Seattle Advertising

Merry Christmas

noreply@blogger.com (Why) — Wed, 01 Dec 2010 17:38:00 +0000

You've no doubt seen this already.

Steamroller meets art

noreply@blogger.com (Why) — Tue, 03 Aug 2010 18:47:00 +0000

Chandler O'Leary created this great announcement for the School of Visual concepts WAYZ-GOOSE this year.

August 28 2010, 1pm - 6pm
500 Aurora North

More details on the SVC website (plus you can sign up for cool classes in letterpress arts, graphic design, and advertising skills)

A "blogress" report

noreply@blogger.com (Why) — Tue, 03 Aug 2010 16:07:00 +0000

It started last year as an idea for focusing my attention on what advertising agencies and design firms are doing – for themselves – in the online space.

The simple question this site tries to get at: Of those that develop and manage the brands of others, who manages their own brands well? And how do they do it?

I decided this site should take a look at everyone: traditional, digital, large, small, freelance professionals, and occasionally an 'amateur".

I focus on what I like, but I don't pretend I like everything.

23 companies fell into my year one schedule. I've identified 48 companies for year two. (In addition to following and re-reviewing the companies I've already reviewed.)

Going forword

I have a few changes planned for year two. First a renaming, and a graphic redesign (but I'm taking my time with it). I'm also planning more posts on branding issues relevant to this industry. Specifically, more posts that look into into the role of Social Media and Social Networks into developing a creative service brand. And since the creative service industry has a wealth of thought leaders I'm also planning to make a point of directing you to other discussions.

I hope you're enjoying this so far. Your advice and comments are always appreciated.

Perhaps next year

noreply@blogger.com (Why) — Tue, 20 Jul 2010 02:57:00 +0000

Wonderful Union (Seattle)

noreply@blogger.com (Why) — Mon, 21 Jun 2010 16:00:00 +0000

Search for all things "Wonderful Union"

------ From the website: ------

Who We Are
Wonderful Union is an award-winning interactive design firm located in Seattle. We build creative solutions for our clients, including Dreamworks, Getty Images, Microsoft, Nintendo, Xbox and Zune.

-------- My Take ----------

OK, The blog was last updated in 2008. And in fact the company doesn't really seem to exist any more – other than as this website. And when it did exist it seems like it was a coop. The bios of the principals are brief (they appear to have all moved on to other things). The "about us" is, as you read above, also brief. There is nothing or next to nothing to let us know how they work (process), why they do what they do (mission), what inspires them (values), etc. And no social component (twitter, facebook, etc.) to let us know who they are as individuals.

And probably most missing (for me anyway) is the articulation of a point of difference. For a design firm sometimes it's a "house style" or the case studies have a thematic focus that reveals a point of view. But those things are not present here.

So, why have I included this company?

Excellent case studies, solid portfolio presentation, and a format that lends itself to a personable presentation of studio "news". (And of course, they did/do great work.)

Couldn't say it any better myself

noreply@blogger.com (Why) — Fri, 18 Jun 2010 16:03:00 +0000

Doing this blog has reinforced this concept for me. We tell our clients: "the brand should stand for something", "Focus", "Provide one, or at most two selling points – and that's it". But then what do agencies/design firms do for themselves?

Agency, Brand Thyself

View more presentations from Ignition Consulting Group.

Eben Design (Seattle... and Atlanta)

noreply@blogger.com (Why) — Fri, 21 May 2010 16:12:00 +0000

[Google search Eben Design]

From the website:

Values and Ethics Statement:
"As a creative services agency, we work with companies and organizations during periods of growth and transition that can put their leadership, teamwork and vision to the test. We understand the importance of clearly defined values and ethics in helping clients Brand Well, especially in times of change.

Eben Design creates and nurtures brands that support the well-being of people and the planet. We have found that the best way to uphold our own value system is to embrace clients who approach business from a similar perspective.
Core Values

Core Values
Expression
The desire and ability to express ourselves is one of life’s most magnificent gifts. We honor this desire and nurture it in ourselves and in others as a path toward self-discovery, growth and understanding.

Authenticity
We believe that living in alignment with one’s core self results in the confidence of others, freedom of spirit and personal well-being.

