A SHARED VISION
Cognitive Marketing Inc. was formed in 1993 by Peter Holloran and Josanne DeNatale, two marketing communications professionals with different backgrounds but similar ideas about helping clients. They share a vision that there’s a better way to provide marketing and communications services, that success isn’t about running a bunch of ads. Success should be measured in terms of barriers overcome and opportunities created for our clients.

A SHARED OBLIGATION
We don’t set out to impress. We impress by performing above expectations, using superior thinking and planning plus great concepts, writing and design. Our first obligation is to help our clients get where they need to go. And on the way, we keep our mouths closed and our minds wide-open, humbled by the idea that another human being is paying for our services—a reality that commands our unwavering respect.

OUR TEAM OF PROFESSIONALS
Strategic Direction, Creative Direction, Account Services, Project Management, Interactive/New Media Management, Production Management, Creative Associates

STRATEGIC DIRECTION
The core of our service is strategic thinking. There's not a marketing firm on earth, ours included, that does not claim to put strategy first. But in all honesty, it's not strategy that comes first; it's the idea at the heart of the institution, the company, the product or service that comes first. Without that idea clearly understood and effectively articulated, it is not possible to distinguish a good strategy from a bad one.

Great brands are built from the inside out, and our process begins deep within our clients' businesses. We start at the beginning, and build our strategic framework on a solid foundation of understanding and insight. We're efficient about it-using existing research where we can-and we see to it that no time or money is wasted. But we don't fail to lay the foundation and establish internal confidence in the process, because these are vital ingredients to long-term success. top

CREATIVE DIRECTION
The creative director walks the tightrope across the gap between strategic objectives and extraordinary execution. Leading a team of professional writers, art directors, and imaging specialists, the creative director drives toward a solution that respects the strategy, embraces a compelling concept, keeps an eye on the target audience, and produces effective communications. A creative director at Cognitive Marketing must have a clear vision, excellent balance, and a willingness to stroll out over the abyss.
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ACCOUNT SERVICES
Our clients are integral to our company; at the risk of stating the obvious, without them, we have no company. Everyone who works at Cognitive Marketing is in account service, but a few of us have that specific responsibility on our business cards, and it's our job to see to the efficient, accurate, and effective delivery of service to our clients. Great account service isn't rocket science, but it's as rare as rocket scientists. Not here, though. We approach our clients as partners-collaborators with whom we must work closely and communicative effectively in order to be successful. Perhaps the best testament to the quality of our account service is the one you can get from any client of our firm, anytime you would like. Just ask. top

PROJECT MANAGEMENT
Our project managers are the touchstone for every project we are developing. They manage all the details—from concept to finished product delivery, from estimation to billing. And they coordinate all the people on each team as the day-to-day point of contact between clients, agency team members, creative associates, and outside production vendors. Our project managers really dig in and get their hands dirty, keeping themselves elbow-deep in our clients' worlds so that we can always be sure we're on target, on task, and on time. top

INTERACTIVE/NEW MEDIA MANAGEMENT
Electronic media present dynamic options for brand building. Led by a creative director who specializes in new media, our development teams integrate communication skills with design, programming and project management expertise to produce engaging and manageable programs. Because electronic media allows for precise statistical measurement, our programs go beyond just the launching of a website or the release of an interactive CD. We develop a plan that monitors ongoing usage of these tools in order to precisely gauge the reactions of the marketplace and nimbly respond to what we learn by updating the messages and the media mix. top

PRODUCTION MANAGEMENT
In our business we often refer to the product as our “baby.” Which makes our production manager the ideal nanny. It’s no exaggeration to say that our production manager nurtures each project, watches over its development and well-being, poking and prodding when necessary. Our clients have to know that we will always deliver: Files get there on time, images reproduce perfectly, budgets are respected and deadlines met. No flying umbrellas. Maybe an occasional spoonful of sugar. top

CREATIVE ASSOCIATES
Our creative teams are selected according to skills and experience and because they are very good at what they do. Crafting a customized team of seasoned pros brings enormous benefits to our clients. Our teams generate ideas that respect strategy while adding the delight factor to a solid base of marketing insights. Right out of the gate, they get it right. And they support our commitment to establish a firm estimate for a project—before the project begins. Team members respect the marketplaces we serve, creating communications messages that inform, inspire and perform. top

REFERENCE SHELF

Things we like to have around:

Bartlett, John, and Kaplan, Justin (Editor), Bartlett's Familiar Quotations: A Collection of Passages, Phrases, and Proverbs Traced to Their Sources in Ancient and Modern Literature, 16th edition, Little, Brown & Company, New York, NY, November 1992

Bedbury, Scott, A New Brand World, Viking, New York, NY, 2002

The Chronicle of Higher Education

Fast Company, G & J Publishing

Gladwell, Malcolm, The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference, Little, Brown and Company, New York, NY, 2000

Howe, Neil and Strauss, William, Millennials Risings: The Next Great Generation, Vintage Books, New York, NY, September, 2000

Nelson, George, George Nelson on Design, Whitney Library of Design / Watson-Guptill Publications, New York, NY, 1979

Steinberg, Jacques, The Gate-Keepers: Inside the Admissions Process of a Premier College, Viking, New York, NY, 2002

Wired Magazine, Condé Nast Publications Inc.

Zollo, Peter, Wise Up to Teens: Insights into Marketing and Advertising to Teenagers, New Strategist Publications, Inc., Ithaca, NY, 1999