Former Crown Products Managers Launch New Venture

When the founders of Plan B Marketing learned that their hometown of Mobile, Ala. led Forbes Magazine’s 2008 list of Top 10 Fastest Growing Small Business Economies, they took notice. When they discovered three other cities within an eight-hour drive also made the list, they took action.

Plan B Marketing opened its doors to serve businesses throughout Ala. and along the Gulf Coast. Founded by Deborah Fetherland, Tucker Frazer and Amanda Bray, the company offers marketing and sales consulting services as well as more than 300,000 imprinted promotional products. “We help our clients get what they want from their marketing and sales programs,” explained Bray, formerly a marketing leader for PricewaterhouseCoopers in Atlanta. “We develop a custom solution for each client so that business owners can focus on their primary mission—serving their customers.”

The region’s economy was a key factor in the principals’ decision to start the company. “The Gulf Coast is booming, which creates new opportunities and challenges for local businesses,” said Frazer. “The three of us each have very different strengths in our professional experience and together we offer our clients the benefit of over 30 years of sales and marketing experience—a big advantage in this competitive new market,” Frazer concluded.

In addition to its local presence, the company has reached out to a national audience through its Web site, which includes an online promotional products store, marketing articles and reports on current trends. Currently, the company is calling attention to growing trend of “green” marketing. Fetherland explained, “More consumers are actively searching for ‘green’ choices in their lives, from energy and clothing to food and household items. By using eco-friendly promotional products to advertise their brand, companies are responding to a powerful market demand while making a strong statement about their own corporate values,” concluded Fetherland. Plan B Marketing sells more than 2,000 environmentally friendly products on its Web site.

Prior to starting Plan B Marketing, the trio worked for Crown Products in Mobile, Ala. where they held management responsibility in the areas of marketing, inside sales, large account management, product development and trade-show planning.