A New Kind of Partner For a New Era of Marketing

Overview
In an era when companies must swell and contract almost overnight to keep pace with changing markets and a volatile economy, a new kind of managed services company has emerged. Silicon Valley-based Crawford Communications Group, founded and almost entirely run by women, recognizes our changing world and offers a new response to todays challenges. Crawfords unique organization and philosophy manage to meet the needs of both corporations and consultants. Corporate marketing departments benefit from a pool of talented marketing professionals carefully coached to contribute from the get-go. Talented consultants score flexible gigs and a relationship with Crawford that is unprecedented in the industry. What sets Crawford apart, and attracts top talent, is training, mentoring, support, assignment acquisition, and billingthe soft side of consulting that is often the most frustrating part of being an independent consultant.

Background
The world of work is changing, and both companies and workers are struggling to keep up. In the process, the two are forging new definitions of work, employment, and what it means to have a job. In the volatile economy of the 21st century, booms and busts are occurring at a faster pace than in years past. As a result, organizations are less willing to commit to full-time employment and would rather draw resources from the growing cloud of talented freelance professionals who can come and go as needed. But this response creates unique challenges for marketing organizations and companiesnot the least of which is the need for greater flexibility and adaptability than ever before seen in the business world. Of course, there has always been some degree of flexibility between corporate marketing departments and outside agencies. For nearly a century now, companies have contracted direct mail companies, advertising agencies, publicity firms, and market research consultants for assistance. But those operations remained outside the company, directed by internal managers charged with executing the companys plan.

As a result, until recently enterprises had essentially two ways to establish and grow a marketing organization: hire internally or contract an outside agency. But in the modern economy, both scenarios are problematic. Companies that hire internally find themselves sacrificing long-term flexibility for short-term solutions. At a time when companies must adapt to changing markets and a volatile economy, this kind of hiring means unwelcome overhead, employees who may not be able to adjust to radical change, and the prospect of morale(and stock) killing layoffs.

For the corporate client, the overall experience is that of working with a partner of unmatched expertise in marketing and communications, one that can adapt in any way neededsize, scope, duration, experiencein real time.
Conversely, companies that hire outside agents or agencies can find themselves stuck with inconsistent and ambiguous expectations, premium charges, and a team that may have talent but little understanding of the corporate style or culture. Given that cost discipline and the ability to respond, in the companys style of doing business, to a rapidly changing marketplace are todays crucial competitive advantages, these weaknesses are proving to be decisive. Simply put, most companies can no longer afford outside agency support or the rogue independent consultant. Meanwhile, for the few companies that can afford such talent, they quickly discover they lack the time to teach that agency or elite consultant how to get the job done. This is the dilemma faced by companies today: either hire new marketing employees, eat the overhead of salaries and benefits, and face the prospect of lay-offs as business turns; or, pay the surcharge for an outside marketing agency that has no stake in your success and may take weeks or months to bring up to speed. What is needed is a new type of marketing service company that recognizes our changing world and finds a third way between the two historic solutions. One that provides a roster of zero learning curve that is, a pool of experienced marketing professionals trained in the

company culture and able to quickly integrate with the companys marketing organization. Just as important, this talent pool offers the soft skills (HR, team training, presentation skills, etc.) necessary to maintain morale and productivitysparing the contracting company the burden of assuming these functions. Only this new kind of servicewhich is inside the client company, yet fully independent of it, and outside the company, yet fully engaged in its unfolding strategyis capable of matching the fast moving companies of the new competitive world. In Silicon Valley, in the very heartland of this new economy, one company is pioneering these kinds of managed services in corporate marketing and communications. Remarkably, but also appropriately given the unique skills required to nurture such a sophisticated pool of consultants, this firm was also founded, and is almost entirely run, by women.

What is needed is a new type of marketing service company that recognizes our changing world and finds a third way between two historic solutions.

Crawford Communications Group

Crawford Communications was founded to meet the challenges facing marketing and communications departments of established Silicon Valley corporations. In particular, the firm set out to assist companies facing one or more of the following business obstacles: Overloaded marketing teams with frozen headcount Teams struggling to manage ad hoc resources and expertise Restricted budgets and increasing demand for excellence and high results Lack of appropriate internal expertise Difficulty retaining flexible resources with knowledge of corporate culture and marketing expertise quarter over quarter

Granted, these opportunities are targeted by almost every agency and job placement company serving the marketing profession. But Crawfords approach, in offering Crawford Managed Services, is different from previous, and more traditional, competitors. Crawford Communications Group has pioneered a business model that was only recently coined a protean enterprise. Its organizational model features a small, permanent core of employees charged with managing the larger cloudor communityof consultants. This core consists of about a dozen employees, led by founder and industry veteran Judy Crawford. The cloud of talent, by comparison, numbers more than 150 active consultantsthat themselves are part of a larger database of more than 5,000 marketing and communications professionals maintained by the firm.

What sets apart Crawford Communications Group, and attracts top talent, is the other side of the experience: training, mentoring, continuous support, assignment acquisition, management, and billingthe soft side of consulting that is often the most frustrating part of being an independent consultant.

The sheer size of this pool of talent enables the firm to hand-select the best people for any client request, whether a single consultant, a project team, even an entire marketing department. Better yet, this support can be designed with unequalled flexibility: through the use of consultants, the work can be quickly scaled up or down as client needs change; or the composition of the team can be modified to match a change in project direction. But this is only a part of what Crawfords innovative business model offers. The firm doesnt simply assign talent to a client and walk away. Rather, Crawfords core team approaches every assignment as a collaboration between the client, the best consultants for the assignment, and the firm itself.

