Brandthropology is an Advertising and Marketing Agency based in Burlington Vermont. We provide marketing services, including: branding, web development, interactive communications, social media and seo

June 17, 2009: We’re excited to announce the addition of Justin Campfield to our growing roster of Brandthropologists. Justin’s been doing award-winning PR work for the last decade and has deep connections in media outlets like CBS, ESPN, the New York Times, and publications throughout Vermont. He's got a great PR foundation and has a knack for applying it using new media technologies.

June 13th, 20009: We just landed a new client, Holy Cross Hospital in Taos, New Mexico. “We were impressed with Brandthropology’s work with Northwestern Medical Center,” said CEO Peter Hofstetter, “and know their results-driven marketing approach would be a great fit for Holy Cross Hospital.” If you are having trouble reaching us in the mud season, we may be camping out in New Mexico.

June 10th, 2009: Brandthropology was chosen as the “Marketing Word of the Day” by Addictionary.com. The entry describes Brandthropology as “the study of brands and the process of branding -- especially the study of how a given brand evolves over time in response to cultural and market-based influences. The term is also used to describe the unique progression a given brand takes over time.” Check out the entry here and vote it up or down!

June 5th, 2009: We knew our Caveman at the VT EXPO expo was a big hit, but we had no idea his notoriety reached into the political realm. Event organizer Antonia Ortiz recently sent this photograph of Caveman hanging out with Vermont Governor Jim Douglas. “It was great spending time with ‘ol Jim-bo,” said Caveman, “but I am committed to Brandthropology and currently have no plans to enter politics.”

May 20, 2009: Brandthropology had a great experience at the Vermont Business Expo. We had a fun time showing our work on our new 52" television and meeting Vermont’s business leaders. We even brought a mascot this year: the Brandthropology caveman, who got a picture with the Governor! Watch the Caveman video here!

May 04, 2009: Brandthropology’s work for Northern Insuring was recently awarded First Place in the Collateral Materials division of the 2009 Champy Advertising Awards Competition for their Employee Benefits collateral. The work was selected for its outstanding combination of copy, imagery, and layout. "We endeavored to make marketing collateral that reflected Northern Insuring's commitment to excellence," said Chief Brandthropologist Matt Dodds, "Doing so meant constructing a piece that was informative, accessible, and attractive."

Mar 26, 2009: Vermont Tent Company, Vermont's largest wedding and event provisioner, selected Brandthropology to be its marketing partner after a multi-agency review. Initial scope of work will include a brand audit, marketing planning, web development, database management, and interactive marketing services. "Their work consistently brings strong thinking, delivered with creative flair, often through new and unexpected technologies," said Mike Lubas, a founding partner of Vermont Tent Company. "We're really excited to be working with Brandthropologists to evolve our marketing."

Mar 17, 2009: Jonathan Langdale has joined Brandthropology, bringing his web development and e-commerce platform administration skills to Brandthropology's expanding client base. "Jonathan brings a great deal of experience to the table from his tenure at Vermont Teddy Bear, and Compaq Computer's Global Services Division" said Matt Dodds, Chief Brandthropologist, "we're looking forward to bringing his skills to a number of our e-commerce clients." Follow Jonathan on Twitter!

Mar 12, 2009: Brandthropology's Webinar entitled: "Marketing Has Changed...Has Your Marketing Plan?" Set a new record for attendance, with 45 participants. Chris Carrigan of the Chamber said "Brandthropology's credibility both in the branding and interactive space is well known by our membership -- It's a real plus to be able to deliver presentations of this caliber across all geographies in Vermont". The talk has been videotaped and will be airing on Burlington's VCam Channel 15 in the near future. To receive notification of when it will go on air, click here!

Mar 2, 2009: Brandthropology implemented a "road block" (a media buying strategy, where all available advertising units are taken at the same time) for its client, Northwestern Medical Center. Creative media planning is just one of the tools we've used to help NMC's Diagnostic Imaging Unit more than double its volume versus a year ago.