Connectedness
There’s a reason you can’t beat positive word-of-mouth advertising. Now more than ever, people are seeking authentic connections. We seek and encourage connectedness, both inside and outside of Eben Design.

Trust
Trust is the cornerstone of a successful creative relationship. It is the only way to achieve the level of openness and collaboration needed to develop and recognize the best solutions.

Respect
Trust and respect are like the chicken and the egg. You’ll never know which came first in a relationship, but if you don’t have one, you don’t have the other.

Synergy
Congruent values + Shared goals + Supportive culture = Inspired ideas

Ethics
We Are Honest
Honesty is more than a matter of fact. Especially in the creative world, it needs to apply to opinions as well. It is important to offer and accept personal viewpoints in an open and constructive manner.

We Are Supportive
Simply put, we’re here for our clients. We take the long view when it comes to relationships. One of the most rewarding aspects of what we do is the timelessness of the connections we make.

We Are Advocates
It is our duty to put our clients’ best interests above our own. This is really the foundation of ethical business, not to mention relationships of trust.

We Are Sustainable
We actively support and apply practices that contribute to the long-term health of our clients, our community and our planet.

We Are Compassionate
By seeing those we work with as people first, then clients, consumers or competitors, we are driven to work for the good of society. We create and promote positive messages that help our clients achieve success by inspiring and respecting their audience."

Blog:

Twitter:

---------------------- My Take ---------------------

About Eben.
I like this site. Values, capabilities, projects, and people. They do a great job of setting expectations. I like the "consultation request form" that asks contacts to reveal a budget range. Not sure a prospect would want to reveal this, might be a barrier to that initial conversation, would make for an interesting A/B test.

I like the clear design. The consistent branding. The non-gratuitous use of flash for flash sake. The site feels full without feeling like "too much". And while values statements often feel forced, Eben's fells humble and authentic. Overall a well done presentation.

From a marketing standpoint the positioning is as a "Change Agency" which seems to be their way of packaging a marcom agency focused on branding. Portfolio strength is identity and web work.

Blog:
Having a blog allows for additional interaction with how Eben Design thinks about things. Plus I feel it's smart marketing, as it channels additional traffic into it's website. (Best to cast a wide net after all.) I like that the blog design is consistent with the site yet it's own presentation. And that individual post authors are identified. The "voice" feels a little impersonal given all the contributors, but that may be just because the blog is relatively new. It's a effort to get these communications channels going and maintain them over time. This is a good start however.

Twitter:
I am much impressed with the interaction on the Eben twitter stream. Also the sharing and highlighting of work (but without it feeling heavily promotional).

Facebook:
Not much going on.

Site note: Eben design also created the website for Ad Mark which I was unimpressed with in an earlier review. I won't hold that entirely against Eben. But it is a reminder that not every client-agency relationship produces a great solution.

Seattle Show 2010 announced

noreply@blogger.com (Why) — Wed, 28 Apr 2010 17:26:00 +0000

"Advertising is Dead"

noreply@blogger.com (Why) — Wed, 28 Apr 2010 05:28:00 +0000

So began the talk last night by Seattle's own Larry Asher (Workerbees, School of Visual Concepts, and a supporter of OCA) about "20 things you need to know to get a job in advertising".

My abbreviated take:

The traditional model of the advertising fast on the way out so it's important of immerse oneself in understanding and participating in the change that is occurring. What's coming? Digital, mobile, social. And who knows what else. What do you need to succeed? Ideas, strategies, and the soft and hard skills necessary to present and implement them. And to get a job? Figure out your value (everyone has value). Get know people. And be prepared to be useful.

Here's the deck:

20 Things You Need To Know To Get A Job In Advertising

View more presentations from School of Visual Concepts.

Butler, Shine, Stern and Partners (San Francisco)

noreply@blogger.com (Why) — Mon, 12 Apr 2010 16:21:00 +0000

LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/companies/butler-shine-stern-&-partners

[google search for BSSP]

From website:

"We were founded in 1993, but we act like a 16-year-old start-up. We still work long hours trying to create solutions that inspire both our clients and ourselves. We still believe in the power of big ideas. We still let people bring dogs to the office. And we’re still independent. But now, with the benefit of 150+ employees with diverse experience from agencies and brands of all shapes and sizes, we work even harder and smarter to be partners with our clients.We have grown from a small, nimble, traditional ad agency into a mid-size, nimble, full-service, truly integrated branding company.

