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16 22 725 East 65th Street
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Suite 3000
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Indianapolis, IN 46220 tel 317.713.7500 fax 317.713.7501 www.kaplusa.com
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Photography by Gregory Puls www.pulsphoto.com
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Š2011 ka+a. All rights reserved.
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No part of this publication may be
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reproduced, stored in a retrieval
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system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying,
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recording, or otherwise,
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without prior consent of ka+a.
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Who we are Who we work with What we believe What we do ArrowStream ChaCha Dig-IN ExactTarget Formspring/Formstack Fusion Alliance Graphite Groupon Hologic iGoDigital Moodlerooms Quipol RewardSnap Slingshot SEO Techpoint Foundation for Youth TinderBox Triton Brewing Co.
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is a multi-disciplinary brand and experience design consultancy. We partner with entrepreneurs and business leaders to design and deliver compelling brand experiences, develop new business models, innovate new products and services, solve business problems, and create lasting value for the organizations they lead. Founded in 1997, ka+a is equal parts design studio, management consultancy, and interactive agency. Because of our depth in these complementary disciplines, we are capable of serving our clients in every phase of a project’s life cycle, helping organizations bridge the gap between corporate branding, product design, and business strategy. We are agile and relentlessly focused on execution, ensuring that our clients realize the full value of their branding and experience design investments.
We frame problems We challenge assumptions We curate ideas We shape thought We translate vision We articulate truth We create lasting value
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Who we work with. There is not a single archetypical client at ka+a. Our clients range from brand spanking new venture-funded startups to established global enterprises – and everything in between. The majority of our clients are high-velocity organizations in the software, interactive, professional services, and media industries. But our work is not defined by vertical industries. In addition to our work with our technology-centric clientele, we have also been tapped by some traditional businesses, ranging from microbreweries to fashion retailers, to solve the same types of business and design challenges that are common to all businesses.
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Our beliefs: Design strategy is business strategy. Real insights come from real conversations. Everything is designed. The only alternative to good design is bad design. Random doesn’t exist – it’s a concept made up by people who refuse to pay attention. It’s our job to facilitate epiphanies. You are not your client.
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Honesty is the only policy. Orthodoxy is the enemy of creativity. Design is content and content is design. The best path to innovation is mastery of what already exists. The interface is the product. The experience is the brand. Innovation that doesn’t challenge existing business assumptions is superficial. Choose to be the best.
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Research & Strategy
Brand Design
Experience Design
Research & Strategy serve as the foundation of successful brand and experience design engagements. A deep understanding of customers, contexts, trends, and markets is critical to generating new insights and driving innovation. Our Research & Strategy services are focused on helping our customers identify unmet needs, discover unrealized opportunities, and pursue the best concepts and ideas.
Strong brands inspire loyalty, attract customers, and create measurable value for organizations. We help organizations define, build, and launch brands that provide true differentiation and real competitive advantage. Our comprehensive strategy and design services ensure that all brand assets and core communications properly align and work in concert to communicate a focused, differentiated, and relevant brand identity.
The sum of all customer interactions with your brand is the brand experience. At ka+a we have built a unique Experience Design practice that brings a comprehensive approach to the design of products, processes, services and environments. We place a special emphasis on designing for digital channels and web-based applications, and are experts in aligning brand, product, and business strategy across organizations.
capabilities include:
Strategic Planning Requirements Definition Customer Research Organizational Research Competitive Research Trend Research Persona & Scenario Development Design Strategy Idea Visualization Communication & Content Strategy Technology & Implementation Strategy
capabilities include:
Brand Naming Brand Identity Brand Architecture Brand Standards Brand Expressions Positioning & Messaging Collateral Design Exhibit & Environmental Design
capabilities include:
Concept Prototyping Service Design Information Architecture Interaction Design Application Interface Design Website Design & Development Mobile & Emerging Channels Presentation & Installation Design
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The key to success is how people experience your brand. How they connect. A good idea is not enough – success is found in the details, the small touches, in offering the answer just as your customer begins to form the question.
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A well-conceived brand guides its customers, watches where they’re headed, gets there first, and excites them with what’s next. This is what ka+a does: we design how people experience your brand.
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ArrowStream A revolutionary approach to supply chain management for some of the world’s biggest brands. In the food service industry, precision management of perishable goods can make the difference between success and failure. ArrowStream has been a trusted partner to national restaurant chains, distributors and manufacturers for years. In addition to ArrowStream’s traditional supply chain management services, ArrowStream On-Demand delivers comprehensive data visibility from the manufacturer to the distribution center to the
Working closely with the ArrowStream team, ka+a conducted a series of real-time interviews with company stakeholders and customers as well as exhaustive competitive research. Through this process, ka+a uncovered the essential levers that truly differentiated ArrowStream from the field of competitors. Applying these findings, the ka+a team crafted a unique set of positioning statements, developed a robust product/brand
restaurant’s back door, all through its proprietary, protected online network. ArrowStream operates somewhere between the old world of traditional logistics management and the emergent world of ondemand, technology-driven supply chain management. As a result, the ArrowStream brand needed to be designed to accommodate and unify two historically disparate lines of business. The ArrowStream management team needed a partner capable of comprehensively serving a complex brand in both brick and mortar and online space and tapped ka+a to develop the brand strategy, corporate identity, and interactive web presence for the emerging business.
architecture, designed a new corporate identity, and redesigned ArrowStream’s web presence, all in support of the new brand launch. Delighted with the final product, ArrowStream has been steadily building on the foundational brand consulting and strategic design work completed by the team at ka+a. The success of the branding and design engagement is reflected in Arrowstream’s upward growth and expansion as it continues to bring innovation to the on-demand, supply-chain management space.
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opposite page: Preliminary identity designs and final logo right: Client case study template below: Stationery package
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opposite page: Exploratory home page designs this page: Final website home page
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ChaCha Designing an application to drive the world’s first (and best) human-powered search engine. ChaCha, a human-powered search engine, helps users search the internet and find information in an innovative new way. In addition to instant keyword-search capabilities, users can opt for humanassisted search and receive the insight of an expert guide that not only offers search expertise, but also subject matter knowledge as well. Guides, the people responsible for responding to users’ queries,
ka+a utilized qualitative research methodologies, including interviews, focus-groups, and user observation, to delve into the guide experience. Out of this process, several distinct issues emerged. ka+a articulated these issues and then led ChaCha through a focusing exercise in order to prioritize a set of solutions in terms of importance and feasibility. Good strategy not only involves what to do, but also what not to
are the most tangible representation of the ChaCha brand. The extent to which guides are able to deliver great search results directly impacts users’ perceptions of ChaCha. Understanding this dynamic well, ChaCha approached ka+a to significantly improve the experience its guides were having. Specifically, ChaCha asked ka+a to research, define, design, and deliver a cutting-edge, web-based application to assist guides in their search duties. User profiling was the best way to begin the design process. ka+a came to understand what powered the ideal guide – one who is driven to know more about their area of expertise and to pass that knowledge along to web searchers. Such guides are not interested in merely providing simple answers, but rather in a richer exploration of information and an expression of their own knowledge.
do. ChaCha thus chose three areas of immediate focus: assessment, communication, and user interface design. ka+a led the ChaCha guide experience team through a series of visualization exercises, developed functional requirements specifications, and designed process maps and annotated wireframes to inform the ongoing development process. Armed with improved guide suitability assessments, and a greatly improved set of search tools, ChaCha was able to attract and cultivate world-class search experts to serve as their guides. The redesigned user interface, along with a rich set of guide communication standards, has helped ChaCha deliver on the promise of providing the most effective, user-friendly search tool on the planet.
