Q: What is a Collaborative Marketing Service?

A: While "collaborative" or "associated" marketing and services have recently been in the news, Ashton & Company has used this business model for the last 20 years, helping clients increase their sales, in a profitable way.

Specifically, company principal David F. Ashton provides clients his skills, based on 30 years of experience, plus those of his contracted network of professionals in creative problem solving, industrial, business-to-business advertising, and retail advertising. Plus, you benefit from his network of production experts in photography, digital graphics, illustration, package design, digital graphic reproduction, video and printing & lithography.

The result? You get top-notch help from only the skilled professionals you need to create your sales and marketing solutions. Why pay the overhead for fancy offices or a bloated staff roster?

Q: Why are your views on marketing, advertising and promotion different from many other professionals?

A: Some busy executives and company owners are hoping for "Marketing Black Magic in a Box" to help increase sales and profits. After being in this business for 30 years, we’d rather be straight-up with clients.

Marketing is not a magical process. Advertising and marketing strategies and tactics have been researched and quantified for over 100 years! The fact is, some things work better than others. Unless your firm has unlimited resources (and whose does?) to experiment on unproved methods, we’d rather give you the best-practice advice -- and finished, ready-to-use marketing tools like literature, presentations and ads to get the job done.

Q: Who are your clients?

A: Our client list is confidential. We work seamlessly, invisibly, behind-the-scenes for both direct clients, and for other marketing agencies as well.

Here is a list products and service assignments which will help you get an idea of the breadth and scope client’s who have benefited from our services:

Source Note: (DC)=Direct Client -- (A)=Ad Agency

Consumer Goods and Services

Amusement & Recreation Service/Equipment
Louisville, Kentucky (DC)

Baby Diapers - Disposable
Houston, TX (A)

Cosmetic - Skin Care Line
Las Vegas, NV (DC)

Fast Food Restaurant Menu Item
Chicago, IL (A)

Snack Cake/Pastry
Escondido, CA (DC)

Subdivision - Gated Community
Salt Lake City, UT (A)

Industrial Products or Services

Automotive Aftermarket - Trim Accessories
Seattle, WA (A)

Automotive Aftermarket - Truck Bed Liners
Bakersfield, CA (A)

Chicken Food Product — Food Service Industry
Springfield, MO (A)

Extruded Aluminum - line of building products
Tampa, FL (A)

Fire Fighting Vehicle
Longview, WA (DC)

Software, Accounting
San Jose, CA (A)

Software, CAD
El Segundo, CA (A)

Software, Telecommunication
Santa Clara, CA (A)

Software, Timekeeping/Accounting
Studio City, CA (DC)

Oil Field - Blow-Back Valve & Controls
Houston, TX (A)

Oil Field - Geopetro Evaluation Device
Houston, TX (A)

Wood Exterior Public Seating
Dallas, TX (A)

Company Names

Employee Assistance Program - EAP
Minneapolis, MN (DC)

Home Healthcare Agency - Company Name
Van Nuys, CA (DC)

Litigation Support Firm
Woodland Hills, CA (A)

Oil Field Exploration and Consulting (International)
Houston, TX (A)

Software - Third Party Developer
Studio City, CA (CA)

Q: Can we see samples of your work?

A: Yes, certainly! You are looking at a sample right now!

Beyond that, the work we do for you and our other clients remains confidential. You are best served by marketing professionals who are working exclusively to increase your sales and profits, not win awards and promote themselves.

Consider this: Sample marketing communications pieces are, at best, solutions to other’s problems, not yours. You get custom-created marketing solutions, not a "Chinese-dinner Menu" from which to select, which may or may not solve your hunger (problem).

Finally, when someone shows you a portfolio, there is no way to tell what they did, nor what part they played in creating the ads, brochures or web sites. Marketing communications is a collaborative effort.