TBMC - Our Work
Phase 2 – The Winnipeg Era
TBMC’s business model has evolved over the years in two distinct phases. The first few years were spent in Toronto operating as TBIM Sunrise where our primary activity was film and video production. Phase two brought a name change to TBMC (Tom Barak Marketing and Communications) as well as re-location to Winnipeg. Our service offerings also grew to include overall marketing management, and additional line-services beyond just film and video production were added to the roster.
TBMC became M.B.A. certified in 2005, and we began collaborating with local branding affiliate the Brand Bureau – formerly Velocity Design Works – to leverage and compliment our talents and knowledge. Our workflow now expanded into preparing business and marketing plans, writing copy for new platforms including print and social media, web publishing and web mastering, media purchasing, fundraising, events, and public and media relations.
Our current and past clients include many local and regional brands, among them Maples CC and Arena, Western Health Services, All Nations Print, Great Morning Eggs, Prairie Orchard Farms, Wholesum Nutrition, Canterra Seeds, Telpay, Cloverdale Paint, Campbell’s Cricket, Frantic Films, Beaver Bus Lines and many others.
Although we’re proud of all our work, for sake of brevity, we’ve featured just a few of our projects below to highlight some of the many successes we’ve had over the years. We’ve earned millions of dollars for our established clients and we’ve helped a few new entrepreneurs launch successful ventures too!
Maples Community Centre
For several years TBMC provided marketing management services to the Maples Recreation Association Inc. (MRAI) which operates the Maples Arena and the Maples and Elwick community centres in the north end of Winnipeg. Fundraising and marketing, project management, program development, web mastering, public and media relations and hall rental call services were all included in our overall marketing plan. In a relatively short period we managed several noteworthy accomplishments, the value of which represent considerable return on investment for the organization. The benefits have had far-reaching effects into the community, establishing Maples as a major sports and recreation facility in the north end.
Notable Accomplishments
- $1.7M was raised through grants for major capital works
- $360K in hall rental revenue was earned over the contract term
- $90,000 in advertising and sponsorships was earned
- hall rentals surged which drove down vacancy rates to nearly zero
- increased program registration to all time high levels
- established the Kanwal Brar Scholarship for outstanding academic and sports achievement
- established two major kid’s sports programs including Kidpro with the Winnipeg Goldeyes and the Annual NBA Basketball Excursion
- project managed several major repairs, upgrades and renovations including: arena heat recovery system install, resurfacing of several playing fields, the installation of outdoor tennis and basketball courts, a new roadside sign complete with electronic marquee, site-wide bathroom renovations, new concrete arena walkway, gymnasium painting and ceiling replacement, and full arena lighting modernization with the installation of high-efficiency, state-of-the-art HMI fixtures
- a comprehensive business plan was written for a major $35M expansion
- TBMC raised $35K to undertake a professional cost and feasibility study, chaired the building committee, wrote the tender for architectural and geo-technical surveys, hired same, hosted several town hall meetings and a consultative design rally, and delivered a Class C estimate, floor plans and 3D renderings
Western Health Services
Western Health Services was struggling due to falling revenue and a battered and bruised industry reputation due to, according to disgruntled customers, “unreliable and unresponsive service”. An industry-wide shortage of nurses and qualified healthcare aides compounded the already serious issues Western was facing. TBMC was brought in to turn things around.
We began by visiting Western’s current customers, and through a comprehensive consultative process, bit-by-bit, problems were identified and remedied. We also called on former customers in an effort to discover why they ceased doing business with Western. Although rebuilding confidence and trust in a brand is always challenging, gradually, and through persistent sales efforts and operational adjustments, TBMC was able to retrieve most of Western’s lost accounts.
To address our client’s staffing bottleneck TBMC undertook an aggressive recruitment and outreach program. We hosted private job fairs, made in-class presentations in colleges and universities, improved staff relations by introducing reward programs, and we instituted generous hiring incentives. Western experienced a surge in new applicants and current staff reported improvement in moral and productivity. A strategic alliance with the Victorian Order of Nurses also brought several talented nurses into Western’s ranks. With a modest budget TBMC was able to compete with government regional health authorities, and their practically unlimited budgets, for qualified, and scarce, healthcare workers. The tag line, “Health care without the healthcare system”, undeniably resonated with staff and customers alike.