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right: Diagram visualizing the guide content creation experience bottom: Application process flow
opposite page: Guide application wireframes
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Dig-IN An Indiana food festival digs into its heritage to form a local and sustainable identity. The best of Indiana’s agricultural and food communities come together each August for a picturesque showcase of cooking demonstrations, wine and beer tastings, urban gardening exhibits, and panel discussions that inspire the senses, educate the mind, and bring many of Indiana’s best and brightest agricultural and culinary experts to the forefront. The event’s predecessor, Taste of Indiana, had lost some of its
ka+a generated hundreds of names before selecting the top candidates and recommending Dig-IN as the name of choice. ka+a then developed a fresh visual identity that pays homage to the Indiana state seal while reconciling modernity with nostalgia. Following the launch of the new brand, ka+a played an active role in planning and executing the inaugural event, designing and developing a cohesive set of online and offline experiences to drive
initial cache, resulting in “food on a stick” fare from commercial chain restaurants. ka+a is active in the local arts and cultural world, both as an organization and as individuals. It was a natural fit that ka+a would be approached by members of the local Indiana food community to help bring the event back to life with a focus on sustainability. ka+a worked with these stakeholders to craft an identity that would not only differentiate a revamped event from festivals of the past, but also from the countless other “Taste of _____” festivals found across the nation.
attendance and engagement before, during, and after the event. The first Dig-IN was an unqualified success by all accounts. The organizers are already making plans for the following year’s event as they continue to share the journey from field to table top.
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opposite page: Preliminary identity designs and final logo
left: Event collateral and event day photos
above: Website home page
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ExactTarget A comprehensive re-envisioning of a successful brand and its offerings presents big opportunities for innovation and growth. ExactTarget is a leading Software as a Service provider whose products and services power interactive marketing programs for some of the largest, highest-profile companies in the world. With ExactTarget organizations are able to deliver engaging, relevant messages across multiple platforms that help increase sales, optimize marketing investments, and strengthen relationships with customers.
deeper, more holistic look at how ExactTarget understood its own brand and what that brand had come to mean among customers, associates, and other stakeholders. After an extensive audit of ExactTarget’s products and services, ka+a crafted a simplified, extensible brand strategy and brand architecture system, which was applied to every facet of the organization, including marketing and communications, product
When ExactTarget engaged ka+a, their product and customer portfolio was becoming increasingly sophisticated and diverse. As their staff and network of partners continued to grow, they had to grapple with the challenges of delivering a consistent brand experience to multiple audiences. Increased growth and visibility in the marketplace made the need for a coherent, consistent brand strategy even more pressing. ka+a began by taking stakeholders through the BrandSpring® discovery process. At the conclusion of these in-depth interviews, it was apparent that there was significant disparity regarding how the organization was, and should be, understood in the marketplace. The varied responses generated curiosity and concern among the leadership. They agreed with ka+a’s recommendation to take a
development, media relations, and human resources. For the better part of a decade, ka+a has been deeply involved in almost every facet of ExactTarget’s business, including fundamental brand strategy; design and development of 3sixty, a social network for clients and partners; and ongoing product design consulting, including rapid prototyping and interface design.
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above: Final corporate logo opposite page (top): Stationery package and brand primer spreads opposite page (bottom): Website home page
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But I must explain to you how all this mistaken idea of denouncing pleasure and praising pain was born and I will give you a complete account of the system, and expound the actual teachings of the great explorer of the truth, the master-builder of human happiness. No one rejects, dislikes, or avoids pleasure itself
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above: Final 3sixty logo right: High-fidelity 3sixty prototypes opposite page: High-fidelity Carbon application prototype
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left: Connections 2009–2010 program guides below: Connections 2007–2009 event home pages
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this page: Connections 2010 keynote
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We view our clients’ challenges not merely as design issues, but more broadly as business issues – focusing on everything from brand strategy to product development. Because at
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the end of the day our highest goal is to develop (and execute) ideas that generate value for our clients and ourselves.
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Formspring/Formstack A young SaaS company makes collecting data on the web simple and fun. Formspring (now Formstack) gives businesses and organizations an easy way to build any type of online form, integrate it with their website and collect data from visitors. Once data is collected, it can be leveraged in the application’s online database manager or exported for use in other applications. With Formspring, literally anyone can build web forms of all types and collect data online simply and efficiently.
invite visitors to ask questions had become an overnight sensation and rapidly accumulated millions of users. The company was struggling with how to build on the momentum of the new service (affectionately referred to as Formspring Me by its users) without negatively impacting the existing Formspring brand. Working with ka+a, the team quickly made the radical decision to embrace the use of the phrase “Formspring Me,” to hand the
After its launch in 2006, Formspring grew rapidly with customers ranging from Fortune 500 companies to small businesses and nonprofits in over 100 countries. Soon a rash of “me too” competitors emerged, complicating Formspring’s sales process and eroding their market differentiation. ka+a walked Formspring through a comprehensive brand engagement, which resulted in an overhauled brand and positioning strategy, as well as a new design system that included a new corporate identity, marketing website, and other communication materials. Formspring quickly went on to complete a substantial funding round, attract a host of new qualified customers, and achieve significant, month-over-month revenue growth. Fast forward to 2009, and Formspring was faced with a new success-based challenge. An offshoot question-and-answer service that allows users to embed a simple form on their website and
flagship Formspring name to the popular new service, and to rebrand the legacy product. The new service was formally named Formspring.me, which is also the web-based service’s domain. Maintaining the existing logotype, ka+a rapidly developed a familiar but unique visual identity. With the Formspring name formally attached to the questionand-answer service, it was time to focus on rebranding the original data collection and management side of the organization. In an effort to retain some of the equity of the legacy brand, the team decided to keep the word “form” in the name and finally settled on the moniker “Formstack.” ka+a quickly developed a new identity and design system around the new name, and despite the abrupt change, the new visual identity and name were embraced by existing customers and provide a strong platform to support future growth.
