Stay up-to-date on the companies, people and issues that impact businesses in Syracuse, Central New York and beyond.
Launch Lewis County program funds 9 microenterprises
LOWVILLE, N.Y. — Nine microenterprise businesses have secured funding totaling $180,000 in the Launch Lewis County grant program. The grants include two $30,000 awards, five $20,000 grants, and two $10,000 awards, Naturally Lewis said. Launch Lewis County is a business competition grant program that the Lewis County Industrial Development Agency (IDA) administers on behalf of […]
Become a Central New York Business Journal subscriber and get immediate access to all of our subscriber-only content and much more.
Click here to purchase a paywall bypass link for this article.
LOWVILLE, N.Y. — Nine microenterprise businesses have secured funding totaling $180,000 in the Launch Lewis County grant program.
The grants include two $30,000 awards, five $20,000 grants, and two $10,000 awards, Naturally Lewis said.
Launch Lewis County is a business competition grant program that the Lewis County Industrial Development Agency (IDA) administers on behalf of Lewis County to helps businesses start or expand.
Naturally Lewis, based in Lowville, is the economic-development agency for Lewis County. It includes the IDA and the Lewis County Development Corporation.
Funding for the Launch Lewis County program is provided by the New York State Office of Homes and Community Renewal, Community Development Block Grant program, per a Naturally Lewis news release.
“Small businesses and entrepreneurs often have a difficult time accessing capital in small amounts to purchase the equipment they need,” Brittany Davis, executive director of the Lewis County IDA, said. “Our partnership with Lewis County to administer the Launch Lewis County program has allowed small businesses and entrepreneurs to start and expand products and services, which in turn creates and retains jobs, creates unique experiences for residents and tourists, and ultimately enhances the tax base of Lewis County.”
The Launch Lewis County grant committee was able to allocate all of the $180,000 in funding and increase funding for some of the grants.
The recipients of grants are the following microenterprises:
Local interest, qualifying
A total of 21 businesses expressed interest in the Launch Lewis County program when it started back in March. All 21 businesses completed a mandatory entrepreneurial training course hosted by the local Small Business Development Center.
Twelve businesses submitted final applications for Launch Lewis County funding. After review by the Launch Lewis County grant committee and final approval by the Lewis County IDA board, nine applications were determined to have met all local and New York State Community Development Block Grant requirements that qualified each project for funding.
In order to qualify for the Launch Lewis County microenterprise grant program in the future, applicants must be startup businesses or existing businesses with plans to expand or diversify products or services.
They must also be a for-profit microenterprise (five or fewer employees); “must enhance experiences” for tourists and locals, alike; and must only use grant funds for equipment, machinery, furniture, fixtures and inventory.
In addition, applicants/owners must be considered low to moderate income based on the 2021 New York State Income Guidelines or create a job to be made available to low to moderate-income individuals to qualify for grant.
Applicants also need to understand that grant funds can only cover up to 90 percent of total project cost, Naturally Lewis noted.
Besides the funding, grant recipients also gain access to ongoing technical assistance through Naturally Lewis’s DBA Lewis County program, a professional photoshoot, a logo and branding package, and grand opening or expansion promotion.
Recipients will also have access to a low-interest loan fund, if they qualify, Naturally Lewis said.
HISTORY FROM OHA: Syracuse Savings Bank: Syracuse’s first savings bank
The year was 1849. Thousands of 49ers caught gold fever and hoped to strike it rich in California, Elizabeth Blackwell became the first woman doctor in the U.S., and Harriet Tubman escaped slavery in Maryland. And, Syracuse Savings Bank was founded. Syracuse was incorporated as a city the year before in 1848 and had elected Harvey Baldwin
Become a Central New York Business Journal subscriber and get immediate access to all of our subscriber-only content and much more.
Click here to purchase a paywall bypass link for this article.
The year was 1849. Thousands of 49ers caught gold fever and hoped to strike it rich in California, Elizabeth Blackwell became the first woman doctor in the U.S., and Harriet Tubman escaped slavery in Maryland. And, Syracuse Savings Bank was founded.
Syracuse was incorporated as a city the year before in 1848 and had elected Harvey Baldwin as the first mayor. The new city comprised four wards with 23,000 residents and was attracting more people looking for new opportunities. Trade was burgeoning via the Erie and Oswego Canals, the railroad, and corduroy and plank roads. Syracuse exported salt and other products. The young, prosperous city displayed canal-side warehouses, brick sidewalks, and some cobblestone streets. The city also boasted a public-education system that taught 3,000 students, 25 churches and two synagogues, and the National Theater.