As members of Worldwide Partners, Inc., a global network of independent agencies, we have access to outstanding resources for insight and campaign implementation around the globe."

--------------------------

My Take:

Strengths:
I like that the website leads with (frequently updated) news and creative product. Nothing lamer than a website that *cough* hasn't been updated in 3 months *cough* (I'll do better I promise) And they have great work.

Their Facebook presence is the feed from the website, but they have the sense to listen in and participate in the dialog those posts create.

And I'm pleased that they have their LinkedIn profile set up (you would be surprised at how many companies don't.)

Weaknesses:
Nothing about what/how it is BSSP believes it can offer consistently good work. The only thing concrete is they have a nice view. Oh, and they let employees bring dogs to work. I like that they tip their head to their creative talent with the head shots. Wish there was something that expressed who those people were, how they think, whatever. And I wish they went into more about what they mean by BSSP being a "Integrated Branding Company".

Nothing on Twitter (except test accounts, I guess they are waiting for it to get popular).

Sandstrom Partners (Portland)

noreply@blogger.com (Why) — Tue, 16 Feb 2010 17:07:00 +0000

(google search Sandstrom Partners)

From web site:

"We're going to make an assumption here: we're going to assume that you are a marketer. A really smart marketer. And since we're assuming,we're going to make you a really smart marketer with a ton of money and nothing to spend it on but smart, beautiful, ground-breaking graphic design and/or advertising. We're also going to assume that you have already talked or met with several other graphic design firms and you have decided that they all fall short of your high standards of what you look for in a graphic design firm. We're further going to assume that you have spent several hours with our website, laughing, crying, high-fiving all of your friends that you've called and invited to come look at our site with you. That you have already decided that Sandstrom Partners are the creative partners you've been looking for your whole career and that you can't wait to meet with us and brief us on that juicy list of projects that you want us to start working on right away (but that your deadlines are realistic and humane). Now you've got us all excited, so please contact..."

-----------------------------------------
My Take:

Website Strengths:
A simple, direct, and entertaining site. Presents the values, personality, point of view of the firm. Ample inventory of ~~great work~~ fantastic work. Simple case studies. Things to play with that have relevance to someone looking for a design firm. And above all, an understanding that the site exists as a piece of dialog between the firm and the visitor. ("you" and "us")

What they are selling: Consistent quality of past work, history of working with grownup clients, personality that's fun.

Weaknesses:
Missing "how" and "who". How they approach problems, how they work with clients, how they ensure quality results. Presenting a collective personality ("our company") exclusively is can be tricky for design firms. Often that personality is an extension of the founding principal and that sometimes doesn't match what the customer gets when they contact the firm. Just something to be careful about. Related: to learn about Steve Sandstrom one has to look elsewhere.

Building a marketing oriented marketing firm

noreply@blogger.com (Why) — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 17:28:00 +0000

I'm a firm believer in the power of the shared idea. They don't help another person as much as they help us explore our own thinking. I'm adding a monthly feature to this blog. A few ideas plucked from around the net that may end up playing a role in how you run or promote your creative services business. Please tell me which ideas you found most useful. Or which you thought sucked.

Over at Larry Asher's School of Visual Concepts OLD blog this little gem can be found from Feb 2006: RFP faux pas: How to take your design or ad firm out of the running. How does your firm respond to RFPs? Does your firm participate in RFPs?

Perhaps if you don't, you've been reading "Win without pitching".

Over at Blair Enns' "Win without pitching" there are four articles I'd like to share with you: First, an article about aligning compensation to goals in order to actually achieve the results you were trying for: Business Development Compensation.

Second the Business Development Scorecard. Is your firm doing what it wants to be doing? Successful new positioning shows up in business development before it shows up anywhere else.

Third Ten Tests of Your Positioning Ten questions to ask yourself to see if you are indeed the organization you think (or at least say) you are.

And Finally, but perhaps most importantly: A Call to Arms: Twelve Proclamations of a Win Without Pitching Agency The 2007 manifesto that has apparently not seen by very many. For this blog I've been looking at a lot of sites and from many of the firms I've reviewed (and many of the ones that haven't appeared yet) I've seen: Fuzzy points of difference, Presentations of work instead of conversations of value, Product parity, Brand speak™ instead of human speak, and hired hands rather than hired heads.

