Problem:
The scale of Walmart's Women's Economic Empowerment Initiative was hard to comprehend and their message wasn't being communicated in a way that people could grasp. The impact that they are having on women's lives around the globe is mind-blowing in scale but the story wasn't getting the positive attention their efforts deserved.

Solution:
In partnership with Zia Communication, we helped create an atmosphere inside the company that encourages all female associates to grow their careers at Walmart and for the retailer to become the best place for women to work at all levels of the organization. Externally, Walmart wanted to tell the story of what they are doing in their Women’s Economic Empowerment initiative.The strategic communications plan centers on four objectives: communicate opportunities for women associates to grow and thrive; collect and share the stories of women who have built a career at Walmart and who have benefited from the Women’s Economic Empowerment initiative; use the stories to build a culture of empowerment; and drive awareness of Walmart’s efforts to empower women globally.

Results:
Walmart's Women's Economic Empowerment Initiative has already received the Best Economic Empowerment Program Award given by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation. 

To date over 700 associate stories have been collected on video, brands for their internal and external women’s programs were developed, a toolkit for leaders to use when telling the Walmart story was created, and a monthly e-newsletter for leadership and editors of internal communication channels was created to share news about progress for the programs. 

Final results will be tabulated in 2016 but by today’s measurement we are confident saying the results are going to be mind boggling in scale.

Working with Steven Himpe, the founder, of a new Belgian single-serve dessert company, we finalized their company name and identity. The selected name was, Delici, which means “delights” in latin. The logo features a “d” with a spoon nestled in the negative space. Since launching a short time ago, his company has been turning heads with the new identity and witty positioning. Delici is currently an industry sweet spot across Europe.

We worked with Delici and Sunwest Sales to convince Costco to test run the product in a single market. The product has gone from a single test market to being sold in five of Costco's eight U.S. regions, Canada and Europe. By the end of 2015, it will be available in all eight U.S. Costco regions.

Delici is Easily the Sweetest Brand We Have Ever Created Elegantly Mixed with Some Delightful Results.

PROBLEM:
T.D. Williamson (TDW) is the world’s most recognized name in pipeline equipment and services, however, their brand didn't reflect their leadership position. They needed to do some maintenance on their brand both internally and externally so that their image reflected the reputation they have obtained through tireless innovation in the pressurized pipeline industry.

SOLUTION:
We worked closely with the marketing and leadership teams to clear out all the old brand nomenclature that weakened T.D. Williamson's market position as an global innovator.

The materials that we produced for their internal audience clearly addressed mission, vision and values of the company. It was important to communicate Who they are? Why they exist? Where they are going? and How they planned on getting there?

Externally, we create a bilingual capabilities brochure that quickly tells their brand story at the highest level. Big powerful spreads that briefly tell about their expertise and innovation through copywriting, environmental photography and high-tech 3D renderings of their pipeline maintenance tools. The back panel of the piece folds out to show a comprehensive range of capabilities.

More Branding also built the framework for all of the T.D. Williamson collateral systems, brochures and sell sheets for each service and/or product. 

PROBLEM:
In the very beginning, we realized that Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful, a nonprofit organization focused on eliminating illegal dumping and littering, had a storytelling problem. The terminology they were using was complex and familiar in environmental circles but entirely foreign to the average citizen. This limited their appeal and ability to gain broad support. We needed to redirect their brand story to appeal to all Pennsylvanian's. 

SOLUTION:
We broke down their list of environmental terms into four simple pillars. 
How to Clean It!  //  How to Prevent It!  //  How to Keep It!  //  How to Get Involved!

That’s it! Most people didn't care about environmental science but they would gladly support keeping their property clean and their communities beautiful. We also chose to focus the brand message on the visibly beautiful outcomes and not the activity and noise.

RESULTS:
Membership increased 1199% in the first year.
Total revenue grew by 50% in first year.
Volunteers grew from 35,045 - 191,727 in first year.

Now those are some "Beautiful" Results.

PROBLEM:
WPX Energy needed a Code of Business Conduct that aligned employees with their company culture and engaged them to actively live the values of the company. They had used the same Code for years but it had become less relevant to cultural changes and didn’t emphasize non-retaliation policies. Corpedia, the industry leader in governance, risk and compliance education and communication gave the Code a C+. That's not good enough.

SOLUTION:
In partnership with Zia Communication, we started from the ground level and rewrote the entire Code of Conduct emphasizing non-retaliation policies and broke the piece into a question and answer format. What if...? Then what...? The piece is very visual with short blocks of information to make it much more engaging and relevant with today’s readers.

