A Conversation With Lisa Martin: Marketing To Four Generations

Our CEO, Lisa Martin, is featured in Washington Exec! Check out the article about marketing to the four generations below --
Meet Lisa Martin, the CEO of LeapFrog Solutions. Martin specializes in developing strategic marketing campaigns for high-technology clients, as well as association-sponsored conferences and trade shows.

In this exclusive interview with WashingtonExec, Martin offers advice about how marketing and communication has changed the federal contracting industry and the world. She told us about the four different generations of the workplace environment and explained the differences between them.


WashingtonExec: Who are the four generations people talk about in the workplace?

Lisa Martin: While expert opinions vary slightly on exact ages, the rough breakdown is:

Veterans/Traditionalists (born 1922-1945) roughly 65+
Baby Boomers (born 1946-1964) ages 47 – 64
Gen X (born 1965-1980) ages 31 – 46
Gen Y (born 1982-2000) under 30
“The bottom line is that companies have to be aware that they are marketing to different generations and they have to be mindful about how those generations use technology to receive and share information.”
To ready more CLICK HERE

LeapFrog Solutions article in Washington Technology

Check out LFS in Washington Technology:

How one small business chipped away at the market and captured a $75M opportunity
By David Hubler
Dec 19, 2011

Contrary to its name, marketing and communications company LeapFrog Solutions didn’t immediately leap into the government market.

That happened in 2002, when Lisa Martin’s company won three small consulting contracts from the Federal Railroad Administration, Voice of America and the Federal Aviation Administration.

Others modest government awards followed from the Secret Service, National Credit Union Administration and Office of the Currency.

To read more - click here http://washingtontechnology.com/articles/2011/12/19/leapfrog-fema-contract.aspx

Martin said she quickly realized that, like commercial entities, many federal agencies had websites that were not in sync with their mission statements. Also, activities such as direct mail, trade show appearances and ad campaigns also were disjointed because each operation was the responsibility of a different domain.

So for the government market, she said, “Our very ambitious goal was ‘make the message matter.’ Whether it was online, offline, we wanted to make the message consistent.”

LeapFrog’s big leap into the government arena began in 2008, when the Federal Emergency Management Agency set aside its marketing and communications contracting as a small-business award.

To read more, click here http://washingtontechnology.com/articles/2011/12/19/leapfrog-fema-contract.aspx

HopToIt: Don't Make Your PowerPoint Pointless

By Mark Nelson

PowerPoint presentations are so ubiquitous in today's business world that I have difficulty remembering the last time I attended a live or online event where the speaker (or speakers) did not click through a deck of computerized slides overflowing with information, charts, graphs, diagrams, photos or illustrations.

The original PowerPoint was developed for Macintosh computers and called "Presenter." It was renamed PowerPoint in 1987 and its developers sold it for $14 million to Microsoft, which launched it three years later. Businesses worldwide quickly embraced it and used it to create computerized presentations that replaced clear plastic "foils" that were shown on overhead projectors.

Some speakers can't let go of their PowerPoints. A former colleague once announced his candidacy for Congress via PowerPoint. His friends joked that he probably would propose by PowerPoint.

I'm sure you have suffered through 60-slide presentations delivered in machine-gun style by speakers who attempt to cram an encyclopedia of information into their allotted 15 minutes, or worse, the hour-long presentation, usually delivered right after lunch in a darkened hotel conference room.

To read more click here

Just Another Friday at the Pond

We Have Been Practicing Our Singing Around Here!

Not one, but two birthdays recently!

In July we celebrated the birthday of our Founder and CEO Lisa Martin!

And yesterday we sang our lungs out for Richard, our President's birthday!

A GIANT Happy Birthday to ALL!!!!!!!!!

Washington Business Journal Article features CEO Lisa Martin

Small subcontractors find they may have to fight to get paid

Not until the prime contractor began questioning her company’s performance as its subcontractor did Lisa Martin, CEO of Oakton-based Leapfrog Solutions Inc. , become suspicious. The company had previously given her only glowing reviews, and the reversal came after Martin inquired about some overdue invoices.

“They changed their tune right after I asked about payments they owed for work we had already completed,” she said. “That was a big red flag.”

While federal acquisition regulations require agencies to pay their prime contractors within 30 days of receiving an invoice, there are no regulations that set a deadline for primes to pay ...