Until next month

DF

Turnstyle Studio (Seattle)

noreply@blogger.com (Why) — Fri, 15 Jan 2010 17:04:00 +0000

(Google search for Turnstyle studio)

From the website:

"In a crowded marketplace, people gravitate emotionally toward companies and products that project a distinctive style. At Turnstyle, we use design as a tool to forge a strong emotional connection between your customers and your brand. We constantly look for new ways to more our clients forward by applying design to identify and strengthen their niche and unique personality. A small, and passionate, focused design studio, Turnstyle has the flexibility to develop innovate print and digital design solutions for clients of diverse backgrounds and sizes."

------------------------------------------
My Take:

Website Strengths:
Great work and easy to navigate site. LOTS of work. Straight-forward philosophy. Philosophy is evident in site.

Point of difference: Aesthetic style as represented by past work.

Facebook:
Nice move into the social world. Get more of the personality behind the workplace.

Weaknesses:
Not much on the site or on Facebook as to how they think. Case studies might be useful for that.

(Disclosure: I've met and taken a class with Matt Diefenbach and I'm a fan. Plus I think Turnstyle does some impressive work.)

Hansen Design (Seattle)

noreply@blogger.com (Why) — Tue, 12 Jan 2010 17:15:00 +0000

(Google search Hansen Design Company)

From the website:

Working Philosophy
"Hansen Design Company is committed to achieving maximum value for each dollar our clients spend. We are dedicated to providing high level, high impact design that helps our clients stand apart from their competition. Design that gets results is how we define success.

We believe in intelligent, innovative solutions, Smart Creativity™, that assure our clients of receiving much more than just another attractive design. We work hard to understand what makes our clients unique in their own business sphere. We get to the heart of who they are, their competitive advantages, their markets and then develop a design based on their strengths – not a current design trend. Check out our 9 Client Promises.

We are committed to developing long-term client relationships – we believe that great design is a result of trust and respect based partnerships."

9 Client Promises

Hansen Design Company promises to:

1. Be consistent with high standards and great ideas.

2. Do the homework. Know the client and its customers to provide dead-on solutions.

3. Look at the problem from all sides. Best solutions are usually not the obvious ones.

4. Listen. Listen. Listen.

5. Communicate. We believe in open, frequent communication, and in being responsive to criticism and concerns.

6. Be honest and straightforward. If something isn’t working, we address it right away.

7. Build mutual trust and respect. We work to understand our clients and to help them understand us so that we can rely on each other’s instincts and trust each other’s judgments.

8. Go the distance. We will bend over backwards to get things done for you within the timeframe and budgets required.

9. Maintain high standards. Every project we take on will receive 100% of our effort. No matter how busy we are.

(excerpt from HOW Magazine, December, 2000 - feature article on Hansen Design Company)"

-----------------------------------------------
My Take:

Website Strengths:
Solid work. Unique of all the design firms I've seen is the list of "9 promises" to their clients. I can't think of a client that wouldn't like to see a customer bill of rights. Good to see the portfolio organized by type of project as well as client. More ways to find what you're looking for is a good thing. Only two branded processes and over all site is devoid of brandspeak™. Awards and accolades dominate the presentation of what the company is all about.

Selling point: Award winning design firm with long history and customer centric ethic.

Weaknesses:
Guess my eyes ain't what they used to be. Type size is an issue looking at the portfolio and to a degree just trying to read the site. Unclear what the proprietary processes are. HOW Hansen Design goes about filling the promise of their design philosophy is not explained. (Case studies might be more useful than typical portfolio show-n-tell.) For a design firm committed to long-term client relationships the clients voice is missing on the site.

Two things I couldn't help thinking: "Awards and a long history are nice, but what have you done lately?" (the press releases were 3yrs old) and: "This site's about the past, what's the future hold for Hansen Design?"

(Disclosure: Pat Hansen is one of my original "design heroes".)

