Independent, Full-Service Creative & Media Agency
CUTWATER: BUILDERS OF DISTINCTIVE BRANDS
At Cutwater, we hone and sharpen a brand into something more distinctive so it has a better chance of cutting through, being heard, and standing apart. Because we believe that distinctive brands are the ones more people care about. And because we know distinctive brands are the ones that drive growth and preference.
We Are:
- Located in SF and NYC
- Independently owned
- An experienced team
- Creators of famous campaigns that move the needle
We Believe In:
- Great storytelling
- Clients that have something to prove
- The power of creativity
- Having a client-centric mindset
headquarters
other locations
Focus
Portfolio
Hartz, Harvest Snaps, Discover Boating / National Marine Manufacturers Association, DermapenWorld, Google, Twitter, Brawny, Edelman Financial Engines, Hall Family Wines, Unison, Skedulo, Axos Bank, Peet's Coffee & Tea, Fetzer Vineyards, Russell Stover, Ray-Ban, Sunrun, Jeep, American Giant, Lenscrafters, Halyard Health, Giant Bicycles, Whitman's, Greenspan, Vybie
Russell Stover "Hugs"
Russell Stover® Chocolates have been an American classic since 1923, but they needed our help to make the brand more culturally relevant to contemporary consumers. The solution? Position Russell Stover as a gifting company; the chocolatier that consumers go to for any and every occasion. In "Hugs," the anthem spot for the “Make happy.™” campaign (the brand's first national creative campaign in more than 20 years), we celebrate the joy of gifting and the feeling of happiness that comes with bestowing a gift of Russell Stover chocolates to a friend or loved one.
Axos "Bank Robbers"
As a new challenger brand, Axos Bank welcomed the idea of bold, memorable campaign that would help them stand out from the competition. By tapping into the increased distrust of financial institutions and the idea that banks are robbing customers through high and/or hidden fees, we introduced Axos as a modern, fair bank that puts customers first.
Unison "Doors"
Over the last decade, the cost of buying a home in the Bay Area, and in much of the rest of the country, has skyrocketed to unprecedented levels, locking many people out of the possibility of ever buying a home. We worked with Unison, a San Francisco-based company pioneering a smarter, better way to buy and own homes, on its first ever brand campaign, “Together, you can.” This “Doors” spot quite literally demonstrates how Unison is breaking down the financial barriers many homeowners and homebuyers face, opening the door to a dream many have but previously thought impossible.
Peet's Coffee & Tea "Coffee First"
Alfred Peet started a coffee revolution by introducing a style of coffee that Americans had never tasted before -- fresh beans, small batches and a dark roast that produced rich and complex flavors. His influence in the artisan coffee movement inspired a new generation of coffee entrepreneurs, including the founders of Starbucks. The problem? Nobody knew that Peet’s true commitment and passion in the pursuit of better coffee is still at the backbone of their business today. PeThis video was created to reaffirm Peet’s position as the original craft coffee.
Sunrun "Sound of Solar"
Eight years into the business of solar leasing with limited awareness, Sunrun had to establish themselves in a cluttered, cost-savings focused category. What we plugged into from Sunrun customers was that it isn’t about saving money at all. It’s about change. It’s about progress. It’s a really clever hedge against a future of eternally rising energy costs. To them, switching to solar was more than just a smart decision. It was a brilliant one. This spot, "Solar Motion," illustrates how powered goods can run on the sun.
Brawny "Chili"
While Brawny was once an iconic brand with a recognizable mascot (the Brawny Man) and reputation for offering a tough paper towel, the brand had lost its way over the years. In order to reestablish itself as a category leader, Brawny needed to behave like a challenger brand and build an emotional connection with a new generation of consumers.
Our work with Brawny began by establishing a point the following brand point-of-view: "always face life's challenges with strength of character," which birthed the external "Stay Giant" campaign -- a nod to the brand's historical depiction of the Brawny Man as a giant in size, a modernized shift in strength from physical to emotional, and a change from needing help from others to recognizing the strength within.
The "Stay Giant" campaign was a 360 degree effort, from packaging that cropped the Brawny Man so that individuals would see themselves as the giant, to TV/OLV ads depicting relatable clean-up situations -- like pet messes at home and spilled chili from the office kitchen -- and realistic reactions (nobody actually LIKES wiping up), to OOH boards in resilient markets like Detroit, Pittsburg, and Atlanta with copy around human truths that tied back to the product (e.g. "Never Throw in the Towel"), to digital, social, experiential activations, and more.