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above: Final Formspring logo
below: Final Formspring.me logo
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above: Website home page
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opposite page: Preliminary icon designs and final logo this page: Stationery package
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Fusion Alliance A character-driven and radically talented technology consultancy draws from an enormous toolbox, without getting buried in the tools. With industry-leading capacities ranging from infrastructure to in-depth application development to digital design, and a truly standout focus on uncovering and addressing customer needs, Fusion Alliance has the ability to deliver immediate and lasting solutions that produce serious business impact. The problem, though, was that Fusion Alliance had gotten so good at so many things, and was so dedicated to meeting the
ka+a dove deep with Fusion Alliance and helped the company shift the conversation in a way that fits its brand and people better. Where many companies focus on “what we do,” Fusion Alliance can do so many things that its focus truly is “what we can do for you.” The Fusion Alliance organization, its people, and now its brand, are completely oriented to identifying current client needs while preparing clients for what’s down the road – so ka+a worked
customer wherever the customer needed help, that they’d lost the ability to clearly express their brand identity. It’s the sort of problem only world-class companies encounter, but it’s also the sort of problem that can create significant hurdles for a growthoriented brand. Fusion Alliance needed a partner who could speak their language, who could handle the unwieldy nature of their diverse competencies, and who could help a remarkable company tell their story in a compelling, client-oriented manner.
with Fusion Alliance to move away from the industry’s habit of touting capabilities, and toward telling stories about their clients’ successes. Building on the concept that “all business relationships start with conversation,” ka+a designed and developed brand expressions ranging from graphic standards to an overhauled website, marketing materials and in-house brand guidebooks.
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above: Fusion Acuity and Fusion ComTrac product logos opposite page: Exploratory design board overleaf: Spreads from Fusion Alliance brand primer
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Graphite In a market overrun with convoluted, feature-bloated products, Graphite makes a commitment to simplicity and a few simple facts. Graphite, developed by Graphite Wellness Solutions, llc, is a simple calorie management tool that gives users the support needed to make easy lifestyle changes that lead to healthier weight, improved fitness, and better health. Based on the Energy Balance principle, Graphite is a web-based application that fits easily into the lives of its users, and takes the guesswork and mystery out of weight management.
simplicity and ease of use; second, iTrak would position itself uniquely in the market by focusing primarily on male users. This fresh strategy called for a bottom-up overhaul of iTrak’s brand assets, including the organization’s name, brand mark and communication materials, and the calorie management application itself. The team settled on the name Graphite for its reference to journaling (i.e. tracking), and for its relationship to carbon, a
With a first-generation prototype in limited release, iTrak Online (the name under which it was then operating) was struggling with how to grow its user base and differentiate itself in a brutally crowded marketplace. iTrak was competing not only with a multitude of calorie management tools, but with an array of diet and fitness products and services that ran the gamut from gimmicky to unrealistically academic. iTrak needed a partner who could evaluate and execute both on the brand design front, and also in creating a brand-consistent online user experience. In order to discover what made iTrak different from other weight management solutions, ka+a reviewed existing brand materials and support documentation, performed an extensive audit of competitive products and services, and conducted interviews with customers and a select group of health and wellness professionals. At the end of the process, it was clear that iTrak’s opportunity lay in two key areas: first, it would continue its unwavering dedication to
foundational building block of all life, including the human body. ka+a then developed a logo, website, and communication system to support Graphite’s newly refreshed brand. With the brand strategy complete, ka+a moved into the design of the Graphite calorie management application. One major goal of this phase was to keep as much of the application’s existing architecture in place, while still making significant improvements to the user interface. With that in mind, the ka+a team developed process flows, an information architecture, wireframes, and a highfidelity prototype to assist in the application’s final development. Since Graphite’s launch, existing users have been delighted with the updated product, and the user base continues to experience positive growth. Plans for Graphite include mobile versions of the web application, and partnerships with corporate HR departments, health and wellness organizations, and training facilities across the country. 53
left: Final logo below and opposite page: Spreads from the book, “A Few Simple Facts�
Web banners Website Blog page Pricing page
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opposite page left: Stationery package and graphic standards opposite page right and above: Application wireframes and high-fidelity prototypes
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Groupon The leader in daily deals refines its personality and vision with a new design direction, bridging a successful past with a bold future. Groupon partners with local businesses to offer can’t-miss bargains on products and experiences. Groupon’s daily deals offer people low-risk opportunities to try new things, while giving businesses a surge in sales and a chance to develop new customer relationships. Groupon commands and defines the daily deal market. In fact, “Groupon” has become to daily deals what “Kleenex” is to facial
businesses, delivered with as much simplicity, clarity, and vision as they’ve come to expect from the rest of the brand. KA+A developed a compelling new design direction for Groupon’s marketing team. The design marries an illustrative approach to Groupon’s idealized vision for local commerce, photos and tips from real world merchants, and screenshots of the applications that bring Groupon’s vision to life. KA+A then
tissue. But as with many true innovators, success has forced Groupon to face the dilemma of differentiation in a market crowded and confused by other entrants. A crowded market may be a good thing for consumers, but it’s a real problem for merchants deciding which daily deal partner to choose, and why. Groupon needed a partner with deep expertise in B2B brand communication, so they turned to KA+A to enhance and strengthen the brand personality that’s redefined local commerce for millions of customers. KA+A began with an extensive audit of Groupon’s existing materials, followed by nationwide focus groups with past, present, and potential merchants whose businesses cover the spectrum of Groupon’s market verticals. While the original documents were functional, the feedback was clear: business owners wanted a view of Groupon’s value proposition for their
applied the direction across an array of marketing materials and user guides to ensure a consistent customer experience at every turn. It could be considered a risky endeavor to change things while you’re winning, but Groupon’s success depends on the company’s ability to keep moving forward. The engagement with KA+A has helped Groupon extend its advantage by solidifying its brand presence, clarifying its broader value proposition, and charting an enduring course for design and the communication of a brand that continues to shape American culture and commerce.
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Here are the important steps to ensure Groupon success. In this kit, you’ll find everything you need to make the most of your Groupon promotion.
1
Prepare.
2
Redeem.
3
Run.
4
Analyze.
5
Grow.
4
Groupon helps y new and lasting with your ideal c The featured dea beginning.
Your to-do list for making a great first impression.
With your Group merchant accou view information customers buyin With included pu demographics an you’ll always kno coming through where they’re co
Ways to accept your customers’ Groupons.
Expect two waves of Groupon traffic.
Study your results to build relationships. Use the analytics in the Merchant Center to learn about your customers
Use Groupon Now! and Groupon Rewards to keep ‘em coming back.
Butter Lane: Remember to reach out to your Groupon Representative if have any questions at any time, or email merchantsupport@groupon.com
2
1
Prepare.
Your to-do list for making a great first impression.
