Click to enlarge:

In February of 2011, BBR Creative began working with St. Thomas More High School (STM) to help guide and implement a complete brand overhaul and revitalization for the school. As proud alums, Mallory (2002) and I (1987) were extremely excited (and honestly, a little nervous) to participate in such an important milestone in the school’s history.

Upon our initial meeting it was very clear that the STM team leading the revitalization project had done their homework and had a clear understanding of the important role a brand plays within an organization.  It was also very clear that a re-brand was necessary. Not only was STM dealing with a legal halt-and-desist for their athletic logo, the school was also trying to manage multiple identities that represented various departments of the school. Secondly, the new administration understood that there was a history of community misconception about the school that needed to be challenged.

The project was segmented into two phases. Phase 1 was the discovery and defining phase that began with the BBR Creative team hosting a series of six focus groups divided to answer questions about individual topics. The topics covered: academics, athletics, spirituality, faculty, image and future goals. From the focus group findings, BBR defined STM’s strengths and weaknesses (brand mapping), its core differentiators, the school’s brand personality, brand position and brand promise which was presented in a strategy document.

After the discovery phase BBR moved into Phase 2, the visual re-brand phase. BBR’s biggest challenge was to update and redesign a family of logos that came with years of brand equity and also deep-seated internal and external loyalty. Accepting change among the stakeholders was not going to be easy.  Luckily, Phase 1 delivered well-defined solutions on how to broach the update for the school’s identity and BBR was able to accept the design challenge with ease. Phase 1 concluded with the unveiling of a cohesive logo family that successfully honors the school’s history and celebrates its future.

“BBR Creative helped St. Thomas More Catholic High School revitalize our brand. While maintaining fidelity to our past, they revised and refreshed our image with both internal and external constituencies. BBR collaborated closely with our stakeholders and produced top quality deliverables that represented well the essence of our community.”

Audrey C. Menard, Ed.D.
Principal – St. Thomas More Catholic High School

Six months later, BBR delivered what I feel is one of the most robust and successful brand projects ever completed in the history of our agency.  But for me, the biggest success of the entire project lay not in the sheer magnitude and complexity of the job, but in the school’s commitment to make the internal changes necessary to develop a healthy, sustainable brand. I was so impressed to see that STM followed the brand strategies we advised and immediately implemented them into their policies and literature. Yet even more impressive was that the STM team understood that the re-brand was an investment in the school; not simple words on paper, but words that were to be put into action and reflect how the school community teaches, believes, prays, studies, competes, shares and celebrates. Not only did STM fully integrate their new brand identity in time for the fall 2011 school year, but they have also implemented what the brand stands for in their school policy and culture, showing that STM truly understands how to LIVE their brand. Go Cougars!!!

In this day and age, technology is ever-changing. If we are going to reach younger audiences, we as marketers must do our part to stay up to speed on the latest trends. Let’s face it — people expect to find information about your business online.  Whether it’s your website, Facebook page, online blog, e-newsletter, YouTube channel or other social media site — you need to be accessible to stay in the game.

If you’re in doubt, consider this:

2011 High School Graduates -

1. Watch 11 fewer hours of TV per week than the average American
2. Watch nearly three hours more mobile video than mobile subscribers as a whole.
3. Send 3,364 text messages per month – that’s more than twice as many as 18-24-year-olds do!
4. Only talk an average of 515 minutes per month, only their grandparents talk less per month.
5. Live in a social media world — almost 80 percent visit social networks and blogs daily!

So how do you plan to market to a consumer that watches less TV, texts like crazy and is easier found online than by phone?  Perhaps it’s not what you say, but how you say it that makes all the difference.

Source: The Neilson Company, June 2011

Apex Freight

I am incredibly thankful to the staff of BBR for helping me to jazz up my company branding and put together an incredible marketing campaign.  I’ve worked with other marketing firms but BBR shines above everyone because they are very creative, patient with demanding customers and very talented on how to get the best bang for the buck.  I’ve been using BBR for over a year and we are working with them on a long-term marketing plan into the next three years.

Tracy J. Pellerin, President
Apex Freight

BELFOR

BBR Creative has been our agency for over 8 years and has helped us build the BELFOR USA brand on a national basis.

