Knight Cities Challenge
Challenge
This annual, national $5MM grant is awarded by the Knight Foundation to innovative thinkers who aim to take hold of their city’s future, helping to ensure communities are vibrant places to live and work.
Approach
Designed to help initiate civic innovation and drive success, Nostrum developed an idea aimed at increasing engagement and economic opportunity.
Nostrum’s ‘Living Walls’ series presented distinct and interactive structures located throughout various neighborhoods within Long Beach. Guided by the belief that access to information and exchange of ideas are key drivers of a thriving community, each structure endeavored to promote connection, creativity and dialogue.
The “Living Walls” concept was highly adaptable, featuring educational and interactive elements inspired by nature, activity/fitness and the arts. Our prototypical design focused on the notions of movement and music, encouraging action as people aimed to achieve a series of musical goals such as ringing bells or completing sequences on a drum pad.
Result
With over 7,000 submissions, the Knight Foundation selected Nostrum as one 126 finalists.
Long Beach City College
Challenge
Refine a disjointed brand identity for a local, community college with two campuses and eight distinct schools. Then, utilize that refined identity in developing and executing the LBCC Foundation’s inaugural capital fundraising campaign to amass $5MM.
Approach
Recognizing the need to raise awareness, as well as money, Nostrum understood that deep audience appreciation for the LBCC brand would generate both immediate and long-term success.
We created a cohesive BrandBeam for the LBCC entities. This process focused on both brand visuals and values. Identifying and clarifying confusion in order to lessen apprehension among target audiences was paramount when developing messaging.
An integrated multi-media fundraising campaign was subsequently devised. Messaging centered on the human connection to learning and its vital role within successful communities. This encouraged individuals, as a signal of their own progressiveness, to become personally and emotionally invested in the success of LBCC, the LBCC Foundation, and the students they serve.
Given LBCC’s limited budget, Nostrum was acutely focused on utilizing resources judiciously. To this end, the Agency learned to leverage existing LBCC brand equity where possible in order to maximize impact and initiate a brand evolution (refinement) that made sense to audiences.
In order to successfully and efficiently manage multiple stakeholders during the BrandBeam and marketing campaign development process, Nostrum assembled an ad-hoc marketing committee comprised of leaders of each campus and all schools. These ad-hoc committee members became champions of the work and were critical in channeling feedback and approvals to the Nostrum team.
Result
We established a unique and flexible brand identity that united LBCC entities and generated instant recognition within the community. This helped the associated campaign to surpass the $5MM fundraising goal by 20%.
Torrance Memorial Medical Center
Challenge
Unify multiple hospital departments and medical centers under a single, recognizable brand
Approach
Nostrum produced an explicitly defined brand architecture and visual identity using the BrandBeam methodology. We developed a toolbox of design templates for each hospital department. This made commitment to the new brand standards easy for all.
Recognizing the critical role of brand ambassadors in institutional marketing, our media program included an optimal mix of traditional and digital to speak across audience groups.
Postcards reminded seniors to attend health fairs and screenings, while ads showcased health services and posters promoted medical specialties.
The brand was extended to the website, unifying each department to promote consistency and maximize the patient user experience. Integrated with the website, social media content drove traffic to both the site and the hospital. Specific to this was the use of social media to engage new mothers.
Result
TMMC is now a nationally recognized model in healthcare services and has been voted “Best of South Bay” multiple times.
Rooted in the new TMMC brand, our associated international Nurse Recruitment campaign was so successful that specified goals were met in a competitive marketing environment in one-third of the projected timeframe.
Toshiba
Challenge
Toshiba Business Solutions had a logo. They also had an entourage of employees, partners and dealers – each with their own unique take on the Toshiba brand.
In order to protect Toshiba’s brand integrity, and the significant investment they’d made to build their brand, we knew we had to get all those stakeholders on the same page.
Solution
This “same page” became the Toshiba Business Solutions Branding Guidebook and cd. Inside, we walked the reader through the essentials of branding 101: what it is, why it’s important, and how to do it (and, more importantly, do it right).
Written for an audience with widely varying branding exposure, we used straight-forward language and clear, concise guidelines. Even better, we actually showed them how to execute and protect the Toshiba brand across an array of communications.
Result
The branding guidebook we developed was rolled out, and well received, nationally. Since its launch, the guide has proved instrumental in reinforcing the brand across multiple consumer touch points including hugely successful product launches, traditional and out-of-home advertising, as well as innovative premiums to promote new products.
The guidebook continues to be the branding bible for a host of successful ongoing product launches, and has created a whole new generation of brand-savvy Toshiba dealers, aka defenders.