Economic advancements and an increase in citizens’ personal wealth called for a savings bank that encouraged people to save and protect the wealth they were accumulating. On March 30, 1849, 18 leading citizens received a charter from New York State to establish the Syracuse Savings Institution, the 25th savings bank in the state. On May 4, 1849, eight of the bank’s founders met in the law office of Harvey Baldwin to elect officers, name committees, and create the new bank’s operation. At this first meeting, Baldwin was elected as the bank’s first president. At the nascent bank’s second meeting, William Teall was elected treasurer, and the bank’s first location was set up inside Teall’s home, located at 409 East Fayette St. on the north side of Fayette Park. The Teall Carriage House still exists today (it’s currently a beauty salon called Joseph’s at the Carriage House) behind the CNY Philanthropy Center at 431 East Fayette St. Octavius Cottle, a conductor on the Syracuse & Utica Railroad, made the first deposit of $1 (worth about $33 today) at the newly minted bank. Fifty-five other bank customers deposited $6,737 (valued at $227,000 today) during the rest of 1849.
Syracuse Savings Institution remained in William Teall’s house until it moved to larger quarters in the Bastable Block in 1851, the current site of the State Tower Building. Three years later, the bank bought the vault and fixtures of the defunct Syracuse City Bank and occupied the counting house of Syracuse City Bank, located at the corner of North Salina and Willow streets, until 1862.
The New York Legislature officially changed the name of the bank from Syracuse Savings Institution to Syracuse Savings Bank on March 10, 1870.
Bank officials then purchased the Star Building at the corner of James and North Salina streets, which became the bank’s final location. The four-story Star Building served as Syracuse Savings Bank’s headquarters until a new building opened on the site in June 1876.
For two years, a building committee formed by the bank’s trustees studied design plans drawn by six architects, eventually selecting the design submitted by Joseph L. Silsbee. Silsbee had just moved to Syracuse in 1874 and opened an office that he maintained for the next 10 years. While working in Syracuse, Silsbee also designed the White Memorial Building, the Amos Block, and Oakwood Cemetery’s chapel.
The building committee and Silsbee thought the bank’s setting adjacent to the Erie Canal should emulate the Venetian palaces that lined Venice’s canals. Silsbee’s building designs, therefore, reflect the Venetian Gothic tradition, dominated by pointed arches, trefoils, and Gothic moldings. The six-story building included buff-colored sandstone from Ohio, red sandstone from New Jersey, and featured Italian-stone carvings. The total cost of the Syracuse Savings Bank building was $281,000 (worth about $7.2 million today). Silsbee received $8,000 and, the builder, John Moore, received $212,000. After the original construction, Charles Fasoldt of Albany, installed a system of electric clocks throughout the building.
When the Syracuse Savings Bank building opened in June 1876, it was the tallest structure in Syracuse at 176 feet. The building included the first passenger elevator installed in the city. Its tower provided a magnificent view of the city. So many visitors wanted to view the city from the top that bank that officials imposed a 10-cent fee to ride the elevator to the top. VIP visitors to Syracuse — including James A. Garfield, Ulysses S. Grant, Frederick Douglass, and others — were escorted to the top of Syracuse Savings Bank to behold the industrial factories, vast salt sites surrounding Onondaga Lake, and fertile farmland beyond. Visitors may also have seen the bank’s architect, Joseph Silsbee, evidently so impressed with his own design that he moved his architect’s office to the top of the tower. Silsbee stayed there until he left the Salt City for Chicago in 1885.
By 1880, Syracuse boasted 55,000 residents who resided in eight city wards. About 7,500 of those citizens had deposited $2.1 million into Syracuse Savings Bank.
The bank was a favorite banking institution of many German citizens. In 1886, some of these citizens living in Syracuse’s Second Ward became alarmed with a rumor that there was a run on Syracuse Savings Bank that June. Although the rumor was false, several went to the bank to see for themselves. Bank president, Henry Duguid, assured the depositors that the rumor was false. However, some wary depositors removed their money regardless of the truth. When a Syracuse Standard newspaper reporter asked the bank president to comment on the rumor, he confidently stated that if every depositor removed every cent, the bank would remain solvent due to its monetary surplus.