They provide support to our national, regional and local efforts to increase brand presence. They are always there when we need them and work as a true extension of our in-house marketing department.

Theresa Williams, VP of National Sales & Marketing
BELFOR USA Property Restoration

Cane River Pecan Company

BBR was instrumental in developing a brand that reflected our position in the marketplace.  We needed to convey to our customers a sense of place and heritage.  BBR did both creatively and artfully.  Our branding was essential to our overall company presentation since so many of our products are adorned with our brand on packaging.  Our brand actually become a large part of our packaging design, the two are intertwined. read more…

Cajun Country Rice

BBR Creative has been such a breath of fresh air. They are enthusiastic, professional and extremely well organized. We have been working with them for over a year and they continue to “WOW!” us with their ideas and plans. We look forward to a long future together!

Jennifer Trahan
Cajun Country Rice

Coyote Blues

Advertising has been the weak link in our operation and BBR has brought excitement to Coyote Blues and its Partners. We have come to understand, through the hard work of BBR, that effective marketing is not an event. Successful marketing is a process and it starts with a group of people that share in the same goals through open communication. read more…

Cox Communications

BBR always provides us with on target creative solutions that build our brand in our local market place.

Patricia Thompson, Public Affairs Manager
Cox Communications

Dupré Logistics, LLC

BBR led our very successful rebranding effort 3 years ago.  BBR’s talented professionals analyzed our competitive market place and our company to identify our value proposition. Their team of creative talent then packaged our brand to differentiate and communicate our unique value to our clients and prospective clients. Today BBR leads our public relations campaign, which is responsible for messaging to our market, our team and the general public.

Reggie Dupré, CEO
Dupré Logistics, LLC

Festival International de Louisiane

As a non-profit organization, we can’t say enough about BBR Creative’s dedication and contribution to our organization.  They understand our brand and are always willing to assist in our marketing efforts with innovative solutions.

Dana Baker, Executive Director
Festival International de Louisiane

Flex Med

I just wanted to tell you that BBR is by far the best and most professional organization we have ever had the opportunity to work with.  Although we are not currently active clients, I do believe we will be again in the future. Thank you for coupling the 3 E’s-efficiency, effectiveness and excellence in your business model.

Sincerely,
Heather Doss, COO
Flex Med

Rader Solutions

I feel that the key to BBR Creative is that you make me look great. While we are a small firm that competes nationally, you have helped us look professional. I attended a regional trade show last month and we looked great; we looked better than a marketing firm that was promoting their brand. But, it goes beyond your ability to make us look great. You and your people are always looking out for our business. I feel like at least once a month you give me a great business idea, get me in touch with somebody that can help us with our business in some way, or just send me something funky in the mail or via email that will help enhance our business. read more…

United Way of Acadiana

BBR always brings a clear, concise and creative approach to our work, which is invaluable. The work of United Way of Acadiana is complex and deeply rooted in the community and BBR’s expertise helps cut through multiple messages to portray the strongest, most relevant message for each project. We are thankful for the partnership we have created with BBR.

Stephanie Mire, Marketing & Communication Director
United Way of Acadiana

Do you have a Kindle? A Nook? When I hear someone talk about either of these gadgets, the first question that comes to my mind is, “Why?”

As someone who loves to read, I prefer an actual book in my hands to an electronic device. Any particular reason I feel this way? Just personal preference, I guess. To me, there’s nothing quite as relaxing as curling up with a good book after a busy, crazy day. While I’m at it, I might as well put it out there that I also prefer used bookstores and libraries to Books-A-Million or Barnes & Noble. Fancy coffee and the hottest new paperbacks can’t hold a candle to the smell and feel of old, well-loved books.

Who knows, one day I just might jump on the electronic reading bandwagon. But as someone with zero interest in these gadgets, I seriously doubt it. I’ll take ink and paper over yet another glowing screen any day of the week!

While the digital world continues to evolve at breakneck speed, we should remember the splendor of old-fashioned things, and the beauty in handmade creations. Even though the pencils portrayed below are definitely not for doodling or writing love notes, they still remind me of the power of the written word. The real written word – the words we actually used to write with pencil and paper!

