The Whole Brand

A love story. Few things in this world have ever had the impact that technology has had, especially in the last decade or so. Let this sink in for a minute. There are 2.2 million apps currently available, with 1,000 more being churned out daily to ever hungrier users. Instagram reaches 600 million monthly active users. Snapchat has 150 million people using the service each day. Not to mention the 400 pound Facebook gorilla in the room with 1.79 billion monthly users. These numbers are staggering—dizzying actually. And unbelievably promising for marketers. How so? Access to consumers is unprecedented. Having millions upon millions of eager customers, 24/7, never more than an arm’s length away from a screen is every brand’s dream. Shooting fish in a barrel as the saying goes. Ahh, but there’s a catch. And it’s a big one. Consumers are more savvy than ever, more willing to engage than ever, and at the same time, less patient than ever. Honestly “less patient” is being kind. Waste their time and suffer the consequences. Countless well-intentioned grams, chats, tweets, posts and banners have ended up having an opposite than intended outcome—usually the recipient expressing their displeasure to anyone who will listen—so simply throwing out a message into the ether and expecting a positive response is a very risky endeavor. Which brings us to “story." Yin to Tech’s Yang. Starsky to its Hutch (look it up). At the end of the day, we as marketers are story tellers. We are creating important, long-term relationships with consumers by inviting them in and making them feel like a valued part of our world. And there has never been a faster, more creative, more connected, more important engine to tell a story than technology. It’s a marriage made in brand heaven. With that in mind, it has never been more important to make sure that we all double down on our homework, know our intended consumer inside and out, be experts on the platforms they’re loyal to, and engage them authentically. That’s when the real power of technology starts rolling. Remember folks, ten short years ago there was no such thing as a smart phone, so nobody knows what wonders technology holds for us—but I do know this—the importance of story will be the same. As always, thanks for the time.

TJ Rhine

The18 Website Re-Design

The18.com launched with a mission to create the most entertaining, viral soccer content online. In early 2016, the sports media company set out to re-design its website to address 18+ months of initial user feedback and to create a more immersive, multimedia experience. As The18's sister company and lead creative agency, we worked with the founders to design and develop a site that would be the digital equivalent of a high-end magazine – wowing users with both performance and a visually appealing experience. The result? The most premium and engaging soccer experience you'll find anywhere, helping to generate more than 25 million content engagements for The18 every month.

Himalaya

Meet Lauren and Bethany.

Lauren Hudgins began her career in brand marketing in her hometown of Detroit, but along the way decided she couldn’t resist the beautiful state of Colorado and moved here shortly after graduating from Howard University. After spending some time working with Vail Resorts, Lauren joined the Greenhouse team in September 2015. As a Strategy Associate, she works closely with some of Greenhouse Partners’ longest-running clients, including RMB Capital and BACARDI Mixers. Lauren has expertly managed the execution of numerous projects, including consistent updates of BACARDI’s Pinterest page and the production of various marketing collateral for RMB and the University of Colorado. When not at work, she’s usually out on the town trying new restaurants or lounging and catching up on her favorite TV shows.

Bethany Cooner joined Greenhouse as a Senior Strategy Associate in the summer of 2015. Since then, she’s managed the strategic brand development for clients such as Coca-Cola Foodservice, Himalaya, and BACARDI Mixers. Living in Longmont with her husband and two children, Bethany finds every opportunity to take advantage of Colorado’s beautiful environment by camping in the mountains during the summer and skiing through fresh powder when winter hits. Needless to say, she’s a perfect match for our state, not to mention the Greenhouse culture!

Lauren

Her alma mater? Howard University, a.k.a. the Mecca :)

Favorite places she’s traveled to? Vegas and Toronto

Favorite thing about Colorado? The sunshine!

Big city or small town? Big city

What other places has she lived in before moving to the Boulder/Denver-area? Detroit, my beloved hometown, and Washington, D.C.

