April 1, 2013 was our 12th anniversary as an agency. CMA partners Ryan Fansler, Gary Hurley, and Jai Suh would like to thank all of our clients, past and present, for making 12 great years possible. We look forward to continuing to work with exceptional people, such as yourselves.

From humble beginnings, CMA has evolved into a state-of-the-art Seattle marketing and advertising agency, with clients across the U.S. Our full-spectrum branding, digital, search, social, web design, and video production services are continually well-received because we deliver positive professional results, no matter the size of the project or budget.

Since 2001, the keystone of our business has always been people. From our core team of dedicated personnel, to our extended alliance of business partners, to all of our valued clients, we believe that everyone should be treated with respect. We are committed to the highest level of customer service. We embrace open communication and transparency. And we strive to be the best agency you've ever worked with.

Okay, we've tooted our horn long enough... It's time to get back to work.

Have an excellent spring and summer,

Ryan, Gary, Jai, and the rest of the team at CMA

What the heck is Vine? Vine is Twitter's new mobile video app that was launched in January 2013. Mobile Twitter users can share a six second or less video with their tweet. It's the next level of Twitter communication. CMA's social media team is already experimenting with exciting ways to use Vine as a marketing tool. Here are some do's and don'ts to improve your Vine marketing and make your company's Twitter engagements even more interesting.

- Much like Twitter's iconic 140-character cap, Vine's six second time limit promotes succinct messaging and entertainment, so keep it simple and direct.

- Plan ahead. Define your video's purpose and streamline your idea.  Do not try to cram too much information into your Vine video.

- Be creative and let your brand personality shine through.  Have fun with it.

- Be aware that Vine captures sound too, so be careful what you say once you press record.

- Sneak peeks, teasers, updates, and brief announcements have proven to be successful themes. Likewise, comedy, as you might expect, is very popular in Vine videos.

- Humanize your Vine.  Let people relate to your company in a personal way.  A behind-the-scenes look at your staff is a good example.

- Hashtags are a great way to connect even more viewers to your #vinemarketing. Brand tags and custom campaign tags help people find your #vinevideos.

- Finally, provide an explanation of your video in your tweet. Many recipients may have their audio turned off, so a written explanation clarifies your Vine story.

The main challenge of Vine marketing is telling or showing an engaging story in six seconds.  CMA will be posting our own Vine experiments, so follow our blog to see the fun!  In fact, we're in the Vine laboratory right now, discovering amazing new ways to use Vine for brand storytelling, marketing, and social media engagement.

Here is our first Vine experiment.  Our challenge was to create a Vine video using only six still photos.

My first Vine video experiment: "Poppy the Photographer". vine.co/v/bgLJFmzI721

— Jai Suh (@jaisuh) March 7, 2013

CMA social media marketing can help you design and maintain an engaging social marketing plan. We develop memorable marketing campaigns in both traditional and burgeoning technologies.  How will you incorporate Vine video into your social marketing strategy?  Contact us to learn more about how we can help with your social media program?

President Obama highlighted 3D printing in his recent State of the Union speech for good reason. 3D printing is part of a new direction of high-tech industry that can bolster the American economy and will most likely revolutionize manufacturing and commerce. The technology is still in its infancy, but it is becoming more accessible and more affordable for both consumers and businesses.

The concept is fantastic, yet real. A digital model is designed using a CAD program. The design is then sent to a 3D printer. The printer actually constructs the object by stacking layer upon layer of material in the form of the design. This process is called "additive manufacturing," as opposed to "subtractive manufacturing," in which an object is cut from an unformed block of material.

Different 3D printers use different materials. Hard materials, like plastics and metal, have progressed to include softer production materials, such as rubber or polyurethane-like plastics. Many companies are vying to harness the skyrocketing technology, which allows users to quickly and cheaply produce three-dimensional objects straight from a computer. Architecture, automotive, defense, furniture, jewelry, and medical manufacturers are early participants in 3D printing. These industries use 3D printing to generate complete products or specialized parts, for cars and even the human body. The possibilities are nearly limitless. At Paris Fashion Week 2013, a runway show was dedicated solely to clothes created using 3D printing.

3D printing should revolutionize many industries and change the way we conceive traditional manufacturing. The projected industry value of 3D printing is expected to explode by 300% by 2020. It's a brave new world and we like to keep our clients up to speed. CMA is one of the select Seattle marketing agencies that incorporate cutting-edge technology, in-house production, and traditional printing and branding services for better business marketing. Follow us on Facebook and subscribe to our newsletter to stay up-to-date with the latest marketing technology.

How does 3D printing work? Here is an infographic from Mashable.