In addition to interactive ads that link to customized landing pages, we've spearheaded physician direct mail efforts, and coordinated them with geographically targeted consumer newspaper ads. "We've seen a dramatic increase in referrals since the campaign started.", says Mark Sutton, head of the hospital's Diagnostic Imaging Unit; "The ROI for the campaign has been really incredible."

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February 18, 2009: It's true.. A national sporting event has tapped Brandthropology to provide branding, logo development, website development, database marketing, email marketing, social media management and search engine optimization services. See the U.S. Hickory Open website!

January 7, 2009: The Alpine Shop, Vermont's premier outdoor sporting goods retailer, chose Brandthropology to optimize their growing web presence, currently consisting of an Ebay store, a dedicated e-commerce website, and another brick-and-mortar retail website. Brandthropology will streamline the sites, providing an online solution that's easier for The Alpine Shop to manage and more intuitive for customers.

Jan 1, 2009: Working out of the old Soda Plant in Burlington, Vermont, Brandthropologists have enjoyed the worn, industrial floor paint and signatures of previous resident artists. To start the new year off right, Brandthropologists decided it was time for a few visual improvements. The last couple of weeks have been spent repainting the walls and frames, sanding and polishing the hardwood floors and above all, trying to get the smell of mineral spirits and polyurethane out the window. Take a look!

Oct 1, 2008: Brandthropology has brought on board web developer Nicholas Szumowski to aid in its expanding volume of interactive marketing and website development work. Nick attended The School of The Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, and has worked for numerous dot-com firms including, GetConnected.com, Frictionless.com and 8020Tech.com. Nick will spearhead the agency's efforts for its clients in the areas of search engine optimization, social media strategies and emerging marketing technologies. Follow Nick on Twitter!

Jun 20, 2008: Brandthropology sponsored the Vermont Hickory Open at Copley Country Club in Morrisville Vermont today. Some of the finest Hickory golfers from around the nation -- coming from as far away as California -- gathered to participate in the event. Contestants play two 18 hole rounds over the weekend, wielding up to a limit of seven hickory shafted clubs whose design pre-dates 1936. Awards were given for low gross, low senior, and low net. The championship went to Scott McAllister of Williston, Vermont who shot an impressive 73 the first day and 74 the second, a total that was good enough for a six stroke lead. He played with a vintage iron set whose earliest club was over 80 years old.

John Hopper of Catskill, New York took the Senior division, and Brandthropology's own Matthew Dodds took honors for Low Net. "I deny being a sandbagger!" exclaimed Dodds, who was the National Hickory Champion, Reserve Division in 2005. Jim Bassett, president of the Vermont Golf Association, the other sponsor of the event, commented "what I love about this tournament is that it brings golf back to its basics; golf isn't all about new technology and booming distances. People who strike the ball well and consistently do well. I hope a lot of younger golfers become attracted to the tournament."

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Jun 5, 2008: Gardner Kilcoyne Architects announced today the unveiling of their new website, which can be found at www.gk-architects.com. Lisa Kilcoyne, one of the firm's principals, said "Brandthropology was outstanding to work with. As a design professional, I could really appreciate the care and the craft they put into the site." The site features a unique navigational interface that allows a great deal of emphasis to be placed on GKA's designs. "Another unusual feature of the site is a 3 dimensional walk-through of the GKA design for the Regional Technical Academy. "When you have such strong and elegant designs to showcase, it makes designing a website a true pleasure" said Matt Dodds, Chief Brandthropologist. "We feel that it's only fitting that GKA now has the strongest architectural website in Vermont -- it's only appropriate given the very high quality of their work."

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May 15, 2008: Palmer Engineering announced today that it has selected Brandthropology of Burlington, VT as its marketing partner. Palmer Engineering, based in Atlanta Georgia, is one of the nation's most technically sophisticated structural engineering firms, working on projects as diverse as Hindu temples and enormous signage projects for Universal studios.

Palmer Engineering is enthusiastic about Brandthropology's work; "After reviewing many design firms, we found Brandthropology's combination of strong branding and sophisticated online design capabilities offered superior value." comments Chris DeBlois, principal of Palmer Engineering.

