It took about 10 months of “courting,” but Josh Sommers and Jay Townsend found common ground.
Not easy for two men who worked opposite sides of the aisle in political campaigns; Sommers for Democrats and Townsend for Republicans.
But the two consider their new working arrangement a win-win situation.
Sommers, president and CEO of Focus Media, was looking to enhance the agency he created in March 2002.
“Jay was the answer,” he said. “He brings mentorship and leadership. It”™s good to have a teammate to bring the agency to the next level.”
Townsend is chief operating officer of the agency, which now has eight on staff. Having been involved in political campaigns since the late 1970s, Townsend said, “there”™s not much I haven”™t seen or done.”
Since politics kept him busy six to seven months a year, he was looking for adifferent avenue for his creative talent.
It was a call from a Democrat seeking assistance in a campaign that initially put Townsend in touch with Sommers. Once entrenched in politics and all of its machinations, Townsend said one cannot go switching sides. So, he suggested that the caller get in touch with Sommers. That led to numerous calls and meetings before the two struck up an agreement.
Under their business arrangement, Sommers, a well-known Democratic political strategist in the Hudson Valley, gave up political clients, save for a previous commitment for an upcoming mayoral race. He also did not rule out any issue-oriented campaigns. He said it was tough to do, but wanted to concentrate more on his clients, given the current economic climate.
Townsend will continue as president of The Townsend Group, which he started in 1993 and which has represented national figures in presidential, gubernatorial and congressional campaigns. The group has its own infrastructure, so any nonpolitical, commercial work will go through Focus Media (www.advertisingandpr.com). If he looks familiar, he is a frequent commentator on the FOX News network.
As Sommers expands his agency, he has found he needs for more space.
His Sullivan County-based public relations, marketing and design agency is adding a new office in Goshen. Set to open June 1, the 2,200-square-foot space in a still-under-construction building on Matthews Street, will augment his 1,300-square-foot office in Monticello.
The two men said Goshen was chosen for the new office since it is the county seat of Orange County and is the epicenter for government, lawyers and other movers and shakers. And it affords them the visibility needed especially as businesses weather the current economic tumult.
Sommers and Townsend said now is not the time for a business owner to duck and hide under a desk.
“You need to keep a sustained commitment to your market,” Sommers said, adding that keeping the market share is essential to a business”™ success. “And when the economy rebounds, they”™re going to have brand equity.”
Sommers said he practices what he preaches. Earlier this year he mailed out a glossy, four-color, 16-page brochure detailing Focus Media”™s work. It was expensive, he said, but it was worth it as it has already attracted potential clients.
Townsend stressed that the message has to be right for the client. A business can spend thousands on the best print, graphics, audio, video or what have you, Townsend said, but if the message is off-base the campaign will fail. “The right message can survive the most mediocre presentation.”
Also important, is “making every dollar count,” Sommers said. Businesses need to leverage their resources.
Townsend offered the example of placing 10 cups on a table with each one representing a specific means of communicating with a specific market. Take 30 coins and choose carefully, he said, since now is not the time for scattershot spending. Put the coins in just three cups, he said. “Discipline is the key,” he said.
“Think of it as diminishing returns. That first cup of coffee you have in the morning tastes the best. As it nears noon and you”™re on your eighth cup, it just doesn”™t taste the same.”
The two men said that their political backgrounds are handy for commercial clients since political campaigns are a prime example of micro-targeting; using demographics to tailor the message to specific voters.
As the generational transfer of media consumption keeps occurring with each advancement of software and tech devices, both men said that businesses have to keep their minds open to new avenues of selling, such as via social media.
“The way to go about leveraging a business is still evolving,” Townsend said.