Preparing for Your Spa/Salon Feature In setting up your feature, have you clearly stated: The maximum number of Groupons allowed per customer? How customers are to make appointments? Your cancellation policy? If there is a minimum age requirement? If your Groupon is only good with certain staff members, products, or services? Whether your Groupon is valid on upgrades of products or services offered? Whether your Groupon can be used on multiple services? Any capacity issues that could arise due to your Groupon? That gratuity should be on the full price, not the Groupon value?
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Vancouver Canadians: The deal is only part of what people buy. They also want a new experience. Deliver an experience that makes them fall in love with you.
In preparing for your feature day, have you: Posted clear redemption instructions at your point of sale? Contacted your web hosting provider to make sure your website can handle a spike in traffic? Scheduled staff members to answer questions on the Groupon Deal Q&A and handle the incoming calls? In preparing for your new customers, have you: Trained your staff on how to redeem Groupons? Trained your staff on how to upsell any additional promotions, products or services? Ordered additional inventory—especially popular items—to accommodate the influx of new customers?
2
Redeem.
3
The four ways to accept your customers’ Groupons. Smartphone Application
Merchant Center
Track redemption from your iPhone, iPad 2 or Android device. The app is easy to use, keeps your information up to date, and makes tracking your success a breeze.
You can use the Merchant Center to manually enter individual or lists of Groupon numbers. When entering a code individually, you can also enter the total amount the customer spent.
See the Merchant Application User Guide.
See the Merchant Center User Guide.
Point of Sale
Paper List
Whether you’re entering codes one at a time, or multiple codes at once, our barcode scanner takes away the hassle of manual entry. Plug in the scanner to the USB port on your computer, and scan the barcode on each voucher to enter it into your Merchant Center.
Login to your merchant account to download a PDF of your list. If a customer presents a mobile voucher, write down the Groupon ID, barcode number, and bill total in a different location from the list to cover all bases.
Luxe Beautique: Work with your staff to ensure that they know the terms of your deal inside and out, and can answer any questions your new customers might ask.
In the week immediately after your campaign, you’re likely to see about 10% of all Groupon customers come through your doors, so get ready!
Prepare to have lots of people coming into your business, both with and without Groupons.
First Month: 20% of all Groupons sold are redeemed within the first month
20% First Month
Expiring Month: 15% of Groupon customers come by in the month before the deal expires
1
La
Anticipate spending a lot of the day answering customers’ questions on your Deal Q&A page.
Chelsea Piers: Run a Groupon Now! deal during the slower phase to keep a steady flow of eager new customers coming in. To learn more, speak with your account representative.
Rock It Swirls: If you use a paper list, try stapling the printed voucher to the receipt. That way, if you lose the printed list you’ll still be able to keep track of redemptions.
Average Volume of Groupon Traffic
Expect your phones to ring off the hook.
See the POS Scanner User Guide.
Put instructions for new Groupon customers on your website?
Run.
Here’s the typical traffic flow.
NYC Bagel Deli: Remember to stock up on popular items before your Groupon feature. Customers want to try something new, hear your suggestions, and experience the best of your business!
TIP: You might have a customer or two Groupons in hand after your campaign’s The customers might ask to use the Gro value—how much they paid for the dea never expires. Any questions about exp be directed to Groupon.
Flair Cleaners: Customer take advantage of the deal what you’re offering. Use page to answer questions and thoroughly.
We’ve got some friends.
Tools That Give You Power
Introducing Groupon Rewards
They’re eager to meet you.
Run, redeem, and analyze your feature with Groupon’s enhanced merchant tools.
Ditch the loyalty cards. Keep the loyalty.
Groupon’s subscriber base is one of the largest, most desirable consumer audiences in the country — and one of the hardest to reach with traditional advertising.
FAMILIES
GENDER
57%
66%
AGE
more than half are under are female
OVERSPEND
SOCIAL MEDIA
Groupon customers spend on average
Groupon’s customers are eager to tell friends and families about great deals:
79%
65%
About half of affluent women are now considered heavy users of the Internet, while heavy use of radio, television, newspapers and direct mail has declined within this group.1 These women account for 85% of all consumer purchases, and 92% pass along deals and other great online finds to others.2
GENDER have kids
40
MARITAL STATUS
are married
Fully Automatic Groupon Rewards enables you to offer Groupons to your customers based on how much they spend at your business. That’s great news. More great news: there is absolutely no hassle for you or your customers. No punchcards, no scanning bar codes, no printing, no new hardware or software to install... You run your business, and we take care of the rest.
Here’s how it works:
INCOME
Customers Come Back
Set your Terms
Less than $30,000 .............. 17% $30,000 - $49,999 ............18%
1.5 1in10 10%
Decide how much you want customers to spend, and what their Reward should be.
million unique referrers
Deal Q&A Board
An app that allows you to track redemption directly from your iPhone or Android, helping you analyze usage trends and calculate your deal’s ROI.
An intuitive interface that allows potential customers to ask a question about the details of your feature and receive a quick answer.
Merchant Center
ROI Calculator
Your one-stop shop for managing your Groupon feature: track redemption, view statistics and demographic information, and keep tabs on all of your Groupon programs and promotions.
Offers detailed statistics to help you understand the financial return from your Groupon feature. It factors in associated costs, then projects the revenue your campaign will generate.
Customers earn their Rewards Groupon once they’ve spent enough.
$50,000- $74,999 ............. 24%
Greater than $100,000..... 24%
a lick of marketing on their own”
2
Ten Marketing Trends to Watch, Kim T. Gordon, Entrepreneur.com Mindshare/Ogilvy & Mather
David Pogue
“Andr
inject “Groupon is a huge win-win-win…Local businesses pick
barga
up a landslide of new customers overnight without doing
is an
a lick of marketing on their own”
Group
David Pogue
Contact your Groupon Representative to create your Groupon marketing plan.
purchasers have referred a friend
of purchases are the result of a referral
(877) 788-7858 www.grouponworks.com
Contact your Groupon Representative to create your Groupon marketing plan.
To learn more about how you can partner with Groupon, contact your Grou Representative today to create your customized Groupon marketing plan.
(877) 788-7858 www.grouponworks.com 1
“Groupon is a huge win-win-win…Local businesses pick
Running a daily feature with Groupon allows you to attract new customers, find loyal clients, and generate buzz about your business, all in a single day. And you don’t have to go it alone—we offer tools that support your feature and help ensure its success long after it has been offered. From the first stages of planning your feature to a detailed analysis of the return on your investment, we offer tools that support you every step of the way.
$75,000- $99,999 ..............15%
Media attention drives eager customers to try great new
up a landslide of new customers overnight without doing
Reward Great Customers
Groupon keeps track of how much the customer spends on their credit card each visit.
+
above the value of the Groupon
Merchant Application
Groupon Works, and people are ta
(877) 788-7858 www.grouponworks.com
To learn more about how you can be featured on Groupon, go to www.grouponworks.com to contact a representative.
