I’m giving the site a bit of a facelift since it’s been nearly 4 years since I first rolled this out. Since I’m not technically savvy enough to port WordPress databases between domains, this will be a work in progress for everyone to see. Not that anyone’s looking.
| Create your own company from scratch and claw your way up the corporate ladder – all on your lunch break.
Project Objective Strategy Oscar Mayer wanted to show the sack lunch corporate crowd that they were the right lunch choice for them by getting them to try a new, convenient microwaveable sandwich. Since many people don’t care to engage with a lunch meat company online, an effective way to get them clicking was to create a Facebook game and subversively promote wasting time on it at work…during your lunch break of course. Execution The tone of the entire app is dark, hopeless office humor that pokes fun at corporate America, all while having a little fun at the user’s expense. They are, after all, stuck in a typical boring 9 to 5 job. Users can create their own company, or have one generated for them. Who wouldn’t want to be CEO of Art Vandelay Industries? The mini-games all involve office activities too, with the Paper Airplane Toss, Wasteketball and the SpeedySandwich builder. CEOs can encourage employees to earn money for them by offering perks like an extra foot of cube space, an extra 5-minute break or a ride in the corporate jet. If you spend too much time away from the app, hot news items get posted to your Facebook feed, encouraging you to come back. Messages like “Area dog sues, claiming he invented the “Doggie bag.” -$12,000″ or “Local lettuce farmers reveal the hidden mineral benefits of the leafy green vegetable. $+125 per employee.” Deliverables |
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Concept Rather than just think about all the horrible numbers everyone sees on the news, these ads challenge the viewer to do more – take action. Because when it comes to issues like these, it’s not the thought that counts. Deliverables |
  
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| 4 distinct rich media banner concepts drove users to targeted content on the Ford Corporate site.
Project Objective Strategy The demographics were moms, young gamers, car enthusiasts and green-minded car buyers. Execution – Young Gamers Concept 2: The mission – drag a giant donut into a giant cup of coffee. This improbable mission demanded a “mission impossible” treatment. – Car Enthusiasts – Moms – Green Drivers Deliverables |
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| A simple content re-architecture brought 100+ existing keyword rich articles that were invisible to search engines to within 2 clicks of the homepage.
Project Objective Strategy I went beyond the scope of the project and recommended they restructure the navigation to optimize content accessibility and add a blog-style content library that would house over a hundred articles that were already written, but buried in xml files. Execution Then, the navigation was re-worked to support an inverted “L”, with high priority content in the upper left of the top and side nav, and low priority content to the right and down. Drive to quote was high priority, then content about Allstate’s products and last content that was about topics related to Allstate’s products. Sub navigation was exposed to help users find relevant content and help the search spiders find content. The last part of the exercise was to rewrite the 20 existing articles in the auto section and work with UX and design to create a solution for the new blog-style pages that would house the previously inaccessible articles. Results Deliverables |
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| Before our team redesigned the quote & buy tool, Allstate sold under 250 policies online each quarter. Now they sell hundreds a day in just 30 states.
Project Objective Strategy Their initial learning showed that people valued price, but even more than that they valued reliability and convenience. By streamlining the front- and back-end of their antiquated quoting app, they hoped to not only become competitive, but leap frog their rivals in online conversion. Execution Then we worked to optimize interactions at every step of the process, all while giving users the contextual help they needed to quickly get to a quote. On the quote screen, a delicate balance of information, interaction and design was struck. After multiple rounds of usability testing, we landed on a design that gave users three prices, the ability to customize and easy to understand contextual definitions. Results The success of the tool has kick-started other revenue generating projects and paved the way for the quote template to be leveraged across their other products. Deliverables |
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| This drive to quote app enjoys a 66% conversion rate, not including call center leads.
Project Objective Strategy Allstate wanted to bridge that gap by offering shoppers a way to de-mystify the auto insurance experience without the “legal-ese” that was common in the category. Execution Live video of four different “guides” was shot for the specific purpose of being integrated into the app. Each guide delivered the same info, but the tone and flavor of the delivery varied to suit the demographic segment they represented. The app also features “real life examples” that illustrate how the coverage pays for things that happen to you in the real world. The content also varies by state, so 50 different versions of the on-screen text and definitions needed to be created in order to make sure what the users see is relevant and not ambiguous. Results The virtual guides have proven to be a success outside of the tool as well – they are used within the quote process and within site content as stand alone, informational videos. Deliverables |
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| This social media marketing effort breathed new life into icons of the brand, the Keebler Elves, by creating content and conversations around tiny elf doors installed in trees across the country.
Project Objective Strategy
The Work The Tiny Door Project started as an experimental initiative that quickly grew into a big idea Keebler could reinvent their brand around. Each tree was an extension of the “Hollow Tree” that Ernie and all the Keebler elves made cookies in. They sat at the center of the campaign, and we created content that showcased the doors, prompted conversations and sharing, as well as re-created the magic and whimsy the doors inspired.
Our creative focused on making people aware of the doors so they would go visit them in person through gorgeous photography. Then, we encouraged people to share their visit on social through a hashtag and message on the door, as well as conversation starters on social platforms. Last, we had fun with the concept and the idea of elves, lifting the curtain on their magical world by creating an Instagram account that posted as if it was an elf with a tiny mobile phone. Results The program quickly garnered national attention in USA Today, as well as dozens of local news outlets. Deliverables
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This content marketing effort caused more than a 30% lift in enrollment, compared with prospects who didn’t experience this program.
Project Objective
Establish DeVry’s reputation as a forward-thinking school that helps students get a job after graduation.
Strategy
Fuel and host the conversation around how America needs to get ready for the upcoming job shortage of 20 million college graduates by 2025.
The Work
We set out to showcase how DeVry prepares students for a career in the new economy by creating content about their unique partnerships with Fortune 500 companies, perspectives from DeVry grads working in the field and thought leadership from their best-in-class faculty.
DeVry already had programs and initiatives that were amazing proof that the school “walked the walk” when it came to preparing students for future careers. But no one outside the school knew about them. Our first step was to do a comprehensive audit and conduct stakeholder interviews to break down the silos in their organization.
Out of that, we developed a strategy that incorporated the best stories they had to tell. The school partnered with Fortune 500 companies to make sure their graduates had the skills those companies wanted, so we focused on one major partner per quarter. We found the students working in fields related to those partners, and told their stories to get prospects excited about those future careers. We also tapped into DeVry’s faculty and made them into heroes and thought leaders.
The result was a blend of articles, infographics and videos focused on generating excitement around a career change. After they experienced this content, we matched it up with one of the school’s relevant programs to drive them further down the funnel. The content was shared across paid, owned and earned channels based on a comprehensive media strategy.
Examples:
Results
We reached over a million prospects in just five months and our earned reach exceeded paid reach, demonstrating how we were able to create content that sparked conversations.
Most importantly – it poured qualified leads into their funnel. A prospect that experienced our campaign was more likely to enroll in the school and think favorably of DeVry
Deliverables
Content Audit & Stakeholder Interviews
Content Strategy
Distribution Strategy
Editorial Planning
Content Management