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Today LFS Celebrates 15 Years in Business!!!

And there is no better way to celebrate than a green and yellow cake, jingle berry pie, and ice cream pops!!!

LeapFrog Solutions Named Finalist for Two Fairfax County Chamber of Commerce Awards

LFS was named a finalist for two prestigious awards presented by the Fairfax County Chamber of Commerce.

LFS was one of three finalists for the “Woman-Owned Small Business of the Year” award for “business leadership and extraordinary social responsibility efforts.” LFS provides pro bono marketing support and financial donations to the Fairfax County Life with Cancer House, Communities in Schools of Virginia, and the American Red Cross.

LFS CEO Lisa Martin was also named one of 20 “InNOVAtors in Business by “NOVA EXEC,” a new business magazine. The award recognizes business leaders who “have the courage to think and act in previously aberrant ways, while others are walking a more tried and tested road.”

“We greatly appreciate the recognition that our company has received and we offer our sincerest congratulations to everyone who was nominated,” Ms. Martin said. “We have a great team of dedicated, talented individuals who put the interests of our clients first.”

Ms. Martin, who serves on the Fairfax County Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors, has been active in the organization since she started her company 15 years ago. “The Fairfax County Chamber of Commerce has played an important role in our success and it truly is the voice of business in Northern Virginia,” she said.

NOVA EXEC Magazine - Summer 2011

Our very own Lisa Martin, CEO of LeapFrog Solutions, is featured as one of the "inNOVAtors" in the Summer 2011 issue of the new NOVA EXEC Magazine.

The article reads:

When she was a child, Lisa Martin smooth talked her young friends about the great features of her dad's car. That's when she was told she was going to end up in marketing and sales.

She resisted until she started her own marketing firm, LeapFrog Solutions, out of her Oakton home in 1996.

She knew the trade show business and was adept at bringing clients in and helping them - always lending an ear to provide the senice they needed for her previous employers. So, why not do it for herself?
She branched out on her own just as websites were becoming more and more popular. She decided that businesses needed help integrating traditional marketing methods with emerging technologies because new products will always come along.
She had clients tell her, "what the hell is this website? I understand print and video."

So, the unlikely information technology professional started to build client's websites while also taking care of their video, print and Internet advertising. Her clients include Exxon Mobil, the U.S. Secret Service, the Department of Homeland Security and the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
She provides these companies with a new identity, a new logo, and a new tagline by playing off their strengths.

"We want to help our clients leapfrog their competition," she said.
Well, she's taking her own advice. LeapFrog started out as a six-man operation that now boasts 25 employees and experienced 300 percent growth this year.

Batter Up!!!!

On Thursday night some of our froggies went out to the ball game. CEO Lisa Martin, Creative Director Rene Ramos and Account Director Pam Long went with our teaming partner Deloitte to catch the Nationals vs the Cardinals. A lot of fun was had and it was a WIN for the Nationals. We hope you all enjoyed some peanuts and cracker jacks!

Froggies Run 5k to benefit the Fauquier Free Clinic

This past Sunday, June 12th, our CEO Lisa Martin and Account Manager Megan Yamamoto completed the 2011 Pacemakers benefiting the Fauquier Free Clinic. The race took place at the Airlie Center in Warrenton, VA. It was a hot day and a hilly course, but our froggies finished strong along with 250 other runners raising over $7,000 for the clinic.

Happy Birthday to Donna!!!

Happy Birthday to froggy Donna!! and thanks for providing a reason to have delicious chocolate cake!!!

LFS CEO Lisa Martin featured in the Washington Business Journal

Lisa Martin, our CEO, is featured in this week's Washington Business Journal. In an article entitled, FEMA marketing contract is shifted to small business.

To read the article in full, CLICK HERE

LFS featured in Cardinal Bank's 2010 Annual Report

LFS CEO Lisa Martin is featured alongside Cardinal Bank VP Alissa M. Curry in their newly released 2010 Annual Report.
"Cardinal Bank's wide range of financial solutions designed for small businesses has helped LeapFrog Solutions, Inc. grow into a full-service, strategic marketing communications firm serving public- and private-sector clients."

