As I led or collaborated on the work you see in this section, I found creative ways to get into the minds of my clients’ prospects. And then used the insights to help beat the pants off our clients’ competition.

This work represents my efforts at Mintz & Hoke (now called Mintz + Hoke) and at Lawson & Hoke my current consulting company.

Listen to how a regional brand beat the biggest names in the business. 

Results: YoCrunch Yogurt doubled share of market against Yoplait, Dannon and several other brands. See the whole story.

Writer: John Pugmire
Art director: Steve Fortado
Creative director: Chris Knopf

What if customers should care, but don’t?

Results: Enrollment increased by 25,000 against a goal of 12,000. Message recall was 5 times higher than HMO competitors. See the whole story.

Writer: Dik Haddad
Art director: Steve Fortado
Creative director: Joe Hoke

How do you get turned-off customers to return to your store — especially when you’re up against Walmart?

Results: The advertising produced record-breaking sales events. People came back to experience the new, greatly improved Ames. See the whole story.

Writer: Dik Haddad
Producer: Maryann Gates
Creative director: Joe Hoke

How do you convince college students that an Aetna actuarial career could be cool?  Be cool enough to poke fun at ourselves.

Results: Student turnout at Aetna’s actuarial career presentations doubled. See the whole story.

Writer: Chris Knopf
Art Director: Wayne Waaramaa
Creative director: Joe Hoke

It's the worst recession in history. My client's competitors refuse to make loans. Now that's a competitive opportunity.

Results are proprietary, but my lawyer’s working on it. So for now let’s just say that anybody who followed banking knows the bank grew like crazy. See the whole story.

Writer: Leesa Lawson
Art director: Vance Klein
Creative director: Joe Hoke

How do you get fallen-away Catholics to give the Church one more chance? Try confession.

Results: Our advertising campaign led the country in results. Other regions soon adopted the advertising. See the whole story.

Writer: Alan Maislen
Art director: Steve Fortado
Creative director: Joe Hoke

How do you get people to accept the Special Olympics as a legitimate sporting event? Shock them into seeing a new reality.

Results: Attendance doubled. Donations increased 30%. And the campaign became the worldwide model for changing public attitudes.

Writer: Alan Maislen
Art Director: Bill Knight
Creative director: Joe Hoke

Listen to the negative advertising that created a positive impression. 

Results: 93% of the target audience exposed to the ads remembered the major message.

The researchers said 35% would have been a satisfactory level.

Common customer response, “If they’re trying that hard to protect us they must be a good company.”

Writer: Alan Maislen
Producer: Dik Haddad|
Creative director: Joe Hoke