Archive for September, 2011

Despite the sluggish economy, some major manufacturers are in building mode and they’re overwhelmingly looking to the South for sites.  Guthrie/Mayes invited New York Times columnist Joe Nocera for a factory field trip to visit some of the plants being built by our client, Gray Construction, the sixth largest builder/designer of manufacturing plants with clients like Siemens, Caterpillar, Whirlpool, Mitsubishi and Volkswagen. Following a hard hat visit last week to the Siemens and Caterpillar manufacturing plants in North Carolina, the New York Times ran a story in today’s paper about Gray, the two plants, and the state of manufacturing in America.

Siemens will be seeking LEED® Gold certification and Caterpillar will be seeking LEED® certification upon completion. Siemens’ 460,000 s.f. gas manufacturing plant in Charlotte will produce and service 280-ton gas turbines and the new 850,000 s.f. Caterpillar plant in Winston-Salem will make axles for its mining trucks.

While the jury may still be out on whether or not QR codes can really drive business results, Applebee’s is starting to be convinced.  Check out this article in Nation’s Restaurant News about  a new QR code campaign by Guthrie/Mayes client Thomas & King, the third-largest Applebee’s franchisee and 16^th largest restaurant franchisee in America.

Thomas & King worked with Cornett Integrated Marketing Solutions to develop its new “14 Minute Lunchtime Guarantee,” which is promoted in its Applebee’s restaurants with table tents that display multiple QR codes. When patrons scan the QR codes with their smartphone, they’re directed to a series of funny videos on YouTube ranging from a talking table cat to a music video that has been described as “The Office meets Glee.”  

So far, more than 58,000 patrons have scanned the codes, which, in addition to a laugh, also deliver brand messages.  Well done!

Several members of the Lindsey Wilson College wrestling team visited GMPR this weekend to be photographed for a poster.

Below: Senior Counselor Bonnie Hackbarth (far right) ‘plants’ promise garden flowers with her family at the Walk to End Alzheimer’s.  The Hackbarths walk in honor of Natalie Kranbuehl, Bonnie’s mother-in-law, who has Alzheimer’s. The walk is the Alzheimer’s Association’s signature fundraiser. (GMPR represents the Greater Kentucky and Southern Indiana Chapter of the Association.)

Below:  Account Manager Ashley Schaffner (far right) poses before the walk with several members of her family’s team, “Mel’s Kids.”  The family walks in honor of Mel Ferry, Ashley’s grandfather, who also has Alzheimer’s.