Feb 1, 2000

Hot Tip: Budget Branding Campaign

 

Alexandra Volkmann, CEO of Heavy Duty skin products, in Carmel, Calif., knows how to get creative on the cheap. She needed some art for her branding campaign, and she didn't yet have a budget. But Volkmann had a grandiose vision for her design -- she wanted a picture of a woman working as a mechanic on a vintage Cadillac. She persuaded a dealer to lend her a car for an afternoon shoot; then she and a photographer struck a creative deal. He could use images of her legs in a shoe campaign he was doing, and she could get her art for free. "The stipulation I made was that he wouldn't use my legs for something my mother wouldn't want to see," Volkmann jokes.


Mike Hofman was previously editor of Inc.com and a deputy editor at Inc. magazine, which he joined in 1996. The site was nominated for a National Magazine Award for Digital Media in 2010, and was named the best business website by Folio Magazine. In 2006, Hofman was part of a team of writers nominated for a Webby Award for best business blog. He lives in New York City. @mikehofman