Bethany

Favorite place she’s traveled to? Tours, France

Her favorite thing about Colorado? Mountain camping with no cell service

One thing on her bucket list Go on an African Safari

Big city or small town? Definitely small town, preferably with a commute through the countryside

We are in the midst of “planning season” with our clients. Beginning a couple months ago for some and extending into November, we are collaborating with our various clients to develop brand communication plans for 2017 that will accomplish annual objectives, build and gain the confidence of consumers and customers, and create advantage in the marketplace. It seems an appropriate time to talk about what is in the middle of all of this. Great brand strategy is at the center of great brands. It doesn’t start with strategy. The starting place is applying the right mix of research and analysis to generate actionable insights, that then feed the development of great strategy. It doesn’t end with strategy. The defining “end places” for great brands come from the right innovation, creative concepts that incrementally move the needle with various stakeholders, big ideas of all stripes, and, of course, flawless execution of the plan. Brand strategy is the driving force behind all of these elements. Brand strategy is at the center, the connector, facilitator, and driver.   As we debate the right mix of tactics for 2017, I thought it was a good time to remind ourselves to go back to strategy when making critical brand and communication decisions.    Here is to a strong finish to the year, and a fast start to 2017!

RMB Funds

Our long-time client RMB Capital recently was named investment adviser for a family of mutual funds. Along with this company milestone came the need to communicate it to key external stakeholders. Based on the marketing and communications needs outlined by RMB, we created an entire new sub-brand for the mutual funds, developed core brand identity elements and marketing collateral, helped get the message out to the investing public through media relations activities, and built a brand new website from scratch - all in the spa​n of six weeks.​

The University of Colorado

Meet Justin and Kelsey.   Like several of us at Greenhouse Partners, Justin Onyeji is a recent Colorado transplant. He came here by way of the Northeast U.S., where he grew up in Buffalo, New York, and graduated from Yale University. Justin joined our firm as a Strategy Associate in the fall of 2015, and since then has been a valuable contributor on a variety of different projects. His experience analyzing statistical data and implementing strategy off that research has led to successful outcomes for several of our clients. Along with being a lover of the Colorado outdoors, Justin is a major Bills fan, but we feel bad for him more than hold that against him at this point.   Kelsey Wittenberg has been an Art Director on our creative team since the summer of 2015. When she’s not watching the live doggy day care video feed of her corgi Gumbeaux, Kelsey is managing client photo shoots, making creative recommendations, and designing effective communication collateral for our clients. She graduated from the University of Colorado, lives in downtown Denver, and loves the state, but also has a sweet spot in her heart for the South, particularly her birthplace Louisiana.

We asked, they answered.

Justin

His favorite hobbies? My list of extremely exciting (not) hobbies includes doing any kind of outdoor activity, reading books on economics, statistics or philosophy, and playing videogames with deep stories and characters.

His favorite thing about Colorado? There are so many things to do outdoors, and I love getting outside. That it is usually sunny out is a nice bonus.

What does he think makes Greenhouse Partners unique/special? The sense of humor…people are always joking around and having fun while working hard. It provides a really nice environment.

Big city or small town? A small town that’s near a big city! Big city life is overwhelming for me but I always want access to one (within an hour at least).

Person you most admire? Tough choice, but I’ll say Tyler Perry, because he overcame so much hardship and failure on his path to success. I usually think about him when I face difficulties or disappointments.

Kelsey

Her Alma Mater? CU Boulder - go Buffs!

Her favorite thing about Colorado? The cultures surrounding our popular activities like breweries, working out, skiing, and being in the mountains. The list could go on and on.

Other places/cities she has lived in before moving to the Boulder/Denver-area Lafayette, Louisiana, Colorado Springs, CO, and Fort Worth, Texas

The person she most admires? My dad. He grew up in an underprivileged family in South Louisiana, worked at least 3 odd jobs to get through college, and now is a successful dentist in Colorado Springs. He worked on oilrigs and even a high security prison at one point. #yikes

