Truphonic Chief Engineer MJ Fick, renowned studio designer Wes Lachot and Bruce Freshley of Freshley Media

After 8 years of hard work and diligence I am proud to announce that Freshley Media’s new state of the art studios, Truphonic, are now open, in beautiful Charleston, SC. When we moved to Charleston in 2005, this was always the goal. To create a facility where our clients could come, get out of their stores and have the unlimited assets of a truly wold class, multi media facility at their pleasure. A studio as nice as any fine jewelry store, in a city that is a pleasure to visit over and over again. The studio is also built to serve national recording artists and support Charleston’s growing film industry.

This is a big dream, but we’ve become a big group and great advertising doesn’t just happen. It takes bringing together very creative minds in a very creative and capable place and giving them no limitations. That is why I built Truphonic.

At our clients’ option, they can come visit Charleston once a year ( I current see each of our stores at least twice a year), take off the stress and really dive into creating the very finest advertising. All of our Radio TV and Web design is produced here insuring a national level of quality local agency’s simply can’t match. In truth, this is the studio built by jewelers, for jewelers. The studio is already buzzing…more on that soon, but for now, here is your new studio:

Truphonic Studio A Control Room

Truphonic Studio A

Truphonic Studio A Live Room and Sound Stage

Truphonic Studio B- Video editing, post and voice over work along with music mixing.

Bruce,
I’ve been learning this business for 46 years plus, and often believe I started yesterday!!! I had considered myself, at one time a advertising ‘maven’, who didn’t need a ‘big city’ agency or industry ‘experts’, as I had ‘been there and done that’!!! I could do it all  myself and save all kinds of $!!!! Well, this past year, after being most frustrated and ‘burned out’ of being the ‘maven’ …I met you. I think it was your confidence, but not arrogance, and a history of being in these retail ‘trenches’ that allowed me to accept you almost at once and place my trust for my families and valued associates future with you. After all I had been the biggest advertising jeweler in all media, other than radio, for the past 35plus years in our market. I even had experience in metropolitan markets like Nashville and I knew what worked!!!!

I kept reading Bridal, Bridal, Bridal, IF you want to survive and did understand T.V. was not the media for them! Well as they say “the rest is history”!!! I committed to 80% radio with Freshley Media for bridal and gold for the last 6 months of 11’, with a budget less than actually spent in 10’.  Our actual % of sales # was 4.97%, down from 8.05 %. The numbers are in and our gold sales were up 185%, and we thought we were doing well prior to these last 6 months!!!   We’ve seen a dramatic increase in bridal dollars generated with a 40% increase and a like increase in average sale, with only a 3 point hit on margin still ending .49%. Our total diamond jewelry  business sales also increased 19%, which was a big concern as we always did a ‘nice’ business in total diamonds. In conclusion we had a great year, as these numbers exclude 2 large transactions , which had big bridal included. I THANK YOU, my family THANKS YOU, and all my associates and their families THANK YOU!!   You also helped to greatly reduce the stress in my life as I no longer have to deal with all that a  ‘X Maven’   use to deal with!!!

I look forward to many, many more years together,
Louis

Here was my response:

Louis,
That is the most wonderful letter any client has ever sent me! Numbers don’t lie. You more than any client I have worked for have a critical understanding on the balance sheet and its true impact. What your are now discovering is that advertising is almost counter intuitive. The constant advertising overstimulation we all receive makes us numb to it’s real strategy… even it’s source. In short, finding what works is almost impossible when you are in the forest surrounded by all the trees!

Here are my advertising rules:

1. Conventional wisdom is always wrong.
Stop listening to advertising sales people and so called experts. Most importantly NEVER listen to employees when they give advertising advice. That’s like asking your 3 year old what they want to eat for lunch! Neither a 3 year old or a jewelry sales associate can see beyond themselves. The truth is most of us can’t. insane 

2. Broadly based advertising campaigns can’t work.
Spreading your budget across multiple mediums is guaranteed to fail in today’sadvertising world. You’re gone, lost…you don’t even exist! Your only chance in all the noise is to stand on a mountaintop and SCREAM!!!!! I call this Media Massing. Pick one medium and own it. Go big or go home!

