BtoB Magazine article celebrates CBD’s 20th anniversary

Chicago, IL, August 18, 2008—The August issue of BtoB Magazine, the leading publication for business-to-business marketers, features Colman Brohan Davis in a prominent article celebrating the agency’s 20th anniversary in September. The article recounts the agency’s history, accomplishments and future plans.

Co-CEOs Lori Colman and Liz Brohan recap the agency’s beginnings and important milestones. Starting out in the tech space, the firm quickly won CimLink, a factory automation software company, as its first client. “We pitched against a lot of agencies,” said Colman. “But we came in with a huge proposal and a lot a strategy—that’s how we beat them.” The agency went on to win business from SSA Global, Zenith, U.S. Robotics, Bruning/Oce, W.W.Grainger, Inc. and Siemens Systems.

Providing robust strategy up front became imbedded in the agency’s business model and is now a key differentiator, contributing to b-to-b account wins that include Constellation NewEnergy, a national wholesale energy provider; CF Industries, one of the country’s leading agri-chem companies; and Lipid Nutrition, a global food ingredients supplier.

Brohan also noted the shift to more interactive technologies to reach customers. “Web 2.0 is changing the way marketers provide information and gain access to customers,” she said. “Interactive becomes much more of a hub than a spoke in the wheel, where marketers can reach individuals on a daily basis as they search for information.”

Looking ahead, the partners plan deeper sector specialization for the agency in agriculture, energy, financial services, higher education, food ingredients, manufacturing, retail, youth marketing and cause marketing, noting that the agency has deep resources and a strong commitment to consumer business as well. Thought leadership positions, speaking engagements and developing a brand personality for CBD around that insight are all on the near-term agenda.

To read the whole article visit BtoB online.