SAM Agency Newsletter

Sixth-grader Brad Price strolled through the halls of the Riverchase Galleria, idly gazing into storefronts when something caught his eye. A lady was approaching him with a look of excitement on her face.

“Have you ever heard that you look just like Justin Bieber?” the lady asked.

A few moments later, Brad had his first paid Bieber appearance. And after successfully impersonating the Biebs at the mallgoer’s daughter’s birthday party, he realized he could take his uncanny resemblance further.

Making Bieber a Business

Brad got in touch with a local dance studio in Hoover, where he emulated a video of Justin Bieber’s song Baby. After learning the dance, he made a Facebook page and a website. Before long, the bookings started flowing in.

“When I first started, I was the talk of the town,” Brad said. “Being on the news was pretty cool, too.”

Brad’s Bieber career included birthday parties, dance competitions, and publicity events for the dance studio he worked with. His biggest success came when Macy’s Corporate hired him to appear at the Riverchase Galleria location for the launch of Justin Bieber’s perfume.

When Justin Bieber came to Birmingham in 2013, he received a call from Scooter Braun, Justin Bieber’s manager.

“It was crazy talking to a guy that famous when I was just a teenager,” Brad said of the two-minute phone call.

While the Macy’s event was his biggest appearance, it wasn’t his most cherished. Brad’s favorite Bieber moment was when he attended a special needs event and saw the impact it made on the kids there.

Retiring and Revisiting

Brad’s stint lasted from early middle school until his freshman year of high school. Several factors including Bieber’s shorter haircut, lessened demand for birthday parties, and Brad’s desire for a rebrand led him to shutter the business.

Brad Bieber lay dormant until team members at SAM found out about his past. When the March squad challenge came around, S3 knew exactly who they needed. 

“Bringing back Bieber was nothing new,” Brad said. “I’ve never been camera shy. When I was younger, my grandmother and mom were always taking photos and home videos of me. I did theatre growing up. I’ve just always been comfortable in front of the camera.”

If you missed Brad’s performance, you can watch the S3 squad video here.

For as long as she can remember, Sr. Social Media Coordinator Amanda Dunn has wanted a big family. The lively holiday celebrations, packed family photos, and joyful chaos that come with a house full of kids were always part of her plan. With a mix of fate, faith, and determination, that dream is becoming a reality for Amanda and her husband, Josh. The two recently announced the beginning of their Domestic Infant Adoption journey, and Amanda shared what led them to this momentous decision.

“As far back as my mission trip in college, I had always talked about adoption,” Amanda said. “It’s always something that has been on my heart.”

When the Dunns decided this might be their path to parenthood, Amanda’s father mentioned an old high school friend who works in the adoption field. After connecting with her, the couple realized adoption was meant to be. They began reaching out to agencies and starting the first steps.

The Dunns have an adoption consultant to help them through the sometimes overwhelming process. Currently, they are in the consultation stage, which involves plentiful paperwork, training videos, and building an adoption book.

The next step will be a home study. Here, the state comes in to inspect and interview to ensure the adoption-hopefuls will provide an environment fit for a child. Once they are approved and active in the network, the couple can begin submitting their adoption book to be placed in front of birth mothers.

Once a birth mother selects the Dunns, they will have a chance to learn about her history, health, and background. If both parties accept, they could be anywhere from days to months away from adopting a new baby.

“You really have to be prepared to have a baby at any moment,” Amanda said. “The potential timeframe is big, so you have no idea until a match is made when the baby will be born. We’ve already begun buying nursery furniture and supplies.”

The adoption won’t necessarily be local, either. The Dunns might have to travel and stay in another state anywhere from 48 hours to two weeks, depending on varying state laws.

When asked about open versus closed adoptions, Amanda said she and Josh prefer an open adoption, but they are open to a closed one if the birth mother decides that.

“We see open adoption as a blessing on both ends,” Amanda said. “We’re adopting a family, not just a baby. When I was on my mission trip, people expected that our work would be a huge blessing to the people we were helping. In reality, I feel like I gained more than I gave. We think we will be blessed by this adoption more than we could bless anyone else, so we’re going into it with a very open mindset.”

Throughout the process, Amanda said her faith has been the biggest encouraging factor.

“We were trying to decide if adoption was God’s decision or just ours, but so many signs and things fell into place as soon as we chose to adopt that it confirmed it’s the path we’re supposed to be on.”

At the end of the day, there is always more research and deliberation that can be done, but Amanda said she must simply trust that all will work out, her family will be united soon, and what needs to happen will happen.

You can follow along for updates on the Dunn’s adoption journey by visiting https://alsmith3916.wixsite.com/dunnfamilyadoption.

2,300 years ago, Aristotle defined the three pillars of persuasion – ethos, logos, and pathos. Now, two millennia later, these principles remain indispensable to a successful marketing strategy. Ethos, which represents credibility, is especially important for dealerships looking to gain market share and retain their customer base.

