As seen in the Indianapolis Business Journal
July 30-August 5, 2001

Ad firm embraces new technologies
Principals believe multimedia is future

By Anthony Schoettle - IBJ Reporter

Bob Neville, Dawn Keller and Jon DiGregory have seen the future. Planted in the center of that future is the Internet and a host of interactive tools that are changing their industry.

Displeased with the direction of the marketing and advertising industry's more conservative agencies, the three set out to form their own company two years ago.

Neville Keller & DiGregory Inc. is in a small second-story office in Fishers. It's a full-service marketing and creative services firm, but the company's three principals think much of their growth will be based in multimedia work.

"This is an established industry, and we became discouraged that others we worked with weren't as eager to embrace new technologies," said DiGregory, who at 35 is the youngest of the trio and the point person on multimedia projects.

Multimedia allows a company to "bombard the senses of customers in a new and exciting way, DiGregoy said. "You can look at a picture of something, or you can pick it up, touch it, smell it, even taste it with multimedia, " he said.

Neville, 52, who spent more than 20 years on the client side as the director of marketing at D.A. Lubricants and marketing manager at Mallory Controls before starting agency work, said NKD has the insight to make multimedia work for its clients.

"We've all been on the other side of the desk," said Keller, 44. "We know what drives the bottom line."

Keller worked for Indianapolis-based Regency Electronics for two years as art director and graphic designer before beginning her career in agency work, and DiGregory spent five years doing in-house marketing and communications work for White Industries, a local manufacturer.

John Snavely, vice president of online marketing for F.C. Tucker Co. Inc., said NKD understood his firm's objectives from the outset. NKD produced an interactive CD ROM that connects users to Tucker's Web site. The system also allows Tucker to automatically e-mail prospective customers about properties of interest.

"What we're using are not traditional marketing means," Snavely said. "The way the world is changing, we have to look at these things. Sixty percent of people who shop for houses go to the Web at some point. We're looking at all the new media outlets, and NKD really has a grasp on all of them. Many agencies Tucker approached claim they do new media work, which makes choosing a marketing firm difficult, Snavley said. NKD's presentation simplified the choice.

"We looked at what NKD has done and they did it particularly well, and have a cost-effective approach." Snavley said.

NKD also has attracted clients with offerings including traditional forms of marketing and advertising. In addition to new media, NKD has a strong background in design work, direct-mail campaigns and trade show set-ups. "The new media merely complements the other serices we offer," Keller said. "And vice versa."

NKD is especially strong in business-to-business and industrial applications, Neville said. NKD's client list includes Emerson Electric, Flexware Integration, Mallory Controls, Community Hospitals Indianapolis and Metal Powder Products Co. The company also recently landed a high-profile new media account with Cheever Indy Racing, and DiGregory thinks there is an untapped market for the firm with other motorsports-related companies.

Beth Nellist, manager of financial communications for Federal Home Loan Bank of Indianapolis, hired NKD for more traditional marketing. NKD produces fliers, brochures and annual reports for Federal Home Loan Bank.

Nellist met Keller in 1996 when Keller ran her own company. For 12 years beofre joining NKD, Keller ran a one-person firm, Keller-Doll Design Inc. Nellist said NKD offers an even broader array of services than Keller could alone. Nellist said she has been especially impressed with the design and production work NKD has done for her firm.

"The work that Dawn Keller had done for us had improved the quality of what we did in-house 100 percent." Nellist said. "With [NKD], I've never been tempted to go anywhere else. This firm has been very flexible and able to work with numerous people. They've always done very high quality work, and they've simplified our lives quite a bit."

Neville, Keller and DiGregory follow a carefully scripted plan for growing their company. In 1999, they had 13 clients. In 2000, they added nine more and so far this year, they've added an additional eight. "We haven't lost a client yet," Neville said.

As part of the business plan, it's important for no one client to represent more than 20 percent of the company's revenue, which hit $700,000 in actual billings in 2000. The trio is confident billings will top $1 million this year, despite a slowing economy.

"There are enough people who know the difference between sales and marketing." Neville said. "Sales focuses on tomorrow; marketing is focusing down the road."

The trio said they still have the abiltiy to take on a few more clients without adding staff, but the time is coming when NKD must grow. "We know we'll have to add employees soon, but it's important that those additions be profit centers, " Keller said.

Neville also wants to make sure clients continue to get the personal touches a smaller firm can offer.

"A lot of agencies don't want to immerse themselves into their cleints' work as much as we do," Neville said. "We have to keep client responsiveness as a core value as the company grows."