To see their full 2010 Annual Report CLICK HERE

Froggies and Friends Raise $2,900 for American Red Cross Japan Relief Fund

The LeapFrog Solutions team celebrated its recent FEMA contract win with a party for employees and teammates at Morton’s of Chicago in Tysons Corner. Representatives from JWT in Atlanta, Ogilvy Washington, Blue Water Media, and Spurrier Media Group also attend the event and contributed to the cause. LFS used the event to raise money for the American Red Cross Japan Relief Fund by selling raffle tickets for a variety of donated prizes, including an iPad and a Washington Capitals jersey autographed Alexander Ovechkin. A total of $2,900 was raised and LFS CEO Lisa Martin presented a check to Linda Mathes, CEO of the American Red Cross National Capital Area. Morton’s proved to be a delightful venue where cocktails and hors d’oeuvres, especially the miniature crab cakes, were very popular.

LFS in Motion

Our great team after a fantastic oral presentation. Way to go LFS!!!!

LeapFrog Solutions Redesigns GSA Office of Inspector General Website

Oakton, Va. — March 10, 2011 — LeapFrog Solutions, Inc. (LFS), a full-service strategic marketing communications and technology firm, recently completed a redesign of the General Services Administration (GSA) Office of Inspector General (OIG) website.

The new site at www.gsaig.gov launched on March 7 and features an updated look and feel that is easier to navigate and fully Section 508-compliant, which makes it accessible to people with disabilities. LFS, in partnership with Blue Water Media of Greenbelt, Md., integrated the new design with a content management system (CMS) that will enable the GSA OIG to easily edit or change content on the site.

The OIG is responsible for helping the GSA carry out its responsibilities and protecting the public interest by bringing about positive change in the performance, accountability, and integrity of GSA programs and operations.

“I am proud that the GSA OIG entrusted LeapFrog Solutions and our partner, Blue Water Media, to perform this very important work,” said LFS founder and CEO Lisa Martin. “We delivered a cleaner, more structured site that presents the agency’s information in a more user-friendly manner.”

The LFS team also provided the agency with CMS training to ensure staff is able to properly use the CMS and make necessary updates.

LeapFrog Solutions Appoints William "Rusty" Griffith CFO; Alix Shutello, Mary Harrington, Abbi Boose Join Account Team

Oakton, Va. — March 7, 2011 — LeapFrog Solutions, Inc. (LFS), a full-service strategic marketing communications and technology firm, announced today that it has appointed William "Rusty" Griffith as Chief Financial Officer of the company.
LFS also announced that Alix Shutello has been appointed account director, Mary Harrington has returned to the company as special projects director, and that former intern Abbi Boose has been promoted to fulltime marketing assistant.

"I am pleased to welcome Rusty, Alix, Mary and Abbi to the LeapFrog Solutions team," said LFS founder and CEO Lisa Martin. "These appointments reflect the growth we are experiencing and these talented individuals will bring value to the company as well to our government and private sector clients."

Griffith, who has more than 25 years financial and operations experience, previously served as CFO for SecureForce, LLC, a computer security consulting company and Agent Logic, Inc., a software and services technology company. He also was a principal at Walker Ventures, and early stage venture capital firm and served in various senior finance and accounting roles at Lockheed Martin, Trusted Information/Network Associates and Nixdorf/Siemens. Griffith is a Certified Public Accountant who earned his M.B.A. degree in finance from Loyola University in Baltimore and his B.S. in accounting from the University of Maryland.

Shutello has more than 20 years experience directing project that involve marketing and strategic communications, messaging and brand development, publications, project management, client relations and social media best practices. She has provided expertise for leading government and commercial clients and has broad experience working with environmental organizations. Shutello joins LFS from Sage Communications where she was director for marketing and publications. She also has held senior positions at EEI Communications, the Wilderness Society and TMP Worldwide. Shutello earned her M.S. degree in environmental science from the State University of New York and her B.S. degree in biology from Syracuse University.

Harrington, who has more than 25 years experience in communications, marketing and brand management, returns to LFS where she served as company's creative director from 2002 to 2008. Most recently, she was director of marketing and creative strategies for Consumer Health Information Corp. As a communications consultant, Harrington worked with government agencies and commercial companies in a variety of industries. She also was an account executive at Stackig, Sanderson and White. Harrington, who is an award-winning designer, earned her B.F.A. degree from the University of Connecticut.

