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Scott Thornton, principal of TMV Group, a multifaceted brand development firm in Royal Oak, has an equation that he shares with every prospective client
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Scott Thornton, principal of TMV Group, a multifaceted brand development firm in Royal Oak, has an equation that he shares with every prospective client:
A + P = Money — or, put more simply, “awareness plus product equals profits.”

Founded in 2006, Thornton’s company has provided a range of clients with creative work that centers on traditional advertising services. Along the way, more requests came in for e-commerce work. At first, Thornton and his two partners, Bill Morden and Mike Vogel, took a flat fee for designing websites.

“What we found was that it was difficult to assess what the fee should be, because each project is so different,” Thornton says. “So now we create and operate an entire e-commerce operation and take a percentage of the sales, which is between 15 percent and 25 percent. That’s brought us a lot
of business.”

The trio has landed new e-commerce work while working with existing clients, like Faygo, to expand their digital reach. “For whatever reason, Colorado is the best state for e-commerce sales for Faygo,” Thornton says. “Whether it’s there or else-
where, the creative and the product drives business.”

The team is even looking at bringing back Black Bart and the Faygo Kid, a popular series of animated TV commercials from the mid-1950s to the early 1970s, to drive more business to Faygo’s website. Other e-commerce work includes a new fashion line for actor Matthew McConaughey, along with projects for such companies as Bobby Jones, Own the Play, and Beverly Hills Polo Club, among others. 

“We work on everything from social media to website management to direct shipping,” Thornton says. “It’s interesting what you learn. For example, did you know the (recent) widening of the Panama Canal has helped the East Coast better compete with the West Coast on shipping costs? That trend has helped us land more clients.” db