RESULTS:
• Based upon a national ranking system by Corpedia, the report went from being in the 71st percentile to 2nd percentile when compared to all Codes they reviewed.

• It won an International Association of Business Communicators Gold Quill award for its effective communication and presentation.

• Will be featured as a case-study in Public Relations Writing: Form & Style  written by Dr. Doug Newsom. This textbook is used in graduate and undergraduate level classrooms at over 100 universities.

• Already seeing an increase in employees reporting and bringing up workplace issues that need to be addressed.

President's Choice Private Label

PROBLEM:
Youth Services of Tulsa, a nonprofit, had a brand story that failed to identify with or relate to the demographic they serve. A fantastic nonprofit organization with a story that failed to connect, and they knew it. Youth Services brand had been around awhile, in fact, it felt like a 1980's clinic versus a safe and friendly place that would attract their teenage clients.

SOLUTION:
We identified Youth Services true story. They didn’t just help homeless teens. They freed them from the paralyzing and confining hardships of being homeless. Youth Services gave them the freedom to achieve, to believe and to dream. They empowered them and gave them an avenue to be liberated from the circumstances that held them back. We captured that in the new logo that takes a page from street art and graffiti. The motion and movement in the logotype combined with teenagers freestyling gives you a sense of freedom and that nothing can hold you back. This is the real story of Youth Services. Helping homeless and struggling teens breakthrough the barriers that have prevented them from achieving their full potential.

RESULTS:
Since launching the re-brand, Youth Services has nearly doubled their reach and their revenues. The brand has been broadly received by teenage clients, corporate partners and donors. Teenage clients proudly wear clothing with the logo because they know it represents a proud moment of change in their life.

Youth Services of Tulsa was once bound by their story - but now they too are “FREE TO ACHIEVE.”

Jules Destrooper is a highly regarded Belgian treasure, so much so, that they are an Official Purveyor To The Belgian Royal Household. Jules Destrooper specializes in butter wafers, cookies and biscuits based on secret recipes developed over 125 years ago. When Jules Destrooper wanted to take their Belgian treats to the United States they contacted us. They had their eyes set on Costco and we helped them develop efficiently shipped packaging with an refreshed design that was supported by their history but connected with today's Costco buyer. Now, Destrooper has multiple products in Costco including a new one coming out later in 2016.

PROBLEM:
Historically, Walmart's Diversity & Inclusion Reports were text heavy documents that failed to tell the personal stories and positive outcomes that were happening through their initiatives. Walmart's Diversity and Inclusion group has a large amount of "Impact" around the world and that story wasn't being told in a powerful and meaningful way.

SOLUTION:
In partnership with Zia Communication, the first thing we did was break the document down into the three-pillars the group focuses on: Workforce, Workplace, Marketplace. We simplified the document with powerful stylized inforgraphics that supported the text in these sections. Because of Walmart's global reach we included an "Around the World" spread for each section that visually highlighted diversity and inclusion success stories from a variety of countries.

RESULTS:
They continue to be leaders in Diversity and Inclusion and Doug McMillion, the new President and CEO, has been described as a "torchbearer for inclusion". We are excited to partner with Walmart to communicate that their future business success can benefit from a broad and diverse workforce.

PROBLEM:
U.S. Beef Corp, The world's largest Arby's franchisee with over 320 stores wanted to align their employees to the values the founder's had established. They needed something that could communicate their vision, mission, values and brand positioning in a way that would captivate, inform and inspire their workforce.

SOLUTION:
We developed a three-dimensional handout that had a letter from the President and Chief Executive Officer, their mission, vision and values and a rubber bracelet that reinforced their daily mission throughout the organization. The piece was distributed to all of their existing employees at the annual corporate event and to all new employees as part of the on-boarding process.

RESULTS:

The story we are most proud of is, if you had a meeting with Jeff Davis the CEO, or, an employee who brought out your curly fries, you would see both wearing the red mission bracelets in a show of solidarity.

After the launch, the company came together and embraced the vision, mission and values. It was exciting to see how the company bonded from the boardroom to the breakroom.

Last year we set out to design and construct our own desks at More Branding. To keep the costs down and the creative up we opted to see what we could develop out of a single sheet of plywood. Something unexpected happened – we were overwhelmed with the number of design possibilities a simple sheet of plywood exhibits. That’s when we thought it would be fun to see what other local creatives could come up with using the same guidelines.