In the spring of 1899, Syracuse Savings Bank celebrated its 50th anniversary. The Syracuse Journal reported that the bank’s sound business policies, administration, and trustees were responsible for its continued success. Long before the Federal Depositors Insurance Corporation (FDIC) was established in 1933, recognizable local business leaders — Frank Hiscock, Ansel J. Northrup, Edward Joy, Francis Hendricks, Jacob Amos, and Hamilton White — took their roles as conservative bank trustees seriously. That year, the bank’s assets totaled $10 million and it had a surplus of more than $835,000.
Syracuse Savings Bank administrators renovated the bank building several times between 1876 and the late 1920s. The last major renovation occurred between 1928 and 1929 with Melvin L. King as architect and Dawson Brothers as the mason contractor, both from Syracuse. The original Gothic style was maintained, however, to meet the demand for additional and more modern banking services. The entire front portion of the second floor was also removed, leaving the remainder of that floor as a balcony area and a board of trustees’ meeting room. The first floor then became the bank’s main business office. The marble columns and the grillwork were removed to create a more-open design. The main entrance on North Salina Street was through bronze doors weighing about 1.5 tons. Two large chandeliers, made from Swedish wrought iron, were hung from the 27-foot tall ceiling in the main bank floor. Crews cleaned the exterior and installed a new roof. The building renovation cost more than twice the original construction sum. In 1929, when the renovated bank building reopened, its assets totaled more than $25 million, and it had more than 32,000 depositors.
Syracuse Savings Bank not only survived, but thrived, during the Great Depression of the 1930s. In 1930, the bank was more than 80 years old, and was serving the fourth generation of savers by offering 4.5 percent interest on accounts up to $7,500. The bank’s motto at the time was “Put Your Savings in a Savings Bank.”
During WW II, Syracuse Savings Bank sold defense stamps and bonds to help defray the cost of the war. On average, Syracuse Savings Bank completed one real-estate transaction each day during the war years. Advertisements in the local newspapers promoted the bank’s mortgage lending department and encouraged renters to affordably buy a house instead of continuing to rent. The bank held the mortgages to several residential properties with prices that ranged from $3,000 to $8,000 ($52,000 to $138,000 in today’s dollars). Patriotic ads also encouraged thriftiness: “Don’t waste money!” and “I don’t spend it – I save it!” By being thrifty, saving their hard-earned money, which they deposited, citizens were helping the bank to lend that money to the federal government to buy necessary war products. Once the war ended, depositors could share their savings with returning veterans to help them become reacclimated to civilian life.
Syracuse Savings Bank celebrated its centennial anniversary on March 30, 1949. On that day, bank officials held a two-hour open house for depositors and the general public. During the open house, female bank employees modeled mid-19th century apparel in the bank’s lobby, and distributed roses, carnations, and souvenirs. Bank administrators also created a typical bank office from 1849 to illustrate how modern the bank had become in 100 years. An anniversary cake shaped like the bank building was displayed in the lobby. That evening, 300 invited guests packed the ballroom at Hotel Syracuse for an anniversary dinner. Descendants of original bank trustees and special banking guests attended the event. The bank’s president, Frederick W. Barker, recalled highlights of the bank’s long history and reiterated that “thrift is fundamental and essential, and that Syracusans of the future will need savings institutions just as they do today.” In 1949, Syracuse Savings Bank asserted that it had more than 43,000 depositors whose deposits exceeded $66 million.
By September 1963, Syracuse Savings Bank had satellite offices in Eastwood, Brewerton, and a second downtown branch at 499 South Warren St.. Syracuse Savings Bank continued to grow at an extraordinary rate. In just the 14 years since the bank celebrated its centennial, its assets had grown by more than 2.5 times and customers had more than tripled. Home-mortgage loans had skyrocketed from $24 million to $171 million, financing more than 12,000 mortgages. In the days before online banking, board president, George W. Lee, stated that more bank offices made it more convenient for customers to bank close to their homes and workplaces.
In May 1973, Syracuse Savings Bank’s assets met another milestone — $500 million in assets and more than 130,000 depositors. Its mortgage lending had also increased to $350 million. By the end of the 1970s, Syracuse Savings Bank expanded its services to include additional satellite offices, a six-day banking schedule, and a pay-by-phone computer system.
The 1980s was a pivotal decade for Syracuse Savings Bank. In the early part of the decade, the bank expanded by merging with four other regional banks: Oswego Savings Bank in 1981, the Dime Federal Savings & Loan Association of Cortland and Mechanics Savings Bank in Elmira in 1982, and Auburn Savings Bank (which was also founded in 1849) in 1983. With these mergers, Syracuse Savings Bank enlarged its banking coverage to 24 offices in Onondaga, Cayuga, Cortland, and Chemung counties.