TBMC’s recruitment efforts grew Western’s workforce and several new, substantial client accounts were also landed. Western’s current customers began buying more than ever while some lost accounts were re-established. At its peak our marketing and sales program increased Western’s revenue by 40 per cent. In the end our client’s reputation was golden. Our passion – and persistent sales efforts – paid off.
St. Boniface Diocesan High School
St. Boniface Diocesan High School is one of Manitoba’s top private Catholic Schools with nearly 90% of its students successfully pursuing university and college studies after graduation. Small class sizes, caring teachers and staff, and rich sports, extra-curricular and faith-based programs set this educational institute apart. We had the opportunity to provide marketing and communications services to the school including weekly mass emailers, Power Point presentation preparation, video production, newsletter publication, website management and regular social media posting.
A Few More Social Media Post Examples
Telpay – Electronic Payment Processing
Brand Bureau client Telpay undertook a top-to-bottom re-brand and TBMC was called in to write a marketing plan. A key recommendation we made was to migrate Telpay’s payment system from its client-side delivery to a server-based cloud solution. The prior Telpay software required disc distribution and customer installation and configuration which resulted in delays and many help desk calls. Customers also had to constantly install upgrades and reconfigure their systems which grated on their patience and reduced productivity. Our server-side solution alleviated the need to distribute software discs and customers no longer had to fiddle with installs and upgrades. Problems which arose from client-installs all but vanished and help desk calls were greatly reduced. Upgrades were implemented on the server with immediate results which provided a seamless and more enjoyable customer experience. TBMC also provided copy writing services and many of the case studies that appear on Telpay’s website today are examples of TBMC’s work.
Cloverdale Paint
Brand Bureau’s client Cloverdale Paint is Canada’s largest independent paint manufacturer and distributor and the firm wanted to expand their reach across Canada and into north western America. Building brand awareness was the task at hand so TBMC was hired to assist this process. For TBMC’s part we wrote a comprehensive marketing plan, undertook audits and proofed both Cloverdale and its America partner-firm Rodda’s websites, we researched and quoted a major advertising/brand awareness campaign and designed an extensive customer survey plan. In the past Cloverdale’s approach to marketing was largely improvised and informal, based almost exclusively on intuition and passive observation. The customer survey enabled Cloverdale to precisely quantify and evaluate their diverse target segments by identifying their product preferences, buying habits, media consumption patterns and other psychographic indicators. As a result TBMC was able to construct a marketing plan that was precisely aligned and in-tune with their customers, ensuring efficacy and a solid return on investment.
Future Legends
Future Legends was a small start-up, it’s services included skills development camps geared for children participating in recreational sports activities. TBMC devised a low-cost marketing program and we built a micro website to feature the organization’s services and coaches. The microsite also provided an on-line registration portal. TBMC also designed and produced several collateral promotional pieces and we provided event support to ensure the organization launched successfully.
Prairie Orchard Farms
TBMC was involved with Brand Bureau’s client, Prairie Orchard Farms, in the early days, before the pork producer became an international sensation. At the time POF was gaining a toe-hold in grocery store distribution, while launching an e-commerce site to make their products available on-line. For our part we provided copy for the new site and some strategic consultancy. Our research revealed strong demand for Nutraceuticals in Asian markets, especially in Japan and China so we recommended POF take its propriety feed formula overseas. Today POF is shipping to China and by all accounts this new market has contributed strongly to POF’s bottom line.
Phase 1 – The Toronto Era
TBMC’s early operation was under the name of Tom Barak Industrial Magic or TBIM and we were located in Toronto and later in Mississauga. In those early days the company focused on film, video and audio, producing in-house television and radio commercials, documentaries and corporate videos. We also provided line-producing for a few advertising agencies and other third-party production houses. My duties included writing scripts, directing and producing. During this period I was also a member of the local film and television technician’s union, and when I wasn’t producing for TBIM Sunrise I was working as a grip and electrician on big-budget Hollywood films, T.V. series and commercials. I had the extraordinary opportunity to work with some of the best Hollywood and Toronto-based producers, directors, designers, actors and technicians. I also had the wonderful opportunity to work on many big budget commercials for AT&T, Leon’s Furniture, the CFB Foundation, and others, both as a technician and line producer. It was during this Toronto period where I honed my production skills; a valuable piece of the puzzle which would fit nicely into the broader category of marketing where I find myself today.
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