Greetings,   Summer is in full swing in the northern hemisphere. There is a noticeable upward trend in the amount of barbecuing – at least at Casa Burridge. The wonderful global spectacle of sport that is the Olympics is a few weeks from starting. And the Cubs are in first place – by a lot. Summer often affords the opportunity to take a step back and consider a variety of topics from a variety of angles. From my contemplation, welcome to a letter without focus, but hopefully one that will provide some value.   If you are considering a “business book” as part of your summer reading, pick up “Small Giants” by Bo Burlingham. The fantastic companies highlighted in this book are great examples of how building winning brands starts from within. And to add to your thinking about working with the highest performing people, read the book “Grit” by Angela Duckworth.   Speaking of starting from within - begin with having a very high bar for the people you hire and the work that you produce. Invest a lot of time and energy in assuring the standards stay high. One way to think about this is: Build a small core of great people – people you expect to be working with for many years to come – based on values and culture fit, work ethic, capability, and the upside of that capability.  Carefully and with much thought, add to that core. Everything else will take care of itself.   Creating and executing a cohesive, well-rounded research plan that provides a foundation of insights into your most important stakeholders will always be valuable. Sometimes a connection not fully appreciated, these insights will enable the creation of big ideas that are relevant in the most important ways. And at the end of the day, great ideas executed flawlessly matter a lot for growing your business and building your brand.   It is increasingly difficult to attract and retain loyal customers and consumers. An important strategy in this critical area is to attach your brand to experiences and content your consumers are passionate about and motivated and inspired by.    Have a great rest of your summer!

Peter M. Burridge

BACARDI® Mixers

More than frozen cocktails, BACARDI® Mixers is about giving people the tools and inspiration to make partytime, anytime. For years, the brand has provided fans with delicious food and cocktail recipes, easy DIYs, and styling tips through its website—InstantParty.com—and on social media. This year, we decided to totally shake up the way we make that content, opting to capture the fun and energy of real, authentic get-togethers rather than taking the cocktails into the studio for a few beauty shots. Doing so helps BACARDI® Mixers to capture the product doing what it does best—fun!—and provides a cohesive set of images to better unify the brand across all its promotional platforms. (And, you know, we get an excuse to throw a few extra parties to boot!)

David Weekley Homes

Meet Leslie and Dean. Leslie Horna moved to Colorado 15 years ago after growing up in the southeastern U.S. and never looked back. Free-spirited and nature-loving, she is a perfect fit in the Centennial State (maybe even more than some Colorado natives). Leslie joined Greenhouse Partners as a Senior Strategy Associate in the fall of 2015 and quickly became a critical member of our team. Always keeping the office spirit high, she uses her deep expertise in marketing and communications to help guide our clients along the right path. When not in the office, Leslie is committed to pursuing her personal passions, particularly engaging with the Denver art community. Dean Smith (he swears no relation to the legendary basketball coach, though we’re not so sure given how talented he is) joined our team this past winter. He has been instrumental in website updates and the development of digital ads for several of our clients, helping keep them on the cutting edge of web design. You can read some of Dean’s insights on the latest trends in digital design in the article featured in this newsletter, which he found time to co-write in between filling up the candy dish at his desk (which he has to do every day, because gummy bears fuel our creativity) and training for the Boulder Ironman in August.

We asked, they answered.

Leslie

Her favorite hobbies? Athletics (playing not really watching) & Art (film, fashion, contemporary art, theatre, literary & music)

One thing on her bucket list: Attend Art Basel in Switzerland - picking one is SO hard!

Big city or small town? City girl

What other places/cities have you lived in before moving to Boulder/Denver-area? Richmond, VA; Syracuse,NY; Greensboro & Charlotte, NC; Boca Raton & Gainesville, FL; and a short stint in Colorado Springs

Her favorite memory? Traveling for 2 weeks in Bali with my sister

Dean

What are you favorite hobbies? Backpacking, Biking and Gardening.

Favorite thing about Colorado? Winter backcountry expeditions to the 10th Mountain Division Huts.

One thing on his bucket list: To complete an Ironman, I'm currently registered in the 2016 Boulder Ironman; yikes!

Wine or beer? I prefer beer over wine, however I really prefer sour beer that has been aged in wine barrels – yum!

Happy March Everyone,

Greenhouse Partners has had a fantastic first quarter of 2016 working with our clients to create solutions and ideas that matter – from a white-space innovation project, to strategic brand initiatives, to several integrated creative campaigns, to some convention-breaking digital work, significant PR wins, and on. As always, we are thankful for the opportunity to work with clients we regard as leaders and innovators.

I’d encourage you to take the time to read the piece on digital in this edition of our newsletter. We likely all agree that the importance of digital for brands today – regardless of business category or consumer or customer type - is massive. Here are two facts illustrating this:

81% of purchasers get advice from their social networks

45% of consumers comment on brands online – often in ways that inform the purchase decisions of potential customers

These are bottom line impacts on your brand.