Then, after almost 140 years of banking business in Central New York, Syracuse Savings Bank was itself acquired by Albany–based Norstar Bankcorp in May 1987. Tragically, Syracuse Savings Bank was forced to sell the bank after a real-estate developer defaulted on loans on an Atlantic City, New Jersey real-estate deal. The developer was arrested on a 57-count indictment that included grand larceny and conspiracy. The venerable Syracuse Savings Bank went out of business and unceremoniously became a component of the $12 billion Norstar Bancorp. Over the next six to eight weeks, the bank’s signs changed names and depositors were issued new passbooks and checks. Just to add “insult to injury,” on the day that Norstar announced purchasing Syracuse Savings Bank, a bank robber stole Norstar’s thunder by robbing the main downtown branch of an undisclosed amount of cash. Only a few hours earlier, bank employees had installed signs welcoming depositors to the new Norstar Bank.
Just one year later, Norstar Bancorp merged with New England–based Fleet National Bank to form Fleet/Norstar Financial Group. Via a series of subsequent mergers in the 1990s, Fleet/Norstar became Fleet Financial Group, then, in 1999, became FleetBoston Financial. In 2004, this financial group merged with Bank of America, which still operates a branch and offices in the former Syracuse Savings Bank building. Bank of America occupies the first three floors of the building, which it leases from JF Real Estate in Syracuse; residential apartments occupy the upper three floors. Several Hall Groat paintings (which Syracuse Savings Bank commissioned in 1977) illustrating life in Syracuse during the 19th century decorate the bank’s main lobby. Although Syracuse Savings Bank as a banking institution is now gone, remnants of its proud history remain on display throughout the bank. The bank building also is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, a designation it received in February 1971.
Thomas Hunter is curator of collections at the Onondaga Historical Association (OHA) (www.cnyhistory.org), located at 321 Montgomery St. in Syracuse.
VIEWPOINT: How do I squeeze a 25th hour out of the day?
I get a version of this headline question frequently, usually from people with full schedules — some overwhelmed and flustered, and others simply intent on squeezing out every bit of productivity each day. Related queries usually go something like this: • How can I get by with less sleep? • How can I get more of my work done
Become a Central New York Business Journal subscriber and get immediate access to all of our subscriber-only content and much more.
Click here to purchase a paywall bypass link for this article.
I get a version of this headline question frequently, usually from people with full schedules — some overwhelmed and flustered, and others simply intent on squeezing out every bit of productivity each day. Related queries usually go something like this:
• How can I get by with less sleep?
• How can I get more of my work done between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m., so I do not have to spend so much time working into the evening?
• How do I establish healthy boundaries to guard against this 24/7 expectation of being “on” all the time?
• While I believe in the importance of delegating and developing my people, where am I going to find the time?
You have likely asked yourself similar questions at one time or another, but the simple answer to how to get an additional hour out of each day is that you cannot.
Our perspective on time, though well intended, never yields the results we are seeking. We continue to try and fit more and more into our already full days and feel less and less fulfilled as we do. If you have studied this subject as I have, then you know that a sense of satisfaction and fulfillment begins to set in when we completely shift our perspective on time. If you haven’t, read on.
Whether you follow Stephen Covey, Tony Schwartz, or Ralph Simone, all agree that the key to the 24-hour day is not and never was about managing time. In fact, time — which is an artificial construct used to maneuver in the physical world — cannot be managed. What we can manage is our energy and where we choose to focus it on any given day.
The studies on sleep are consistent; the question changes, then, from “How can I get by with less sleep?” to “How can I develop good sleep hygiene that enables me to sleep soundly for between seven and eight hours each evening?” Some useful tips include not checking your device after a certain time (allows the brain to start shutting down on both a physical and mental level); minimizing alcohol and caffeine after a certain time (allowing the stimulants to pass through your body); keeping your room cool; and establishing an end-of-day ritual that allows you to wind down nicely.
Regarding “too much homework,” the big question for each of us is, what were we doing all day if not working on things that are essential to our job and mission? What choices are we making or not making that compel us to catch up each night? Ask yourself throughout the day, “If I say yes to this, what am I saying no to?” A downside of technology is the illusion of importance through urgency. Just because someone can get back to you right away does not mean they should. Build more strategic pauses into your days and consciously choose the most-essential things to do. Movement for movement’s sake is wasted energy.
