Anvil Media, Inc., a search engine marketing (SEM) services agency, announced today strong financial growth in 2008, continuing in 2009. The combination of a growing team, expanded services and new business led to an 20 percent increase in revenue over 2007. Anvil expects continued growth in 2009 through a new set of SEM audits and the trend to focus advertising dollars into more measurable marketing channels during a recession.

“Client demand for Anvil’s social media marketing services was greater than expected,” stated Kent Lewis, President of Anvil Media, Inc. “While we’ve seen early success with social media marketing efforts for clients like Animation Mentor and Hungry Man Entertainment, we believe it’s a long-term commitment and payoff. We’re bullish about the benefits of social media marketing moving forward.”

In addition to social media marketing, Anvil announced a new set of audit and planning services targeted at Fortune 1000 companies looking to evaluate or validate the effectiveness of their current SEM efforts. Current SEM audits include search engine optimization (SEO) audits, pay-per-click (PPC) audits and online reputation management (ORM) audits. Anvil will also offer strategic consulting retainers and staff training for companies with existing SEM resources interested in taking their SEM campaigns to the next level.

“Since a majority of Fortune 1000 companies already have SEM agencies or dedicated in-house teams, the audits are a cost-effective way to fine-tune SEM efforts,” stated Hallie Janssen, Vice President of Anvil Media, Inc. “We’re committed to providing our clients with valuable insights that will result in a measurable improvement on the return-on-investment for their SEM programs.”

In 2008, Anvil has helped more than 100 companies increase awareness, leads or sales through SEM. A partial list of new SEM clients includes: AboutUs, Animation Mentor, Daily Journal of Commerce, DoneRight, ExpressJet, gDiapers, Grand America Hotels & Resorts, HorsepowerFreaks, Nautilus, PeopleFinders, Point6, Sterling Trucks, Tea Collection, Travel Tacoma and World Class Driving.

Anvil also received local and industry recognition in 2008 for its financial performance and work with the local community. The Portland Business Journal ranked Anvil Media as the 10^th Fastest Growing Private Companies in 2007. Anvil also continues to take on pro bono charity client projects, most recently Ronald McDonald House Charities and FORGE. Lastly, Anvil continues to stay involved in the SEM community, through support of SEMpdx and helping incubate local SEM agency, Formic Media.

To help meet the growing demand for search engine marketing and social media marketing and optimization services, Anvil added seven new employees. Nick Herinckx, Eric King and Heather Schwartz were added as Account Coordinators; Kurtis Alward, Mike Nierengarten and John Robbins were added as Account Executives and Yael Livneh as Office Manager.

About Anvil Media

Headquartered in Portland, Oregon, Anvil Media, Inc. is a search engine marketing (SEM) consulting agency specializing in search engine optimization (SEO), pay-per-click (PPC) management, social media marketing (SMM), SEM PR and online reputation management (ORM) auditing and ongoing services. Anvil helps Fortune 1000 clients generate a return-on-investment (ROI) on their online marketing programs by auditing existing agencies, programs or managing SEM efforts. Current clients include Concordia University, Extensis, Flowerbud, GolfNow, Jive Software, Lucy, Oregon State University, PC World Magazine, Planar Systems, Provenance Hotels, Travel Portland, Tumbleweed and Yesmail. For more information, visit www.anvilmediainc.com.

@jerryketel can you weigh in on the whopper virgins campaign? http://www.whoppervirgins.com/

Dear @Ibautist,

The Whopper Virgins campaign is pure artful propaganda. The filmmaking—as seen on the microsite—is as good as any of the best documentaries I’ve ever seen. It was nicely photographed, the choice of music propelled the story, the subjects were treated with warmth and dignity. The story itself had an element of suspense to it and it rewarded the viewer by being both surprising and intelligent. It made me think. And that is where the piece failed. Because it made me think how manipulative the pseudo-documentary was. It made me think how unscientific the survey was and how the tasters were being polite hosts when asked how they liked the Whopper being grilled in their homeland before their eyes. Of course they said it was good! But most of all it made me think of how the documentary has been used recently as propaganda, thanks to the likes of Michael Moore and Errol Morris. And now, the documentary, a category unto itself in the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is being used to shill an industrial American hamburger. How far the art form has fallen.

It is really good propaganda. It just made me think too much.

Jerry Ketel

I had the pleasure of speaking to Ms. Oppenheimer (new to our “beat” for the Oregonian) about current market conditions.  We discussed the many positive opportunities that avail themselves in a down market.  Businesses that don’t respond quickly may be at a disadvantage – not extinction, a BIG difference. Granted, “disadvantage” doesn’t have the drama of “extinction” but it’s accurate.  What do you think? -Jamie Sexton, ED, PAF

http://www.oregonlive.com/business/index.ss f?/base/business/1228879520171190.xml&coll=7

Do you support changing this to say University of Oregon?

First of all, I am not against the University of Oregon. It is a fine school and it is likely that my son will be going there next fall. But changing the old White Stag sign to say University of Oregon is crass, over-the-top advertising that kicks the rest of the University system right in the zipper. PSU is a few blocks away for criminey sakes! Why are we advertising a school that already has more than enough Nike money, exposure and clout with one of our most visible and well-liked signs? It’s pretty obvious that the grandfathered sign was part of the appeal to refurbishing the old White Stag building. I was all for the sign on the Burnside Bridge when it said “Made in Oregon” (even though it advertised the Made in Oregon stores) because it seemed like a boost to all products made in Oregon. Now the red nosed reindeer leaping over the outline of the state—one of the biggest signs in the city—will be advertising a school in a way that obscures the other fine schools in our state. And that ain’t right.

Besides that, graphically the proposed design just doesn’t work. But that’s another story.

Jerry Ketel