Worker Bees (Seattle)

noreply@blogger.com (Why) — Wed, 06 Jan 2010 17:15:00 +0000

[Google search for all things Worker Bees... Yea, including insects]

From the website:

Who are we?
"We're a bunch of people who aren't too keen on the idea of trekking to a traditional office and then hoping the next client can take advantage of what we know. Rather, we work the other way around. When a client signs on, we assemble a team of experts who already know something about the client's industry. How do we do this? There's an amazing array of freelancers and independent contractors out there, and thanks to technology, it's easier than ever to collaborate, even if you aren't all under one roof."

-----------------------------------
My Take:

Website Strengths:
Great writing in a friendly personable voice. Solid work. Uniquely, the site is very explicit about industry experience. I especially liked the paragraph about experience with bureaucracies. Bio is provided by Seattle Show legacy award (hard to get a better bio than that.)

Selling point: Experience and personality combined with solid work.

Weaknesses:
Not as much work as I'd like. The selling message is there, it's just buried within the copy. The site is more about "what we've done" than "how we do it". Actual process and methods aren't discussed. Also, there's more on the site about "who we are" than "how we think". Finally, what's to separate Worker Bees from a freelancer with a fat Rolodex?

(Disclosure: I've known Larry for years and think he's great. He also provided the inspiration for this blog.)

Girvin (Seattle)

noreply@blogger.com (Why) — Sun, 20 Dec 2009 17:06:00 +0000

[Google search on Girvin]

From the website:

History
"Girvin's work focuses on community, relationships and communication. And how this practice and attention adds value to your business. We see them as being aligned - if there are messages that need to be expressed, it's a matter of creating resonance, in relevance, in those messages. Everyone is different in how they experience things, how they perceive content and the visualization of information. It's our role to see, separate and define this orientation. Understand that dynamic of experience. Design for that construct of exchange.

We create links between people, based on over 30 years of working internationally in orchestrating messages in all media. What is the story? Our story, our practice, is fixed on the strategic implications of emotion in connecting people to ideas and ideals. For us, everything we do is about this human magnetism. How does one feel, how is one drawn in compelled attraction, to something (and what results, in testing, to confirm that feeling).

And your brand is only about that - how well people understand your story. And how they embrace the story of your brand. How they really care about it. And how you really care about it. And then, finally, how people connect with each other in the community that lives around your brand. It's in the telling that is important. That's our work. What's your story?"

The Blog

-------------------------------------------
My Take

Website:
Beautiful site with lots of case studies categorized clearly. "The story" is the central insight and it's expression the essential product. Process is important enough to have 5 branded proprietary systems each worth a paragraph of brandspeak™. And bios are short and standard.

A standout uniqueness is the site having alternate translations for Japanese and Arabic languages. Smart!

Blog:
The blog is where you really get inside the head of Mr. Girvin. Tons of posts, each a studied and thoughtful exploration of an idea. The commentaries about branding, marketing, and storytelling (among other topics) show the thinking that goes into the firms work. And the regularity of his posting gives one ample reasons to return and explore more.

Weaknesses:
From a design standpoint, the only thing I had a problem with on either the website or the blog was readability. (The size of the type in some blog graphics and within the website.) Which I thought was odd for a design firm that's strength is typography.

If the goal is to project "design principal as hero" these tools do it. The voice is consistent between website and blog and appears to be just that of Mr. Girvin. If everyone else there is as thoughtful it's not apparent.

(Disclosure: I've been a Girvin fan since 1983.)

Belyea Graphic Design (Seattle)

noreply@blogger.com (Why) — Sun, 13 Dec 2009 17:01:00 +0000

(Google search for Belyea Design)

from the website:

What we do:

Fast-Forward Thinking
"Belyea is a strategic design firm specializing in branding, marketing and communication programs. We are a focused team of thinkers, writers, designers and artists. Our work is a combination of intelligence, creativity and experience, designed to achieve results."

Collaboration
"Teamwork and inclusion are at the core of our work. At the beginning of a project, we engage you and your team in Discovery Sessions to get to the heart of each challenge. As we proceed through the concept and development phases you are involved as a collaborator. This ensures that our messaging and design solutions are truly visionary and authentic."

Smart Programs
"Belyea delivers smart, proactive branding, marketing and communication programs. Typically we build multi-pronged campaigns, for print and the web, that are complex and time critical. Our involvement begins with theme development and extends through the execution of deliverables."

