AVS Group Anniversary

In the past, data was stored on hard drives or floppy drives, shown on the far left of the image above. These were low capacity magnetic devices, with less memory space and less durability than data storage devices today. Data storage has now progressed to more compact flash drives, CDs and DVDs, and drives. Where the older storage devices had capacities of 256 or 512K, 250 MB, or 1.44 MB, current data storage devices enjoy capacities from 100MB, 4GB, all the way up to 1TB. In addition, they are now solid state—making them more durable than the old magnetic ones.

Presentations and live events in the past were supported by large projectors like the one shown on the bottom of the picture above. Now, projectors like the one shown on top are much more portable and unobtrusive.

Graphic design work used to be done using the tools shown above—now, sophisticated computers and software, like this Mac, allow for much more precision and clarity.

Integrated marketing communications company AVS Group has announced its 20 year anniversary, a notable achievement in the competitive and fast-paced marketing and advertising industry. Our theme, 20 Years of Customer-Driven Innovation, reflects AVS Group's commitment to embracing new technologies and new thinking, with an emphasis on their customers' integral role in their past and ongoing success.

When AVS Group, a spinoff from the Trane Company, began operating in January of 1989 the business environment was quite different from what marketers are encountering today. Even the name "integrated marketing communications" was unheard of. In those days, a business like AVS Group would have been known as a multimedia production company, or less formally, an advertising agency. But marketers' needs have changed, and successful agencies like AVS Group have evolved to meet those needs.

When AVS Group began, the industry was beginning to realize a trend of companies outsourcing in-house support groups, to cut costs and diversify their marketing and advertising resources. This trend has only accelerated in more recent years, with an interesting twist. In the past, companies often outsourced the production of their marketing materials and advertising buys, creating an employer-vendor relationship. Now, however, more and more companies are looking to their marketing companies for a more strategic relationship, in which the marketing company becomes almost an extension of the employing company, seemingly becoming an in-house marketing department.

Says Ed Wais, President and GM of AVS Group, "We encourage our clients to think of us as strategic partners and not just vendors. As a strategic partner, we're able to provide our insights as marketing experts on top of providing creative and high quality production work, which ensures a more successful and impactful marketing program."

This strategic partnership is embodied by the application of integrated marketing communications, or IMC. IMC is a marketing practice designed to maintain a consistent, coherent message across all media and all campaigns. Says Sarah Arendt, AVS Group's Marketing Coordinator, "The client receives the benefits of each of the components of their marketing working together to produce more consistent, predictable results." Outsourcing various components of a business's marketing to different marketing practitioners can result in a loss of cohesion, both in messaging and creative treatment, which can dilute the message and reduce the return on investment. This makes an IMC approach even more important, allowing clients to enjoy a streamlined process and ease-of-mind in knowing that all elements are being conceptualized and developed to work together.

While remaining educated and responsive to industry trends has been important to AVS Group's success, other factors have contributed as well. Ed Wais, President and GM, further attributes that success to dedication to client satisfaction. "In this business, commitment to your clients is key. Our goal has always been to help our clients reach their goal." And with an extensive selection of service offerings, and a diverse group of experts, AVS Group is well positioned to do just that. AVS Group's team of professionals include experts in strategic marketing and branding, instructional design, Web services, video production, presentation and live event support, graphic design, and interactive programming.

Says Wais, "Our strategy is proven: remain committed to innovation and take care of the client. Maintaining this strategy will allow AVS Group to continue to be a leader in the marketing industry. We're looking forward to many more successful years of business."