Did you know that, along with designing custom social media pages and creating content, CMA offers social monitoring and social outreach support to assist your online image and keep you in touch with customer trends and feedback? By listening, initiating, and participating in your social brand conversation, you convey a positive business image to both active and potential customers.

CMA's Social Media Marketing team can administrate your social campaign or collaborate with you on community management. If you generate content in-house, CMA can help you monitor customer reaction and interaction across all social platforms. CMA's social outreach program can keep you involved in your company's social dialogue, with a keen image awareness.



Engage your customers where they spend their time. CMA Social Media Marketing specializes in developing and monitoring social media programs for a broad spectrum of businesses. Engaging content, informative links, online video, blogs, and email marketing campaigns extend your company's reach farther than you think. Maintaining a social media presence keeps you in touch with your client base and promotes a vibrant brand and an attractive business image.

CMA can tailor a social campaign to your specific needs and target audience. Call or email CMA today. Hey, you can even send us a Facebook message!

CMA's website design team recently completed a new mobile-optimized, CMS-based website and social media program for Novelty Hill Januik winery. The sleek new design features better ecommerce, a blog, dynamic photo galleries, updated search and social marketing, and eye-catching slider images at the top of key landing pages.

Novelty Hill Januik's extensive inventory is searchable and categorized by a state-of-the-art ecommerce system that allows online customers to conveniently order and ship wine. Individual product pages provide grape and tasting descriptions and an opportunity to share specific wines through social media. How cool is that?

The CMA social media marketing team also developed a custom Facebook page, website blog, and Pinterest board for Novelty Hill Januik. These elements, combined with periodic email campaigns (another turn-key solution from CMA), allow the winery to interact with customers on a regular basis and through familiar channels. Novelty Hill Januik can promote its wine, winery tours, and event spaces, simultaneously, with vivid photos and first-hand experience.

Finally, CMA instructed Novelty Hill Januik on their new website content management system (CMS) and content SEO marketing. Novelty Hill Januik employees now update their website slider images, create optimized content, and track search traffic through top industry keywords, with a little help from CMA customized tools.

Novelty Hill and Januik are independent wine labels that share a state-of-the-art winery in Woodinville, WA. The tasting room and production facilities feature stylish, modern design with expansive gardens and an outdoor patio. It was only fitting that CMA's Seattle website design services create a striking new online presence for such a premiere tour destination and wedding venue.

Read More about Novelty Hill Januik's CMA-developed website design and social media marketing.

Heads up, if you're thinking of upgrading your website! Retina graphics are the next wave of website vector graphic elements. Scalable vector graphics (or SVGs) provide a retina-friendly, mobile-friendly format with remarkably clearer screen graphics and high-pixel density.

The only devices that currently support Retina graphics are the iPhone 4+, MacBook Retina, and iPad 3, but Retina graphics will be essential soon enough... and you want your web design to look good for awhile, right?

Currently, the main Retina challenge for website designers is finding an easy system to create SVGs. Web design tools will eventually catch up with the Retina wave, but for now, only select programs work natively with SVGs. Designers are currently forced to combine a series of tools to create responsive Retina-ready SVGs. For instance, a Fireworks icon that is saved as a PNG retains the necessary vector data if it is opened in Illustrator first, the vectors are selected, and then copied into Fireworks. It's not very streamlined, but it works. Fireworks cannot natively save SVGs, so further hoops are also required to complete the process.

CMA's Seattle website design team suggests this article by John Dyer as a helpful guide for creating a responsive, Retina-ready web design.

http://johndyer.name/how-to-create-a-responsive-retina-ready-website/

Or... you could allow CMA web design services upgrade your website or design a new Retina-ready, mobile-ready site that puts your best foot forward today and for the future.

CMA's Seattle video production company recently shot several humorous video vignettes for Moneytree's annual Managers Conference. The videos added an extra element of fun to the national business meeting. The conference, held in the greater Seattle area in 2012, is designed to provide business updates and foster a cohesive Moneytree team.

The videos were titled "Recipes for Success" and provided entertaining ways to achieve successful goal-setting. Each vignette featured award-winners from the two previous years. The videos and "recipe" theme were centered around a kitchen set.

CMA invited several of its own employees to view the shoot. "It was neat to see everything in action," said a social media marketing specialist. "The Moneytree team looked like they were having a lot of fun and it's great to see the footage that our video team works on actually being shot."

CMA's Seattle advertising agency produces radio and television advertising for companies, like Moneytree, throughout the western U.S.

A web content audit isn't as scary as it sounds and it helps you develop an effective content strategy for more relevant online messaging, focused business objectives, and a better user experience. A content audit is essentially a spreadsheet of your current website pages and their content. CMA can survey the spreadsheet, compare your site to competitors, and put your best "quality content" foot forward.

