“However beautiful the strategy, you should occasionally look at the results.” – Winston Churchill
The plan–do–check–act cycle, also known as the Deming or PDCA cycle, is a four-step model for carrying out change. Just as a circle has no end, the PDCA cycle should be repeated again and again for continuous improvement. It can be used in all sorts of environments from new product development to politics and yes – communications. Here’s an example of what happens far too often when folks follow the “plan” and “do”, but chill out before the “check” and abandon the “act” in the world of marketing, PR and communications.
Plan – We’ve all seen it at one time or another. Large and small teams of brilliant-minded folks spend countless hours planning, strategizing and calculating until finally, they set out to execute their master plan.
Do – Swords drawn and banners (okay, web banners) flying, they attack that campaign, product announcement, company launch or other project. The press release hits the wire. The email campaign is pushed. The new website goes live. They dance a celebratory jig and ready up for their next work adventure.
Check – This is where many teams need work. When the dust settles, it’s not always clear what was accomplished. Their cool but forgotten achievements create temporary buzz, only to eventually fizzle and fade into the background like an old song only remembered in the shower. All the planning and doing does not a bit of good if not measured. Unless you gather and analyze the data from your achievements — which in this case would be things like clicks, views, downloads, followers, or qualified leads — there’s nothing to acton (below).
Act – see above ^.
At Tanis, every project is started with the end results in mind. As professionals, we are passionate about what we do. As an agency, we are committed to achieving maximum results for our clients. We work side-by-side with the internal marketing, PR and communications teams to establish differentiated messaging, build comprehensive brand frameworks, differentiate creative identities, produce world-class collateral and polish our clients’ brand. We are honored to partner with clients of all sizes across multiple markets and technologies to establish new and exciting approaches to communications while all the while having the “check” and “act” poke at our collective ribs.
We’re happy to say report that it WORKS. 2013 has been a sensational year for Tanis clients. Here are a few of our most recent accomplishments:
- Inc 5000 – On September 10, 2013, Tanis was ranked 8th in the San Jose Metro area and 958th overall on the 2013 Inc. 5000 for fastest growing private companies. With a tremendous growth rate of 453 percent over the past three years, Tanis took the top spot among advertising and public relations firms in the San Jose Metro area, according to the exclusive ranking of the nation’s fastest-growing private companies. “Our phenomenal growth over the past three years clearly demonstrates we are offering the services and expertise that meet the demanding needs of today’s technology companies, ” said Nikki Tanis, president of Tanis Communications. “The addition of the Inc. 5000 ranking to our growing list of awards validates the power of our fully integrated communications services, and the value of an outsourced approach to corporate communications strategy and support.”
- Tanis Won the Gold at 2013 American Business Awards® for Business to Business Communications/PR Campaign of the Year. This prestigious award acknowledges Tanis’ role at Terracotta, the leader in in-memory technologies for enterprise Big Data. In a 100-day window, Terracotta was simultaneously planning its annual sales kick-off meeting, a major revision and product launch of its market-leading in-memory solution, BigMemory, and the introduction of a market-extending new analytics offering, In-Genius. Tanis provided a seamless, rapid and broad extension to Terracotta’s internal team to prepare for and successfully execute strategies, messaging, collateral development and PR in support of the three major events, and ramping up the ongoing PR program. The agency also pitched Terracotta news and its story to a suite of key industry analysts as well as nearly 200 reporters resulting in a significant 400% increase in press coverage over a six month period and 5X increase in downloads of BigMemory Q1 2013 compared to Q1 2012.
- Tanis Took Home the Bronze at the 2013 American Business Awards® for Communications Team of the Year. The Communications Team of the Year nomination celebrates Tanis’ role at Oclaro, a tier-one provider and innovator of optical communications and laser solutions. In March 2012, Oclaro announced plans to merge with Opnext, a major competitor. Tanis created and managed the external and internal communications program for the merger announcement. Tanis managed a complete rebrand of the company, in order to communicate to internal and external constituents the new vision and values. The communications relating to the transaction announcement were consistent across all key constituents: employees, shareholders, customers, media, industry analysts, and suppliers. Press and analyst coverage was extensive and consistent in delivery of key messages. And in general, the rationale for the merger for both companies was well understood.
- Tanis Awarded Honorable Mention in PR News’ Agency Elite Awards in the Integrated Communications Category. The A-List inductees are honored for their innovative approaches to PR and marketing communications campaigns and their passion for delivering exceptional results for clients. Due to Tanis’s comprehensive and integrated marketing and communications services offering, Terracotta was able to tap into proven methodologies to drive the Terracotta marketing program – from brand strategy, product positioning and messaging, to launch execution holistically including corporate identity, collateral, web, executive communications and PR. Tanis applied its very disciplined approach to program execution, enabling Terracotta to rapidly scale its programs with very high quality and detail orientation, and messaging aligned throughout all materials for maximum results.
- Tanis Won the Gold at the 2013 American Business Awards® for Best Overall Web Design. The award for Best Overall Web Design recognizes Tanis’ role at Rigaku Raman Technologies, a leading global developer of innovative Raman spectroscopy devices. In 2012, Rigaku Raman engaged Tanis to refresh the content and design of the company’s website. The goals of the website redesign were to create engaging content to improve lead generation, provide a compelling viewing experience for any device type and integrate the latest UI techniques to streamline access to product information. The new company website quickly engages visitors with its visually compelling content, driving more interaction and lead generation.
- Tanis Communications Named a Finalist for “Generating Excitement for a New Optical Leader” in PR News’ Platinum PR Awards program in the Financial/Investor Relations category. Oclaro, a Silicon Valley maker of optical networking technology and lasers used in life-saving surgeries and consumer applications, is a public company with a global employee base. In March 2012, Oclaro announced plans to merge with Opnext, a major competitor. The merger created the second largest optical components, modules and subsystems supplier. Through consistent messaging, Tanis was able to positively position the merger in the eyes of the internal and external stakeholders, ensure combined company employees understand the strategy of the company and are motivated and excited about the future, ensure press coverage and shareholder sentiment reflects the positive potential of the combined entity and up-level the message to communicate the implications of Oclaro’s products and strategies on consumers and the industry.
Our accomplishments are a testament to our unique approach and confirmation that we are clearly delivering value to our clients. We leverage a broad set of tools to achieve impactful results – our eye always on that proverbial prize in the form of a metrics, analyst endorsements, re-tweets, and the like. Each project is assessed for effectiveness; our continuous improvement model is always the steady baseline for our efforts. Whether we are called upon during the plan, do, check or act phase, or a combination thereof, we are always ready to deliver and celebrate the successes of our clients.