What’s more, Groupon encourages subscribers to share deals with friends, ensuring that your business will be buzzed about all over town. Groupon is a guaranteed way that you can attract new customers, find loyal clients, and generate buzz about your business, all in a single day.
20
1.5k
average overspend per category
Groupons sold per category feature
We know that each business has their own story, and what makes each different is what sets them apart. We’re lucky enough to have worked with great businesses like yours across the country and to be a part of so many different stories.
66%
of subscribers with specific category “preferences”
are female
to Groupon 80% Exclusive 80% of Groupon subscribers are unique Subscribe to both Groupon and Living Social
Here’s what some of our merchants have to say about their experiences with Groupon:
“We decided to run with Groupon simply because of its name recognition. We knew there were other outfits, but it just made sense to go with the biggest. Groupon is everywhere, literally blanketing the airwaves, cyberspace. What was promised was delivered, and Groupon brought in over 4,000 new customers. Our expectations were met.” Peter Drohomyrecky, Custom House Tavern
95%
Grow your business with the largest and most active subscriber base around.
Groupon Merchant Success Stories
In the salon and spa industry, many of your potential customers might already be loyal to a current service provider. Groupon’s approach reduces the risk for new clients and brings them in your door, allowing your staff the opportunity to win them over with close personal attention and stellar service.
$
Your Customers Await.
Straight from the Source
Leave new clients feeling refreshed and rejuvenated with a one-of-a-kind experience.
20%
We’re the only piece you need in y
Groupon takes a three-dimensional approach broadest possible audience and providing you your marketing goals. Our product offerings g you grow your business by delivering the new want them—and by giving them incentives to
Only 20% of Groupon subscribers also subscribe to LivingSocial, whereas 75% of LivingSocial subscribers also subscribe to Groupon
“Working with Groupon has been a great experience and the best move I have made since launching my full-time career as a Licensed Massage Therapist. Groupons services are invaluable and a huge advantage for small businesses trying to stay in the game.”
Daily Deal
Daily Deals create exposure for your business, reaching diverse range of pe who turn to Groupo discover new busin and services in thei and beyond.
Chantelle Cleveland, Amanda Jane Salon & Spa
“Groupon got us in front of its subscribers and put our festival on Chicago’s music consciousness. We initially thought of Groupon as a sponsor solely for our inaugural launch, but the success of our first effort was so fantastic that we’ve continued to partner with them. The tickets we sold through Groupon sold out before 7 AM this year- our third time working with Groupon.”
17% 95%
+
2x
6x
more units sold with Groupon than LivingSocial
(with second feature on Groupon)
Groupon Now! Groupon Now! campaigns can run anytime you need business most, creating deals-on-demand for customers and increasing foot traffic for you.
de ba
m
Michael Raspatello, Co-Founder, North Coast
Let us show you how Groupon can fulfill all your marketing needs. Contact your Groupon Representative today to create your customized Groupon marketing plan. (877) 788-7858 www.grouponworks.com
To begin your Groupon story, reach out to your Groupon Representative today or call
subscriber growth per month
of second feature sales are to new customers (only 25% with LivingSocial)
more new customers than LivingSocial
Let us show you how Groupon can fulfill all your marketing needs. Con create your customized Groupon marketing plan.
(877) 788-7858.
Contact your Groupon Representative to create your Groupon marketing plan.
(877) 788-7858 www.grouponworks.com
(877) 788-7858 www.grouponworks.com
opposite page and above: Informational Materials for Groupon Merchants
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National reach. Local impact.
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T h e Grou p o N Va lue pro p os i Ti o N
T h e G ro u p o N Valu e p ro p osi T i o N
The absolute market leader The most coveted shopper demographic
3x
an opt-in audience actively seeking discovery
bigger than #2 (livingsocial)
a massive audience footprint a premium marketing platform
3x bigger
T h e Grou p o N Va lue pro p os i Ti o N
than #2 (livingsocial)
The most coveted shopper demographic
77% are female 68% are between 18-34 29% earn more than $100k per year 80% have a college degree
opposite page and above: Sales Presentation for National Retailers
T h e G ro u p o N Valu e p ro p osi T i o N
The most coveted shopper demographic
77% are female 68% are between 18-34 29% earn more than $100k per year 80% have a college degree
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Hologic By developing a strong and flexible brand strategy, a leader in women’s health technologies takes an expanding product line to market in a unified and consistent manner. Hologic, Inc. is a leading developer, manufacturer, and supplier of medical imaging systems and premium diagnostic and surgical products dedicated to serving the health care needs of women worldwide. After capturing a large percentage of the vacuum-assisted
Armed with these insights, ka+a developed a brand architecture and visual vocabulary that would facilitate the expansion of product lines, while communicating with physicians and patients in a consistent and appropriate manner. The completed assets included everything from brand marks and promotional materials to training
breast biopsy market with the launch of its atec line of breast biopsy consoles, Hologic began investing aggressively in the research and development of a complementary line of hand-held biopsy devices. Hologic approached ka+a to help them develop and manage the brand architecture, messaging, and identity components of their rapidly expanding portfolio of products. A competitive audit revealed that two things set Hologic apart from their competitors: first was their agile and fresh approach to developing innovative and effective technologies; second was their willingness to listen intently to the input of both doctors and patients and to allow that input to directly inform their product design and development processes.
documents and product packaging. Hologic has continued to expand its innovative product line and further reinforce its position as a leader in women’s health technologies. With the help of a well-defined brand strategy, the organization is able to take its diverse portfolio of products to market in a unified way that is fully supportive of its dedication to serving the health care needs of women throughout the world.
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for ATEC
opposite page: Miscellaneous promotional and marketing materials this page: Final product logos
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We relish the opportunity to take on challenges that don’t lend themselves to easy answers,
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where the outcome is uncertain and the solution often unexpected.
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iGoDigital One of the nation’s leading (and fastest-growing) providers of on-demand recommendations and social commerce solutions needed to clarify its vision and build a brand that expresses the enormous value it generates on behalf of its customers. iGoDigital provides a suite of web-based commerce tools designed to increase the value of every customer interaction by emulating and, in many cases, improving the in-store shopping experience. The company’s SaaS platform provides a comprehensive, fully
the brand faced. The team quickly realized that iGoDigital’s uniqueness was born out of its ability to effectively recreate the in-store shopping experience in an online environment. Armed with the findings from this work, ka+a assessed the competitive
integrated, and highly extensible product recommendation and social commerce solution that drives online retail. When iGoDigital came to ka+a, it was already a highly successful player in the web-based recommendations and social commerce industry. However, due to its rapid growth and expansion into other product lines, its core brand strategy was being challenged, leading to an inability to fully articulate the value span of its offerings. ka+a was challenged to clarify the vision behind the iGoDigital brand and then to build a corporate identity, communications system, and interactive strategy to support that vision. ka+a kicked-off the branding engagement by digging deep into iGoDigital’s existing sales and marketing process. The team’s first move was to conduct interviews with organizational stakeholders in order to better understand the challenges and opportunities
landscape, and was able to identify emerging patterns of differentiation. A set of brand and design criteria was developed by which ka+a could implement and measure a comprehensive redesign and subsequent launch of the iGoDigital brand. The resulting brand repositioning has helped establish iGoDigital as a leading force in the product recommendations and social commerce arena. The revitalized brand has made a significant contribution to iGoDigital’s bottom line and has better equipped the organization to articulate the value of its software and services for its customers. Since the launch of the new brand and website, iGoDigital continues to rapidly grow its client base, which includes brands such as Amazon.com, BestBuy, bmw, Dell, The Home Depot, Nokia, and Walmart.