If you are a leader, and we believe everyone is, then your most-important job is developing future leaders. This includes delegating tasks to people so they can learn and grow. Adopt the attitude: “Let it go and let them grow.” It also includes modeling good “energy management” skills, so they learn to make efficient choices each day without searching for the 25th hour.
Ralph Simone is a partner with Emergent, a leadership training and professional coaching company based in Syracuse. He is a certified professional coach, specializing in leadership and organizational effectiveness. Contact Simone at ralph@getemergent.com
Ask Rusty: About Working While Collecting Early SS Benefits
Dear Rusty: How much would be withheld from my Social Security benefits? I am 62 and can claim about $1,900 a month now. I’m still working, making about $75,000 per year. How much of my benefits would I get? What would be withheld from me and when would I get it back? And would there
Become a Central New York Business Journal subscriber and get immediate access to all of our subscriber-only content and much more.
Click here to purchase a paywall bypass link for this article.
Dear Rusty: How much would be withheld from my Social Security benefits? I am 62 and can claim about $1,900 a month now. I’m still working, making about $75,000 per year. How much of my benefits would I get? What would be withheld from me and when would I get it back? And would there be any penalty?
Signed: Eligible but Working
Dear Eligible but Working: In the scenario you describe, you will not be eligible to collect Social Security (SS) retirement benefits at this time because your earnings are too high. Here is how that is determined.
• At age 62, you are subject to Social Security’s “earnings test”, which limits how much you can earn while collecting early benefits. The earnings limit applies until you reach your full retirement age (FRA), which for you is 67.
• Your penalty for exceeding the earnings limit now would be $1 for every $2 you are over the limit. At your current salary of $75,000 per year, you will be over the 2022 annual earnings limit of $19,560 by $55,440, which means you would owe Social Security $27,720. Since your age 62 benefit amount is about $1,900 per month ($22,800 per year), your annual SS benefit would be insufficient to offset the penalty for exceeding the earnings limit, thus you would not be entitled to a Social Security benefit because of your current earnings. You will again be eligible to collect SS when your earnings are substantially less, or when you reach your full retirement age, whichever occurs first.
Social Security’s earnings test affects everyone who works and earns when collecting benefits before reaching full retirement age. Each year, Social Security sets a limit for how much can be earned before benefits are affected (the 2022 limit is $19,560; it increases slightly each year). Those who exceed the limit pay a “penalty” of $1 for every $2 they are over the limit, which must be paid to SS either in a lump sum, or by having benefits withheld for enough months for SS to recover what is owed. If your Social Security benefit isn’t enough to offset the penalty for exceeding the earnings limit, no benefits will be paid.
Those collecting early benefits who earn only slightly more than the annual earnings limit can collect some benefits each year because their penalty is small enough. For example, people earning $25,000 per year would exceed the 2022 earnings limit by $5,440 and, thus, incur a penalty of $2,720. That would probably mean about two months of withheld benefits, enabling them to get benefits for the remaining 10 months of the year. Social Security will withhold benefits for enough months to recover whatever the beneficiary owes for exceeding the limit.
The rules surrounding Social Security’s earning test are somewhat complex. For example, there is a “first year rule” which exempts salary earned prior to claiming SS from counting toward the earnings limit. When people first claim Social Security mid-year they are, instead, subject to a monthly limit ($1,630 for 2022) for the remaining months of the calendar year. If the monthly limit is exceeded, no benefits are payable for that month. The earnings limit no longer applies when full retirement age is reached but is still in effect in the months of that year prior to attaining FRA. The earnings limit during those months is much higher and the “penalty” for exceeding it is less.
Social Security prefers that those working and collecting early benefits contact them in advance to withhold benefits for as long as needed to offset the expected penalty. Doing so will avoid an overpayment notice being issued in the following year when your earnings amount is received from the IRS.
After full retirement age, Social Security will adjust the beneficiary’s payment to account for months benefits were withheld and increase the monthly amount accordingly. That will result in some, or perhaps all, of the withheld benefits being recovered over time — depending on longevity.
Russell Gloor is a national Social Security advisor at the AMAC Foundation, the nonprofit arm of the Association of Mature American Citizens (AMAC). The 2.4 million member AMAC says it is a senior advocacy organization. Send your questions to: ssadvisor@amacfoundation.org.
Author’s note: This article is intended for information purposes only and does not represent legal or financial guidance. It presents the opinions and interpretations of the AMAC Foundation’s staff, trained and accredited by the National Social Security Association (NSSA). The NSSA and the AMAC Foundation and its staff are not affiliated with or endorsed by the Social Security Administration or any other governmental entity.
