In our experience, clients who approach an agency for brand work have either…
1
2
That first group is bright-eyed and bushy-tailed; they experience the branding process like a magic show, filled with amazing feats and how-did-they-do-that moments. Their companies are often small and very personal, and we love helping these clients realize their next step in their evolution.
The second group has seen a few things, and we don’t blame them if they’re jaded or skeptical. Often, their branding experience skimmed the surface and was based on a stereotypical, of-the-moment understanding of their industry, audience and goals. It failed to bottle any sort of magic.
At Bigmouth, we believe every organization holds a little magic. Our job is to help clients discover and capture that magic in their brand.
You might be saying, “Bigmouth, we’ve seen your client list. What’s so magical about _______?” To that we say: Buckle up for the Bigmouth difference. Here’s how we put our own spin on the traditional four-step branding process.
At Bigmouth, we believe every organization holds a little magic. Our job is to help clients discover and capture that magic in their brand.
Kickoff
- Everyone understands our timeline and how we’ll work together
- Bigmouth understands our client’s needs, priorities and expected outputs
- Our clients understand the branding process and our expectations for collaboration
Our kickoff meeting also sets the tone for our client relationship. Bigmouth deeply believes in leading with vulnerability; it’s a tool for bringing our whole selves to work at the creative workplaces we deserve.
We set realistic expectations with our clients; “no” is an acceptable answer to a request. Clients can also say no: “No, I don’t see why we’re doing that, can you tell me more?” “no, I don’t understand that terminology, what does it mean?” “no, that’s not quite right, can I explain why?” Once they understand that Bigmouth doesn’t expect perfection, our clients can exhale and lean into the magic of the branding process.
Audit & Discover
The Bigmouth Difference:
The magic of any organization is in the people; their values and personalities shape internal culture and motivation to affect real change. Bigmouth infuses those people into our branding through candid team interviews. We talk to people at every level of an organization, from C-suite to junior team members, along with members of your diverse audience, to build the most accurate picture.
Concept & Define
The Bigmouth Difference:
Step 2 is where the magic of your organization’s passion, and audience comes to life. Our clients are focused on their organization’s day-to-day; it’s our job to bring diverse perspectives to the table. We use the information from our research and conversations to infuse robust ideas and perspective into our creative work. The resulting creative work reflects what our clients want to say and what their audiences need to see and hear.
Prather Ebner Wilson is a small team of highly credentialed, nationally recognized legal experts delivering personalized advice in trust and estate issues. The Chicago law firm was adding a new partner and decided to take that opportunity to refocus their brand.
Traditionally, law firms are buttoned-up, hyper-professional spaces, reflected in their brands and websites. The PEW team wears suits and works with vigilance to protect their clients’ interests. They also are an LGBTQ+ owned law firm, led by people who bring compassionate care to their clients’ sensitive issues and everyday needs.
The Bigmouth team wanted to make sure Prather Ebner Wilson stood out from competitors with a brand that reflects the personable, trustworthy team. We created a simple yet sophisticated system — brightening their color palette to feel warm and welcoming; using unique typefaces and patterns that hint at their location in Chicago’s historic Monadnock building; and showcasing photography that reflects their diverse clients.
Produce & Implement
The Bigmouth Difference:
Our close client collaboration means we’re clear about goals and creative direction at this stage. This confidence about the big picture allows us the time and confidence to focus on change-making details, including:
- Using inclusive language, including a conversational tone and an appropriate reading level
- Relying on native speakers for languages other than English, so that messages aren’t just translated, but transcreated to make sense
- Ensuring audiences can literally see themselves in our design choices and images of real people
- Considering accessibility for varied ability levels, including alt text, descriptive labels, font choice and contrast
Bigmouth has been lucky to work with Chicago Department of Public Health on a wide variety of projects during our years-long partnership. The city’s Healthy Chicago movement, which focuses on improving livelihoods and closing our city’s racial life expectancy gap, was temporarily derailed by the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2022, CDPH was ready to resume Healthy Chicago’s original intent.
After going quiet for 2 years, the Healthy Chicago movement needed to rally both existing and new audiences around its goals. Bigmouth was tasked with refreshing the Healthy Chicago brand, messaging and educational toolkit to better support CDPH and its community partners, and to reach audiences of all ages and races.
Bigmouth anchored our process with an updated brand story and visuals that resonated with all Chicago communities. Early in our messaging development process, we realized the Healthy Chicago team needed two sets of key messaging — one for data-focused internal audiences, and one for community members with a variety of reading comprehension levels. This focused work dictated our implementation throughout every piece of the brand, from the revamped website to billboards to digital newsletters.
Manage & Maintain
Bigmouth offers upkeep on every client’s creative work, including analytics and reporting. This step may include content publishing and training internal teams.
Step 4 isn’t strictly required, but we strongly recommend it for the purpose of maintaining a brand that represents both your people and organization. You know how annoying it is when you visit a restaurant’s website and the menu is inaccurate? This helps your audiences avoid a similar experience.
The Bigmouth Difference:
Our training process is another hallmark of Bigmouth’s vulnerability; we work with clients of all technical backgrounds and experience levels. We never scoff at the most basic of questions, because we’ve all been there. And we choose our web and content tools with user experience (that’s you!) in mind, so updates are as straightforward as possible.
Learn more about the Bigmouth branding experience
By now you’re probably all fired up and ready to get rolling on your own branding work. Here are three ways to get started:
Engage us for a branding workshop.
Bigmouth’s Brand Foundations Strategy Workshop is a great preview of the full Bigmouth experience without a large commitment. In our interactive 60-minute workshop with the Bigmouth team, you’ll define your top three audiences and create personalized vision and positioning statements. Reach out to learn more.
Team up to find your core values.
Core values are the North Star that guide your internal process, recruiting and hiring decisions. They also shape the ways your organization shows up for its people, both internally and outwardly. Define your core values as a team — and apply them to the way you work together and for your community. Download our free guide.
Reach out to our team.
We’d love to chat about how we can work together to capture the magic in your brand! Reach out to our team and we’ll get back to you in a jiffy. Start the conversation.
