Google is always moving. Working as an embedded freelance Creative Lead at Google, I got to experience this firsthand. I led a team of designers and writers, plus front-end and back-end developers to build websites. It wasn’t easy, but by working closely with the “clients,” my team delivered quality work, on time, and on scope.
The most satisfying project, for personal and professional reasons, was the “Change the Game” website for Google Play. What began as a request for infographics evolved into an animated, interactive, mobile-first site. The site was built to showcase research that the Google Play team did on the world of women and gaming. Sadly, gaming hasn’t been a very inclusive space for girls and women, so we wanted this to make this a positive, affirming, and fun experience. And we even developed some games for it.
In addition to other sites we designed, built, and launched, we created videos, and did branding work for the Google in-house incubator, Area 120.
Dockers
Dockers had a problem. Their brand had fallen flat and their product had become synonymous with boring cubicle-wear. Even worse, adult males, their target, were losing their jobs and their testosterone levels were falling at a rate of 1% per year.
So the “Wear the Pants” campaign became a call to manhood. We urged men to get off the sofa and once again become the problem-solving, adventure-seeking, bold gentlemen they truly are. This involved a massive social media engagement, including two contests running simultaneously on Facebook, with TV, print, and online efforts leading consumers to the Dockers Facebook page.
Did it work? Brand awareness went up, and sales rose over 200%.
Virgin America
What if you had to launch an airline... and you had almost no money for marketing? Fortunately for Virgin America, they had a great product to offer.
We got to build a brand from the ground up. We used the inherent coolness of the brand and the planes themselves to convey the message that passengers not only deserve a better way to fly, they deserve a good fare too. We told passengers that the skies were once again glamorous, sexy, fun and affordable. Or, as we put it, that this is how to fly.
The airline flourished, adding routes while other carriers trim service. And until they were acquired by Alaska, the brand attracted fans eager for a better way to fly.
Oakland A's
A once-proud franchise was being left behind. Both in attendance and in the standings—by rivals with newer ballparks. And talk that they might move left some fans feeling betrayed. But we wanted to show that the team known for its famous misfits could still connect with its passionate fan base. To do this, we celebrated the team’s heritage in equal measure with the team’s future, while reminding families and purists alike that good old fashioned baseball could still be found—on the other side of the Bay.
Despite a mediocre record, the homegrown feel of the campaign helped to encourage fans to keep coming back to the park for baseball the way it was meant to be.
HP Business Social Media
When I joined the team this account had just lost its creative director, then underwent a change in creative and account personnel. So I took the reins and worked to establish a consistent look, tone, and feel for the social content.
Our audience was primarily IT decision makers. So I brought a witty and human voice to the brand, while highlighting their products. In addition to "Always On" social content, we also made a series of videos called "Employee Stories" that highlight interesting young employees at HP. And we partnered with Instagram artist MyDayWithLeo for a series of videos for the HP Elite x2, winning awards along the way.
Views and engagement in their social channels improved dramatically, and we won more and more pieces of business from other groups within HP.
HPE Helion
This was my first foray into B to B advertising. At first i was worried that I wouldn't get to be very creative with it. But what I discovered was that business audiences are the same as consumer audiences—they're just people who want to be surprised, entertained, and informed.
So that's what I set out to do for HPE Helion. This is their hybrid cloud solution, and the audience was IT decision maker, IT pros, and developers. We reached their tech-savvy audience of IT decision makers through print, social, videos, and at events.
Microsoft
How do you give a faceless company an identity? Microsoft had lost Bill and Steve, two of the biggest personalities in tech. So we saw a chance to give the company a new face. First, #ICreatedThis, showcased projects that Microsoft employees had done. It gave followers a chance to meet the people behind their favorite products, such as Xbox Kinect.
Next was the #5to9 campaign, which took familiar business acronyms and re-purposed them to show how people use Microsoft products to pursue their "other jobs."
But the most ambitious was the #DoMore campaign we created to re-launch their Instagram account. We sent a photographer around the world to share images and stories of people who do more to make their dreams come to life. This brought more followers to their Instagram account, and it caught the attention of the press.
Advanced Nutrients
How do you bring an industry to the mainstream? I served as Director of Marketing for Advanced Nutrients, a worldwide leader in the hydroponics and indoor growing sector. One of the reasons for their rapid growth was their commitment to the growing community, and they built a brash, outspoken brand. But when I joined the company, it was a brand that had lost its way. It was time to breathe new life to both the marketing and to the internal teams that created the work.
I basically ran an internal ad agency, with over 100 employees. From the design team in Canada to the Online team in Mumbai, plus a Scientific Marketing Unit in Europe and other team members scattered across the globe, my challenge was to expand, unify, and modernize this team.
This wasn't easy. But as I put key managers in place, the look and tone of our work improved. Our labels started to get noticed by the design community, our social media presence expanded, our print ads and white papers improved. Best of all, sales went up.
Northstar-At-Tahoe
How do you evolve a brand? Northstar-at-Tahoe had an interesting problem. For years, they were known as one of Tahoe’s most family-friendly resorts. But a Ritz-Carlton was on its way, and a new village with retail, fine dining, and apres-ski cabanas had already been built.
So how do you keep your family-friendly soul while reaching out to a new audience?
We solicited stories from fans of the resort. We told their stories, and had fun with the brand, too. We had a contest to select a new t-shirt design (which also became the cover of a music mix CD). Not only did this approach draw fans back to the brand, it created new revenue streams for the resort, as well.
