Monday, December 14, 2009

Czarnowski Adds Branding Extension in a Permanent Way


In recent years, St. Jude Medical has undergone an inspiring brand renewal, taking their new look and feel to the show floor and threading it throughout their marketing and promotional initiatives.


The next logical phase of their brand extension required integration of their messaging and mantra into the hallways and offices of their corporate headquarters in St. Paul Minnesota. Who better to take on the project than Czarnowski?!


Having a deep understanding of the brand, the audience and the desired experience, our team delivered an inspirational and exceptional environment. Highlights follow:


Client: St. Jude Medical Project: Corporate Headquarters – Permanent Installation (August 2009)


Czar Services Provided: Design, CAD, Acct/Program Management, Fabrication, Graphics, Transportation/Logistics, Install & Dismantle


Objectives:


Update St. Jude’s corporate headquarters in keeping with their overall brand direction while meeting the needs of three distinct audiences: employees, customers and shareholders. The desired reaction should reinforce the type of company St. Jude is and its culture. The branding elements should convey the essence of St. Jude as a leader in the industry without being obvious or self important. The environment should extend the brand promise from the heart of the employees to the heart of their customers which ultimately land in the hearts of their patients. The experience should reveal a deep understanding of their customers’ need for controlling and containing risk in the moments that matter most, those where a single moment during a procedure can make all the difference. Fostering a diverse and loyal community of brand stewards is the ultimate goal.


Strategy:


Give extensive consideration to and deploy deep due diligence toward each audience that works in and passes through the environment. Identify and understand what motivates each audience while they move through the space; determine the desired reaction to the experience; and design and incorporate elements that respond to both emotional connections. The following profiles drove the solution and results:

- Employees are motivated by the culture and they want to enjoy going to work in a pleasand and supportive environment; they want to make a difference in the world around them; and they want to be reassured that St. Jude’s is doing well as a company.

- Customers are motivated by relationships and need to trust the company and its products; they need assurance that they will have more control and less risk during medical procedures; and they need to know that their patients will be the ultimate benefactors of the partnership.

- Shareholders are motivated by results and expect stability and vision; they require that the company is socially responsible and environmentally aware; and the need to know that it is a good place for employees to work.


Solution:


The lobby was designed to elicit a shared cultural and brand experience for both visitors and employees while connecting visually and emotionally to the other spaces in the building. The lobby’s centerpiece an exquisite piece of interactive art that tells the stories of patients, customers and employees. These stories are told with passion, intensity and honesty; they come together as the face of St. Jude’s brand. Elsewhere, the elevator lobbies carry the brand thread and emotional connection via a high-level introduction of the specific floor specialty. The peer-to-peer areas offer motivation and foster collaboration based on the specifics of the teams. The hallways and corridors drive emotional connections with St. Jude’s brand by showing how the company and its people are making a difference every day. Various technologies, materials, textures, etc. were used to create an experience that is singularly powerful.


Results:


An environment that achieves the desired spectrum of emotions and inspiration: intensity, control, precision, innovation, intuition, focus, quality, experience, consistency, respect, passion, simplicity and humanity. In addition, the project was delivered on time and on budget.

Wednesday, December 2, 2009

Revolutionary Thinking at Czarnowski San Francisco


Recently, Czarnowski had more than 130 clients, prospects and industry friends converged on our Northern California office to experience "what2009" a series in client interaction and technologies. This year's event was proclaimed as "A Day of Revolutionary Thinking".
The full-day event included a roster of superb speakers; an interactive showcase of emergent technologies; a diverse display of products and services; and networking nirvana amidst a constant flow of great eats and drinks.


Speakers

The main event featured a trio of educational sessions given by four remarkable thought leaders in the world of marketing. Our very own Tom Frisby partnered with Mark Watson of Measure Inc. to show how strategy and measurement can come together to drive success in the face to face arena.


Next, Guy Kawasaki, former chief evangelist for Apple Computer and current venture capitalist, gave an entertaining, insightful and infectious presentation on ‘The Art of Intrapreneurship and Innovation’.


For “The e-Watercooler,” Megan Casey, CEO of Squidoo.com and highly regarded online community leader, demonstrated in real-time how to use new media to engage an audience and keep them involved in the conversation long after an event or show.


New Stuff

Between sessions, attendees were encouraged to network, visit vendors and dive into interactive demos to find out what’s new in the world of technology. Czarnowski partner Reality Engineering was onsite to give guests a real-time demonstration of electronic collateral distribution. Several computer kiosks were set up throughout the facility to offer paperless access to marketing materials from Czarnowski and attending vendors.


Guests were able to scroll through the options, choose the materials they wanted and instantly email themselves a link to the selected files. What a welcome replacement for the piles of paper and stacks of brochures that often clutter the show floor and storage closets! It’s simple, quick, cost-effective and environmentally-friendly – plus it provides valuable data on who has accessed specific materials. Stay tuned for more info on this system – we predict it will be a winner with our clients.


Another interactive demo featured a high tech, highly customized version of a popular old arcade game…Skee-Ball. At the computerized game station, guests were prompted to answer questions about their marketing strategies. Each answer earned a turn at the game using a Wii controller to propel the virtual Skee-Ball. This interaction showed how the amazing power of play can bring a whole new level of engagement to a show or event --- while delivering important content and capturing important data.


Partnership

In addition to Reality Engineering, several Czarnowski partners supported and had a presence at what2009 including: AV dimensions, Brand Via, Cort Event Furnishings, Alejandrino Partners, Ardent Impressions, Barbara Llewellyn Catering, Dazian Fabrics and Dave Barten Production Services and Lighting.


Teamwork

It was no small endeavor to pull this great event together and it truly took a team of folks to pull it off. From our San Francisco Office, a special thanks to Kim Merkin for leading the charge; Melissa DeLong for attending to all of the details; Jeff Smith from Chicago for plugging everyone in before, during and after the event; our amazing NorCal and SoCal teammates for their priceless contributions.
We can now add this event to a long list of successful affairs where we actually "practice what we preach"!


Stay tuned for more to come in the following months. Happy Holidays!