Pinsky & Skandalis law firm leases nearly 3,000 square feet of office space in DeWitt
DeWITT — Pinsky & Skandalis Attorneys at Law recently leased 2,943 square feet of class A office space at 6723 Towpath Road in the town of DeWitt. Brian Balash of Cushman & Wakefield/Pyramid Brokerage Company helped arrange the transaction, representing the tenant in this lease, according to a release from the real-estate firm. The office
Become a Central New York Business Journal subscriber and get immediate access to all of our subscriber-only content and much more.
Click here to purchase a paywall bypass link for this article.
DeWITT — Pinsky & Skandalis Attorneys at Law recently leased 2,943 square feet of class A office space at 6723 Towpath Road in the town of DeWitt.
Brian Balash of Cushman & Wakefield/Pyramid Brokerage Company helped arrange the transaction, representing the tenant in this lease, according to a release from the real-estate firm.
The office is located in a more than 49,000-square-foot building, located on almost 7.5 acres of land, according to Onondaga County’s online real-estate records. The property is owned by Mesa of NY, Inc. of Syracuse.
Pinsky & Skandalis is a small law firm with practice areas including government relations & administrative law, litigation & insurance defense, health care, transportation & logistics, business, corporate & tax, and general practice, according to its website.
VIEWPOINT: Digital vs. Traditional Marketing: Who Wins?
“When used together, traditional and digital marketing can reach more audiences, build and keep trust, and motivate buying from consumers who otherwise might tune out marketing messages.” — Harvard Business Review With apps like TikTok and Snapchat drawing in hundreds of millions of users every day, companies now more than ever are directing their attention toward
Become a Central New York Business Journal subscriber and get immediate access to all of our subscriber-only content and much more.
Click here to purchase a paywall bypass link for this article.
“When used together, traditional and digital marketing can reach more audiences, build and keep trust, and motivate buying from consumers who otherwise might tune out marketing messages.”
— Harvard Business Review
With apps like TikTok and Snapchat drawing in hundreds of millions of users every day, companies now more than ever are directing their attention toward digital advertising. With increasingly valuable software that personalizes and tracks your target users, who wouldn’t? But does this mean the era of traditional television, radio and print is over? According to the Harvard Business Review (HBR), not quite.
After a decade-long decline in traditional advertising, research shows that companies today are reinvesting in these media that many disregarded as a passing era. Traditional marketing is proving to be an enduring approach to advertising that digital ads cannot completely expunge.
As many businesses already know, digital and traditional advertising each have their advantages and disadvantages. While social media may rightfully seem like the new, shiny path to progress in the world of advertising, that is not to say one should throw traditional advertising to the wind.
Why traditional?
Tradition is tradition for a reason. A well-placed television, radio, or print advertisement is consistently shown to garner more engagement than the digital advertisements to which consumers have grown accustomed. Think about it — how often do you scroll right past the wall of advertisements on Instagram, or count down the five seconds until you can skip ahead to your YouTube video?
It is much easier to ignore the abundance of “digital clutter,” as HBR calls it, than ignore an advertisement on a television show you’re already watching, or a well-written advertisement in a newsletter you’re already reading. Scrolling past an ad on social media is mindless, whereas one cannot fully ignore a printed ad quite as easily. This natural exposure to traditional advertising is typically received better, as well. Consumers are more engaged, attentive, and receptive to traditional ads when they are being overexposed to digital ones.
Why digital?
New media is attractive to many companies for its ability to pull in new consumers — especially younger generations who turn to social media and streaming services before cable television, radio, outdoor, or direct mail. Readily available metrics are also a big draw for business.
Digital advertising has grown exponentially because of its own unique merits. With so many options in the digital realm, it may seem possible to reach all of your desired consumers at once, eliminating the need for older marketing methods. Digital ads may be able to reach the same consumer, but they may not elicit the same reaction. While traditional ads can be more personal in terms of storytelling and individuality, nothing says personal like third-party cookies. Targeting consumers has never been easier than it is today, and this will always set digital apart from traditional. Yet, at the same time there is always the threat of the cookie crumbling.
Why both?
We’ve touched on some of the pros and cons of each strategy, but what about the synergy of using both traditional and digital? That’s where it’s at. By using a media mix, messaging will have a much larger reach and a greater impact on conversions and sales.
