When Transeo came to Catalyst Creative Partnership they didn’t have an identity, not to mention a brand. Alan Farash, President of Transeo, was savvy enough to know he needed a strategic branding partner to create a complete set of marketing materials to represent his company at a fast-approaching trade show debut.

This was quite a task to perform in less than 8 weeks. Starting with the identity, Catalyst proceeded to put together a coordinated marketing effort that consisted of identity, business papers, website, promotional video, trade show promotion and coordination, custom-built display and product literature.

Transeo received quite a reception at the show and met initial goals for their innovative CIT Vehicle.

“I thought I would have needed to travel to Chicago or New York to get fantastic design and marketing such as this!”
Alan Farish, TRANSEO, President

DeVol needed an identity that separated themselves from all the other construction companies in the Greater Cincinnati area. Catalyst Creative Partnership was their first and only choice. From the very conception, DeVol looked to Catalyst to build a brand that would have long-lasting equity.

Catalyst learned there is a great distrust and fear when people hire a design/build/remodel company. People believe they will be taken advantage of, be overcharged, have long periods of inactivity and their home will never be completed on time.

Everyone’s first inclination is to write marketing text that use the words “quality” and “service”. The problem with using terms like those is there is no way to quantify them until after you have hired the company — then it’s too late. The company’s qualities need to be visually implied by the application of the brandmark and verbally communicated through customer testimonies.

Using the actual 500+ year old DeVol family crest as the brandmark immediately communicates a sense of quality, trust, security and stability. It’s inscription, “In Labore Suavitas” (Latin for In Labor We Serve) and design have a regal quality and effectively communicate quality and service — exactly what the potential clientele are looking for in a remodeler. Consequently, the brandmark allows DeVol to catch the eye of the homeowners with higher-priced homes. Not a bad side-effect.

When creating a brand for a children’s art eduction and gallery organization, the brand can be fun, colorful and playful. Let’s face it, it gives designers opportunities to create and design differently than for their corporate clients.

Catalyst Creative Partnership has created supporting marketing materials for K12 Gallery for over 11 years. This has provided K12 a commanding presence in the downtown Dayton arts community and a brand equity not found in most small non-profits. That says a lot about Catalyst’s relationship with their clients, especially Jerri Stanard and K12 Gallery for Young People. Jerri understood that great marketing efforts are built on trust — trust takes time and allows the agency to fully apply the expertise and knowledge into each project. Jerri set the project parameters and then just let Catalyst create — then was always elated with the results.

Wegerzyn Gardens MetroPark was looking for a partner that would create not only a brand that would appeal to children, but one that would educate, inform and keep their attention throughout the space. They wanted a mascot created that would serve as spokesperson for the Garden and would be the personification of the Discovery Garden.

Keeping it fun and fresh, and complimenting the garden environment was the request, Skeeter was the answer. The native prairies held what we were looking for. Our focus was dragonflies, and since they feed on mosquitoes, we affectionately call our dragonfly garden mascot, Skeeter.

Skeeter serves as a personified brand spokesperson that ties the identity, brochures, educational displays, banners, uniforms and way-finding system together. And, did I mention, the kids love him.

James Investment Research has been looking to Catalyst Creative Partnership for marketing, design and advertising services for 10+ years. When it was time to create an ad for Reader’s Digest for their Golden Rainbow Fund, Catalyst was their first and last agency to call.

Over lunch Jeff, Brian (JIR) and Jän (Catalyst) brainstormed ideas on how to reach the target market with the appropriate motivational message. Jeff shared his audience’s thoughts on investing; “I have enough to worry about and don’t have enough time to keep informed on investing.”

The verbal concept of the Golden Rainbow offering shelter to a relaxed investor in the middle was a winner. We just didn’t know how much of a winner. Three months after running the ad (which received 75% most read rate), the amount of the fund had doubled and the new accounts were up 50%.

Having worked with Catalyst Creative Partnership before, Caryl, the Marketing Director of the Jewish Federation of Greater Dayton, called Catalyst when it came time to upgrade the Federation’s marketing materials.

One such efforts was the marketing of the Dayton International Jewish Film Fest. The Film Fest has 10 days of films running in multiple locations (some nights simultaneously) with multiple films showing each night. With people’s lack of time these days, displaying the information so it’s simple to understand and follow was imperative to help people quickly identify with what was being offered.

Dayton Philharmonic Orchestra has partnered with Catalyst Creative Partnership for six years. The relationship began when Catalyst started crafting a new visual identity and multiple branding initiatives for the Orchestra’s historic move to the Schuster Center in 2002. The agency now serves in an essential role with DPO’s seasonal “retail” branding as well as subscription and acquisition direct mail marketing.

This year, Catalyst Creative Partnership focused on simplifying the message both graphically and verbally. DPO has such a complicated product offering, displaying the information clearly and cleanly, while keeping it visually interesting, is of the utmost importance.

The marketing materials consisted of a 24-page brochure, search tower poster, lobby banners, subscription renewal forms, individual product brochures, web graphics and a season calendar.

Giving the credit to the leadership of DPO’s Marketing Department, their overall revenue has increased 74% since the year 2000. Although we would love to see the number of DPO season subscribers rise, we are proud that they have remained steady unlike some orchestras that have experienced lower subscribers. Florida’s Symphony Orchestra is down 17%, and Broward Symphony Orchestra has seen a 48% decline in subscribers (The Miami Herald Media Company 5/11/08).

“I came to the Dayton Philharmonic Orchestra as the new Director of Marketing and Public Relations in August of 2003 after 30 years in the advertising business as a Creative Director, then Agency Principal. Jän and his shop were among the many wonderful surprises that awaited me here in Dayton. He has a holistic view, solid probing questions, good business sense, and fantastic design abilities. It’s unusual to find a creative leader that combines both attention to detail and strategic skills, so I am pleased to have partnered with Jän and his group. He is really helping us to create long-lasting value for the DPO brand.”

David S. Bukvic
Director of Marketing & Public Relations
Dayton Philharmonic Orchestra