I’d also like to say that determining what to do with your brand in digital is complicated. Steep adoption curves are the norm. Measurement and iteration are critical. And keeping up is a lot of work. Decision-making being grounded in the right foundation is as critical here as anywhere. A brand’s digital experience, as much as any other area a brand interacts with its consumer and other stakeholder groups, must fall from a brand’s greater purpose and brand strategy - the digital strategy emanating from the brand strategy.

Last, a quick word on content. If your brand is going to have a relationship with its various stakeholders in the digital world, a brilliant content strategy will be a difference maker. What types of content are you going to produce? What credible partners are you going to bring into the mix as content creators? When and where should the content show up? How are you going to measure success with various pieces of content on various platforms? What is the right content mix? How much content? Ultimately, we need to provide the consumer with the right content, when and where they want it.

Thank you to our clients and partners for your trust and confidence.

Peter M. Burridge

Mariner

Mariner, a national wealth management and investment firm, was looking to understand and communicate its brand and story. Over the past several months, Greenhouse Partners worked with Mariner to articulate their brand architecture system, create their Vision and Values, evolve their Brand Identity (name and logo), and position the numerous internal brands. We then developed an ownable creative concept to bring their new strategy to life. The family of companies is now strategically connected, with each organization pursuing growth and results under a distinctive strategy. We first launched the new brands internally, then worked with Mariner to create a new website which launched this month. The company is well positioned to leverage the new strategy and creative in 2016 and going forward.

Mello Yello

Meet Joel and Amanda.

Joel joined Greenhouse Partners a year ago after moving to Colorado by way of Oklahoma. As an Art Director, he conceptualizes and meticulously designs much of the creative work for our clients, such as the point-of-sale pieces for the launch of Mello Yello’s refreshed branding. When not designing, Joel can typically be found scouring obscure music blogs, climbing things, and keeping our beer fridge expertly stocked.

A Hoosier at heart, Amanda came to Greenhouse in the summer of 2015. Our resident taskmaster, she ensures all client work is done on time and meets or exceeds expectations. One of the several projects she has expertly led during her time at Greenhouse has been the brand and website work for Mariner. Not only that, but she is an innovative problem solver always ready to jump in and help. Amanda's great work is often supported by a steady intake of La Croix, which she’s (just slightly) addicted to.

We asked, they answered.

Joel

His favorite hobbies: Sports, finding the music, and magnets

His alma mater: Oklahoma University and Oklahoma State University Institute of Technology 

Favorite places he’s traveled: Japan

His favorite thing about Colorado: Ski Town USA

Big city or small town?: That’s why I moved to Denver, because its got like, that big town vibe with a small town feel, you know? It’s basically the best of both world.

Amanda

Her favorite hobbies: Playing piano, climbing, and skiing

What she thinks makes Greenhouse Partners unique and special: The camaraderie and support. We all work together to find solutions. It’s not account services on one side of the table and creative on the other. We all come to the table with ideas and work together to find the best possible solutions for our family. Plus, the amount of La Croix we drink is pretty special.

Other places she has lived before moving to the Boulder/Denver area: Indiana, Ohio, and Spain

Her hidden talent?: My family calls me the baby whisperer because I have an innate ability to quiet babies. But I don’t tell anyone because I don’t want people handing me crying babies all the time.

Some of the most important elements of a brand are internal. As a meaningful example, a primary driver of any organization’s long-term success, and a key component of brand, is culture. As you consider the current state of your company’s culture and your aspirations for your business in 2016 and beyond, I’d like to throw a few thoughts into the mix. Defining the company culture you want begins with determining and then consistently working from your greater purpose. The components of greater purpose are vision, values and mission. Vision is a never-changing, inspirational, aspirational reason for being. Values are the core tenets – also never-changing – that determine behaviors, actions and decisions. Mission is a three-to-five year overarching, achievable company goal that is the starting place for business planning. Without the right greater purpose, having the culture you want simply can’t happen. There are several other elements that I’ve observed or directly experienced over the years that I believe enable and promote healthy, evolving, success-defining company cultures:

An “in it together” mentality – people working as a team toward a common goal, supporting and promoting each other’s successes.

Individual and company-wide ownership of the work – individual and collective accountability, and a personal connection to the job at hand.

