Solution

Our insights indicated that consumers are willing to pay a little more for a premium cup of coffee, in part because they’re also buying an experience. To better communicate the soul of the brand and differentiate the Caribou experience from its more-corporate competitors, we relaunched the brand by evolving the founders’ original tagline, “Life is short. Stay awake for it.” This seize-the-day mentality permeated through every brand touchpoint. No longer was a Caribou cup simply a cup, but rather, it is a reminder that life’s worth staying awake for. Since the relaunch, shareholder value has increased, traffic has improved and comp sales increased for the first time in three years, while outperforming the QSR industry. A 500 percent jump in Facebook fans increased online engagement and the campaign has been spotlighted in everything from PerezHilton.com to Fast Company.

Solution:

Communicate that Cannondale is The Perfect Ride. Knowing that the work needs to tell both a product and a brand story, we developed a brand system that could easily translate across mediums and continents. Our primary imagery and headlines are equal parts innovation and inspiration, capturing the best athletes in the world putting Cannondale bikes to the ultimate test. While the secondary images and language tout technological prowess in a way that reflects the attitudes of our audience. The system allows the same look and feel to extend beyond print ads to catalogs and interactive, giving Cannondale a unified, cohesive brand.

Solution

At the core of Schwinn’s DNA is joy, so instead of sending yet another sales message into the seasonal clutter, we created a new twist on an old holiday favorite. We assembled a team of Schwinn-riding carolers who played beloved holiday songs using custom-made, specially tuned Schwinn bike bells. We also built a site where people could exchange e-carols of the Bell Choir performing the songs. To extend the spirit of giving, Schwinn donated bikes and helmets to kids in need for each carol that was shared. The Schwinn Bell Choir has been recognized by the Webby Awards, AIGA and the FWA for its rich Web experience.

Solution

With spring approaching, we set our sights on National Bike Month in May. After all, if one brand could rightfully own the month, it’s Schwinn. We then created a campaign to celebrate 31 days of bicycling goodness. Bike It Forward let users spread the joy of May Bike Month by choosing a friend on Facebook to win a new Schwinn. To demonstrate the lineup, users could choose from all categories, including Urban, Hybrid, Road, Mountain, Cruiser and Kids. And to reward their kindness, if a friend won, they won a new bike, too. Banners, Facebook ads, a satellite media tour and social media mentions from the likes of Summer Sanders and Pee-wee Herman helped drive traffic to the experience. By the end of May, we had increased web traffic by 40% compared to May of the previous year, our Facebook fanbase grew by more than 3,000% and the campaign generated more than 500 million impressions. A joyous May Bike Month, indeed.

Solution

Mammoth’s unique personality coupled with its physical attributes inspired us to create a brand position, look and voice that captured the attitude that is uniquely Mammoth: The top of California. Mammoth and C+M liked it so much, it became the tagline. We developed a 2010-2011 winter campaign that infused a more youthful, action-sports look with a free-spirited, adrenaline-fueled attitude. Every consumer point of contact was revamped, including MammothMountain.com, billboards in Northern and Southern California, print and online ads, emails, and direct mail.

Solution:

The star in our cast is Mishka, the talking Husky and YouTube sensation who is known for saying “I love you.” The ad is a fun and memorable way for owners to learn about how they can help their pets get back to being themselves with FortiFlora Nutritional Supplement. In addition to TV impressions, the ad is receiving hundreds of thousands of views on YouTube.

Solution

A completely redesigned landolakes.com helps consumers interact with the established brand in new ways. Built to appeal to both less-experienced, tech-savvy moms and more-seasoned cooks and bakers, the site features a modernized color palette, engaging photography and better social connectivity. The Test Kitchen section highlights the brand’s expertise with tips, photos and how-to advice. Intuitive searching gets you to great recipes quickly. And recipe pages are designed with the user in mind, featuring enhanced functionality, while themed collections trigger more ideas. With more than 3,000 recipes and 5,000 pages, sharing the simple goodness of everyday food has never been more user friendly.

Solution

Fishing and boating have always been ways to escape from everyday stress while connecting with friends, family and nature. Research indicated that we needed to make the sport of fishing relevant to today’s consumer who was not motivated by nostalgia or serenity, but rather by active experiences and socialization. That led us to our core insight: Where land ends, life begins. That insight has helped us make TakeMeFishing.org the nation’s primary vehicle for increasing interest and participation in boating and fishing. Along the way, site traffic has quadrupled in under four years. The fully integrated, award-winning Take Me Fishing™ campaign contributed to an increase in overall license sales in 2009, marking the highest increase in fishing license sales since the 1970s. An increase in participation has also helped generate millions of additional dollars for conservation efforts.

