Company Overview
The blueprint was generated in 1977 with a singular goal: traffic generation. Strong's unique and intelligent approach to automotive marketing and advertising has been successful for dealers and dealer groups across the country. The team is seasoned yet never stale. The process is proven but always evolving. The result is more traffic for the client, not more awards for the agency.
John Paul Strong - Partner
John Paul Strong was born to lead an automotive advertising agency. Having studied under the watchful eye of his father, Mike Strong, John Paul has been the driving force behind building Strong,LLC into an accomplished traffic-producing agency. Under John Paul's leadership, Strong's business has grown during the last four years despite the economic downturn. John Paul's infectious energy and enthusiasm permeates the entire agency and drives every member of the team to produce superior work on a daily basis. John Paul has authored 2 books in a series entitled Next Day Traffic and is an avid blogger writing over 600 blog posts for the agency's award-winning blog of the same title. He is a member of the Texas Auto Writers Association and was recently named one of Birmingham Business Journal's Top 40 Under 40 of 2013. John Paul is also the driving force behind the agency's award-winning blog Next Day Traffic (visit the blog at blog.strongthinking.com).
Mike Strong - Partner
The automotive career of Mike Strong spans more than thirty years and is marked by innovation. He developed the Step Selling Program, a concept created for Chevrolet that was adopted nationwide; he coined the term Smart Cars as a syndicated program for Certified Used Vehicles in 185 markets; he created the long-running "Don't You Buy No Ugly Truck!" campaign, a syndicated program for truck sales in more than 200 markets; and created Signature Vehicles, a unique vehicle branding program. Today, Mike serves as a director for evaluating and fine-tuning agency processes and product. His input regarding creative direction has established procedures to ensure design connectivity throughout all production elements for Strong, LLC clients.
Jack Griffis - Partner
Jack Griffis has spent his entire professional career in the automotive industry. After growing up at his father's dealership, he began his career as a Chevrolet salesman. Over the next 32 years, Jack helped create one of the largest and most successful automotive advertising agencies in the United States. As president of Intermark Automotive Group, Jack served as the account director for Gulf States Toyota advertising. This $65-million-a-year account covered 142 dealers across five states. Jack brings decades of experience in handling large dealer groups while providing each dealer with customized solutions to generate traffic.
Bill Marefka - VP/Senior Account Director
Bill Marefka boasts over 25 years of automotive advertising experience in all three tiers of the business. Bill is highly regarded in the industry for his ability to bridge the communication and technology gap between dealers and their customers, and he firmly believes that new media is key to success in today's automotive industry. His vast experience in marketing and strategic planning provide a unique skill set to the agency and clients. Bill served as Vice President of marketing/strategic planning for Intermark Group and the Gulf States Toyota account and head of Chevrolet marketing and the agency's individual dealer division. He managed all aspects of dealer business including digital media, traditional media, broadcast production, direct mail, and strategic planning.