Thoughtful risk taking is encouraged rather than avoided.

Discussion of failure and people reaching out to each other for help - embracing failure as a driver for improvement, and a recognition that collaboration and iteration are critical to problem solving.

An emphasis on high performance – a high bar for the individuals and the work product.

A diversity of perspectives – lots of different types of people hired and able to thrive.

It is worth noting that great companies, just like great brands, can’t be built for everyone.  To be great, a company culture must be distinct, have its own special norms, history and path forward.  With culture, one size does not fit all.  Special cultures attract and keep the right high-performing people - the people that will thrive individually in that culture while contributing to making the company great. Creating and maintaining a great company culture is hard work and requires continuous vigilance, planning, and evolution.  It is worth it.  If managed properly, it will matter for your brand value and be a driver of your business’s success.

8z Real Estate

8z Real Estate asked Greenhouse Partners to develop a brand identity for their new service that helps homeowners better understand their neighborhood. Greenhouse Partners conducted consumer research to inform naming, logo, tagline and brand identity development, ultimately landing on Zavvie. The name and logo, along with the tagline "Where savvy homeowners go,” all communicate to homeowners that this website gives them the inside information on their neighborhood.

Greenhouse Scholars

Meet Ashley and Saul. Ashley joined our company as a Strategy Associate in May 2015, after taking a class at the University of Colorado-Boulder taught by Greenhouse Partners President Amber Hickory and earning her MBA. The dedication she shows in finding unique solutions for the firm’s clients, not to mention the dry sense of humor she brings to every meeting, makes Ashley an all-around perfect fit for the Greenhouse culture. Shortly after becoming one of the first students to graduate from the Greenhouse Scholars program in 2011, Saul joined Greenhouse Partners as the company’s accountant. Not only does he continue to play that role, but he also manages the finances for Greenhouse Scholars and The18. The time commitment and extreme work ethic this requires doesn’t faze Saul in the least bit – he shows up every day with the same scrappy attitude that ensures the Greenhouse family of companies runs smoothly. A Denver Broncos fan from birth, Saul also spearheads all of our internal sporting initiatives and events. We asked, they answered.

Ashley

Her favorite hobbies: Snowboarding, running and mountain biking

Her alma mater: The University of Colorado at Boulder

Favorite places she’s traveled: Cote des Basques, France, Valmalenco, Italy and Nicaragua

Her favorite thing about Colorado: The mountains and the outdoor lifestyle

What she thinks makes Greenhouse Partners unique and special: The variety of experiences and professional backgrounds that our people have

Saul

Hobbies that consume his time: Playing and watching sports

His alma mater: The University of Denver

Favorite place he’s traveled to: Cape Town, South Africa

Person he most admires: My father

In this issue of The Whole Brand, we provide our perspective on great relationships and an overview of our creative philosophy. Interestingly, these two topics are linked and integrated with each other.

In the relationship article, you will read about the elements and steps associated with having close, valued, long-term relationships with the individuals that we work with as our clients. From the creative philosophy overview you will glean what we think it takes for our clients’ brands to be valued by their customers - which is essentially to make people care about them. After reviewing the two articles I have two thoughts to share:

In building great brands we must develop a relationship with the key stakeholders associated with the brand. So, the advice we dispense on relationships is rather relevant context for how one goes about building a great brand.

In building great relationships with the individuals we work with every day we must consider how to make sure they care about us. Interestingly, the key driver of how we think about our creative work is equally a key driver for building great relationships.

While unexpected, I find interesting and thought-provoking the contribution that our perspective on great relationships provides to building great brands and equally interesting and thought-provoking the contribution of our creative philosophy to building great relationships.

We continue to value highly the opportunity to produce creative that matters as we work with so many great brands and fantastic people.

Peter M. Burridge

The University of Colorado

Faced with competition for top students, faculty and staff, as well as donations, research funding, and other resources, The University of Colorado set out to develop a marketing campaign highlighting the variety, accomplishments, and benefits of its four campuses, and to convey the collective impact of the University. Greenhouse Partners was selected to develop the campaign strategy and creative concept, and execute the campaign. "All Four:Colorado" launched on September 15 and incorporates TV, interactive, outdoor, print, public relations, internal, and social media elements. Learn more about the campaign here.

The18.com