History

 

In 1984, Rick Long left the practice of law for the world of marketing and communication. The first step in this journey was joining a small Tulsa-based publishing company—working initially on a single monthly newsletter providing business advice to a specific retail niche.

 

Five years later—in 1989—Rick and his employer founded Source Publications with a goal of providing communication services to a much broader range of industries, niches and clients. While Rick ultimately bought out his partner’s interest in Source, the two remain steadfast friends and continue to work on various projects together (including the original publication that Rick began editing way back in 1984).

 

From those humble beginnings, SOURCEmpi (as we are now known) has matured into a diversified custom communications firm, with expertise in three crucial areas:

 

Marketing...Publications…Interactive.

 

Click on the other tabs in this section to learn more about our team, our mission and our clients.

Team

 

Walk down the hall at the SOURCEmpi office and you’ll see a splendid cast of professionals:

Strategists who can tailor the perfect plan to a given set of facts
Designers who routinely deliver knock-your-socks-off creativity
Writers and editors adept at finding just the right words in every situation
Developers who provide winning interactive solutions, no matter the challenge
And project managers who make it all happen—on time, on budget and with the results you expect.

SOURCEmpi is completely comfortable executing a complex communication plan from conception to completion. We’re equally comfortable working side-by-side with a client's internal team and other external resources (like advertising agencies, PR firms, video professionals and printers).

Mission

 

SOURCEmpi is guided by a well-developed sense of who we are and what we do best. This understanding informs our work, our relationships and our business strategies.

 

Compare your personality and needs against the descriptions below. If SOURCEmpi is the type of communications company with which you’d like to associate, let’s talk!

 

What we care about:

  1. Things that make a difference
  2. Growing long-term partnerships
  3. Each other
  4. Life
  5. Excellence

 

What we’re good at

  1. Brand strategy
  2. Storytelling
  3. Integrating design and message
  4. Coordinating print and interactive solutions
  5. Database strategy and development
  6. Niches
  7. Customer relations management

 

Where our business model leads us:

  1. A smaller number of larger client relationships
  2. Engagements that involve leverage
  3. An emphasis on content
  4. Projects where we add at least one indispensable element
Clients

 

Any custom communication firm is known by the company it keeps. SOURCEmpi is proud to have strong relationships with market-leading organizations in both the profit and nonprofit worlds.

 

SOURCEmpi clients are found in different niches and markets. They are pursuing different goals and dreams. What they share is an uncompromising commitment to speaking honestly, clearly and creatively to their respective audiences.

 

Among the names on our rapidly growing client roster are:

 

American Academy of Family Physicians

Oklahoma Centennial Photographic Survey

Applause Theater and Entertainment

Oklahoma Housing Finance Agency

BASF

Pastors Retreat Network

cleftRock Retreat Center

Petroleum Equipment Institute

Dynamic Brands

PetroSkills

Geophysical Research Company

River Parks Authority

Gilcrease Museum of the Americas

Teleflora

Leadership Network

Winnercomm

 

Key Markets

 

Let us tell you more about our expertise in the following niches—and how we attack assignments in new industries and market segments:

 

Health and medical

Faith-based organizations

Nonprofit associations

Retail

Small business

Travel

Energy

Specialty gift stores

Technology

Education

home  |  contact us  
::"Metaphors We Live By"
kate  edwards  (proj. manager)

 

Metaphors We Live By--a truly fitting title to George Lakoff and Mark Johnson's thought-provoking book (1980), which highlights the work of a familiar literary tool in everyday life--the metaphor. Lakoff and Johnson propose that this linguistic instrument infiltrates people's thoughts, speech, and expectations of both the here-and-now and the future.

Consider the hurried businessman buying a morning doughnut from a street vendor. For him, "time is money." Or, consider the woman who is waiting on "hold" with the electric company. She operates under the metaphor of "argument as war," as she strategizes a way to win the battle 
over last month's bill. 

The metaphor also translates to business. Do you think of your business as a "bread-winner" or a "mouth to feed"? Is your marketing strategy a "Hail Mary" or an "offensive tactic"? Awareness of your unspoken metaphors helps you become more intentional in the way you think of and market your business.

The best part of my job is working personally with clients to understand their organization and help further their goals with the right materials--an earthy and haven-like logo for a faith-based retreat center, for example. Without fail, clients' perceptions of their businesses improve with new branding, media or print materials that are crafted to fit their metaphor.

The book is worth the read. And, this thought is worth considering: What metaphors do you 
live by?
forward to a friend   post a comment

Comments:

 

On 11.11.09, Angela Bruckner commented:

I thought about this article in SWA Spirit magazine when I read this. http://www.spiritmag.com/click_this/article/monetizing_your_metaphor/


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HISTORY
TEAM
MISSION
CLIENTS

In 1984, Rick Long left the practice of law for the world of marketing and communication. The first step in this journey was joining a small Tulsa-based publishing company—working initially on a single monthly newsletter providing business advice to a specific retail niche.

 

Five years later—in 1989—Rick and his employer founded Source Publications with a goal of providing communication services ...

 

READ MORE ...

Walk down the hall at the SOURCEmpi office and you’ll see a splendid cast of professionals:

 

Strategists who can tailor the perfect plan to a given set of facts. Designers who routinely deliver knock-your-socks-off creativity. Writers and editors adept at finding just the right words in every situation. Developers who provide winning interactive solutions, no matter the challenge. And project managers who ...

 

READ MORE ...

SOURCEmpi is guided by a well-developed sense of who we are and what we do best. This understanding informs our work, our relationships and our business strategies.

 

Compare your personality and needs against the descriptions below. If SOURCEmpi is the type of company with which you’d like to associate, let’s talk!

 

What do we care about? ...

 

READ MORE ...

Any custom communication firm is known by the company it keeps. SOURCEmpi is proud to have strong relationships with market-leading organizations in both the profit and nonprofit worlds.

 

SOURCEmpi clients are found in different niches and markets. They are pursuing different goals and dreams. What they share is an uncompromising commitment to speaking honestly, clearly and creatively to their ...

 

READ MORE ...