Anderson Hanson Blanton was featured in the Dallas Business Journal for their services in marketing expertise, creative services, and Realtor and public relations services as well as branding, naming, online and mobile advertising, and Hispanic marketing.

1. EnterpriseZone IDEAS IN AC TION
For the
next generation of
great companies
Life is lived
Speaking the language outside the
comfort zone
ADVERTISING AGENCY n my book, Winners Always
USES ‘BICULTURAL’
APPROACH IN
REAL ESTATE FIELD
I Quit, one of the seven pretty
good habits you can swap for
really great results is “getting
comfortable.”
Comfort certainly has its advan-
tages — our
comfy chair
BY TRICIA BOH | STAFF WRITER in the living
room, a com-
W
hile other advertising agen- fortable rou-
cies may lament the nebulous tine at work,
economy and changing industry , a comfortable
Anderson Hanson Blanton em- relationship.
braces the challenge to continue With all the
to seek innovative and successful advertis- advantages
ing strategies to better serve their clients. of comfort,
Located in Addison, Anderson Han- here are
son Blanton is a full-service advertising
agency that specializes in residential and
some things
you should
LEADERSHIP
commercial real estate. know about INSIGHTS
The agency offers marketing expertise, the comfort Lee J. Colan
creative services, and Realtor and public zone.
relations services, as well as branding, The com-
naming, online and mobile advertising, fort zone is where most of life is
and Hispanic marketing. played.
Partners Debbie Anderson and Jody Han- It is certainly where most of
son founded Anderson Hanson Blanton on sports is played.
Oct. 1, 1986. Both partners had experience We are in the middle of the
in real estate and public relations before football season now, so let’s con-
starting the agency Ana Blanton joined in
. sider a football field: 90 percent
1994 and became a partner in 2003. of the game is played between
Before founding the agency, Anderson the 20-yard lines. That’s why
and Hanson were “friendly competitors” they call anything outside that
in the same industry. Anderson was vice area the “red zone.” It’s where
president and management supervisor the difference in the game is
for a major southwest real estate market- made.
ing, advertising and public relations firm. ‘MARKETING IS EVERYTHING’: Ana Blanton, Jody Hanson and Debbie Anderson lead their namesake agency, Staying in the comfort zone too
Hanson, on the other hand, was president whose advertising and marketing strategies have had to evolve in response to the stalled economy. long can get boring.
of Vestal Hanson, which specialized in We get soft and unfocused; we
new home marketing. don’t have to be as sharp.
“Debbie wanted to start this business If we make our comfort zone as
and wanted a smaller environment to have “The good news is there’s always going B I G G E S T CHALLENGE big as our life, we not only lose our
more flexibility,” Hanson said. “We both to be people getting married, divorced, edge, we can even lose sight of the
had the real estate background, and we having children. They will have to buy a For partner Jody Hanson, the biggest edge.
wanted to start this. We’re still together, house, whether it’s upgrading or down- challenge is the market itself. “We are retail, We must ignite our own sense of
going for 25 years.” grading,” she said. “For those people out but it’s the most important buying decision adventure to explore the edge and
Because of the agency’s specific exper- there looking and buying because of their consumers make,” she said. “Buyers are waiting see what the world has to offer us
tise, Anderson Hanson Blanton says it pro- home situation, you need to reach them to see what the market’s going to do.” … and what we have to offer the
duces innovative and unique marketing through mass media.” world.
strategies. For example, Blanton created Ken Morris, branch manager at It’s pretty safe in the comfort
the agency’s Hispanic marketing division. Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage, PR AND AD SERVICES zone.
As a native of Mexico City and someone believes that the real estate market in We know the boundaries, the
who’s fluent in Spanish, Blanton believes Dallas is a dynamic industry and will only NAME: Anderson Hanson Blanton landscape, and the other comfort-
that “in Hispanic marketing, it’s not enough continue to improve. “Our economy is BUSINESS: Real estate and media and advertising able players.
to be bilingual, you have to be bicultural.” doing pretty well for the last four or five HEADQUARTERS: 16775 Addison Road, Ste. 310, There is little or no risk; a
“It’s not just translating, because in adver- months,” he said. “We’ve hit every goal Addison 75001 misstep here or there is not very
tising, marketing is everything,” she said. that we’ve had, and if that’s any sign of EMPLOYEES: 7 costly.
Hanson acknowledged that the company’s economy, that’s what’s going on.” ANNUAL REVENUE: $8 million But like the football team that’s
advertising and marketing strategies have Business at the DFW branch of Cold- PHONE: 972-991-8871 trapped between the 20-yard
had to evolve in response to the economy . well Banker is up 10 percent compared WEB: www.anderson-hanson-blanton.com lines, we cannot win in the com-
“Everything’s now going online,” with where it was in 2010. fort zone. Learning and growth
Hanson said. “The traditional media mix Anderson Hanson Blanton prides itself occur when we are uncomfort-
is still very important as a way to send not only on its real estate expertise but in, and win the client over, but won’t see able.
clients to the website, but in these tough also on its dedication to clients. All of the them again. In our case, we are involved Now think of the defining mo-
times, what is the cheapest way to reach partners work directly with accounts to in the day-to-day on every account we ments of learning and growth in
costumers is online.” ensure customer satisfaction. Blanton work on. We go to the meetings, they can your life. Were you hanging out in
In response, Hanson said, the agency and Hanson believe that trust between the call us, and we know what’s going on in your comfort zone?
does online promotions, geo-targeted and agency and the client is the key to success. their accounts,” Blanton said. “It’s a big No, you were hanging out near
behavior-targeted email blasts, and Face- Blanton stresses how difficult it is for reason why if clients do leave us, they the edge!
book promotions. the partners to attend every meeting and come back because they didn’t get that
According to Blanton, the benefit of hav- follow every account, but she believes “it same one-on-one (elsewhere).” Colan is president of The L Group Inc., a Dallas-
ing mass media in this market is that “you makes us unique.” based consultancy. He has also written 10 rapid-
can throw out a bigger net.” “(Often) owners of agencies will come tboh@bizjournals.com | 214-706-7156 read books. Contact him at www.theLgroup.com.
dallasbusinessjournal.com | Dallas Business Journal | December 2-8, 2011 17