“Strut provided great design and insightful strategy that helped us grow our brand
online and off.”

- Judi Main, Director of Communications, MMBB

For nearly a decade, Ministers and Missionaries Benefit Board, or MMBB, has incorporated an increasingly sophisticated set of communication tools to match the financial products and planning they provide for their member base.

GOALS

Our overarching challenge for every assignment is to shift MMBB’s members from apprehension about, and misunderstanding of, their retirement planning choices into an educated and empowered population. Our branding campaign gave a friendly face to their often complex choices. Through the years, our work has grown to encompass:

• website and financial modeling tools
• sales and promotional tools
• print and web advertising
• business stationary
• annual reports

RESULTS

Website traffic more than tripled, and substantially more members began using the web to manage their finances, thereby reducing MMBB’s marketing and administration costs.

The lead generation process was reformulated via the website to effectively gather prospect information and deliver sales leads to the business development team.

A series of sales and promotional pieces strengthened brand awareness and was embraced by members.

Interactive, easy-to-use tools assisted members in expediting key financial decisions with confidence.

“Our brand redesign won Best of Show at IEGA and our new website and Designer’s Tool Kit blog are getting great feedback”

Sheila Donnelly – Precise Continental, Inc.

This Brooklyn based, nationally recognized commercial printer and specialty finishing manufacturer needed a fresh brand and marketing platform.

GOALS

Strut NYC was tasked to develop a unified brand and marketing strategy for Precise Continental, a top-tier Brooklyn printer that acquired Continental Engravers – one of its largest competitors.

The brand needed to showcase Precise’s award winning history, commitment to quality, and appeal to discerning agencies, marketing professionals and designers through effective:

Historically, Precise (the acquirer) had a strong reputation among corporate print buyers, marketing professionals and purchasers seeking quality, service and competitive prices. Continental brought a reputation among the design-driven crowd. By melding the two, the new brand became a springboard to showcase Precise Continental’s award winning history collective traits through “Printing for Creative Minds.”

• client and employee surveys
• branding
• website
• social media strategy including a blog and e-tools
• sales and promotional tools
• environmental displays
• print and web advertising
• business stationery

RESULTS

Won “Best in Show: Branding” and “Best of Category: Self Promotion” for the “Hug a Forest” campaign, from the International Engraved Graphics Association (IEGA).

Experienced a substantial increase in website traffic, search engine ranking, and a tenfold increase in online estimate requests using a combination of web and print-based tactics.

Raised visibility among design-driven, time-strapped clients with the “Designer’s Tool Kit” – a one-stop, online resource with timesavers, templates and inspiration.

Elevated the client’s environmentally-focused business principles via the award winning “Hug a Forest” campaign, including the “Green Sheet” email announcing the latest environmentally friendly papers.

“Strut rocks! They provide intelligent, insightful business strategies and amazing creative talent”

Lesley Scott, CEO/Founder

GOALS

Strut NYC entered at the ideation stage of FashionTribes.com, six web-based fashion magazines to be launched on an expedited schedule that coincided with New York’s “Fall Fashion Week,” sponsored by Mercedes Benz. In addition to executing one of first live podcasts ever to hit “the tents,” including prominent Vogue fashion contributors and both rising and established designers, we fashioned the entire business model, including:

• financial modeling
• marketing strategy
• website and blog design
• creative development and editorial design

RESULTS

One of the first web-based magazines to embrace the unique, tribal aspects of their fashion constituents and to cultivate an editorial, advertising and overall creative experience tied to each tribe.

An early innovator in the integration of blogs and podcasts into traditional editorial calendars.

Shattered original subscriber goals by capturing 10,000+ subscribers within the first 3 months.

Among “Top 20 Lifestyle Blogs” by Technorati.

Garnered fashionista credibility via Women’s Wear Daily (WWD), Harpers Bazaar, Glam Network and Newsday.

Counseled client in the negotiation and securing of advertising agreements with prominent luxury brands tied to each tribe.

Developed and deployed “Fashion Personality Quiz” designed to tie user behaviors and opinions to web advertising.

Customized content management tools allowed senior editors to support remote editorial contributors in a seamless manner.

“I am blown away with Brooklyn Art Project. It embodies a ton of effective social networking practices and when the site launched I didn’t think that it could get any better, but now it’s even more amazing.”

Gina Bianchini, Ning.com CEO/Co-Founder

An award-winning social network we launched in 2007, BrooklynArtProject.com began a project close to our creative hearts and quickly grew to a vast, influential online community where 6,600+ artists and creative professionals can connect and collaborate in truly innovative ways

Goal

Create and launch a global social network for artists and designers as a platform for collaboration and creative inspiration.

Results

// 6,500+ members artists from 150 countries through online word-of-mouth

// 8,000+ Twitter followers and 1,000+ Facebook fans

// 600% increase in traffic in 2009

// #2 Google rank for key term “brooklyn art”

// Named a “Top 10″ site by HOW Magazine.

// Over 54,000 artworks are featured on BAP including paintings, illustrations, photography, video, and mixed media.

// Covered in NewYork Times, TechCrunch, Forbes, Smashing Magazine and others.

// Produced collaborative exhibitions with the Brooklyn Academy of Music and Burning Man.

Background

Since our launch in 2007, BrooklynArtProject.com has grown into an active community of 6,500+ members in over 150 countries. With more than 54,000 artworks, ongoing collaborative group projects and monthly member exhibitions in Brooklyn, BAP helps artists from around the world connect, get inspired, gain exposure and earn a living from their work.

We have extended the online community to mounted collaborative exhibitions with the Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM), followed by Burning Man WDYDWYD.com. In 2008, we were named one of HOW Magazine’s “Top Sites for Designers”. BrooklynArtProject.com has also been recognized by Ning.com’s CEO Gina Bianchini as one of Ning’s most innovative social networks. And we’ve been recognized on both the Ning blog and in Smashing Magazine for innovation and best practices leadership in social media design and strategy.

Most recently, we received coverage in the New York Times and TechCrunch for the launch of our virtual gifts store, one of the first on the Ning platform. Our virtual gifts provide members an opportunity to extend unique artwork as digital gifts. Participating artists share in the revenue.

“The brothers at Strut provided stellar strategy and design that vastly improved our website, marketing collateral and email campaigns.”

Deborah Hearns, Sr. Marketing & Communications Manager
Wiley Rein LLP

As one of Washington’s preeminent law firms, Wiley Rein lacked the online profile and business-building tools that are a necessity for a contemporary legal practice. Following a website redesign which aligned the firm’s points of distinction with the goals of their web visitors, we soon incorporated an email marketing suite and on-campus recruiting tools.

GOALS

Create a website that is better aligned with the brand and allows visitors to quickly access practice, attorney, publication and event information within a few short clicks. As a second act, extend the firm’s online presence via integrated, low-cost marketing tools.

RESULTS

• New website features rooted in best practices – like universal navigation and RSS feeds – allow visitors to quickly access and subscribe to content of their choosing, thereby increasing the probability of their return to the site.




• A new, improved attorney profile template provides a robust framework through which the firm places its best foot forward.




• A “Newsworthy” section provides a focal point to communicate developing stories tied to the firm’s business objectives and legal expertise.




• Email and newsletter campaign templates harmoniously extend the firm’s brand.




• Widespread praise across the partnership and among their clients and constituents.

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