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Feb 21, 2008: WPTZ's Stewart Ledbetter recently made a visit to Brandthropology to ask Chief Brandthropologist, Matt Dodds about the value of the media exposure Vermont received as a result of its week-long exposure on the Today Show.
 
To view a video of the interview, click here...

Jan 8, 2008: Vermont National Country Club (VNCC) today revealed a new website. "Our old site did a handsome job of serving our members... yet it was very much oriented to an internal audience." said Vermont National General Manager Lisa Hadley. "Brandthropology really helped us do our research by talking to our various external audiences, creating a website that works harder for us, helping us grow our member base."

"The new site serves as a visual catalog, highlighting the club's diverse activities and member benefits" says Dave Juenker, Marketing Director at Vermont National. "The photos featured on the site, many of which were taken by Brandthropology, drive the content of the site. We even had a prospect from San Francisco purchase a non-resident membership on the strength of the website." Matt Dodds, Chief Brandthropologist at Brandthropology puts it this way: "The club is a complex marketing challenge, as it needs to serve a diverse set of target prospects -- from retired seniors looking for a home for their golf game to young brides looking for a perfect venue for their wedding". "We were able to successfully preserve a lot of complicated back-end coding related to Vermont National's membership statements, while re-masking the site with an elegant graphic user interface appropriate to the club's status as the premier private golf club of Vermont. The website is now ready to serve as the backbone of VNCC's future marketing efforts."

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Nov 6, 2007: After a three month review of local and regional marketing firms, Northwestern Medical Center (NMC) of Saint Albans Vermont has selected Brandthropology of Burlington to lead their re-branding efforts. "We were impressed with the work Brandthropology has done for Central Vermont Medical Center and the discipline of their approach to branding" stated Jonathan Billings, VP, Director of Community Relations at NMC.

Research with communication members, physicians and other health care stakeholders will be conducted over the next several months with a new campaign starting in February of next year. "Northwestern Medical Center has always been one of Vermont's little known gems" said by Chief Brandthropologist, Matt Dodds "we're looking forward to getting the word out about Northwestern's award winning healthcare, delivered at some of the lowest costs in the state of Vermont."

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May 11, 2007: Matt Dodds was invited by UVM's Continuing Education Program to give a lecture on "Brand Innovation and Renovation." Following the series' 7 minute format, Matt provided 7 simple tools marketers can use to reinvigorate their brand.

Apr 2, 2007: For the second year in a row, Allen Brook Elementary School in Williston, VT requested that Brandthropology help discuss globalism with its elementary students. The talks have became popular with the students, as a gaming format is used to inform students about their relative wealth of resources they enjoy compared to their global counterparts.

Participants are given tokens called global economic units with which they purchase their life needs including food, shelter, education and entertainment. Students must successfully make economic and social decisions based on the resources of a given world geography. The economic units they receive varies, in keeping with actual world data provided by the United Nations. "We were initially worried that the game would be too complex, but the kids got into it immediately" comments Chief Brandthropologist, Matt Dodds. "Game playing is a natural way to communicate complex concepts to children." Admittedly, the game can be harsh at times, but that's the point. Students have to roll dice in order to earn their right to play; the odds of their surviving to be able to play is based on childhood mortality data from the region they are playing in. Some kids "die" before they even get to play the game, which can be a bit of an eye opener for some.

Brandthropology is a Burlington, Vermont based firm that helps Fortune 500 companies define and develop marketing strategies that embrace, rather than ignore, the world's diverse developmental landscape. "We know first hand that Americans can be quite naive about the realities of the world. We've spent years studying consumer behavior in countries such as China, India & Indonesia, said Matthew Dodds, Chief Brandthropologist of Brandthropology. "This is our chance to pass along this knowledge to a younger generation. It's one of the most satisfying things we do each year."

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June 24, 2006: Brandthropology helped Orvis and The Equinox Resort create the first hickory shafted golf tournament to offer prize money since the 1930's. In an article about the event, The Wall Street Journal interviewed Matt about his passion for Hickory Golf, a style of golf played exclusively with vintage wood-shafted clubs made prior to 1935, when the PGA legalized metal clubs. Matt jokingly describes his passion as a "sub_rabbit hole," full of history, decorum, and delightfully unforgiveable clubheads.