Reviews
the project
Web Dev & Marketing for Chocolate Co
"They bring the capability and know-how of a big agency and the entrepreneurial spirit of a start-up."
the reviewer
the review
The client submitted this review online.
Please describe your company and your position there.
Russell Stover is a category leader within chocolate gifting occasions such as Valentine's Day, Easter, Mother's Day and Christmas. I lead marketing for Russell Stover
For what projects/services did your company hire Cutwater?
We were looking for a strategic partner to help us create an ownable and enduring brand and communication platform that reminds consumers of the joy to give Russell Stover everyday.
What were your goals for this project?
Our goals were to finalize our positioning, create a lasting campaign idea and bring it to life in exciting ways that are persuasive to a mass audience.
How did you select this vendor?
The team requested proposals from multiple top-tier creative agencies. After thorough discussions and reviews, we picked Cutwater - not only because of their capabilities, but also due to their work ethic and genuine resolve to move brands forward in the market place. They are just good people to work with and they are great at what they do.
Describe the scope of their work in detail.
The scope of working included positioning, platform development and creative execution across a number of touch points including television, digital/social, and in-store.
What was the team composition?
I have worked very closely with their principles and account team. In addition, they have worked so well with our in-house creative and marketing teams.
Can you share any outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?
Since beginning our work, we have qualified a highly persuasive communication platform and we are running media for the first time thanks to our great partnership with Cutwater. While still early, initial results are promising and we appreciate the partnership with Cutwater to help us achieve our creative and business goals.
How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?
The team at Cutwater is highly responsive and willing to rollup their sleeves to get the job done. They bring the capability and know-how of a big agency and the entrepreneurial spirit of a start-up. For us, it has been a great combination.
What did you find most impressive about this company?
In short, the lengths they go to, to partner and understand the category and our business. They truly want to be business partners, not just creative. They know if we accomplish our goals, that we all will win in the end.
Are there any areas for improvement?
One area of watch out is bench strength. I know they are working on it and they have already been planning/hiring to grow as they take on new clients/work.
the project
Rebranding for Paper Product Manufacturer
“They helped us reach our end goals, and their creativity was top-notch.”
the reviewer
the review
A Clutch analyst personally interviewed this client over the phone. Below is an edited transcript.
Introduce your business and what you do there.
I worked with Cutwater in my role at a large manufacturer of paper products. I've since left the company, but I worked in our consumer products space as the Senior Brand Director.
What challenge were you trying to address with Cutwater?
We were addressing our brick and mortar retail channel and our online sales. They helped with our advertising and the relaunch of a paper towel brand.
What was the scope of their involvement?
The brand had a lot of equity and consumer awareness, but not a lot of loyalty. They relaunched the brand and built a new campaign for it. They researched the brand’s historical aspects, and they helped our customers understand its values. From there, they developed a brand-defining idea and multi-year executions centered around one large campaign.
What is the team composition?
I worked with a team of about five. They work like a small agency, but they have the creative power of a larger firm.
How did you come to work with Cutwater?
We did a broad search that was specific to this brand. Cutwater felt like a great fit, since they worked with other iconic American brands that suffered from similar challenges.
What is the status of this engagement?
The project began in early 2014, and we were still working with them when I left the company in November 2017.
What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?
They really helped turn the brand around, and feedback was amazing. We escalated the emotional message, and the consumer response was very positive. We associated the brand with American values, and our retailers were very supportive. Reviews were excellent, and the results were great all around.
How did Cutwater perform from a project management standpoint?
They performed very well, even though we're in a different time zone. They were available when we needed them, though, due to some internal restrictions, we couldn't communicate regularly through video calls. We made regular phone conversations work, and they were always responsive.
What did you find most impressive about them?
They simplify everything, and the team always felt very intimate. They helped us reach our end goals, and their creativity was top-notch.
Are there any areas they could improve?
I can't come up with anything they should change, though they could elevate their social advertising capabilities. I think they've grown in that area, but we struggled a little at the time.
Do you have any advice for potential customers?
Communicate your goals clearly, and explain your brand in as much detail as you can. Since their process is so simple, it helps them to know what you do and don't want.
the project
Advertising for Healthcare Company
“We felt like they were strong advocates of our brand and what we were trying to do.”
the reviewer
the review
A Clutch analyst personally interviewed this client over the phone. Below is an edited transcript.
Introduce your business and what you do there.
We’re a transactional marketplace for healthcare services where you can buy a medical procedure online at a pre-negotiated cash pay rate for a bundled service. I was the CMO and general manager. I oversaw all of the brand definition and positioning, all of our marketing campaigns and activities, as well as call center activities, etc.
