Letters
Our art director and copywriter created this TV spot for Community Hospital of the Monterey Peninsula (CHOMP) while at a previous agency. CHOMP is an integral part of Monterey – generations of residents have been born there, and community-focused programs make it a caring and open part of this small Northern California town. But this community landmark is also
the region’s most state-of-the-art facility. These two seemingly opposite traits were woven together to create a storyline that felt unique to the CHOMP brand. This simple TV spot, created on a small budget and an even smaller timeline, set the tone for a completely new brand positioning that is currently being rolled out across all departments.
Palo Alto start-up WePay, PayPal’s main competitor, is the newest addition to our client roster. We couldn’t be more thrilled to be teamed up with these high-energy and like-minded folks. Thinking outside the box is at the core of both of our companies, so we’ve been able to quickly build a successful partnership.
Our first assignment? A billboard that needed to make a big statement – and it needed to be finished in less than a week. Most agencies would have said that it couldn’t be done. Luckily, we aren’t most agencies. Our team was able to complete this thoughtful billboard on an extremely tight turn around. It will soon be featured on a major highway in the Bay Area.
VeriSign wanted to do a testimonial. Of course, the challenge is, there are lots of companies out there, each with customer success stories that they’re proud of. The issue isn’t the story.
The issue is, getting anyone to read the story.
This was our task at hand. By creating a distinctive portrait of the customers, we were able to draw readers in—and set VeriSign apart.
iShares’ tag line is Keep Evolving. For their audience, financial planners and investors, this is a call to use ETFs (Exchange Traded Funds) as a way to keep moving forward in the investment world.
But what about employees? How can employees be inspired to feel that the company’s positioning is something they can get behind, and live in their day-to-day work?
The answer was an internal campaign including a playful, engaging brand book, large ads displayed throughout the office, and a contest, fill in this blank: Keep ___________. Keep evolving. The winner of the contest was awarded a Kindle. You’d have thought the prize was a yacht—the employees were incredibly passionate and creative in their pursuit of the prize.
One final note on the sticker contest. Originally, the video was intended for a one-time showing. After that showing, a few iShares employees were moved to the point of requesting copies of the video for themselves.
We always try and make a mark with our work, but it doesn’t get much better than that.
© 2011 School of Thought, LLC.