challenge

Referred by a past client, the founders of Ark came to us with a solid reputation in the financial data community. They had previously launched and exited successful businesses, but they saved their best idea for Ark. They had created a first-of-its-kind neutral platform that greatly simplifies the process for providers who sell data and consumers in the market to find and purchase specific financial data.

But as many great founders have discovered – a great idea is not the same as a sellable idea. They needed a simplified way to describe it visually and verbally – they needed brand development.

solution

Though our clients are veteran business leaders, they had never participated firsthand in brand building, so we knew we had to be gentle with them. Our comprehensive brand workshop began with a host of exercises and brainstorming sessions to drill down past boilerplate brand values and attributes. These exercises are as exciting to perform as they are enlightening. And in this situation, we were able to work directly with the two founders, gaining an unvarnished appreciation for Ark’s unique differences.

As we progressed, probing the purpose and underlying value of the brand, the two founders experienced the magic aha moment that always happens during these brand discovery adventures. These achievements make branding, in our opinion, the most rewarding endeavors in the marketing world.

outcome

With those insights brought to the forefront, we brought clarity to our clients’ mission-driven idea. We also defined and created a messaging platform that allowed the brand to articulate its core values and its incredibly unique differentiators. Our work included visual identity, brand platform, messaging, website and collateral design.

A key deliverable was a pitch deck intended to attract investors. Ultimately, our work caught the attention of Blackrock Financial who made our client an offer to purchase the company. Though we soon had to say goodbye to Ark, one of our favorite clients, it’s never made us happier, knowing that they had received the offer they wanted.

services

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brand positioning

logo & visual ID

sales collateral

website