What challenge were you trying to address with Cutwater?
We needed to bring increased awareness to our product and trial it with a consumer audience.
What was the scope of their involvement?
They created a brand platform and a manifesto from that, then all the creative execution for a regional campaign. It was a combination of digital marketing and a traditional advertising campaign. We utilized television, radio, digital, and social. They also created and maintained all of the performance based digital marketing for all our locations across 26 states.
What is the team composition?
We had a core team of five or six people.
How did you come to work with Cutwater?
I met the president at a social networking event. We started talking about the opportunity, looked at their work, and loved their approach.
What is the status of this engagement?
We started working together in February 2016 and the work is ongoing.
What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?
Their work was transformational for us in terms of helping to communicate our core value proposition and strategic positioning for the brand. We generated what we desired in terms of increasing brand awareness. Several providers responded to us and really wanted to know more about what we were doing and how we could work with them. That was a huge success.
How did Cutwater perform from a project management standpoint?
They were great to work with. As a smaller startup, you never know where you’re going to land within the agency ecosystem. We felt like they were strong advocates of our brand and what we were trying to do. They really believed in the strategic brand promise and helped us to execute on that.
We had regular check-ins and meetings. The creative team was available when we needed to review things. We launched on time and the reports came in on time. There was a regular process for managing good results. They also were incredibly nimble in helping us to integrate their reporting with our reporting. We used Domo, with all of our internal dashboards placed on that. They did an enormous amount of work with us to help make sure that their metrics could be seen in our reporting infrastructure.
What did you find most impressive about them?
I’m impressed with their creativity on a strategic level. They call it the cutwater, which what lands in the market and differentiates the brand in an easy and understandable way that resonates. They do that incredibly well, especially for challenging brands or brands that are coming into a confusing marketplace.
Are there any areas they could improve?
I’ve seen them evolve a tremendous amount from the beginning of our work with them. Performance-based programs are an area they’re doing really well with, but increasing the level of dedication and support would only enhance their services. It’s great today, but it could grow further.
the project
Rebranding for Boating Company
"They work extremely well together and with us to ensure a connected plan that meets our business' needs."
the reviewer
the review
The client submitted this review online.
Please describe your company and your position there.
The National Marine Manufacturers Association is the leading trade group for manufacturers of recreational boats, engines and marine products in the US and Canada. Our members produce 85% of boats and marine gear used by 100 million people across North America. These members and the broader industry fund the industry-owned consumer-facing brand, Discover Boating. I am the chief brand officer for NMMA and Discover Boating, overseeing our marketing, PR, digital, boat shows and events, public affairs, industry engagement, business intelligence, and research.
For what projects/services did your company hire Cutwater, and what were your goals?
We hired Cutwater to lead the refresh of our Discover Boating brand including understanding our target market and overseeing and executing our media strategy.
How did you select this vendor?
Following a rigorous RFP for a creative agency with deep brand and media experience, we selected Cutwater for their cohesive approach to brand building. We immediately recognized and appreciated the connectedness of their team and their strategic storytelling approach. Their chief creative officer and founder, Chuck McBride, and their president, Christian Hughes, and the team they surround themselves with, are a unique force. They are small, nimble, and extremely adept at connecting a business' needs and purpose to the brand.
Describe the scope of their work in detail, including any steps and the final deliverables.
Scope of work was strategy development, research (mindset, segmentation), creative planning, production planning and execution, creative delivery, media planning and execution (across all platforms from CTV to social), event support, and strategic industry communications (ensuring buy-in from our board of directors with presentations and strategy sessions).
How many people from the vendor's team worked with you, and what were their positions?
A core team of 4-5 and a larger pool of talent across account, strategy, creative, production, social, and media.
Can you share any outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?
We tested the creative and it received strong engagement. We unveiled the strategy and creative to our entire industry, and it was met with applause and extreme support. We are already seeing early indications of consumer traction ahead of the official campaign launch.
Describe their project management style, including communication tools and timeliness.
They bring welcome processes as well as flexibility when needed. We have weekly Zoom calls, and are often found connecting with various of members of the team in between over email, phone and Zoom. We do in person meetings as needed. They are timely and keep us on task and on time.
What did you find most impressive or unique about this company?
The engagement of the chief creative officer and the level of creativity from the entire team is incredibly impressive. They work extremely well together and with us to ensure a connected plan that meets our business' needs.