3. Frequency Rules!
Advertising is nothing more than brain washing. You’r not going to wash anything with a short cycle. Ever do laundry? The more cycles, the more times, the cleaner it gets. Until you start getting phone calls from listeners complaining about your commercials…they are not working!

4. Your image is meaningless without real sales growth.
Most jewelers are legends in their own minds, emperors with no cloths. They obsess over what they think others think, while their kingdom goes to hell. All that matters is your ability to move and dominate your market. What matters is your market share. Pride and cowardice  has killed more jewelers than the tough economy ever did. It’s an excuse, not a business model. Quit tilting windmills and start selling fine jewelry! This is business, not church.

5. Business is everyday, so why isn’t your advertising?
You work everyday. You expect your employees to work everyday. You expect service from your vendors everyday and yes…you expect customers to come in your store everyday. Why is it that  most jewelers don’t advertise everyday? Please don’t say you don’t have the money. If you advertised all year long you would have the money!

Folks, as you can see from Louis’ letter, he gets it. He’s done more marketing in his lifetime than almost any of us. He did not need my sermon. But maybe you do….

Back in the 80s I remember reading in Forbes magazine that the wealthiest town in America was Bakersfield, California. Seriously? Turns our during the dust bowl days of the Great Depression, Okies and thousands other starving mid western farmers headed west for find a future. Many settled in Bakersfield, the southern San Joaquin   valley’s largest little hamlet. Those Okies became farmers, oilmen and yes country music stars. Buck Owens became California’s official redneck and the Bakersfield sound became known the world over. By the mid 80s, Bakersfield had more millionaires per capita than any other town in America. No Joke.

Today, Bakersfield is struggling like most of California with a very tough economy. A year or so ago, with foreclosures exploding and jobs drying up it looked to many like the dust bowl days were coming back. For Carl Saenger, president of the American Jewelry Company it was a wake up call. The swift drop in sales in 2008-2009 made him take a long look at the company’s business model. For over 20 years the American Jewelry Company occupied the entire 5th floor penthouse of an office condo building just west of Downtown Bakersfield.  Serving Bakersfield’s most affluent families from those reclusive, luxury digs was a great natural fit. It was purely the carriage trade and Bakersfield gentry liked “taking the ride to the 5th floor” for some serious jewelry pampering. But as Bakersfield’s most affluent  suburbs  sprawled west, Carl found he was becoming farther and farther away from most of Bakersfield’s “new money”. Over the last 10 years, as a member of our jewelers group, Carl was building a whole new base of clients as his trademark radio commercials brought in hundreds of new diamond and bridal customers. To make matters tougher, Carl’s landlord, who lives in the building restricts his hours to Monday through Friday only. Carl knew it was time to move his cheese…and the store.

After two years of hard work, Carl closed of an out parcel in an upscale center, in the heart of Bakersfield’s western suburbs . This alone is an almost impossible task. Carl’s timing was perfect because the downturn created the rare opportunity to actually buy prime commercial land. The developer was stretched thin and needed the cash. Carl pounced. Smart move. Now the center is full and Carl will have no landlord. If all continues to go as planned Carl will break ground next month on a beautiful 5000 square foot free standing store.

“Our company started here in Bakersfield way back in 1898. We have survived by changing and growing with each passing generation. Every twenty years or so you have to reinvent yourself!” Carl shared with me last week. ” Our new store is one of those huge game changers that will secure our position as the market leader for the next twenty years.” I guess you could say the old sheriff is now the new sheriff…and the dynasty continues.

“Radio and Freshley Media has also been a game changer” Carl explained, ” It was a bold move and seemed risky. We are a very conservative company.  But, I just knew in my gut it was the right thing to do. Today we dominate the market and have new bridal customers almost daily. Radio also got us through the downturn and gave us the momentum to make this move. We had the cash-flow to seize the moment. That simply would not have happened if we hadn’t been bold!”

Well cowboy, this is your moment! 2012 will be another historic year in the long legacy of The American Jewelry Company.

Chris DeCapri

 Chris DeCapri is like the phoenix of ancient lore. In February, 2010 he went into the hospital for a simple outpatient procedure  and spent the next three months in critical condition, fighting for his life. The doctors were not optimistic. Twice during his toughest days in ICU Chris “coded” in a touch and go battle with death. Family and all of us working with Chris were told, prepare for the worst. There really was nothing more the doctors could do but hope…and pray. But deep down in his soul, even unconscious, Chris DeCapri’s spirit, his will to live, was much too strong. His life, his children, his thriving jewelry business, no, Chris DeCapri had much more living yet to do. You see, after beating cancer in his youth, survival is wired into Chris DeCapri’s DNA. 