Quality content informs users and keeps them engaged. Engaged users are more open to your company's message and ultimately mean more business. A focused web content strategy produces consistent quality content and provides your team with a better understanding of online goals and focused messaging.

Engage and inform your website users, and your team, with strategic content marketing that delivers exactly the information you want. CMA helps you develop a focused web content strategy that is both logical and easy to implement across your website design.

Website content. Your business needs it. Your users want it. Make your content work better for you, for search engines, and for potential customers.

A web content audit isn't as scary as it sounds and it helps you develop an effective content strategy for more relevant online messaging, focused business objectives, and a better user experience. A content audit is essentially a spreadsheet of your current website pages and their content. CMA can survey the spreadsheet, compare your site to competitors, and put your best "quality content" foot forward.

Quality content informs users and keeps them engaged. Engaged users are more open to your company's message and ultimately mean more business. A focused web content strategy produces consistent quality content and provides your team with a better understanding of online goals and focused messaging.

Engage and inform your website users, and your team, with strategic content marketing that delivers exactly the information you want. CMA helps you develop a focused web content strategy that is both logical and easy to implement across your website design.

Website content. Your business needs it. Your users want it. Make your content work better for you, for search engines, and for potential customers.

Social media activity ramps up during the holiday season, most notably in the spirit of giving and receiving. It's the perfect time to escalate your social media marketing and extend your brand.

Add charitable activities to your marketing campaigns or incorporate recognized seasonal themes into your messaging. The world of social media is rife with opportunity for holiday promotions and season-specific how-to's. You can even engage your social media followers with holiday-inspired subjects. Everyone comes together in the name of searching, sharing, and shopping.

CMA can help you focus and improve your brand's social efforts. Our social media company can optimize social media campaigns with online reputation management, custom Facebook pages, integrated social brand platforms, and more. CMA headquarters is in Seattle, social media marketing is part of our national success. Happy holidays.

CMA is always in touch with the latest and most effective security for our Seattle website design, development, and maintenance.

Inn at the Market (Seattle), Hotel Ändra (Seattle), and Hotel Modera (Portland) were all named in the "Top 20 Hotels in the Pacific Northwest." Seattle was ranked in the "Top 10 Cities in the United States" again in 2012.

CMA marketing services for our hospitality clients in Seattle and Portland include website design and development, web video production, branding, and pay-per-click search marketing, as well as maintaining customized social media marketing and blogging.

View the "Top 20 Hotels in the Pacific Northwest."

Creative Media Alliance launched a new television and radio advertising campaign for Moneytree, the premier provider of payday loans and check cashing services. The commercials feature Moneytree customers in real-life scenarios in which Moneytree services prove to be convenient for a modern lifestyle. The TV commercials and radio ads will air throughout the western U.S. and include the slogan “Moneytree. Money in time.”

Moneytree chose CMA above other Seattle ad agencies and Seattle video production companies, because of our rare combination of personalized service and a wide array of in-house specialties. Our varied in-house departments, such as video production and media planning/buying, combined with our marketing and advertising expertise make CMA a leader among boutique ad agencies in the Northwest.

CMA has recently produced television commercials and promotional videos for automotive companies, non-profit charities, hotels and restaurants, medical organizations, the fine arts, travel companies, and much more.

Campbell Soup is celebrating the 50th anniversary of Andy Warhol's iconic creation "32 Campbell's Soup Cans" by releasing four striking, limited-edition tomato soup cans. The vivid colors on each label echo the color combinations that Warhol made famous in his symbolic work.

In addition, Campbell's "15 minutes of fame" app on ArtofSoup.com lets users turn personal photos into Warhol-like works of art that they can share through social media and on Campbell's Facebook page.

CMA's branding service designs eye-catching logos and other brand elements, while our social media marketing department distributes your company's latest news or marketing campaign virally via Facebook, Twitter, and other social media outlets. Our Reputation Management program allows you to listen to your customers 24/7 with awareness of your brand's topics anywhere online.

"32 Campbell's Soup cans" was unveiled at Warhol's first solo gallery show in Los Angeles in 1962. Each of the 32 individual canvases depicted a vibrant can of Campbell's soup. Initially, Campbell Soup did not foresee 50 years of complimentary marketing.

CMA is one of the top marketing and branding companies Seattle has to offer. We believe in open communication and strong strategy to help you make smart decisions with your marketing budget.

CMA's website design and search engine optimization teams created and optimized Botanical Designs' new online look. The fresh site features improved functionality, content SEO, a blog, an eye-catching image slider, and a custom product gallery.

Botanical Designs is an award-winning interior and exterior commercial landscaping company located in Seattle. CMA maintains ongoing search management, social media marketing, and the blog at botanicaldesigns.com. Local and national businesses choose CMA for the best search marketing and web design company Seattle has to offer.