Apr 15, 2006: At this month's regional industry conference administered by the New England Society for Health Care Communications, Central Vermont Medical Center (CVMC) received first place in the print campaign category. "This is especially impressive when you consider the we are a modestly sized hospital competing with larger institutions in Boston, Providence and Hartford that surpass us -- and our budgets -- in size" said Sue Kruthers, VP for Community Relations at CVMC. The award-winning print effort, part of Brandthropology's "Central to Your Well-Being" campaign, features area physicians and unique services that underscore how the hospital strives to stay at the center of its community's health.

June 1, 2004: Champlain College's business program hosted Chief Brandthropologist Matt Dodds for an evening lecture on global marketing. Students were given an informative lecture on the perks and perils of expanding brands internationally. Using his own real-life examples, Matt was able to convey the Brandthropology's message that brands, like societies, must always evolve.

May 4, 2004: Matt Dodds was invited by Columbia's M.B.A. program to give a presentation on global marketing. Drawing from his diverse experiences working throughout Asia with clients like SC Johnson, Pampers, and Crest, Matt illustrated how brands can be managed across borders.

Apr 5, 2003: Gatorade chose Brandthropology to head its Chinese marketing efforts, citing Chief Brandthropologist Matt Dodd's expertise in Pan-Asian Marketing. By keeping the original Gatorade theme, but adding a Chinese twist, Brandthropology was able to provide Chinese customers with a brand that's relevant, but still stays true to its original pedigree.

Nov 13, 2000: The Wall Street Journal approached Regional Director of Client Service, Matt Dodds, to lend his marketing expertise for an article exploring how Hong Kong's shopping habits have changed over time. In the article, Matt calls on the findings of a 26 multi-market study he conducted to explain how demographic changes in Hong Kong are influencing the way consumers shop for food.

Jul 17, 2000: Matt was interviewed by CNBC regarding the findings of his study "From Fishpail to Retail to E-tail." an multi-market analysis of shopping's changing face in Asia. The discussion explored women's shopping behavior and how it changes over time as markets develop. Several predictions were given during the interview, including the insight that in Asia, telephones, rather than PCs will be the daily tool of choice for accessing the internet.

May 25, 2000: Chief Brandthropologist Matt Dodds was recently interviewed by RTHK Radio concerning his findings from the study "From Fishpail to Retail to E-tail," a pan-Asian research study spanning 26 markets. The results of the study formed the basis for the presentations to gatherings in Chicago, Hong Kong and Singapore. Findings were used in the development of marketing strategies for Gatorade, Chase Manhattan and S.C. Johnson clients.

May 14, 2000: Hong Kong's South China Morning Post asked "trend spotter" Matt Dodds to explain why Western hip-hop culture holds little sway on Hong Kong's youth -- and why Canto-pop still rules.

May 1, 2000: Chief Brandthropologist is interviewed about the practice of dot-com firms advertising directly to the local financial community -- while leaving the building of consumer franchises largely undone.

Apr 29, 2000: Asia Brand News asked Chief Brandthropologist Matt Dodds to give his forecast on Asia's growing consumer base of young females. Basing his predictions on the impact of the generational divide, trends in marriage, and the growing entry of women into the workforce, Matt Dodds explains why younger female shoppers will be the antithesis of their mothers.

Apr 28, 2000: Asiaweek went to Chief Brandthropologist Matt Dodds to help understand the fast-changing Chinese marketplace. Citing a number of governmental initiatives and his own market research, Matt explains how the new Chinese market trends show "the marketing economy winning over the command economy."

Apr 28, 2000: Media Magazine asked Chief Brandthropologist Matt Dodds to illuminate the evolving and occasionally bewildering subject of Asian Teens. Matt discusses the nuances of Asian-style teenage rebelliousness, concluding that while Western individualism often means standing apart from society, in Asia, it means standing out within it.

Mar 27, 2000, The Wall Street Journal asked Matt for some insights into Asia's ever-changing advertising spending. Matt offered insight into emerging new advertising platforms.