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left: Final logo below: Graphic standards document opposite page: Website home page and sales presentation template
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opposite page: High-fidelity shoe-finder prototype above: High-fidelity toy-finder prototype right: High-fidelity router-finder prototype
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Moodlerooms The design of learning; LMS meets UX. Moodlerooms’ uber-flexible e-learning tools help educators and learners manage coursework, collaboration, grading, training, and more. Learning management systems, e-learning, whatever name you apply to it, the software used to facilitate education has been notoriously slow to evolve. Many of the systems in use today are bulky, slow, feature-bloated, and downright outdated. For whatever reason, education always seems to be playing catch-up when it comes to technology. Moodlerooms is changing that with its next-
A core belief at ka+a is that a UI is better when there’s less of it, so the team began with the aggressive removal of nonessential or underutilized functionality, streamlining the user experience to revolve around the user rather than the product. Also in pursuit of user-centricity, a significant amount of time was spent looking for ways to replace esoteric or unfamiliar UI elements with conventions found in widely used web-apps, like Facebook, where the UI lexicon is firmly established and wholly adopted by the vast majority of Moodlerooms’ user base.
generation learning management software. Whether it’s used for k-12, higher education, or corporate training, Moodlerooms helps build engaging and efficient online, education-based communities. Leveraging the powerful opensource Moodle platform, their next-generation tools provide nearly endless flexibility. But the remarkable flexibility and power of the Moodlerooms product was exactly the cause of the challenge our client faced. The backend capabilities of the product were increasing at such a rapid rate that the user interface (UI) was having trouble keeping up. Moodlerooms turned to ka+a to bring a fresh perspective on the UI, and to ensure that users were being provided the best experience possible, while keeping the product’s existing mark-up and overall structure intact.
When designers focus on the success of their clients, they quickly recognize the best design is far more about iteration than innovation, succeeding by opening whole new worlds without feeling alien to the user. And that’s exactly what’s driving Moodlerooms’ adoption and success today. When educators and learners use the updated application, they find it familiar and easy to use, which makes the power of the tool even more impactful. What makes the product a success for Moodlerooms is exactly what makes Moodlerooms a success for ka+a: an orientation of communicating meaningfully to the user, where they are, in a way that invites them to engage more profoundly. That’s the secret to any successful brand, interface, or relationship, and it’s central to how ka+a operates.
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above: Application log in screen
above: High fidelity application prototypes
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Quipol A fun and elegant way for website visitors to weigh in on the topics and issues that matter most to them. Quipol helps publishers and content creators create and share social polls that reveal what their audience cares about and where they stand on virtually any issue. Quipol’s elegant social polls are a simple, friendly way to gain insight into the perspectives of online audiences through combined binary and contextual polling. The web is a wonderful place for people to share ideas and opinions and to express their likes or dislikes. But web-based
The value to the content creator or publisher is even more compelling. Quipol allows authors to analyze the votes and to measure the sentiment behind those votes – either individually or in aggregate. It’s a powerful tool that will have an outsized impact on how opinion is measured and shaped. Quipol’s dashboard provides rich tools to assist in the interpretation and analysis of poll results, providing insight
discourse has lacked the ability to allow visitors to comment on proffered questions in a quantifiable and effective fashion. Today, visitors to websites are limited to posting free-form comments on a blog, or they are reduced to clicking on a “like” button that provides absolutely no context or rationale for their sentiment. Quipol solves these issues and provides content creators a valuable “social polling” tool that seamlessly integrates into any website. Votes are expressed through thumbs-up and thumbsdown signals, and voters with Facebook or Twitter accounts can qualify their sentiment via micro-comments that provide valuable context for the votes. This creates a viral loop that drives more engagement (and traffic) to the website.
into what’s important to audiences… and more importantly why. ka+a has served Quipol from its inception, helping to craft every aspect of Quipol’s brand strategy and product offering. Starting with the logo and visual identity and carrying through to the definition of the product’s features and user experience, ka+a has played an integral role in every facet of Quipol’s interaction with the brand’s audience. The singular goal of the engagement was to create a trustworthy brand experience for content creators and site visitors alike. ka+a was so bullish on Quipol’s prospects for disruption and success that we took an equity position in the company, ensuring our ongoing collaboration with the brand. Currently Quipol is in closed-beta, preparing for a public launch in Q4 of 2011.
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above: Logo ‘Q’ construction opposite page: Final logo and alternate ‘Q’ explorations
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above: Quipol polls opposite page: Quipol application screens
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Good design requires mastery of a broad set of skills, such as psychology, engineering, art, technology, economics, ethnography,
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and architecture. As a result, our team brings an inclusive, multi-disciplinary approach to problem solving.
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RewardSnap Helping smart shoppers shop smarter. RewardSnap is a unique mobile application that helps shoppers manage loyalty programs, receive special coupons and offers, and share their feedback with other consumers and retailers. More than just a shopping application, RewardSnap seeks to connect consumers and retailers in exciting new ways. From the beginning, RewardSnap faced the challenge of developing a product that would appeal to both retailers and consumers, two audiences with often divergent goals and priorities. Consumers demand an app that’s easy to use, requires minimal setup, and
The amount of functionality required by the app highlighted the need for an intuitive, enjoyable user interface. ka+a created dozens of detailed wireframe sets, each exploring unique interface constructs and overall approaches to the user experience. Once all the major interactions had been identified and designed, ka+a began the development of extremely detailed, pixel-perfect prototypes, which were used directly by RewardSnap’s development team during implementation of the final product. Prior to the app’s official launch, ka+a refreshed the existing RewardSnap visual identity, designed
effectively helps them save time and money while shopping. Retailers, on the other hand, hope to use RewardSnap to create new channels of interaction and communication that help them build relationships with consumers. It was clear that simple coupon sharing and reward card storage wasn’t going to provide either group with what they needed, and RewardSnap would have to push well beyond the boundaries set by existing mobile shopping applications. It would include such advanced functionality as reward program enrollment, sales events and deals, detailed retailer information, and the ability for shoppers to communicate store-specific feedback directly to retailers.
a marketing-focused website, and developed a set of materials to support the company’s sales and marketing efforts. Since its launch, the app has garnered significant attention from both the retail and investment communities and stands poised to be a truly disruptive force in the mobile marketing space.