Boose, who interned at LFS in 2010, earned her B.A. degree in communications from George Mason University where she specialized in public relations and event management. She will be responsible for helping the account team manage client participation in trade shows as well as overseeing aspects of the company's federal contracting schedules.

LeapFrog Solutions Wins National Institutes of Health BPA

Oakton, Va. — March 1, 2011 — LeapFrog Solutions, Inc. (LFS), a full-service strategic marketing communications and technology firm, announced it has won a Blanket Purchase Agreement from the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

The BPA is a contract vehicle that enables NIH customers to acquire LFS services at the lowest price available for small-quantity individual orders. The prices reflect discounts from LFS’ GSA Schedule. Under terms of the agreement, NIH can purchase the following services from LFS:

• Advertising
• Public relations
• Market research and analysis
• Video/film production
• Exhibit design and implementation
• Integrated marketing

“Winning this BPA will enable NIH customers to take advantage of our creative marketing solutions at substantial savings,” said LFS founder and CEO Lisa Martin. “We look forward to working with a wide range of customers at NIH and delivering high-quality solutions to help them meet their mission.”

LFS recently created an educational multimedia CD for NIH to teach youngsters 12-17-years-old who have solid tumors about cancer, its treatment, side effects and how to personally cope with their illness. The “edutainment” CD used audio, video, 3-D graphics, interactive games, animation, and music to engage users in learning about their disease and how to cope with it.

About LeapFrog Solutions, Inc.

LeapFrog Solutions, Inc. (LFS) provides public- and private-sector clients with a comprehensive range of services, including strategic marketing communications, advertising, public relations, website design and interactive marketing. Formed in 1996, the company is a privately held, certified, woman-owned small business located in Fairfax County, Va. For more information, visit www.leapfrogit.com or call 703.273.7900.

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Media Contact:
Mark Nelson
LeapFrog Solutions, Inc.
703.273.7900 x106
mnelson@leapfrogit.com

Attitudinal Marketing: Has yours been checked lately?

By Kathie Libert

Last week my husband and I traveled over an hour to attend an event in Silver Spring, MD for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) Heritage Week. The weather was not great for driving, but we decided to go and listen to a panel of veteran ocean explorers, archaeologists and scientists discuss their first hand experiences studying some of the world’s most famous shipwrecks, the Titanic and the USS Monitor — the famous Civil War ironclad that sank in 1862. NOAA had sent out a great email blast in full color using a picture that mimicked Indiana Jones, but the star was replaced with a retired NOAA employee who had some fun with the theme. It was great. The stage was designed as though the speakers were standing on an upper deck of a wooden schooner, using several large wooden chests (instead of barrels) and a large wooden plank that read “Shipwrecks” across the center of the stage placed below the video screen.

The overall theme was “Preserving America.” That was the reason why I was there. It’s a subject that resonates with me and is very important. As I sat and listened to these speakers I could feel and hear their intense passion as they spoke about the fate of these two ships. What was interesting is that these scientists did not bore us with long drawn out descriptions of the science and new technologies they used in mapping and surveying, but they focused on the human interest side of their projects, the part that gave them the passion to do what they do and to deliver a great presentation. Looking around the stage and auditorium I saw the audience and NOAA employees participating and genuinely enjoying all of the presentations.

Being a marketer, I’m reminded of the emotional similarities of what makes social networking such a powerful tool in marketing company brands — outreach and attitudes. Humans are moved emotionally by our basic values, beliefs and attitudes, which are considered the greatest set of targeting attributes you can define for your brand. This data gives powerful insight for your product benefits and overall messaging. Attitudinal marketing will give perspective and depth to your targeted messaging connecting your customer to your brand — just like passion grabbed my attention and kept it throughout the presentations. Yes, there are other important attributes like online browsing behaviors, purchase behaviors, interests and even ideologies, but these are secondary. I keep going back to the importance of human nature and what makes us unique — our emotions. So let’s forget about our analytical side for awhile and concentrate on our emotional side. Once we target that, the analytical side will be much easier to convince because facts tell and stories sell, so Make Your Message Matter^®.

Kathie Libert has more than 20 years experience providing client services and brand marketing communications to clients within the private and public sectors. As a marketing communications specialist for LeapFrog Solutions, Kathie develops, manages and delivers integrated campaigns that utilize both traditional and new media marketing strategies for international corporations, retail businesses, professional services, nonprofit organizations and government contractors.