It's as easy as...
Before we can begin
creating/designing a marketing piece (ie) a logo, ad, brochure, website, etc. we have to know the answers to the three questions below.
1. Who are you talking to?
Who is the target you want to aim your message at? Is the target composed of one or more groups? What is the age/local/financial bracket of your target(s)? Do they speak English? Determining “who” can be easy when it’s obvious. Or complex, requiring research that can dissect your market, all of which determines the answer to the next question.
2. What do you want to say?
We start by asking your target audience what they want to hear (i.e.) “We like chocolate.” “We want the brand that costs less.” Etc. If we can boil your primary message down to one sentence, that would be ideal. In an effort to get more bang for your advertising buck, the mistake is often made to load up an ad or other marketing piece with too much information, making it too tedious and confusing for the target audience to grasp. The solution can be found in the third question.
With simplicity? With pizazz? With dignity? Loudly? How long do you want to say it? With multi media? With one or two print ads? Direct mail? TV/radio? How about an outdoor board on major freeways? As you can see, “how you say it” depends on a balance between what you can afford and how long you can afford it to get the results you want. But don’t be discouraged. We can show you more than one solution that can work. And with our finesse in marketing and creativity you will be surprised at how much can be said with the least amount of effort…and dollars!
3. How do you want to say it?
Once our 3-step process is completed, we have a basic marketing plan. We can then begin concepting ideas for a theme, style and message that will drive a simple program or a multi-media program composed of print, radio/TV, social media, direct mail, sponsorships, outdoors, signage, public relations and events, etc. Of course, messaging is key to our campaign- usually stated in a tagline or slogan such as; "Where's the Beef?", "A Diamond is Forever", "Let's Go Places", "Just Do it", "What's in Your Wallet?"
Branding
Are you who you
think you are?
Just like the clothes you wear...
your corporate dress (your logo, signage, stationery, office decor, even the way you act and treat people) all send a message about what kind of person you are and what kind of company you represent. That’s why it’s so important to build the image, the position, the “Brand” you want to be seen favorably by clients and prospective clients. We can help you develop a brand with disciplines and guidelines that will project the image, "the brand", that works for you.
Success Stories
The Herring Group
Known as Paul Braodhead & Associates in Meridan, Mississippi, This company specialized in designing and building shopping malls in middle markets around the country. After their move to Dallas, we changed their name to The Herring Group, reflecting the new owner's name, Buddy Herring. To animate the name we created a quarterly newsletter, The Herrald, which featured humorous depictions of the corporate leasing staff along with news about recent events, and upcoming events and awards. We created elaborate holiday cards and announcements- all in the vein of "fashionable elegance" to build on the quality fashion image retailers subscribe too. Our efforts took them from a perceived small builder of a few malls to a builder of many malls.
Bennigan's
One of the last "fern Bars", the concept needed refreshing. We enhanced it's Irish American theme with a new logo and trade dress reflecting the Irish American theme with a copper shrouded entry and an in-your-face bar that strongly suggested "beer." We further pushed the Irish American brand with an illustrative menu, branded coasters, drinks and products.
Steak & Ale
A favorite destination restaurant for family events and business meetings. Perhaps that was its ultimate demise. In an effort to revive the concept, we created a restaurant designed to attract a younger audience who enjoyed meeting friends after work for drinks and maybe a steak before the movie. It was the most successful restaurant in the S&A system. But maybe too little, too late.
Parish Episcopal School
One of the most respected and innovative private K-12 prep schools in Dallas. We positioned the school to appeal to students and parents as a very welcoming and different institution. Different in that it was more energetic and open to new ideas and collaborative relationships. A superb place to prepare not only for college, but for life.
Windsong Ranch
One of the most successful master planned communities in North Texas. We named it, branded it, tagged it "Everything else is just ordinary." We created a nationally recognized signage program and award-winning ads and collaborative pieces.
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
For over 20 years we've served perhaps the nation's leading publisher of text books for grades K-4, 5 and 6. Our design work has played an integral part in helping them gain State Adoptions, including this year's textbooks selection for Texas and several other states for Into Reading grade 3 and 4.