Our approach

STRATEGY
"We start by listening, researching and auditing. The collected information is analyzed and combined with intelligence and insight to produce a compelling brand-based strategy."

MESSAGING
"The creative work begins with development of a verbal and visual language. Elements are chosen for their authenticity and ability to speak to the needs and desires of the target audience."

DESIGN
"In the final phase, we combine brand elements and key messaging with outstanding design. The result is a distinctive and memorable program formulated to produce meaningful results."

Branding:

Formation: New Organization, New Product
"Differentiation is key to making a new organization or product stand out in an overly saturated marketplace. From its inception, your brand should radiate authenticity and energy. As your brand architect, Belyea uses creativity and vision to build a solid brand platform. Every program is assembled with the strategy and tools for your continued growth."

Evolution: The Next Step in Growth
"Established brands must evolve in order to keep pace with changing markets, technology and customers. To be leading and innovative, your brand needs to make incremental changes regularly. Belyea has the expertise to advance your brand in a meaningful and productive direction, without alienating or losing core customers."

Extension: Building on the Experience
"Proven brands have the opportunity to direct brand equity toward the creation of an extended line. For this important step in perpetuating growth, it is necessary to define your brand’s boundaries and evaluate the strength of your existing platform. Belyea guides you through this process, designing a program that capitalizes on your existing brand equity while extending into new territory."

----------------------------------
My Take:

Website Strengths:
Clean design. Lots of content. Quite able to "drill down" to more layers of content. Not too complex to navigate. Liked the staff bios. Unified voice throughout the site. Solid work!

Differentiation seems to be collaborative liner process and their apparent design expression. (Not unusual for a design firm. Hire them to get work done that looks like the other work they do.)

Weaknesses:
Swap out the logo/name with some other design firm and process and product offerings might be just as believable. Thinking and design processes not really expressed (perhaps they are in the articles I couldn't access.)

Red Army (Seattle)

noreply@blogger.com (Why) — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 17:07:00 +0000

(Google search for the red army)

From the website:

We’re all about serving you.
"For more than 12 years The Red Army has been delivering creative solutions for clients in need of advertising and graphic design expertise. But we don’t just meet marketing objectives and solidify brands, we foster an environment of teamwork. Our clients get involved in the process — as much or as little as they want. We work with you and want you to feel comfortable working with us.

You’ll find The Red Army strategically located in Seattle, Washington. We are able to connect with you locally from Puget Sound, or mobilize quickly, adjust our staff accordingly, and help you take on marketing issues wherever your business demands. No matter where you work with us, your projects will be delivered on time, on strategy and on budget.

Our structure also allows us to provide extremely focused attention to your project. We are a minority-owned company that has worked with a wide range of clients in a variety of industries. You’ll also notice that our work is not constricted by a single look or feel. Our goals are simple, and focused on satisfying your marketing needs. Simply put, we want to:

1) Establish long-term relationships with our business partners.
2) Make our business partners look good. "

------------------------------------
My Take:

Website Strengths:
Clear navigation, straightforward content. Clearly written case studies. Brief presentation of process. Avoidance of brandspeak™. More "you" oriented than sites I've reviewed so far. Selling message seems to be: "We're a flexible minority-owned design firm."

Weaknesses:
Readability a potential issue. More work, more case studies, and more of how Red Army thinks would be a good thing. And being flexible doesn't seem to be much of a mark of difference.

JWT (Seattle, and beyond)

noreply@blogger.com (Why) — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 17:39:00 +0000

(Google search for JWT Seattle)

------------------------------------
My Take:

Website Strengths:
Nice big agency site. Not too difficult to navigate. Good work. (Though good work is to be expected given the pool they can grab from.) Point of the site is to communicate "here's our work, here's the clients we do it for."

Blog Strengths:
Various JWT blogs do seem to exist (Recessionary Anxiety, Trends, Planning, Creativity, the Atlanta office, one for Bangkok, and slowly I'm discovering lots of blogs by individual employees.) and I generally like them.

Currently it's hard to replace the relevance and personality of a blog. Blogs provide the humanity and the thinking that makes an organization worth hiring. One hires people not organizations.