Chris has always thrived, especially in business. Over the last 25 years he built Capri Jewelers into one of Virginia’s most successful jewelers. As the diamond and bridal powerhouse in Richmond, Capri Jewelers is one of the nation’s top Hearts On Fire and Tacori stores. Always ahead of the curve, Chris built his Short Pump flagship store long before the real estate boom that has made Short Pump the upscale mecca of Richmond. Even with the more recent gold buying trend, Chris was ahead of everyone else. He started buying gold as early as 2008, long before his competitors. Chris knew full well from past booms that gold buying would contribute to, not hurt his store brand. Many jewelers have missed the trend, and millions in new revenue completely.

“Chris is always ahead of the curve” Cynthia Woo, Capri’s General manager shared with me, “He see’s what is coming, way before the competition… and we move quickly as a company. This business isn’t for weak people. You have to be fast! You have to be a survivor to be a thriver”. As an example, Cynthia explained that all of their diamond associates are trained and empowered to work directly with diamond cutters as advocates for their clients. “We beat  jewelers in New York, DC and even Blue Nile regularly because of our closeness with our clients and the fact that Chris simply will not walk a customer over a few dollars. Our customers are smart, they shop and they know we are better… and that is why we keep growing.” Plans underway for 2012 include a bold expansion and remodel of the store and a bold new marketing initiative.

Chris’ advertising moves fast as well. At Freshley Media, we work with in house marketing director Anna Elko on both their web site and radio campaigns. When shifts occur, changes can be made very quickly and with dozens of radio ads in our system with Chris’ signature voice. We can change our messaging with a day’s notice. Chris is the bold insightful innovator who understands the details, delegates execution to his capable team, then holds everyone accountable for results. He understands positioning like few jewelers I have ever worked with.

Today, Chris is more energetic, focused than ever and yet he has a peace and strength about him I never noticed before. ” There is a photo of me in intensive care, unconscious, hooked up to life support and fighting for my life, that I keep by my bed to remind me every day… that lift is a gift.” Chris shared with me this weekend, ” I’m so lucky for this miracle.” And he seems to be enjoying life, his kids and his business like never before… “Every day…every breath is a gift”. Most people don’t get a second chance at life much less a third. We both stood there and took in the moment, enjoying the crisp Richmond air…”Well it’s simple”…I finally said, “God ain’t done with you yet Chris!” He agreed with a big, confident smile.

The truth is..he’s not done with any of us.

Over the years I have learned that 2-3 months of Atkins low carb eating gets me back to the weight I was on my wedding day. I must tell you, it’s not just healthy to cut out all those unnecessary carbohydrates, its down right enlightening. You start realizing just how badly we eat as a nation! You realize that your actions, your choices have a profound affect on your body shape, your overall health and you spirit. Yes, I said spirit. I find when I’m in this low carb diet zone, I become empowered, focused and task oriented. I become a doer, not a sitter. It’s all about realizing those things that are not good for you and eliminating them from your life. It’s about focusing on only those things that build our body’s muscle and eliminating the “crack” carbohydrates that for the most part are the real source of our fat and misery.

I believe this diet process enlightens me to see the world in similar terms…and yes even our business. Lately, as I approach the year ahead, I’ve been asking myself, what are the carbohydrates in the retail jewelry business that keep us from thriving? What are the carbohydrates that build our fat not our business muscled? So think of your jewelry store as a living breathing human body. Think our your store as a big buffet. What are the products we serve that give us quick easy cash flow, but little long term value. What is the junk food on your buffet? Are you in the fast food business serving up the latest fads and cheap disposable commodity jewelry, or are you a fine restaurant that serves unforgettable meals to people who know and appreciate the passion that went into the cooking? I say it’s time to cut out the jewelry carbohydrates and focus on the steak, fish and protein that will build your store for the long haul.