For example, you’re driving down the road and hear an ad for the same product you saw on social this AM and then later you see it again on YouTube or TV. This is where repetition across media and platforms can really resonate with audiences and creates greater brand exposure. It’s also where credibility and trust are built. The combination of digital and traditional reinforces messaging and elicits buy-in. Using traditional to push consumers to a company website or social page enables the two to work together to help create a positive response and move customers through the stages of the buyer’s journey.
Adopting an integrated marketing approach of traditional and digital ties your messages together. The result is an increase in brand engagement: a win-win for brands and consumers.
Steve Johnson is managing partner of Riger Marketing Communications in Binghamton. Contact him at sdjohnson@riger.com. Kaitlyn Liu, a former intern at Riger, co-authored this article.
OPINION: Why is Gov. Hochul Stalling COVID-19 Response Report?
Since taking office, Gov. Kathy Hochul has insisted a full review of the state’s COVID-19 pandemic response is forthcoming. Yet, as the weeks and months linger on, no such report has been released nor has the administration even hired any consultants or even begun taking contract bids to get to the bottom of what happened.
Become a Central New York Business Journal subscriber and get immediate access to all of our subscriber-only content and much more.
Click here to purchase a paywall bypass link for this article.
Since taking office, Gov. Kathy Hochul has insisted a full review of the state’s COVID-19 pandemic response is forthcoming. Yet, as the weeks and months linger on, no such report has been released nor has the administration even hired any consultants or even begun taking contract bids to get to the bottom of what happened. It appears that while the families of those who died continue to desperately seek clarity and answers, the governor is in no rush to provide them.
Sadly, it is not surprising the governor is dragging her feet on the matter. The timeline of events leading up to today — including the previous administration’s disastrous policy to admit COVID-positive individuals into nursing homes and long-term care facilities, subsequent cover up of the true number of elderly New Yorkers who died, the earthshattering investigation from New York Attorney General Letitia James, and now obvious stalling on a full report — is clear evidence the governor is afraid of what that report may reveal. Too bad for her, though, hiding from the facts does not make them any less true.
The Assembly Minority Conference long suspected the state’s pandemic response was ineffective, and as such has pushed back hard against any attempts to shield the public from what really happened. My colleagues and I have written letters, requested hearings, asked that those most closely involved be subpoenaed, demanded answers, and supported every effort by those impacted to press their representatives and the governor’s office to investigate the matter thoroughly and honestly. This information is critical to ensuring nothing like this ever happens again.
Misleading and dodging the families and loved ones of those impacted is unto itself completely unacceptable. But just as inappropriate is a willful delay or deliberate withholding of critical information that could be applied to future public-health emergency responses. This information is lifesaving, and obscuring it for political convenience is well beyond the pale. Simply stated, we need answers. We have needed them for months, and Gov. Hochul’s time is up — no more stalling.
I have spoken to individuals across New York state who have experienced the worst of the pandemic response and they all want the same thing: closure. They are not going to forget what happened, and any political strategy centered on waiting out the public outrage is not going to work. As the state’s chief executive, Gov. Hochul has a moral responsibility to get to the bottom of what happened, and each passing day she does not is a travesty that disrespects the tens of thousands of victims and those who mean to prevent another tragedy.
I am, again, calling on her to fully investigate the state’s pandemic response, fix prior mistakes, and help our state finally heal.
William (Will) A. Barclay, 53, Republican, is the New York Assembly minority leader and represents the 120th New York Assembly District, which encompasses most of Oswego County, including the cities of Oswego and Fulton, as well as the town of Lysander in Onondaga County and town of Ellisburg in Jefferson County.
OPINION: Always Leave Them with Hope
Many years ago, I was in the audience when the Rev. Jesse Jackson, the civil-rights activist and election mobilizer, gave a speech. He often used the catchphrase, “Keep hope alive!” when he spoke, and he did so that time. The audience picked it up as a chant, shouting out in unison: “Keep hope alive!” It
Become a Central New York Business Journal subscriber and get immediate access to all of our subscriber-only content and much more.
Click here to purchase a paywall bypass link for this article.
Many years ago, I was in the audience when the Rev. Jesse Jackson, the civil-rights activist and election mobilizer, gave a speech. He often used the catchphrase, “Keep hope alive!” when he spoke, and he did so that time. The audience picked it up as a chant, shouting out in unison: “Keep hope alive!” It was a memorable bit of political showmanship.
A few years later, I gave a speech at a small college in Iowa. I used it to analyze all the challenges our country faced, domestic and foreign, and finished thinking I’d done a pretty good job of laying out our problems. Afterward, a young student came up to me. “That was a marvelous speech, Congressman,” she said. “I’ve just got one question: Is there any hope?”