Weaknesses:
So, where's the information about the local office? How is the local office unique from the agency as a whole? Does the local office have the thinking that a new client might need? (And BTW, how is JWT as a whole - if you are going to insist on that presentation - unique?) That an agency has done great work for other clients is not by itself proof that it is capable of doing great work for a new client.

Publicis in the west (Seattle)

noreply@blogger.com (Why) — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 17:23:00 +0000

(Google search for all things Publicis)

From the website:

"A French company in Seattle? Mon Dieu! With a 200 person staff, Publicis in the West is a full service advertising agency in the cultural epicenter of the Pacific Northwest. Our expertise runs the gamut of traditional advertising, audience anthropology, social media strategy, digital direct, experiential retail, CRM and business analytics. We are multi-disciplined and idea-centric.

Our focus is crystal clear: to ignite, guide and create cultural currency for our clients' brands. We don't do this alone - we drive together with our clients to discover the smartest and most creative solutions available.

Contagious ideas are not just our intellectual capital; they're our lifeblood. Our mission is to spur interaction rather than just spread information. We're passionate about creating engagement solutions first and the most effective media pathways second.

We assemble multi-disciplined brand teams around each project: creative, account, planning, media and digital are at the core of our approach. We source our collective creative firepower to solve the business problem at hand by generating solutions so contagious the brand becomes - interactive - in the truest sense of the word - we strive to get the right audience participating in the narrative of our brands."

-----------------------------------
My Take:

Website Strengths:
Simple intro. Clean site navigation. Pretty without being tricky. 4 distinct areas: who runs the place, the mission, what the creative product looks like, and who we do things for. Good writing not complicated by brandspeak™. And great work!

Selling idea: "We are multi-discipline experts who'd been around other big important agencies and are very creative as evidenced by this work we're showing you that we've done for these well known companies."

Weaknesses:
Having the site stripped down is nice, but there's no "drill down" capability to learn more about how they think or who they are. (This is how some firms seem to use a blog.) The personality of the agency peeks out only in the writing on the site. And while the writing is solid, it isn't very revealing. Finally, like with most agencies, the selling idea isn't really all that unique. (Swap out the name and see for yourself.)

HL2 (Seattle)

noreply@blogger.com (Why) — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 15:52:00 +0000

(formerly Horton Lantz & Low)

[Google search for HL2]

From the website:

"HL2 is a creative agency that celebrates the challenge as much as the success. And every challenge is unique, so we fully engage our clients to find new ways of telling stories that move: people, products, mountains. We know that good ideas come from anywhere, and we seek them out wherever they live. Our collaborative culture thrives on a common sense of integrity and humor; equal parts magic and metrics, creative and carnival."

---------------------------------------
My Take:

Website Strengths:
Cool innovative interface. Nice link into their facebook fanpage (where the real action is). Got a kick out of watching the Fatburger contest video.

Weaknesses:
Nothing fresh on the site. Aged creative, aged case studies (and too few of them). Aged ideas of how to sell an ad agency. All about "we" not about "you". Is it possible this was designed as a recruiting tool? Common to nearly every agency it's not clear what their point of difference is.

Augustavo Burrus Advertising (Seattle)

noreply@blogger.com (Why) — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 16:30:00 +0000

(Search for all things Augustavo Burrus)

From the website:

"Augustavo Burrus combines exceptional creative thinking with keen market insight to produce advertising that is impossible to ignore. Advertising that moves people. Improves bottom lines. Or changes attitudes. But in every case, inspires action. Talk to us soon. We're pretty sure you'll find the conversation enlightening."

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My Take:

Website Strengths:
I like the entrance splash page.

Weaknesses:
3 pieces of work and a expansive claim do not a successful presentation make. I can't tell what is in the agencies head to make the claim believable. I can't see the case study that shows they've done it. I don't see a process that implies that if they've done it before they can do it again. I don't see any bios to tell me anything about who wrote the claim and if I'd like to work with them. And there's no emotional hook if all else fails.

Heckler Associates (Seattle)

noreply@blogger.com (Why) — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 16:02:00 +0000

[Google search for all things Heckler Associates]

From website:

"Heckler Associates offers no superimposed styles in our development of effective and insightful business branding. Every situation demands its own unique solution. Working on Starbucks brand marketing projects today is quite different than when we developed their start-up naming strategy and initial business branding in the early 70s. Corporate branding and re-branding each offer unique sets of challenges as well. Whether a major account or a single project, Heckler Associates’ creative design keenly targets results within the context of brand building strategy.