That path led to an exhibition of works of art by a wide-ranging and diverse group of creatives, from architects to construction companies, being held in conjunction with the FabLab Symposium here in Tulsa. The desks were exhibited at multiple retail locations along Brookside, resulting in a gallery-hop-like event: Edit., Richard Neel Home, SR Hughes, and Urban Furnishings. The desks were for sale by silent auction and the money generated from the sale of these desks went to the organization the submitting designers select to benefit from the sale. There were 17 entries and all desks were purchased. Everyone had fun and nonprofit organizations received a hefty amount of contributions.

PROBLEM:
AVB Bank just launched a new website and they wanted to let people know about it. We felt it was important to also talk about the banks values.

SOLUTION: 
We created a one-color campaign where the website url is actually the headline. Then we crossed the website url with various words that align to the values of AVB Bank; Committed, Community, Commercial and Competitive were a few of the words. The simplicity and wit of the campaign let people know about their new website immediately while attributing those values that AVB Bank wants their brand story to be associated with.

Problem:
Devonsheer had a dated look that used dark brown tones that were contrary to consumer eating habits trending toward lighter, fresher and healthier options. They also desired a flexible packaging solution that optimized shelf presence on a variety of shelf types. Chipita also wanted the design to work inside of a larger system that could be used in both grocery and club store formats.

Solution:
We created a light and airy design that played up the natural and organic qualities of the product without moving too far away from the established brand. We also created grocery sized boxes that could sit vertical or horizontal (back and front share same design but landscape/portrait in format) based upon that retailers shelving system. Lastly, we developed a club package that housed 4 grocery boxes. This significantly lowered production, design and printing costs.

Results:
The rollout created a huge increase in sales and distribution. Walmart wanted to capture the success they were seeing in the grocery aisle and took the product into all North American Sam's Clubs. We ultimately created the packaging with English, Spanish and French languages for accommodate those rapid market expansions.

PROBLEM:
Child Abuse Network (CAN), a Tulsa nonprofit, had been doing a fundraising event called CAN Film Festival playing off of the internationally known CANNE Film Festival. Although the play on words was creative, the event was stale and only existed as a small group going to an IMAX theatre and watching a movie. It failed to generate interest and attendance.

SOLUTION:
We created an actual film festival for children directed movies. It was a way to have children and their parents get creative and involved by making their own films and videos. The whole process kept the cause at the forefront of their minds. The night of the event/awards show at Circle Cinema we had a red carpet lined with paparazzi, reporters and flash bulbs. Child directors and actors were treated like stars with product swag bags just like they were at the Oscar's. Attendance was robust from children to the grandparents that came to see their movies showcased on the big screen. It was a lot of fun and attendees were educated on CAN's mission and the challenges they faced.

RESULTS:
Contributions went from $8,056.00 in the year prior to $45,541.00. That is a 465% increase in donations.

That is what we call a blockbuster. 

Problem:
New York Style Brand wanted to change the way consumers viewed and ultimately ate croutons. Historically, they were used on salads and soups to add crunch and flavor but that is where people restricted croutons from reaching their full potential.

Solution:
With New York Style's innovative on-trend flavors, like Parmesan Garlic and Chipotle Honey, we felt they could gain marketshare by changing the way people perceived and consumed croutons. Croutons would no longer be relegated to a garnish but could become a natural snack option. Rather than showing the product topping a salad or soup we simply placed them inside a snack bowl that could be used for a gathering of friends or munched while binge watching Netflix. 

Results:
Since launching, snackable croutons have become a popular direction in the crouton aisle. Go take a look at how many competitors are including this message on their packaging. It always feels better to lead than to follow.

PROBLEM:
After the economy imploded in 2008, construction and building projects slowed and/or many were put on hold. This was a problem for a lot of companies but in particular architecture firms and construction companies. There were three sectors that were the least affected during that time; education facilities, churches and health clinics. We were tasked to focus on helping them get as much marketshare in the K-12 education space as possible.

SOLUTION:
We felt they already had an impressive body of work in this space but we needed to get their story and experience in front of school administrators. We created a set of case studies in the form of composition booklets that showcased their past projects. These booklets included their solutions, project statistics and pictures of the facilities. They also included quotes and testimonials from Superintendents, Principals and other key decision makers that gave them credibility. The booklets were mailed each week for 12 weeks in a custom envelope. If they were at a tradeshow or conference they were handed out as a packet in a specially designed box that housed the complete set.

RESULTS:
During the twelve week campaign, Crafton Tull Sparks directly attributed $72,000,000 worth of new K-12 design/build contracts to the campaign.

We call that textbook execution.