Manitoba Chamber of Commerce
Issue link: http://publications.winnipegfreepress.com/i/907645
40 december 2017 BY JIM TIMLICK W hen Paul Provost launched 6P Marketing 10 years ago, he did so with little fanfare or glitz. The company's origins were so humble, in fact, that Provost was its lone employee, operating out of the basement of his home for the first few months. A little over a decade later, 6P has established itself as a major player on the local marketing scene. The firm now employs 22 full-time staff and offers a full range of services, including brand management, design, content marketing, websites, search engine optimization and online advertising. It also has a much more visible presence, with offices on Princess Street in the Exchange District. Provost is a graduate of the I.H. Asper School of Business, and he worked in marketing for several years before striking out on his own. He attributes the company's success to lessons he learned years ago while working for his dad, Leo, at his travel agency, Platinum Travel. First and foremost, he says, it's important to keep clients happy and coming back time and again. "It sounds kind of smarmy but the underlying reason why we do what we do, really, is to help our clients," he says. "A lot of people do it … because they like design or they want to make a lot of money and they have advice to share with other people. We're just trying to help clients do a good job and at the same time make a decent wage that will pay our bills. We're not in it to build an empire." 6P started out catering primarily to small- and medium-sized businesses that didn't have the resources to operate their own in-house marketing departments. Its success in providing brand leadership and communications strategies eventually led to work with larger organizations, including Manitoba Pork, the Canadian Canola Growers Association and Richardson International. What sets 6P apart, Provost says, is the fact it provides integrated solutions for clients, as opposed to specializing in just one area. "Some companies do really good online, some do interactive videos, some build a decent website, but to do it all together, that's where it's really hard to do. We've gathered our staff together and kept them together and really been able to offer (that Paul Provost (standing at far right) with the 6P Marketing team. Photo by Darcy Finley PEOPLE AND PASSION ARE key ingredients