In practice, this means that with each new assignment, Crawfords core team begins by not only understanding in detail the work to be done, but also conducting an analysis of the clients business style, workplace environment, and management expectations. Then, the firm undertakes a careful, high-qualifying process to find consultants who not only have the requisite skills for the job, but also the personality and work style. Thats only the beginning. The next step is to ensure that these consultants integrate quickly and seamlessly into the clients work environment. Consultants are thoroughly briefed on both the project and the corporate culture so they can be productive from their first day on the job. Crawfords engagement doesnt end there. Throughout the term of the project, the firm nurtures a relationship with its consultantsa relationship unprecedented in the industry. The firm holds ongoing training sessions to its consultants to mentor them, help resolve difficulties, and share best practices.

Crawford Communications Group is Silicon Valley. It was founded in the Silicon Valley, its talent pool represents the best of Silicon Valley, and best of all, it has the entrepreneurial spirit of Silicon Valley.
For the corporate client, the overall experience is that of working with a partner of unmatched expertise in marketing and communications, one that can adapt in any way neededsize, scope, duration, experiencein real time. Crawford Managed Services is the ultimate in customized, flexible, tailored consulting in marketing and communications. And it is only possible because of Crawford Communications unique organization and philosophy. For the consultant, this is precisely the kind of work experience for which people leave full-time employment: career independence, the ability to move from one interesting professional challenge to the next, and escape from the careerism of a permanent position.

These opportunities are available elsewherebut what sets apart Crawford Communications Group, and attracts top talent, is the other side of the experience: training, mentoring, continuous support, assignment acquisition, management, and billingthe soft side of consulting that is often the most frustrating part of being an independent consultant. Its the difference between operating alone and without support, and being independent while still part of a larger team. No other marketing and communications agency or firm offers this kind of support.

Serving the New Marketing

Crawfords business model has another decisive advantage: it allows for extraordinary breadth and depth of service offerings. The wide array of talent available, combined with the firms deep engagement in the clients marketing and communications strategy and business style, enables Crawford to form multi-disciplinary teams that can tackle tasks across numerous core practice areas. Here, for example, is a matrix of services that Crawford currently provides to its major clients:

Marketing Strategy

Communications Strategy

Launch

Event Marketing

Field Programs

Executive Communications

Organization Development

CRAWFORD COMMUNICATIONS GROUPS CORE PRACTICE AREAS

In the last year, nearly all of these core practice areas have been leveraged for Crawford Communications Groups major clients. For example, for one of the worlds largest high technology companies, Crawford recently assisted with: A service provider case study program Telecomm division marketing support California operations messaging Marcom consulting Launch management Corporate affairs support in China Global education transformation, thought leadership, and platform development Corporate marketing, communications, and messaging strategy Similar services have been provided to other major Crawford clients, including such well-known giants as:

The range of businesses and industries these clients represent speaks to both the scope and the adaptability of Crawford Managed Services.

History
Crawford Communications Group was founded in Cupertino, California in 1999 at the height of the dot-com boom by Silicon Valley marketing veteran Judy Crawford. Crawford had identified a need for content development and program management in the middle marketing management bandand set out to fill that need. She also realized there was a niche market in providing marketing and communications expertise at all levels to enable marketing departments to meet their goals. During the last decade, Crawford Communications Group has become one of the pre-eminent professional services firms in the high-tech industryas well as the most innovative in terms of organization, client services, and consultant support. That alone would make Crawford Communications Group singular in Silicon Valley. But the firm enjoys another characteristic that sets it apartits core team, including senior management, is composed almost entirely of women. This not only has helped give Crawford Communications Group its well-earned reputation for nurturing its pool of consulting talent, men and women, with the best soft support program found anywhere in the industry, it also has immediate, concrete advantages: as a Womens Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC)certified diversity supplier (and one of the top 25 women-owned businesses in Silicon Valley), working with Crawford helps clients meet their government-mandated, and their own informal, diversity goals. Crawford Communications Group is Silicon Valley. It was founded in Silicon Valley, its talent pool represents the best of Silicon Valley, and best of all, it has the entrepreneurial spirit of Silicon Valley. More than any firm of its kind, Crawford Communications Group is prepared to meet the unique professional talent challenges corporations face in the 21st century economy.

Leadership Biographies
Judy Crawford, Founder and President
Judy Crawford has over 20 years of experience in entrepreneurial ventures, strategic marketing, and business development. She is an integral part of her clients business teams. Judy is recognized for her sincere dedication to customer care and satisfaction. Judys company has been honored from 2004 through 2008 as one of the top 25 Largest Women-Owned businesses in Silicon Valley by the Silicon Valley Chapter of NAWBO (National Association of Women Business Owners) and the San Jose Business Journal. In addition to offering senior strategic marketing consulting services to some of the largest high-tech corporations in San Jose, Judy was a Vice President at NIA Creative located in Silicon Valley. She holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Communications from Eastern Illinois University, and served as a Peace Corps volunteer in Niger, West Africa.

Ann Badillo, Vice PresidentNew Business

Ann Badillo has over 20 years of experience in market strategy, marketing communication programs, and implementation. She has been a leading business strategist and acceleration coach to Silicon Valley executives and entrepreneurs. Her clients include strong innovators, such as Boston Scientific, Cisco, Hewlett Packard, Informatica, MIT, Nokia, Pfizer, SGI, Symantec, Quantum, Xerox Parc, as well as numerous early round start-ups. Ann is a trusted advisor and partner to senior executives and managers. She supports teams by helping them accelerate their businesses and results through proven success strategies and maneuver through external and internal complexities with sound strategy. Ann has taught at Stanford University and UC Berkeley through Professional Development and Executive Education programs. She holds a Bachelor of Arts from University of California at Davis.

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Crawford Communications Group 10300 S. De Anza Blvd, Suite B Cupertino, CA 95014 408-343-0200 www.crawfordgroup.com