Solution

First, we uncovered a dilemma that was plaguing Cost Cutters. While consumers want to save wherever they can, the idea of incredibly affordable salon services didn’t always instill a lot of confidence. Enter the Cost Cutter Compliment Cam™. Based on a simple human truth that a good haircut begets good compliments, we set out to capture those authentic moments as they happened in real life. Customers who’d recently received a new cut and style were outfitted with hidden cameras and sent out to capture actual, unvarnished reactions of family, friends and coworkers. The takeway? You can, indeed, look and feel good without spending a bundle. And we had the enthusiastic compliments (and TV spots) to prove it. What started out as a TV campaign extended into rich online content and entertaining radio. Never underestimate a compliment again.

Solution:

Research shows that if people were inspired and made more comfortable with biking, they would do it more often. So we created Pedal Minnesota, a campaign that celebrates all the things that make biking in Minnesota so great. The campaign itself is built around a new slogan that rightfully declares Minnesota, “The Bike Friendly State.” This simple, memorable statement conveys many of the reasons why Minnesota is a great place to ride: accessibility, culture and inclusiveness.

To inspire and mobilize bikers we needed to make biking – and information about it – more accessible. PedalMN.com does just that. A biker-friendly website that serves as the ultimate go-to resource on biking in the state, PedalMN.com features an interactive map, lists of bike-related events, safety tips, trip-planning ideas and much more in one friendly, easy-to-use site. Other elements of the integrated campaign included online video, SEM and high-impact outdoor, including bus shelters that were converted to bike tune-up stations. Just launched in the summer of 2012, the campaign has already garnered media attention and rallied the support of six state agencies and a major corporate sponsor.

Solution:

Because the brand hadn’t been highly active in the motorcycle world for quite some time, we couldn’t just come out and claim that Indian Motorcycle was back. That’s how others had failed. We also knew we had to do a lot more than just push product. We had to reignite the passion for all that was, and lay the foundation for all that could be.

And so we began by creating the 2012 Bike Catalog, which was as much about the bikes themselves as it was about the renewed commitment to reestablishing the brand, and getting back to the original ideology of the company. To build momentum and get Indian dealers excited about the future, we also created in-store pieces to celebrate Indian Motorcycle’s 110th anniversary. Hangers, bike tags, apparel tags, radio spots, print ads, window clings and a special jacket stand were all made and sent to each dealer.

Most important, we laid the groundwork for all that will come from America’s first Motorcycle Company.

Solution:

After completing an extensive communications brand audit and key stakeholder interviews, it was apparent that Farm Credit had core equities that could be refreshed across their offices to project a larger, more consistent presence.

We suggested a name change to match customer perceptions and created a new logo and identity system to reinvigorate their brand, convey their strength as leaders in rural lending, and tell the Farm Credit story. In addition, we developed a comprehensive launch with the theme, “Strength in Numbers,” to introduce the refreshed brand, celebrate Farm Credit’s rich history and create a cohesive brand experience. The results have been stellar with both customers and employees embracing the new Farm Credit with enthusiasm.

Solution

The This Could Be The Year campaign demonstrates that Pro Plan is the brand that understands the competitive nature of breeders and delivers the pride of achievement they crave. The campaign celebrates and encourages the competitive spirit of breeders through sports-like journalistic photography and bold headlines. Now in its third year, This Could Be the Year has received extremely positive feedback. Much of the buzz centers on how the campaign’s breakthrough creative beautifully captures the essence of what makes the sport of showing dogs so popular with breeders and consumers alike.

Solution

We set our sights on the travelers who are more optimistic (cautiously optimistic, but optimistic nonetheless) and ready to experience life. They are curious to discover what makes a destination exceptional. Thus, the More to Explore campaign was born. Just as Minnesota is a state worth exploring, we set out to create a commercial worth exploring. Throughout the spot, visual surprises are sprinkled in to delight and, most of all, support the idea that there really is More To Explore in Minnesota. The biggest surprise of all was saved for the end of the spot when Joe Mauer, Minnesota’s favorite son (and MVP), made his singing debut. The result is a seamless, exuberant tribute to all that Minnesota has to offer. The television spot has become Explore Minnesota’s most buzzworthy initiative ever.

Solution

In order to reinvigorate Erbert & Gerbert’s, we went back their very humble, albeit quirky, beginning. At the core of the brand are imaginative bedtime stories a father told his 7-year-old and 9-year-old children, Erbert and Gerbert Herbert. Just as the children make fun discoveries throughout their adventures, we wanted people to have as much fun discovering the E&G brand. Our big idea was embodied in our campaign’s theme line: Subs Worth Discovering. We made sure every touchpoint was worth discovering — from a redesign of the store experience to a simple, easy-to-use, print-on-demand system, which allowed franchisees to customize campaigns at the local level and the company to track use and results. Finally, we created an innovative, integrated advertising campaign that generated positive sales and earned global media coverage for the chain. Not only did the work earned a shelf full of awards, including a Gold EFFIE, but it was also featured on CNN, The Ellen DeGeneres Show, the CBS Early Show and VH1. But our proudest moment was being named Vendor of the Year by the franchisee network.