So take a few minutes away from the computer today and write a letter to someone you love. Then you can send them an email reminding them to check the mailbox!

◄ Back

Next ►

Picture 1 of 11

A pencil maker told the pencil five important lessons just before putting it in the box:

1. Everything you do will always leave a mark.
2. You can always correct the mistakes you make.
3. What is important is what is inside of you.
4. In life, you will undergo painful sharpenings, which will only make you better.
5. To be the best pencil, you must allow yourself to be held and guided by the hand that holds you.

Did you know that the customer profitability rate tends to increase over the life of a retained customer?

In other words, the longer you keep a customer, the more profitable the customer becomes. Furthermore, companies can boost profits from 25 – 125% by retaining merely 5% more existing customers.

As the person responsible for new business development at BBR, I have come to value the relationships we have with existing clients, first and foremost, before the acquisition of new business. Taking care of the clients we already have is key to retention, allowing me to gain new clients for our business and layer them into our already strong base. This makes a lot more sense than having a constant rotation of clients in and out of our business. Although, on average, most businesses lose approximately 10% of customers each year, we still work hard to maintain those that are most valuable to long-term growth.

After 14 years in business, I think I’ve learned something about retention, and I’m happy to share a few Client Retention Tips:

1. Honor your promise. Deliver what you promise, everytime.
2. Be relevant. Know your client’s needs and be ready to offer intelligent solutions to help them meet those needs.
3. Serve well. Always serve the client to the best of your ability and make sure your team is committed to doing the same.
4. Care about your client’s success as much as your own. Be concerned about their industry, the plight of their business, their pressures, their challenges.
5. Stay in touch. Communicate frequently.
6. Be thoughtful. Remember birthdays, interests, anniversarys, children and spouses names. Write thank you notes.
7. Add value — go above and beyond. Give more than was asked of you or expected from you.
8. Do not take advantage of a client or their employer — ever.
9. Be vigilant. Always be ready to help clients with anything they may throw your way.
10. Make friends. People do business with people they like…and respect. Remember that.
11. Solve problems quickly. Be accountable and apologize immediately when you need to. Do not let resentments develop.

We all know someone whose “tweet” was seen by the wrong person, and we’ve certainly heard stories of employees who posted something on Facebook that got them into hot water at work.

It’s almost impossible to go online these days without interacting with some form of social media. With each interaction, most folks think about their personal online reputation, but what about the company they work for?

We all know what’s appropriate at work, and what we can and can’t say and do around our coworkers. But when we’re off the clock, and away from the office, the rules change. We may have 9 to 5 professional lives, but we can be our social media selves 24 hours a day.

Many social networks have places to list your employer, and, on websites such as Facebook and LinkedIn, you can even “fan” and follow companies. When we list a company as our employer, does that mean we should be considered a spokesperson for that company? Do the views and opinions we express (regardless of the subject matter) reflect those of our company?

The quick answer is: it depends. Some companies take an authoritarian stance on their employees’ use of social media, adopting policies stating that no employee can list their company in a personal profile. For those that allow employees to list their company name online, they may state that unless indicated as an official source of information for the company, employees’ opinions are theirs, and theirs alone. Other companies have no social media policy, or may not care until, of course, a problem arises.

Smart companies know that problems don’t go away if you ignore them. And with more and more businesses (and consumers) going online, social media is definitely something every company should take a pro-active, rather than reactive, stance on.

Now, I’ll leave you with one final thought to ponder. Like mastermind Dom Cobb says in the blockbuster film Inception, “We need to go deeper.” Social media policies may consider employees, but what about outside parties like vendors, partners and contract laborers? Does a comment about you from someone who doesn’t directly work for your company fall under your social media policy? The plot thickens …

In closing, there are no easy answers to the social media conundrum, but there are some important first steps to take. For starters, take some time to think about your social media policy (or lack thereof) and go deeper. Do some research. Talk to other companies about how they handle it. Most importantly, create a policy that works for you and your employees and stick to it. Good luck!

