Davis Advertising Loses PR Exec
Lori Schafer and Sue Wagner partner to form new firm
As the economy continues to weaken and businesses are increasingly looking for ways to trim their budgets, Lori Schafer, former public relations director for Worcester's largest ad agency, Davis Advertising, says the time was right for her to go out on her own.
Schafer and partner Sue Wagner, who will continue in her role as PR director for the UMass Memorial Foundation's Walk to Cure Cancer, formed their own advertising and public relations partnership, On Target Communications, last month, after both realized they shared a common vision for better serving their clients in a difficult time.
Stretching Budgets
"In today's business climate, people are re-thinking how to spend their budget," Schafer said. "We will be able to offer more of the kind of public relations and event planning and promotional activities that build awareness, but don't require an extensive advertising budget. Plus, by being a partnership rather than an agency, we're not passing on big overhead costs to our clients."
Schafer said she is not working with any of her former Davis clients, most of whom, she said, are "happy with the arrangement they've made with the agency."
Andy Davis, president of Davis Advertising, said he holds nothing against Schafer, who left on "very good terms," and wishes her well. He is not worried about competition from her new venture, he said.
"There's tons of competition out there as it is, and we deal with competition every day of the week," Davis said. "Anytime somebody has an opportunity like this, we've got to be happy for them."
Rather than keep projects in-house and parcel them out to a large staff, Wagner said the two will keep "a large stable" of freelancers, which will reduce costs. Additionally, the two said they will both work out of home offices, and will hold meetings with clients on-site, which will prove more cost-effective and more efficient for clients, Schafer said.
For now, the two are busy recruiting clients and setting up meetings with businesses and nonprofit organizations. Both have strong connections in Central Massachusetts, and will focus on the region, but efforts will be made to recruit New England and national clients as well.
Fading Stars
One of their focuses will be recruiting nationwide entertainment acts that might be past their prime, such as former music stars trying to release new albums or continue a fading career.
Wagner said the idea is to marry the star-power of their entertainment clients to the duo's efforts at nonprofit fundraising.
One of their clients, 60s-era recording artist Chubby Checker, appeared at this year's Walk to Cure Cancer, Wagner said, and was very successful in helping to, ahem, "twist" up donations.
Both said they each bring unique experiences that will help them in their roles within the partnership. Schafer will focus on the advertising end of the venture, helping corporate clients build an image and in turn connect to the community. Wagner will focus on the nonprofit, special events and arts and entertainment aspects of the business.
Both said they love to get involved in startup ventures, and each has experience starting and running nonprofit organizations.
Schafer said she met Wagner at The Walk to Cure Cancer while volunteering through Davis. Both realized they shared a vision, she said, and finalized their partnership over lunch one day.
"One of hardest things when doing it all on your own is that you sometimes run out of ideas, or just bring your own viewpoint," Wagner said. "When you work with a partner, there's a lot of creativity in that exchange. So far, it has been very exciting."
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