So what am I really talking about? I’m talking about cheap sterling, “fashion jewelry” and yes brands like Pandora. I’m talking about low priced, labour intensive inventory that does not attract serious, long term jewelry clients. This is the junk food of the jewelry business. Now, I’m not saying we have to take the “burger” of your menu, I’m just saying, don’t let your store be known as just a “burger joint”. These easy carbohydrates do play a roll and serve a place in most of our stores, but on a corporate and marketing level, don’t we really want to sell diamonds, bridal and better designer jewelry?

I submit, as our economy improves this year, and it is improving, we must own the higher ground in our communities. Do you want to known as “the Pandora jewelry store” or would you rather be simply “THE Jewelry Store”. Now don’t take this as an attack on Pandora, as you know I have been a fan of it’s ability to drive new consumers into fine jewelers. I’m not saying you should not have it in your store. It still can play a roll.  I’m simply saying, our business is way bigger than Pandora or any other fad line. They come…and they go. We stay.

This year, I say cut out the carbohydrates. Focus on the quality designer brands, beautiful diamonds  and gorgeous bridal jewelry that built our stores in the first place. You are a fine jeweler not a fast food joint. Your average ticket and gross volume will go up…. and so will your reputation.

www.ReamJewelers.com

Our web guru Gregory Jacobs headed up the project and worked with both Ricki Friedland and Amy Hibshman to complete the site. The new Ream Jewelers site is  built on Freshley Media’s proprietary web infrastructure that uses no Flash so it is visible on all web devices.  Alan, in the screen shot below, just completed his expanded Bridal Boutique and it looks fabulous.

www.ReamJewelers.com

Take a moment and check out the new Ream site here:  www.ReamJewelers.com

David Fairclough

In the last 12 months both David Fairclough Fine Jewelers in Toledo, OH and Perry’s Emporium in Wilmington, NC posted increases of a million dollars. Let that sink in for just a moment.  A one million dollar increase….in one fiscal year. I can remember when doing one million a year in total business put you in the big leagues. In 1993, in the early days of Freshley Media, most of our clients started at under one million a year. My how times have changed.

David Fairclough’s story is one of steady, persistent pursuit of his market position as THE diamond store in  the Toledo market. After joining our group in 1998, David completely embraced that vision and started his now famous radio campaign with us. Steady conservative growth lead to building his new free standing store, known as “The Castle”, becoming Toledo’s exclusive Rolex jeweler and earning clients like radio personality Glenn Beck and “Best of Toledo” awards.

Alan Perry

Alan Perry’s story is more like that of the phoenix. Having turned around his company 5 years ago by getting control of his inventory and being early into the gold buying trend, he joined IMG two years ago with this challenge to me “Let’s build the biggest  fine jewelry store in eastern North Carolina”. By investing his gains from gold into retail he is doing just that. In the last two years, Perry’s Emporium has increased diamond engagement ring sales alone by over one million dollars! More amazingly, this years total million dollar retail gain does not include one penny of gold buying…it’s all good old fashioned diamond and jewelry sales!

Here is what these two Million Dollar Men have in common. Market dominance. Both are the dominant jewelry advertisers in their market. They both have invested heavily in their brand by staying on the air, fighting for the mind of the marketplace. My friends, there simply is no other way. To the average consumer, all jewelers are pretty much the same. It is you who most change the way they think. Change the way they think, and you can change the way they spend money. If you are not “Top of Mind” you are out of the mind. You do not exist. Every jeweler in our group with a market dominant strategy is growing… every single one. They also are posting significantly higher gains than those with a conservative marketing approach. We manage the budgets and see the sales results and these two million dollar increases are stunning, bankable proof.

Holiday sales are off to a strong start and I expect jewelry sales to be up well above last year. For those who are investing in that increase with strong advertising…well lets just say I fully expect that we will have more Million Dollar Men and Women yet to come!

In the coming weeks I will share with you some of the latest amazing growth stories, but for now, like you, I am just looking forward to a long, joyful day with my family. Whatever circumstance you find yourself in I urge you to take tomorrow to rest, relax and give thanks for all that we have, for family, for health and your business. Even if you’re not having your best year ever, we are all still blessed to to just be in this amazing business. It’s about to be showtime. The Christmas season starts friday, but tomorrow, give thanks, for all the blessing in your life, and all that are yet to come….

Happy Thanksgiving!