Our Search Engine Marketing and Video Production company come together to create custom Google display ads and video ads for a wide range of clients. These aren't your father's display ads. Google now retargets custom display advertising to the websites that are most relevant to your product and to the people that are most likely to be interested.

CMA stands out from other Seattle marketing agencies because we offer superior technical marketing, graphic design… and a renowned video production company, under the same roof. This combination allows our teams to collaborate on seamless Google ads that are successful, as well as beautiful, making CMA the most qualified choice for your online advertising campaigns.

Our one-two combination of search engine marketing and video production expertise sets CMA apart from other marketing agencies in Seattle and the Pacific Northwest. Google display ads have evolved from the text-only ads of yore. Take your online marketing to the next level with CMA Search Marketing and Video Production services.

CMA Print Marketing created new business cards for our Seattle marketing agency. The cards include a fresh eye-catching design, an attractive card stock, and an approachable font. But, we’re most excited about the QR codes on the back of each business card. Most cardholders who scan the code are taken to the website Team page. However, our owners’ QR codes take cardholders to a web marketing video, specific to each partner.

As a top Seattle marketing agency, CMA embraces new technology for highly effective marketing strategy and solutions. We stay abreast of cutting-edge technologies so our clients can rest assured they get the best technical business marketing.

QR codes are matrix (or two-dimensional) bar codes. QR is short for Quick Response. For more information about QR codes, view CMA’s QR informational video, created by our own Seattle video production team. On the website video page, you can also read Jai Suh’s article, “How Can QR Codes Help My Business?”

Do you “like” our new customized Facebook Timeline page? The social marketing experts in CMA Social Media Marketing Services enhanced our new Timeline page with striking visuals and embedded YouTube videos. Pictures of our staff, snapped by in-house photographer Mark B. Bauschke, emblazon our cover photo, while a YouTube icon leads visitors to samples of our Seattle video production. CMA photos detail our services and promote a positive business image.

Facebook's new integrated content management system (CMS) is extremely user-friendly, allowing for an easy interactive experience directly from our website. Now, when we build a custom Facebook Timeline page for clients, we can log into the backend of their website and make content changes on Facebook as well. Or, if clients manage their own page, they enjoy a more user-friendly experience... and so do their fans.

Engage your customers where they spend more and more time. CMA Social Media Marketing designs and manages custom social media outlets, like Facebook and Twitter, for a variety of clients. We also implement blogs and email marketing campaigns. Our social media services include analytics and reputation management for a unique insight into engagement, content, gender, age, and other relevant demographics. CMA can customize your social marketing to include any or all of these elements.

Social media music fans,

Facebook introduced a “Listen” button this week on band and artist pages. The Listen button allows you to listen to an artist’s music through whatever streaming app you most frequently employ. Click the Listen button on, say, Winger’s page and their music will stream for you, quickly and conveniently, on Spotify or MOG or a similar app.

The Listen button resides right next to the familiar Like button, just below the cover photo, encouraging you to Like the artist you’re listening to. Whether you Like an artist or not, your listening activity will post on your Timeline. So, if Winger is more of a secret passion, maybe you should search out another way to rock to “Headed for a Heartbreak”.

Music is the soundtrack of our lives and, if you’re like me, you try to populate that soundtrack with as much awesome stuff as you can, including local live music. My favorite aspect of MySpace (anybody remember MySpace?) was that bands, even small ones, could post their music on their page. So, when I wanted to see a local band, I could hear a sample of the music beforehand.

Lately, small bands have converted to music profile apps, like ReverbNation or BandPage. But Facebook’s new Listen button could significantly decrease traffic to those pages by directing listeners to streaming apps. Unsigned acts will have to refine their social media marketing savvy to keep up with Facebook’s latest invention. The Listen button could soon render alternative profile pages irrelevant and officially put the final nail in MySpace’s coffin.

You can already find the Listen button on most artist’s pages. Try it out on your computer for now. A mobile app will soon follow. Zuckerberg says, Rock on!

CMA Branding Services updated Ironwood's brand design with a service model tailored for marketing flexibility. Ironwood is a Northwest commercial real estate brokerage that offers a full range of services. The re-brand communicates Ironwood's 20-year history of success and its client-first approach.

Ironwood wanted to increase its market share in a very competitive market. CMA Brand Development provided easily identifiable branding, with a distinctive color palette and font, that conveyed Ironwood's experience, integrity, and ingenuity. By identifying core goals, CMA promoted Ironwood's creativity and masterful balance of traditional and cutting-edge solutions. The resulting brand design makes Ironwood stand out from its competition. CMA is proud to help Ironwood continue to bring comprehensive real estate solutions to its commercial property clients.

Branding Services

Brand Design