We’re not looking back, we’re always looking forward.
The late, great David Ogilvy said: Encourage innovation. Change is our lifeblood, stagnation is our death knell.
That man knew what he was talking about.
At Chernoff Newman, we’re celebrating our 50th year. Fifty!
And the one constant we’ve found over fifty years? Change.
The drive to innovate
Innovation has driven us since we first opened our doors in Columbia, South Carolina. In the 80s, we were one of the first agencies in South Carolina to introduce broadcast media to the advertising mix for clients like Myrtle Beach Tourism, Sea Pines at Hilton Head, Cooper River Federal, DPS Highway Safety and Icee Bear Slurpees.
In the late 90s, we convinced Silicon Valley tech start ups and industry icons like CISCO, Avanex, Pirelli Optical Systems, Cierra Photonics and Onix Mircosystems that branding on the internet was not only possible, but a smarter way to drive shareholder value.
That’s also about the same time we were realizing just what power consumers had in their delivery of energy, so we brought new PR and marketing ideas to Duke Power, Shell Oil, SCANA and Dayton Power and Light that reflected the change.
Then once we hit the 2000s, the innovation just kept coming faster – social media got a marketing voice, digital media provided more insight into consumer behavior than ever before, streaming content put consumers in control and cell phones became the lifeline to personal ad delivery.
Problem solvers at heart
Over the years, we have been known to solve problems by combining strategic insight, creative prowess, business know-how and a firm reliance on primary and secondary research. Our reputation in crisis communication and our ability to manage difficult and complex issues for many top corporations has stood the test of time. With that strong foundation, we continue to innovate in various business sectors and our practitioners flex their communications expertise in the energy, healthcare, education, food and beverage, financial services and infrastructure industries.
We serve clients all over the world — and today we do it from Columbia, Charleston, Charlotte and Orlando. When the pandemic hit, we also welcomed our clients into each of our homes as we transitioned from office life to living room/study/bedroom/kitchen life. It wasn’t easy, but we navigated that change and literally flipped the switch in a day’s time.
Bring on 2022
Change is what we know and love. It keeps us motivated and always working for what is next. As Ogilvy said: change is our lifeblood. So as we settle into 2022 and beyond, we say bring it on. We look forward to the next great challenge. Because for us, the only thing that’s the same in 50 years of this business is that something is always different.
