marketing and event marketing efforts. It’s truly an exciting time.

Spring also brings with it the anticipation of family activities such as picnics, vacations, a few very special holidays, festivals and, of course, auto racing. Around our office, we have many race fans. This month, our eyes are focused on the Indianapolis 500 and the Coca-Cola 600.

I hope you are also seeing this fresh new feeling of excitement about life and business. Please feel free to chime in. Here’s your chance to share your thoughts below.

Have a great week,

Jim Walton
CEO
Brand Acceleration, Inc.
Branding // Marketing Communications // Public Relations
Indianapolis, Indiana
Phone: 317.536.6255
Fax: 317.222.1425
Cell: 317.523.7380


Brand Acceleration is a full-service marketing communications, brand management and public relations firm with a focus on economic development, architecture, engineering and construction.

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