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opposite page: Final logo above and right: iPhone app icon design
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above: iPhone app wireframes opposite page: iPhone app high-fidelity prototypes
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Slingshot SEO Repositioning a brand of “good guys” doing excellent work in an industry known for dubious tactics and suspect work. Slingshot SEO only works with clients who deserve to rank at the top in search engine results – and they deliver. With search engine optimization (SEO), where if you’re not on the first page of results, you’re nowhere, the difference between success and failure is 100% of your investment. And in an industry that averages a meager 50% success rate, Slingshot SEO is a huge standout, with over 98% of the keywords they serve delivering
Building on the insights gleaned in the BrandSpring process, ka+a created a highly accessible and straightforward website that would stand out in the cluttered industry while still speaking effectively to technical, marketing, and C-level audiences. ka+a also built an executive sales presentation deck, a brand primer for internal and new employee education, and visual identity standards and guidelines to keep the brand on track going forward.
Slingshot’s clients to the first page of Google’s search results. The world of SEO is a murky place of technical nuance, and sometimes of shortcuts and scams. The industry tends to tell its story in such convoluted ways that clients have a hard time knowing what they’re getting, or how to measure what they get. Slingshot SEO is a hard-core technical SEO practice, but their real secret is hard work – which has led the booming company to be very open with the five-step process it uses to serve its clients. The challenge Slingshot SEO faced is a timeless one: how to be a good guy, and be recognized as a good guy, in an industry of shadows, tricks, and big, unfulfilled promises. When Slingshot turned to ka+a for help, the team led with a deep dive BrandSpring process to help Slingshot articulate their passion in ways that would draw enterprise caliber clients.
Slingshot SEO entered the relationship ready to compete according to the norms of the SEO industry. But Slingshot is a brave company, led by brave people who are dedicated to success, and they were open to aiming higher by following their brand. The ka+a team has taken great pleasure in our ongoing work with Slingshot, and in watching the company flourish by proving itself to be a truly different sort of organization, with a practice, a brand, and a story that is completely changing the rules of success in SEO.
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this page: Preliminary icon explorations opposite page: Final logo
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above: Website home screen
above: Website portfolio screen
Overleaf: Client and Keyword porfolios
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CLIENT PORTFOLIO
4
▼CLIENT DESCRIPTION/INDUSTRY
▼PRIMARY KEYWORDS SERVED
GLOBAL MARKETING SERVICE /SAAS PROVIDER ▼CLIENT SINCE
▼CLIENT DESCRIPTION/INDUSTRY
LARGEST LEISURE PRODUCT RETAILER IN UNITED STATES
UP FROM 3 SINCE AUGUST 2010
▼CLIENT SIZE
▼CLIENT SINCE
JULY 2010
JUNE 2009
Quote. Quote. Quote. Quote.
We essentially went from ze company, to now being a do industry by ranking on the fi 2,500 keyword phrases.
—Who Said It
AVERAGE SERP
8.3
10.0
NO. OF KEYWORDS IN CLIENT PORTFOLIO
7.3
14.3 14
21.3
12 8
3
CLIENT PORTFOLIO
CLIENT PORTFOLIO 2 MO
3 MO
2
▼AVERAGE SERP AT BEGINNING
Page
4 MO
5 MO
6 MO
07/09
1
▼CURRENT AVERAGE SERP
ON/INDUSTRY
Page
Page
▼DATE KEYWORD ADDED TO PORTFOLIO
JULY 2010
2
195 2,193 6.525 12.21 ▼TOTAL NO. OF CLIENTS SERVED
▼COMPETITION FOR KEYWORD
KEYWORD
▼TOTAL NO. OF PRIMARY KEYWORDS SERVED
*
COMPANY PORTFOLIO
▼AVG. STARTING NO. OF KEYWORDS PER CLIENT
3
10 15
▼AVG. NO. OF KEYWORDS PER CLIENT
2,193
10/10
01/11
04/11
05/11
NO. OF KEYWORDS IN SLINGSHOT SEO PORTFOLIO
1,233
ES Exact: 320
Exact: 260
5
KEYWORDS ARE MISSION-CRITICAL ASSETS. SLINGSHOT SEO MANAGES PORTFOLIOS.
▼BUSINESS PROBLEM
00 0.79
02/10
COMPANY PORTFOLIO
BRAND AWARENESS AND LEAD GENERATION
DS SERVED
01/10
▼AVERAGE SERP AT BEGINNING
KEYWORD PORTFOLIO
AL MER ER
10/09
Phrase: 2,400
Phrase: 2,400
3 2007
146
22
2008
2009
2010
2011
*In reality, we’ve served 10 million+ long-tail derivative keywords.
OC
KEYWORD#
1,63
CLIENT PORTFOLIO
31
CLIENT PORTFOLIO ▼CLIENT DESCRIPTION/INDUSTRY
▼PRIMARY KEYWORDS SERVED
29,771
LONG-TAIL KEYWORDS EFFECTED
▼CLIENT SIZE
53
▼PRIMARY KEYWORDS SERVED
LARGEST INDEPENDENTLYOWNED PAYROLL SERVICE PROVIDER IN THE COUNTRY ▼CLIENT SINCE
2,314
LONG-TAIL KEYWORDS EFFECTED
KEYW
▼CLIENT SIZE
JANUARY 2011 Our climb to the top (of the SERP) with Slingshot SEO has been exciting for both of us. Our rankings have skyrocketed and the site content has become more appealing to our clients. Slingshot SEO shares our enthusiasm and love of a job well done, so celebrating each accomplishment is rewarding in all senses of the word. —Snr. Internet Marketing Manager
ero rankings with a brand new ominate online force in our first page of Google in over —Director of eCommerce
NO. OF KEYWORDS IN CLIENT PORTFOLIO
31
29 23
53
YOY INCREASE IN NONBRANDED ORGANIC SEARCH TRAFFIC
10
799%
CLIENT PORTFOLIO 06/10
01/11
02/11
01/11
1
4
▼CURRENT AVERAGE SERP
07/11
JULY 2010
KEYWORD#
1,078
▼KEYWORD APPEARANCE AT FIRST GOOGLE INDEXATION
Page
IN POSITION ONE
THE FOLD (1-4) 21 ABOVE ON PAGE 39 ONE (1-10)
#1 FOLD
CL
KEYWORD PORTFOLIO
8
▼CLIENT DESCRIPTION/INDUSTRY
KEYWORD PORTFOLIO
CTOBER 2009
33
▼CLIENT DESCRIPTION/INDUSTRY
▼BUSINESS PROBLEM
LARGEST LEISURE PRODUCT RETAILER IN THE U.S.A.
