HCP Associates (HCP) is a research-based marketing and communications firm headquartered in The Channelside District of Downtown Tampa. HCP strategizes with senior-level leaders to advise on big decisions that increase awareness and brand equity while giving back to communities through public/private agencies and non-profits in Tampa Bay and beyond.
Whether working with a large corporation, non-profit, or small business, HCP has a long history of developing trusted relationships with CEOs, Presidents, and Board Chairs in the public and private sectors. Through these relationships, HCP assists them through complex initiatives during strategic planning. Whether fielding quantitative or qualitative research, developing new product or service strategies, being a sounding board for senior management to align sales and marketing, or handling a crisis communications issue, HCP is a value-added strategic partner. The firm’s leaders feel that marketing cannot be successful without proactive, strategic planning that includes measurable objectives, grounded in research, and evaluated for a return on investment.
HCP delivers a thought-leader perspective to executive leadership, helping them achieve their strategic visions and goals, according to HCP Associates’ Managing Partner Sean A. Coniglio.
Eric R. Polins, Managing Partner
“We give them pause from the day-to-day operations and look at the longer-term view of where the organization is going, determine the needs of those they serve, how it is evolving and changing, what are their real needs and desires, and how do we step back in with a plan based on what was learned,” Coniglio said. “We facilitate this process while supporting our client’s implementation teams. Some seek growth, while others seek a shift in direction; whatever the situation might be, we are focused on listening attentively to the leadership objectives, gaining a clear understanding of market demands and becoming the catalyst to align where clients want to go.”
The HCP team provides business consulting, research, strategic planning, branding, communications, and marketing services to an extensive list of domestic and international clients. Client categories and niche vertical markets range in size and scope. The team has served international clients seeking to do business in the US, publicly traded financial companies, family-owned businesses, private equity holding companies, public/ private partnerships, and government agencies.
“An area we have invested a considerable amount of time in has been the government sector working with public administration officials addressing employee engagement, citizen sentiment, and quality of life issues,” Coniglio said. “Gone are the days you can conduct a public outreach town hall meeting that aids in decisions for public officials. We have continuously researched, rationalized, and applied new technological applications to collect research in dozens of unique case studies.”
HCP engages community stakeholders while their researchers collect community members’ opinions on critical questions that help public administration officials make life-changing decisions for long-term planning and big-budget projects that enhance the public’s quality of life.
For more than 35 years, HCP has served hundreds of clients in various industries, partnering as an extension of their management team, providing strategic consulting, research, branding, interactive, and cohesive business-building services. The firm’s marketing insights, research services, and strategic initiatives combine to build our brand of thoughtful hands-on consulting.
Sean A. Coniglio, Managing Partner
HCP’s Three Cannons: Research, Strategy, Marketing
RESEARCH
Research is the proverbial bridge between in-house marketing and outside agencies. Long-term brand equity and fact-based evaluations and conclusions are essential to increase effectiveness of advertising and communications. HCP has conducted various in-depth national studies for major corporations and organizations nationwide. The research developed through collaboration with leadership teams looks at awareness, ad recall, satisfaction, message testing, and advertising KPIs in pre- and post-tests. All senior leadership can benefit from an outside third-party perspective without bias to the organization’s internal opinions. HCP works well with ad agencies and internal marketing teams to improve the output of internal/external communication platforms. and external advertising and marketing tactics.
STRATEGY
Organizations cannot operate successfully without a strategic plan, and with a plan comes the ability to align ideas into a vision, mission, and position. Because HCP places such a heavy emphasis on research and data-driven facts, client strategies become much more precise. HCP uses traditional methods of exploring strategy that comes from thorough investigation, which is then adopted and applied in operational KPIs. Results can take on many forms, such as leading to a branding and positioning platform, a shift in organizational structure, investment in technology and human capital, or reimagining the brand story and communications model. Our mission is to gather all stakeholders together and moderate off-site working sessions to get everyone on the same page to execute a radar screen with accountability and laser-focused objectives measured quarterly with a report card to senior leadership and boards.
MARKETING
“Being analytical and thinking out-of-the-box is extremely important. We deliver unique business concepts all day long, but we like to rationalize our ideas with real, measurable research; our mantra is facts and figures always win the day. Whether your organization has an in-house marketing department, an outsourced agency, or both, HCP has a long history of high-level strategic planning and integrating actions with all three. For many of our long-term clients, HCP serves as their dedicated outsourced chief strategist and marketing consultant supporting our clients’ organizational goals while implementing our associates in key roles in an array of A-to-Z skills and tactics,” Polins said.
Once a clearly defined strategy is in place, HCP’s account management, marketing, communications, and design teams will work to ensure every step of your marketing plan is efficiently executed. Through every step of the process, we will monitor and report your marketing progress by consistently following our lifecycle model of research, planning, implementation, and evaluation.
