OOH Agency Today —FUSIONWRX
Marketing agency FUSIONWRX doesn’t just encourage personal connection; they thrive on it. Born and bred in Northern Kentucky—just across the Ohio River from Cincinnati—this company brings a Midwestern attitude and charm to all the work they do, taking time to learn all the ins and outs of a brand’s unique identity before launching into a campaign. Today we speak with Ed McMasters, Director of Marketing and Communications and one of the captains of FUSIONWRX’s unstoppable ship.
Please tell us about FUSIONWRX. How long have you been in business? Staffing? Size?
FUSIONWRX Inc, a Flottman Company, has been in existence for six years. Currently, we are a TEAM O’ 3 with me (Ed McMasters) as the Director of Marketing and Communications, Byron Slaby as our Director of Business Development, and Cody Knarr as our Graphic Designer and Marketing Coordinator.
FUSIONWRX is a full-service agency with a digital focus and a print background. We provide OOH strategies complete with placement analysis, graphic content and design, and performance success analysis. If I had to pick our specialty, I would say our ability to serve as an extension of our client’s brand and strategically market their business across all media, as our own business. This year we will break the ONE MILLION DOLLAR mark in sales. Our start-up agency has experienced 3+ years of exponential growth (even through a pandemic), increasing sales from $80K in 2018 to over $583K in 2021. Additionally, we handle all billing in-house for our clients.
What would you like brands and the OOH Industry to know about your shop?
We would like people to know about our ability to offer a multitude of marketing opportunities in support of billboards, which makes us a great fit for any business. We pride ourselves on finding unique and creative ways to market our clients and we utilize all of our resources and connections every time.
We are able to supply our clients with a multi-channel marketing approach that digitally and physically support our billboard efforts. We make it possible to be seen in more ways than just “on the street,” by reinforcing the message and extending the means of the reach. We have worked with OOH providers across the country, and have placed billboards from Washington to Washington DC, Delaware to Georgia and Wisconsin to Texas.
Do you work with clients directly and/or through agencies? What is the percentage breakdown?
Our work is 100% directly with clients. We assign a team of three to every account with one of our primaries being the lead. Our clients work directly with our principals be it Byron or Ed. We enable our clients to strategize with us on their project(s) and then allow them be free to focus on their business, as we work the project through to success. With our continued growth, we are looking to add to our team, which will enable us to continue to add clients without sacrificing our exceptional quality of service.
Any comments or suggestions for OOH reps in approaching or working with your company?
We are ALWAYS open to a call. If you have a new offer or opportunity, we likely have a client that will fit. We so appreciate making a direct connection. If you have a client that wants to do more than just a billboard and desires to layer their message via a multi-channel marketing campaign to accent their billboard placements, we can help.
A recent example: Kenjoh Outdoor Advertising entered our regional market in the beginning of this year. Ed noticed the initial board being built, and Byron researched the build and reached out to the company. We were able to connect with them and helped them GROW in the region by becoming their first vendor. In fact, we are looking at currently being their first, longest, and to date the most versatile client they have. Initiating the partnership, even before lighting up the first board, has been extremely beneficial to us both.
On your website, you emphasize your belief that people “make decisions based on emotion rather than reason”, as well as that passion should always be at the heart of every approach. What are some ways your focus on emotion and passion has helped you in the industry? Do you believe this helps you to stand out, and if so, how?
The ability to generate an emotional response via a successful call to action (CTA) that drives potential clients to make a purchase is the ultimate level of success. We are firm believers that imagery is a key, less is more, and being nimble enough to take advantage of any-and-all wins instantly is what makes us successful as an agency and as supporters of a brand, business, or product.
What is your most memorable new business pitch?
Our pitch and program for Snappy Tomato Pizza’s Guide Book is our favorite. The campaign included a printed travel guide, a digital version hosted on their website, marketing boxtoppers, stickers, the prize offer, the attractions support, the website banners, the digital ads, social media, the radio advertising and the live event remotes. We even included digital billboards that enabled us to change messaging and offers relative to the campaign’s focus. This project had everything. And after receiving top marketing campaign honors in both the Indiana and Ohio tourism award competitions, it officially became our most decorated marketing campaign ever.
What differentiates your business from others?
Personification. We take on the true persona of each brand we service and each program we implement. We work intimately with every client, getting to know them so well, that we are gifted many freedoms and opportunities to act on their behalf without question. We become the brand we service.
How do you obtain new business? Please share new business contact information.
A lot of our business is by referral. Our primary lead generator is Byron; his abilities to beat the bushes in search of new business is unparalleled. Our backlink-building program and media outreach enables us to promote our activities, our clients, and ourselves. Periodically we even run our own billboards in search of new business. We love to stress the need to ‘promote the promotion’: if you are not touting yourself, no one else will. For business contact information, see below:
Byron Slaby
Director of Business Development
859.331.6636 | Main Line
513.315.8240 | Cell Line
Byron@FUSIONWRX.com | Email
Discuss or share OOH campaigns by your shop.
One of our initial forays into billboard marketing was via a pro-bono partnership with our home city of Crestview Hills, Kentucky. We offered to strategize a marketing plan to promote their summer concert series, which had experienced zero growth over the previous two years. Our goal was to build brand awareness that would not only help increase attendance this year, but for years to come. We knew the content needed to be direct and easily memorable, striving for less being more. A huge benefit—totally unbeknownst to us at the time—was that our pastel color scheme was a stark contrast to every other digital board running in the series. Our soft colors and easily readable content presented a true marketing advantage over the other ads.
As a result, the city of Crestview Hills had their largest number of website and social media inquiries ever. Questions about dates, times, and future musical acts came flying in, building interest. The entire season continued to increase event attendance beating previous numbers year over year. In fact, attendance for the final event of the season went so well the parking lot that hosted the event had to have multiple cars moved to allow for the massive audience.
To learn more about FUSIONWRX, click here.