Responsive. Creative. Passionate.

About Antarra

We view our clients as a marketing partnership and believe the best communications efforts emerge from a thoughtful, ongoing conversation. We value your opinion and will work with you to craft a marketing approach to effectively share your vision with your end customer.

Antarra uses the marketing tools and processes developed by Bob Eminian. This includes the Optrian Marketing Method to help our clients effectively reach their audiences. The word Optrian, means three decision gates.

We believe that a buyer goes through three gates (logical, similarity and emotional) before they make a decision to buy.  If your marketing story doesn’t take them on that journey, you won’t get the results you want. 

Many marketers focus on product or service benefits. They extol the virtues of their product being unique, bigger, better, and faster. But where is the connection to start building a relationship with your brand?

What makes people buy a product? You could say the price, but the top luxury brands in the world would disagree with you. Why pay top dollar for a black designer dress when a similar off-the-rack dress at a discount store would cost you much less? 

Logical Door #1:  People buy products or services that have the features they need. For example, you ran out of toothpaste, so the next time you go to the store you will make a decision on which brand of toothpaste to purchase. 

Similarity Door #2:  People buy from people they perceive (or want to perceive) to be like them. This door is 60% of the buying process and is so important to the purchasing process that some companies will pay well-known influencers – actors, musicians, or sports stars to appear with their product to quickly establish similarity with their targeted audiences. For a B-to-B high-tech product it could be an analyst quote or product review in the right outlet. Similarity governs how we phrase text and choose images related to your marketing.

Emotional Door #3:  People buy on 20% emotion. This door is where companies that understand the value of consistent messaging over the years. The stronger the emotion, the more likely they’ll buy today instead of six months from now. For a B-to-B business, the emotional gate could be on-time delivery, cost, good customer service.

Example: You need a specific widget – this is the logical door. You know that Joe over at Acme Widgets understands your business and your specific widget need. This is the similarity door. Acme Widgets has always been good to you and has sold you a variety of good widgets delivered on time over the years. They understand the challenges you face in your business and you trust them. The result is a product sold and perhaps at a higher price than their competitors.

What if you are a start-up in this market how would you get Joe to become a customer?
The logical door is Joe needs a specific widget. The similarity door is Joe has seen your website and took note of the similarity of the work examples shown and his widget need. He then reads your blog about the challenges of a job that required the same widget, but they took a different approach in solving the problem and you thought it was a good idea. You then watched a quick video to see how they did the new approach. The emotional door for the start-up company was innovation.

By showing you the problem and a new way of correcting it – they gave you a fresh outlook on an aspect of your business, it made you feel like a hero and created a new customer for the start-up!

Meet the team

Carol Warren

Principal

Carol Warren is responsible for the management, strategic development and tactical supervision of technology accounts ranging from Clean Tech to Virtual Reality. She has managed extensive local, national and international marketing communications
programs for a host of technology companies.

Warren has also created award winning public affairs programs for technology companies in the public sector. Through her long involvement in the technology arena she has learned the importance of integrating new media technologies and traditional marketing strategies into the marketing mix.

She is second-generation marketing and was involved with her mother’s marketing agency during high school and throughout her college years. Past and current account responsibilities include: Samsung Semiconductor, Samsung R&D, Sony Manufacturing Systems USA, Memorex, Lunera Lighting, Audiofly, Rapoo, Proview (Sylvania/Xerox brand launches), Jon Peddie Research, Advanced Media (RITEKUSA), AccuPoll, TIFCA, Meant to be Seen, iZ3D,  and more.

Her public relations work for technology clients is responsible for numerous award winning public relations projects in print, online and multimedia. She is a member of the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) and Counselor’s Academy. Warren has served on e-marketing and e-public relations curriculum advisory committees for Cal State Fullerton. She has recently spoken to several organizations on creating social media marketing models. Warren holds a Bachelor’s degree from California State University Long Beach and also attended UCLA post grad.

Bob Eminian

Strategist and Chief Marketing Officer

Bob is a marketing storyteller.  He’s a solutions-focused Senior Executive and Consultant with 35 years of success across the marketing and advertising, technology, and computer hardware industries. Leveraging extensive experience leading branding strategy for companies, he is a valuable advisor for an organization needing help with global marketing. His broad areas of expertise include communications, strategic planning, marketing research, process planning and business analysis.

He worked for more than a decade on the client-side of marketing in leadership positions with Samsung, Lunera Lighting, AMD, iZ3D, and Empact Software, launching products that have generated billions of dollars in revenue.

In 2001, he founded the marketing and branding agency, Creor Group, where he leads a network of award-winning talent to tell the stories of clients such as Samsung, Lunera, SC Johnson & Company and NEC to name a few.

He also co-founded Creor-LED, a full service consulting practice for LED lighting and smart building controls markets; and co-founded CREW Communications, a communications, public relations and social media agency to help B2B and B2C clients.

In 2018, in addition to technology, software and consumer products marketing, Bob has been engaging in marketing consulting for the food and beverage industry, including the marketing and branding of restaurants, food products and chef brands. His immersion in high-tech helps food industry clients realize higher brand value with the application of technologies such as hyperscale imaging and blockchain for food supply chain and product quality assurance.

Clients find that Bob is their unique bridge between the client-side and agency-side of marketing. With degrees in engineering, business and as a Certified Business Communicator, he can guide a team to craft a story and voice that will resonate with the end customers of our clients.

John Warren

Creative Lead

As a third generation marketer, John’s focus is on the visual aspect of communications. He specializes in digital graphic design, as well as still, drone and video photography. He is an expert in web design and social media outreach programs that enhance communication and build relationships. He has produced award-winning graphic projects for numerous clients.

In John’s spare time he is involved in local politics and runs a popular community Facebook site for his town,

The Best Communications Programs Come from an ongoing conversation