Are there any areas for improvement or something they could have done differently?
We're in constant communication about how we can do better, together. As a result we're able to tackle any challenges along the way.
the project
B2B Marketing Strategy for Search Engine
"Cutwater jumped right in to help us."
the reviewer
the review
A Clutch analyst personally interviewed this client over the phone. Below is an edited transcript.
Introduce your business and what you do there.
I was the group product marketing manager on the B2B side of a search engine, working to support our largest advertisers across every vertical. My team's role was to help advertisers start navigating the transition to mobile and what that would mean for consumer behaviors and changes in their business models.
What challenge were you trying to address with Cutwater?
The iPhone had come out in 2008, we’d seen smartphones showing up more and more, and it started mattering in terms of the average advertiser until around 2012–2013. At that point, more than 20% of traffic started coming from mobile for the first time.
We had an opportunity because our advertisers didn’t just buy advertising; they recognized that we might have a good point of view on how emerging technology trends would change their business. We could help them see what they needed to do to prepare and how they needed to adjust in order to thrive.
Our sales teams were coming to us every day telling us that our customers would ask them for help to figure out how to succeed in mobile. We wanted to build a campaign that could explain our point of view on the opportunity of mobile and help advertisers understand what the shift to mobile would mean for their customer base from an emotional perspective.
The broad business challenge was building a compelling point of view, and a piece of leadership thought on the shift to mobile and its business impact. That’s a huge topic with a lot of technical details that frankly get boring quickly, and we needed to find a way to make it inspirational. Our advertisers needed to inspire their own organizations to make broader shifts, and we wanted to make sure that was rooted in an emotional appeal. This was something we’d never done before, and there were a lot of unknowns, so we needed a partner that could develop a process of engagement with us.
What was the scope of their involvement?
Cutwater was involved early in the process. We described the problem and told them we wanted to bring them on the ride of discovery with us as we figured out how to address the challenge. Based on the starting point of a brief, the team helped us gain the audience insights we wanted to complete that brief.
They also helped us figure out research and creative challenges. Cutwater helped us get compelling, human-based, ethnographic-type research. We collaborated to find a way to make the program simple. Then, we greenlit the ideas that ended up going forward.
Together, we came up with a concept called micro-moments. With the transition to mobile, users could get anything they wanted whenever they wanted, so the buying process had shifted to micro-moments. For example, someone could be in a taxicab and see a pair of red slacks they’d never seen before, search for them, and figure out how to buy them. Cutwater helped us to codify customer behavior.
From there, we created multiple creative assets to bring all of this to life, including videos and look and feel. Although Cutwater didn’t make all of these materials, they were a key part of their conceptualization.
What is the team composition?
We had the chance to work directly with Christian (Principal & President). We also had a group account director leading the charge, a strategist, and, depending on what aspect of the program we were working on, either Chuck (CCO & Founder) or someone on his team on the creative side.
How did you come to work with Cutwater?
Our agency selection was very standardized and mostly worked from word of mouth. I knew somebody who’d worked with Cutwater in the past and had seen some of their work. We had a high-level brief and had three agencies pitch how they would approach the problem. From that, we selected Cutwater.
What is the status of this engagement?
We worked together from February 2014–December 2016.
What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?
Cutwater helped us introduce the concept of micro-moments to the industry lexicon. We could tell we were creating a compelling piece of thought leadership for the industry by how much voice we had on the conversations around mobile. The other metric of the engagement’s success was our customers’ feedback; we always tried to improve their experience and the ROI they could drive from our products.
How did Cutwater perform from a project management standpoint?
Depending on the phase of the project, we would have check-ins with our account person, our creative, or our strategist, as needed. We didn’t have recurring meetings, and if we needed to discuss something complex, they would come to our office, or we would go to theirs. We would meet virtually if the topic was something we could handle along the way.
Because it was a complicated, long-term project, we tried to set up Cutwater in a way where they felt like they were part of our team.
What did you find most impressive about them?
I was impressed by Cutwater’s willingness and excitement to work with us on something that was not just complicated but also new territory for us. They wanted to partner with us to figure out the project, which ended up being the difference-maker. While some agencies might have been a little scared by a brief so high level, Cutwater jumped right in to help us.
Are there any areas they could improve?
No, there’s nothing they could have improved that comes to mind.
Do you have any advice for potential customers?
I would let potential customers know the kind of work we did with Cutwater and their strengths. If the client selects them because their project had the right fit, my advice would be to treat Cutwater like members of their team because they’re willing to act as such, and they thrive when you do so.