Duke Creative Collective

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

Opened in 2002, Pretzel Productions Inc. is a Saint John, New Brunswick based consulting business specializing in event and trade show planning, logistics, and project management serving corporate clients both here in New Brunswick and across the globe. I am the founder / CEO and Event Producer for the company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Duke Creative Collective?

Pretzel was awarded the event production contract by the Saint John destination marketing organization (Discover Saint John). Duke was then hired to provide services as the official Marketing Partner for the Saint John Festival of Sail 2017 project.

What were your goals for this project?

To create a fun and unique marketing campaign and event materials that targeted the local and regional market to attend the event, promote the many community partner activities scheduled, engage the local community in celebrating our own ship building history and set public expectations around accessibility and attendance guidelines.

SOLUTION

How did you select Duke Creative Collective?

Duke has been a longtime partner and supplier to my company. Their experience with events and festival marketing made them an obvious choice to work with.

Describe the scope of their work in detail.

Duke's project scope included:

• Brand development & logo creation
• Marketing & Communications Strategic Plan / Implementation
• Advertising campaign (print and digital) including media buy
• Social media channels (content creation, contests and channel management) *Event signage and print materials design
• Event swag design (t-shirts, bags, pins, etc.)
• Event photography

What was the team composition?

Both senior and junior members were engaged in the team make-up over the course of the project. Project team was consistent throughout the course of the project.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

The August outdoor event was very well received by the public and attracted well over 25,000 attendees in 2.5 days - despite heavy rains. The feedback from the community on the clear and useful information provide on the social media channels was very good in assisting the public on how / when to attend the event and what to expect while attending. The social media campaign went on to win an award for Duke.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Workflow was effective. Regular meetings and a well defined project plan / deliverables calendar kept the project on track.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Duke's unique approach to creation of not only a creative visual brand but brand "voice" - development of the tone and language used in communications for the brand. Duke is able to find creative ways to create a big impact with a relatively small budget thus being able to provide added value where others may not.

Are there any areas for improvement?

None to speak of