With deep experience in integrated marketing, advertising and design services, we have achieved great impact for clients such as Starbucks Coffee, Panera Bread, New Balance Athletic Shoes, Teragren Bamboo, K2 Skis, JanSport Products, Rainier Beer, GNA, Cinnabon, Redhook Brewery, Keystone Resort and Sage Fly Rods. Our greatest reward is long associations with clients; on average, it's 14 years.

We are proud to have contributed to Starbucks success across a large body of work, beginning with the Starbucks identity and first generation of Starbucks store designs, and ongoing in new Starbucks product names, Starbucks package design, and brand messaging guidance."

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My Take

Website Strengths:
Great design work! Strong portfolio. Easy navigation. Good writing and story telling. Fantastic case studies. (this should be a case study on case studies for design work) Emphasis is on the work and the relationships with past clients. Point of differentiation is what we've done for particular clients past.

Weaknesses:
Strength in advertising not particularly present on site. Some presentation of process but still largely about "we" not "you". Is a potential client purchasing the agencies past or it's future?

(Disclosure: I did some freelancing for Heckler back in the 80's and have long been impressed with their work.)

DDB West (Seattle)

noreply@blogger.com (Why) — Sat, 12 Sep 2009 16:36:00 +0000

[Google search for all things DDB Seattle]

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My Take

Website Strengths:
Pretty site. Nice work (though the focus is the tv). Twitter feeder and some case studies imply skills in social. "we're big and global." "we've got lots of big clients."

Weaknesses:
Where is the localized content? If I want to see what's what about a particular office I'm not seeing how that is accomplished. Confusing navigation (It's not exactly clear IF this site even has a form of organization.) Not clear that there is any particular point of difference.

Wongdoody (Seattle)

noreply@blogger.com (Why) — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 16:05:00 +0000

[Quick Google search for all things Wongdoody]

From their site:

Mission:
“The uniting principle behind WONGDOODY is something we call "The Democracy of Good Ideas™." It's the notion that all ideas should be source-blind — the notion that every individual can be the author of a great idea. An idea that can redefine a market, put competitors on their heels or reach a customer on a deeper, more resounding level. We've built a team that is able to generate thoughts across the marketing spectrum. We share, we question, we challenge, we encourage and we support one another. We don't simply work together. We make each other's work better — our clients' work better. And, for us, it doesn't get any better than that.”

What We Do:
"We offer capabilities in advertising, connection planning, brand strategy, design, interactive, and public relations. That hardly makes us different from other agencies out there. But unlike the giant agency networks, we offer those services under one roof, and on one P&L, with people from different disciplines sitting next to each other, sharing ideas instead fighting over revenue. And unlike smaller agencies that consider a bunch of banners to be interactive expertise, or re-title an art director as a designer as they chase the industry trends, we built our interdisciplinary offering around the expertise of veterans from leading companies in their respective fields.

We believe this comprehensive, interdisciplinary approach is the right thing to do. And we have unique resources to achieve it. Call us heretics, but if you want to create compelling marketing platforms that go beyond advertising, you need people with experience from outside advertising. That’s why we’ve assembled a team of professionals with unparalleled experience and credentials in a variety of different fields and put them together under one roof with no mandate and no incentive other than to collaborate, challenge each other, and deliver results for our clients.”

Website: http://www.wongdoody.com/
twitter: @wongdoody http://twitter.com/wongdoody
facebook: I heart wongdoody http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=2214829999

Number of employees:
Annual Revenue: $92,000,000 (2008)

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My Take

Website Strengths:
Nice entrance graphic implies some innovation. Great work in the portfolio. Case studies presented well. Overall writing is consistent. Capabilities described reasonably well and significantly detailed. Bios are brief and conventional. Emphasis is on client list to convey legitimacy.

Weaknesses:
First take: Disjointed and designed by committee. Second take: Yep, the content and quality of the site does not match the quality of the work presented. After the promise of the entrance it shifts to a pretty conventional look. But with confusing navigation.

Overall emphasis of the site is on "we" not on "you". Size seems to be the point of difference they want to communicate.