LEAD GENERATION
▼PRIMARY KEYWORD
GLOBAL WEB ANALYTICS PROVIDER ▼CLIENT SINCE
OCTOBER 2009
31
▼COMPETITION FOR KEYWORD
SERP OF KEYWORD
NO. OF KEYWORDS IN CLIENT PORTFOLIO
2 8
5
9
11
15
My client has advanced their suite of products to he build measurable results well beyond their competit their brand with the assistance of Slingshot SEO has successful. The company is growing rapidly internati share of voice online dominates their industry. —
1.00
▼PRIMARY KEYWORDS SERVED
▼CLIENT SIZE
OCTOBER 2009
▼DATE KEYWORD ADDED TO PORTFOLIO
▼CLIENT SIZE
8
6
5 2
23
CLIENT PORTFOLIO 10/09
01/10
04/10
07/10
10/10
01/11
04/11 05/11
LOCAL
03/10
8
▼AVERAGE SERP AT BEGINNING
▼MONTHLY SEARCHES
GLOBAL
10/09
Exact: 135,000
Exact: 110,000
Phrase: 823,000
Phrase: 673,000
Page
06/10
▼CURRENT AVERAGE
Page
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TechPoint Foundation for Youth A tech-driven non-profit preparing young people for success. The TechPoint Foundation for Youth (tpfy) applies the venture funding model to philanthropy – making and measuring potent impact, and moving on to the next venture as soon as a non-profit initiative proves itself viable. Strong technical skills open doors for people in today’s world. Those skills will be absolutely required in the future. tpfy engages targeted initiatives that train young people to thrive in technologydriven careers. At the same time, the tpfy is growing and equipping
entities, meant that the tpfy was saddled with a daunting differentiation challenge when it came to raising funds, casting vision, and fulfilling the foundation’s mission. When ka+a engaged the pro bono project with tpfy, the organization was simply TechPoint Foundation. Adding the “for Youth” helped position tpfy toward its mission. Additionally, the venture philanthropy efforts were given the name “greenhouse initiatives,” as an accent to the “incubator” approach the
Indiana’s future workforce to meet the state’s burgeoning tech opportunities. tpfy engages initiatives with an approach known as venture philanthropy. Derived from the venture capitalism that drives many tech industries, tpfy initiatives are geared to bring strong tactical help to promising efforts, and keep that help in place until the effort either proves unviable, or grows to a level of self-sustainability. Where traditional non-profit endeavors have been known to outlive the vision that launched them, tpfy adapts, goes where impact and opportunity exist, and is continually at the fore of efforts that hold the promise of truly impacting young lives in lasting ways. tpfy is a sister to TechPoint – itself a non-profit organization that serves the Indiana tech community. Shared history and name recognition, as well as strong relational overlap between the two
organization takes, as well as creating a further emphasis on the ideas of growing the skills of young people. ka+a revisited the tpfy visual identity, making subtle changes that didn’t take the tpfy look too far from TechPoint’s logo, but definitely created its own feel. ka+a also proposed a new tagline, “Growing Indiana’s Future,” and redesigned the tpfy website to help the organization define its own space without losing touch with its roots and base. ka+a has deep relationships with the Indiana tech community, and a particular insight into the subtleties of communicating to the TechPoint Foundation for Youth donor and supporter base. The collaborative work between tpfy and ka+a has been well received and tpfy continues to succeed in its mission of applying the venture philanthropy approach to do great things for Indiana’s youth.
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above: Final logo left: Partner banners opposite page: Website homepage
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ALERDING DOS BANDERAS CASTOR
Tinderbox Challenge / Solution / Result
A startup introduces a smarter way to create, manage, and track proposals and other business communications. TinderBox is a web-based application that makes it easy for individuals and teams to create, manage, deliver, and track interactive business proposals. Creating a proposal can be a time-consuming and tedious process, requiring hours of writing, editing, formatting, and checking accuracy prior to sending it to the prospect, where even a great proposal can often disappear for days, weeks, or even
ka+a played an integral role in the conception, development, and launch of TinderBox, actually incubating the startup within the four walls of the ka+a offices. From naming and identity design to interface design and marketing, the branding and experience design team at ka+a was instrumental in the development of every facet of the new business. One of the most compelling aspects of the engagement was
longer, before there’s any word that it’s been received, read, or approved. Tinderbox makes the proposal process painless, allowing users to stay on top of every aspect of proposal creation from writing, formatting, and follow-up to tracking both interaction and approvals within a single, simple interface. TinderBox tracks how prospects interact and generates reports for every outstanding proposal. Users know which prospects view the proposal, what sections they view, and how long they spend reviewing it.
the speed with which the business went from concept to launch. TinderBox was launched and the service was delivered to its first paying customers within 120 days of the original planning meeting – an almost unheard of feat in the software industry.
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above: Marketing website page designs opposite page: Final logo
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opposite page: Proposal framework diagram this page: High-fidelity application prototypes
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Triton Brewing Co. A team of respected craft beer enthusiasts turn their considerable talents to launching one of the Midwest’s most innovative microbreweries. The founders of Triton Brewing contacted ka+a with an intoxicating opportunity – to spearhead the brand development and design of a microbrewery concept from the ground up. ka+a’s first order of business was to develop a brand name for the fledgling brewery. ka+a began by spending time with the
Triton to create truly authentic brews that are indistinguishable from their counterparts across the world. And what better moniker to represent this theme than Triton – god of the sea. Once a suitable name had been selected for the brewery itself, ka+a turned its attention to developing names and identities for
founders in an attempt to uncover what was truly differentiated about their product and vision. Quickly, ka+a seized upon a theme that continued to crop up in conversations and research – water. Like all breweries, water plays a substantial role in the finished product. But unlike most other breweries, Triton had a unique take on what kind of role water should play. Triton had made a significant investment in a water treatment apparatus that literally allows the brewer to strip water down to its most elemental form – two hydrogen atoms and one oxygen atom. And this is where it gets interesting – once the water has been restored to its most elemental form, Triton is able to build custom water recipes that precisely replicate regional water sources. So, to achieve a classic British ipa, Triton is able to design a base water that perfectly replicates the water of its origin. This complex process allows
the five core beers that Triton would soon begin brewing. The names all pay subtle homage to Triton’s home state of Indiana (we’ll leave it up to you to tease it out). In addition to the corporate naming and brand identity development, ka+a designed a complete set of visual identities, labels, and packaging for the line of beers. Finally, the brand and design team at ka+a helped stage a launch party for the brand and the introduction of their flagship beer – Rail Splitter ipa. The engagement was wrapped up with development and launch of an immersive web presence to showcase Triton’s complete line of beers at www.tritonbrewing.com.
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this page: Final logo and Rail Splitter IPA packaging opposite page: Website home page
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We constantly look for new opportunities to add value by creating the conditions for innovation within our clients’ businesses.
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www.kaplusa.com