Stevie & Fern

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the former marketing director of Great Explorations Children’s Museum in St. Petersburg, Florida. It is a small nonprofit museum for kids.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Stevie & Fern?

Our branding was dated. As soon as I started working there, I wanted a brand refresh to show people that we weren’t the same children’s museum we were when we opened in 1987. I wanted to show that we were freshening up our exhibits and that it is a cool place for families to visit, learn, and play.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We reached out to them to tell our story. The museum had a dark time and a subpar reputation at one point, so we wanted a refresh. Previously, the brand hadn’t reflected that we were a cool kids’ museum.

We were truly impressed with their thoroughness. We started with a couple of brainstorming sessions, during which they dove into our core brand identity and asked us very probing questions about our organization. I thought that was awesome.

Each time we met, they gave us decks with notes from our brainstorming sessions. Those eventually evolved into different designs with fonts, graphics, and photos. We solidified exactly what we wanted. We combined the color schemes, graphics, and fonts to create the best look for us.

They also created a new website, a mascot, and a branding book with templates for promotional materials. It was like a package of all our new branding.

Since the museum offers different membership levels, they helped us develop website widgets where members could purchase a new membership or renew their current membership.

What is the team composition?

Our main point of contact was their co-founder, who was very responsive, professional, and helpful. We were occasionally in contact with their other co-founder about graphics and web design.

How did you come to work with Stevie & Fern?

I met their co-founder on the marketing committee at Engage St. Pete, where I did social media and he did graphics and branding. I was blown away by their quick turnarounds and creativity, as well as how professional their designs looked. When my organization needed to rebrand, I definitely had them in mind and was very impressed with their original presentation.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked with them from March to October 2017.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?

We were thrilled with their work and very impressed with the overall look and branding. Once we launched, the return was insane. We are a very small nonprofit without much national exposure, but a popular radio station saw our web branding. They reached out, said we had the right look, and asked to partner with us for a new music program.

The next week, the regional marketing director of a major restaurant chain said the same thing. Out of all the kids’ museums in Florida, they chose to start a conversation with us about a cross-promotion that would get more families involved.

All our members loved it. When we launched it on Facebook, we had many comments telling us that we needed the refresh and that they loved how fresh it looked. Our board was ecstatic. A lot of key community players had nothing but great things to say. Previously, the brand hadn’t reflected that we were a cool kids’ museum. We couldn’t be more thrilled with the product. 

How did Stevie & Fern perform from a project management standpoint?

They were very responsive. I sent the co-founder emails and typically got a response within the hour. If it was more urgent, I gave him a call. He would either answer or call me right back. I was in good hands; they took care of us.

What did you find most impressive about them?

After the initial brainstorming session and dive into our brand, they went above and beyond. They took the time to research our industry and competitors, identify our position in the marketplace, and move us to where we needed to be. We compete with preschools and other kids’ museums, so we decided to own our creative, hands-on elements as our brand identity.

They hosted interviews with parents and asked them if they had ever heard of our museum. They talked to some people who had never heard of us, some people that knew a little bit about us, and some brand advocates. Getting feedback about the museum and our branding was very beneficial for us. We were impressed that they took the initiative to dive into the whole industry, and not just Great Explorations Children’s Museum.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Take some risks. We’re an old-school children’s museum with a board that only knows what we have been doing for the last 30 years. Stevie & Fern made us think outside the box and try new things, even when we weren’t sure how they would be received by our audience.

It was scary at first, and hard to get everyone on board with the process, but it was incredibly beneficial to dive in and fully embrace the process. A lot of people don’t see the true benefits of marketing, so take the time, get passionate about it, and get involved.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the general manager of Knight Global Entertainment. We run a multitude of businesses in St. Petersburg, Florida including two concert venues, three bars, a liquor store, and a new convenience store.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Stevie & Fern?

We had been having issues with our marketing lacking a cohesive appeal across all of our companies. We did not necessarily want to make them look the same, but we wanted a more professional look across the board.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They've created two websites for us, one is brand new and the other is a replacement of an older site for one of our concert venues. They've also done a ton of branding and marketing for us, including two of our bars. That has encompassed new logos, graphics, ads, and more. They have pretty much done a little bit of everything to enhance all of our businesses. They can do it all.

What is the team composition?

I work directly with Thomas (Co-Founder, Stevie & Fern) and Mary Kay (Co-Founder, Stevie & Fern). They work with some developers as well, but I have never spoken with them.

How did you come to work with Stevie & Fern?

I'm a friend of one of the co-founders and we started talking about the issues we were having with our marketing. At the time we had an in-house guy working on marketing, but I slowly started switching over as I realized what Stevie & Fern were capable of and how great everything they did looked.

What is the status of this engagement?

We have been working with them since March 2017.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?

We needed a better more professional look and they were able to provide that for us. Their work is amazing and they do a really great job. Everything looks clean and professional, and has clearly been well thought out before implementation.

How did Stevie & Fern perform from a project management standpoint?

We never had a single problem with communication. We talk over text and email, but also frequently have in-person meetings.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They do their research in order to figure out what's going to work best for each business, and they have insight into how new graphics and marketing trends can be applied to our projects. They're very professional and they have a lot of great, creative ideas. They really know what they are doing.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Being open minded is important because they bring a lot of creative ideas to the table. They are not going to steer you wrong, even if they are a little bit more outside the box than what you were thinking.