Manly Honda in Santa Rosa, California, holds one of the most credible titles a store could wish for. This dealership was the first in history to sell a Honda vehicle in the United States. Today, you can still see the retired model displayed on the showroom floor.

Even greater than the historical claims Manly Honda can make are its modern-day accolades. Since becoming a SAM client, the dealership has secured the number one spot in its district for two months in a row – a first for the store.

It’s easy to assume that a top-level spot requires an enormous amount of ad spend. The catch, however, is that Manly Honda’s budget is shockingly smaller than that of most SAM clients. In February, the dealership had a Facebook ads budget of just $2,100 and was one of the agency’s top-performing accounts in terms of sales and traffic.

One of the dealership’s secrets to success is its highly targeted approach. The goal was to penetrate the local Hispanic market, as it represents a significant opportunity for expansion. In January, SAM launched the store’s first Spanish-language ads. Shortly thereafter, a customer came in and referenced the ad’s offer. This was the first time a member of the Hispanic community had referenced any marketing from the dealership, and our client was overwhelmingly pleased.

Manly Honda also has a secret weapon up its sleeve – Adolfo Salazar. In Santa Rosa, Adolfo is somewhat of a local celebrity. At the dealership, he works as the Hispanic Marketing Manager. Originally, the company’s outreach to this market consisted of Adolfo posting organically to his own network of contacts. After SAM launched paid Facebook ads for the dealership, results only amplified.

Manly Honda is different from many SAM clients in that it prefers to invest in SEO more than PPC. The store runs double the amount for its SEO budget, believing that is where Manly Honda will see its greatest return. Mail is also a high performer for this dealership, with one recent mailer generating 21 calls in its first day. Previous mail campaigns have scored more than 30 sales matches.

To reach the level of success that Manly Honda has been able to achieve, it takes a mix of smart strategies and refined internal processes. This dealership has both, and with SAM’s help, plans to continue achieving many more number one feats.

In case you missed it, we’ve had several team members get recognized for their hard work lately. These employees are ready to take on higher-level responsibilities and contribute more to SAM in their expanded roles. Nice!

Kristen Callahan

• Promoted to Accounting Specialist

Hayley Grisham

• Promoted to Account Executive

Tom Little

• Promoted to Senior Copywriter

Zack Johnson

• Promoted to Digital Services Specialist

Savanna Gray

• Promoted to SEO Coordinator

Anne Heaney

• Promoted to Content Marketing Coordinator

If there’s one thing that’s synonymous with Sheila Grandy, it’s travel. But like many of us in 2020, she has had to take a different approach to leisure. So, how has Sheila spent her time when cruises and weekend excursions are off the table?

That’s what we’re here to find out.

Squeezing in a Little Sight-Seeing

Sheila and her best friend, Kim, got to enjoy one pre-pandemic trip this year.

“I did make it to Houston before everything shut down,” Sheila said. “We were dying to go to the rodeo, so we flew there at the beginning of March, right before everything really hit. We brought scarves to keep our faces covered, but that was before anyone was even wearing masks. Once we got back, the rest of my travel plans were off the books.”

Some of Sheila’s 2020 plans included Chicago in May, the New Orleans Essence Festival in July, Major League Baseball in August, and San Fransisco for New Year’s Eve.

After being forced to shift gears, Sheila said the memories of past trips helped keep her spirits high.

“My friends would always laugh because I took so many photos on our trips,” Sheila said. “Now, I’ve been sending and sharing those to help us remember the good times.”

Sheila recounted how, on a girls’ trip in 2018, the group went to New York City. On the last night, she insisted they walk the Brooklyn Bridge (they had already walked 12 miles that day). Her friends grudgingly agreed, but it turned out to be one of the best travel photos Sheila has ever captured. Now, the friends look back on that photo with nostalgia.

To fill her time this year, Sheila has enjoyed spending more time outdoors.

“I’ve always walked about 5 miles every morning, but typically I would go to the YMCA to do that,” Sheila said. “I’ve switched to outdoor walking since it’s safer, and I’ve really enjoyed the fresh air.”

Sheila has also enjoyed watching new church services online. There is one that particularly speaks to her in Chicago, and she plans to visit in person once travel is safer.

“After Chicago, I’m planning to take a girls’ trip to Savannah and Charleston,” Sheila said. “Everyone knows I love cruises, and this year was supposed to be my ninth. But land travel will come first.”

Despite the difficulty of traveling this year, Sheila has managed to tuck a few excursions under her belt. Her list includes an outdoor concert in Biloxi for the Fourth of July, a couple of trips to Memphis, and a recent visit to the Stardome Comedy Club in Hoover, AL.

Sheila has definitley found ways to make a challenging year interesting. Like the rest of us, she’s hoping for a speedy return to normalcy as we make our way into 2021.