If you have a large event looming, I highly recommend finding a reputable event planner to assist with the details. Planning an event is a daunting task, with zillions of small details to remember – did you get trash cans? Is there enough food? Is the band here? It can be overwhelming.

Depending on the size of the event, planning can begin up to a year in advance, and it takes a very organized person to constantly monitor all the tasks being handled on a day-to-day basis. Consider the flowers, music, food, photographer, decorations, who is setting up and what time, tear down – it never ends!  But the initial planning is just part of the job. The next step is managing the actual event and handling all of the unexpected surprises (believe me, there will be plenty of those!).  A good event planner expects these unforeseen issues and realizes that they can be dealt with quickly and quietly, while an inexperienced planner may become flustered, jeopardizing the months spent on preparations and leaving you and your guests with not-so-great memories.

Hire a professional planner, and you can mingle with the guests, enjoy the festivities and know that everything is being taken care of by someone you trust. I can’t say enough about the wonderful service professional event planners provide on a daily basis, and I highly recommend taking the stress off your shoulders by taking one simple step before your next big event: hire a professional!

We are all susceptible to working too hard. Americans give their lives to their jobs — countless hours are spent at our offices and in front of computers, as afternoon meetings turn to dinner at the conference room table, and our virtual office (in the form of a smart phone or laptop) comes home with us every night. For those of us who are never truly away from the office, our coworkers become our defacto family. After all, the majority of us spend as much or more time with them on a daily basis than our actual families!

Here at BBR Creative, we often end up seeing more of each other than our spouses, significant others, children, parents or siblings.  I guess that’s why we always take time out to stop and have a little fun!

Whether it’s beer-thirty on a Friday afternoon, celebrating someone’s move, birthday, baby or a fun, friendly contest (Flip cup, Cathi?) we try to find the joy in each day.

At BBR, it’s our philosophy that we work better and are more productive when we take time to laugh at ourselves and each other. Ahh, it’s good to have fun with the family!

In addition to developing creative campaigns that often sweep design awards like the ADDYs, BBR offers another edge over other advertising agencies around the country. Not many of our clients know that they have the distinction of working with two of the most attractive alligator hunters south of I-10. They’re definitely “purtier” than Troy Landry and Jacob Landry, the rising stars of the History Channel’s Swamp People, the reality show that follows Cajun alligator hunters.

Kristen Wilson and Mallory Joseph may seem – by weekday – to be ultimate branding strategists, ready to provide visionary marketing solutions to every client’s business. Consummate professionals, they walk the fine line between interpreting the client’s needs to the artists and presenting the final creative that comes out of a very collaborative process.

But on the weekends they’ve proven they are not afraid to kick off their heels and taste a little adventure, even if it means facing some deep-seeded fears.

Kristen admits to some initial trepidation about hunting creatures in the Basin. “My father-in-law arranged an alligator hunt so I could get over my fears about waterskiing down South. As a Yankee transplant I was not used to sharing the waters with alligators – and the waters up North are much more clear!”

Even after “chooting” an impressive 10-foot, 300 lb. alligator while on a hunt in Marksville with her husband, Jason, Kristen’s still not sure she feels comfortable waterskiing the murky waters in the Basin.

“My alligator was huge and witnessing the power of his death roll is enough to give you new nightmares.”

Mallory went on an alligator hunt out of Grand Chenier with a group that included her boyfriend, friends and family. She also recalls some fear at the start of her alligator hunt. But quickly found out that she was simply a “choot-em-up” kind of gal.

“It was the first time I shot anything in my entire life – it was exhilarating and terrifying at the same time!”

The 8-foot alligator Mallory shot on an alligator hunt out of Grand Chenier encountered a duality that all of Mallory’s clients have come to know. She may look sweet and have a bright smile, but when it comes down to business Mallory is as tough as they come. And she has the ultimate photo to prove it.

If you are interested in taking a swamp tour or need some guidance for an alligator hunt in our area, be sure to schedule an in-house client meeting sometime in September of next year. The Louisiana alligator hunting season begins on the first Wednesday of September and lasts 30 days. Although in Florida we hear it’s year round. We’ll know if Kristen or Mallory schedule their next vacation in that area….