News

ANDREW GREENBERG, ENTREPRENEUR PROFILE

By Susan Kohl
American Venture Magazine

San Francisco is not exactly the easiest place to start a brand strategy agency -or any agency related to the advertising world. Next to New York and Los Angeles, the San Francisco market guarantees stiff competition and, in many cases, failure.

In 1992, Andrew Greenberg founded his company, Greenberg Brand Strategy, as a sole practitioner. Previously he had worked as a strategic planner at ChiatDay Advertising in New York and San Francisco. Like many others in and around Silicon Valley, he operated his fledgling company out of his house with only a laptop, a phone, a fax machine and a lot of ambition.

"In the beginning I had to wear all of the hats that go along with any agency," said Andrew Greenberg, CEO of Greenberg Brand Strategy and Greenberg Studios. "It was really hard to do the jobs of finance, project management, sales and marketing, human resources, report writing, etc. Gradually I added people who had expertise in those areas but in the beginning, I had to do it all. The fax machine was in the closet next to my bedroom and would routinely go off at four in the morning as New York began to wake up."

Today, Greenberg has nurtured his company into a multi-million dollar agency with offices in San Francisco, Berkeley and soon New York City. His client list is impressive and includes big names like Levi Strauss & Co., Google, Disney, Electronic Arts, Microsoft, Lucasfilm, Gap, Panasonic, T-Mobile, GM, Robert Mondavi, and Yahoo!

As a former strategic planner in traditional advertising, Greenberg realized early in his career the importance of connecting with consumers. He understood that in order to develop effective advertising and marketing campaigns, his clients had to know their clients - the consumer. He also realized that traditional methods of market research were not working as well as they could so he set out to change the rules.

"Effective market research is no longer quantitative but qualitative," said Greenberg, as he sunk deep into a comfy couch in his Berkeley studios. "And the heart of qualitative research is about making the best connection possible with the consumer. To successfully make that connection, you need honest unedited feedback which can only be derived in a setting where a person feels inspired and at ease."

At his Greenberg Studios, Andrew has done just that. By eliminating the traditional market research scenario - a group sitting around a sterile plastic laminate conference table breathing stagnant air - and created a new environment built around the fusion of calm comfort and invigorating spirit. He has filled his Studios with welcoming couches, pleasant lighting and interactive touches that go beyond the expected. The experience encourages creativity, openness and authenticity. And it works. Clients continually comment on the better results they get.

In addition to his Studios, Greenberg has developed two proprietary methodologies for achieving personal connections with consumers. StudioGoŽ takes consumers to intriguing destinations via bus - an environment that replicates a more ethnographic approach. How better to know someone than to travel with them? The JamŽ is designed to diminish the limitations of traditional qualitative research techniques. Greenberg puts groups of young men and women into familiar environments, such as a popular nightclub, engages them in pertinent activities, and encourages them to talk freely amongst themselves. The Jam has become a proven methodology for reveling truths about specific brands, issues, and campaigns - most recently employed on Absolute Vodka.

"There were definitely risks associated with this new way of thinking," said Greenberg. "I had to convince clients to trust me and my methods. However, with all the negative press given to more traditional focus groups, research professionals are hungry for alternative methodologies that take us out of the four-walled box."

Greenberg's risk-taking paid off. His company is well-respected by many of America's leading companies. In fact, he also brings his brand of strategic input to some of the most creative and innovative advertising agencies in the US - J Walter Thompson, Foote, Cone & Belding, Young & Rubicam, TBWAChiatDay, Grey Worldwide and McCann-Erickson.

"We know we're on track when our clients say, 'You really get what we're trying to achieve,'" said Greenberg. "We've not only created a space - an atmosphere - that supports our never-ending search of consumer insight, but we also back it up with a team of strategic planners who deliver actionable recommendations tailored to meet specific marketing needs."

Helping his clients connect with their target markets translates into more effective advertising and better marketing campaigns. Consumers are happier and more loyal to brands because they've been heard, and companies are delighted because they can achieve better bottom lines.

Susan Kohl, APR
Sierra Communications
www.sierracomm.com
(209) 586-5887