I realized then that, far from rising to the occasion, I had failed. Jesse Jackson was right: You always have to leave your listeners with hope, and I had not done that.
This is hard to pull off, of course — possibly harder now than it was then. We face a long list of seemingly intractable problems, from climate change to mass shootings to threats to our democratic processes to overseas rivals willing to test us at every turn. It’s easy to get discouraged and to believe that we cannot solve or manage those problems — and then to give in to despair. But Jackson and that student were right. We constantly need reminding that we can change things for the better.
The reason, actually, is straightforward. The backbone of our system of representative democracy is its faith in ordinary Americans to step up to their responsibility as citizens to improve their corner of the world — by their own direct actions as well as by making discriminating judgments about politicians and policies. If you rob people of hope, then you rob them of a reason to be involved.
In decades of talking to people all over the country, I have been repeatedly impressed by the strength of citizens’ desire to improve their communities. This often reflected itself in specific projects — a bridge, road, or renovations to a local school — but it also applied to supporting quality leaders who could get things done for their communities.
To be sure, people were often wary of politics: they thought it was filled with messiness and noise. But at the end of the day, they saw the need for deal-making, compromise, and negotiation. I think this is still true for the majority of Americans, though an alarming number these days want to elect political leaders who will brook no compromise — and, indeed, seem to take an almost punitive approach to fellow citizens and politicians who disagree with them. They want to extinguish hope.
Still, I believe that most Americans are solidly pragmatic. They recognize the complexities of the challenges we face, see the limitations on what can be accomplished at any given moment, and believe that even in the face of division there is much that unites us, especially the urge to improve our own lives and those of our neighbors and fellow community members. They’re very aware of differences of opinion and operate out of a basic sense of decency and fairness. They want the process to reflect fairly where people stand. I think that, without articulating it, they understand instinctively that keeping the process fair is crucial to keeping hope alive.
I have worked in this system a long time, and I believe it can do just that — if it’s allowed to work, and if citizens are allowed to fulfill the basic responsibility of being involved. That’s why the hope of changing things for the better is so crucial. We may face serious, difficult problems, but if we allow ourselves to become discouraged — or even worse, to be discouraged from tackling them — then progress really will be impossible.
Lee Hamilton, 91, is a senior advisor for the Indiana University (IU) Center on Representative Government, distinguished scholar at IU Hamilton Lugar School of Global and International Studies, and professor of practice at the IU O’Neill School of Public and Environmental Affairs. Hamilton, a Democrat, was a member of the U.S. House of Representatives for 34 years (1965-1999), representing a district in south-central Indiana.
Pinckney Hugo Group, a full-service marketing- communications firm, has hired SAM MERLIN, of Syracuse, as a motion graphics designer. Prior to joining Pinckney Hugo Group, Merlin worked as a videographer and video editor at 1A Auto Parts in Pepperell, Massachusetts. He also gained experience as the chief editor for Medfield TV in Medfield, Massachusetts, and
Become a Central New York Business Journal subscriber and get immediate access to all of our subscriber-only content and much more.
Click here to purchase a paywall bypass link for this article.
Pinckney Hugo Group, a full-service marketing- communications firm, has hired SAM MERLIN, of Syracuse, as a motion graphics designer. Prior to joining Pinckney Hugo Group, Merlin worked as a videographer and video editor at 1A Auto Parts in Pepperell, Massachusetts. He also gained experience as the chief editor for Medfield TV in Medfield, Massachusetts, and as a freelance videographer.
C2C Construction Solutions LLC has hired ADAM FOX as a full-time project manager/estimator. He has been interning with C2C Construction Solutions for the past year while completing his final year at Utica University in the construction management program. While attending Utica University, Fox joined the Associated General Contractor Student Chapter and has completed his OSHA
Become a Central New York Business Journal subscriber and get immediate access to all of our subscriber-only content and much more.
Click here to purchase a paywall bypass link for this article.
C2C Construction Solutions LLC has hired ADAM FOX as a full-time project manager/estimator. He has been interning with C2C Construction Solutions for the past year while completing his final year at Utica University in the construction management program. While attending Utica University, Fox joined the Associated General Contractor Student Chapter and has completed his OSHA 30-hour safety course. He has experience in custom wood working and a residential construction background.
Stay up-to-date on the companies, people and issues that impact businesses in Syracuse, Central New York and beyond.