Building Brands with Purpose
The word purpose captures a deeply rooted truth about what we do each day. It defines our rigor and intention in building the most thoughtful, impactful, and beautiful work we possibly can. It’s at the core of the organizations we work with and their commitment to positively impact people and places. Our role is to help you grow, attract the right people and support your vision. That’s meaningful work and it happens here, by design.
Focus
Portfolio
Kimmel Cultural Campus, United Way, Union Square San Francisco, Susquehanna University, University of Pennsylvania, Drexel University, IndeVets, Suveto, Suburban Square, Amtrak, Delaware River Waterfront Corporation

Kimmel Cultural Campus Branding
When the Kimmel Center for Performing Arts opened in 2001, the city of Philadelphia had a brand new venue to celebrate, adding to the legacy of performing arts in our city. But awareness that the Academy of Music and Merriam Theater were also part of the Kimmel Cultural Campus was low. We were commissioned to help rebrand the Campus, unifying the venues and bringing the diversity of experiences to life. We did it through simple geometries reflecting the unique characteristics of each building. The result is a bold, elegant identity that celebrates the Kimmel Cultural Campus as a premier destination for the diverse communities of Philadelphia to experience transformative arts and culture.

Union Square San Fransisco
Union Square is at the heart of San Francisco, quite literally. It’s been around since 1850 and was ready to reinvent itself inside a city that was changing rapidly around it. In research and positioning, we looked to that storied past and embraced what the square represents to both global tourists and locals alike today. It all came down to a whole lot of everything in just a few square blocks. A vibrant neighborhood that earned its spot at the heart of one of the greatest cities we’ve got. We brought it all to life with a refined and equally boisterous brand identity and voice that spoke to the beautiful union of all the things in and around the square.

Keystone Capsules Branding
We’ll admit it, we didn’t even know wine capsules were a thing until we were introduced to our friends at Nathan Trotter, America’s largest manufacturer of tin. We did know that there was an opportunity to build a brand that felt like it spoke the same language as the great wine brands it capped. We took inspiration from the craft of both winemaking and tin capsules and all the dirty fingernails and molten tin that comes along with it. Together, we created a brand that has the refinement of a California Pinot and the tried and true accessibility of a Pennsylvania tin manufacturer.
Keystone Capsules is now in a unique position to deliver the highest quality tin capsules to the US market. They bring state-of-the-art equipment, a dedication to service and speed, and two partner organizations that have been in the tin business for over 200 years. Together, they are rethinking sustainable tin capsules for the wine industry and J2 has been by their side to support their brand development help introduce them to the world.

Nationalities Service Center Rebrand
As the leading immigrant and refugee service organization in Philadelphia, Nationalities Service Center empowers immigrants to thrive in our communities and pursue a just future. For their 100th anniversary, we embarked on a branding process to reinvigorate awareness, respect, and support for their organization. Rooted in deep discovery and inspired by textiles from around the world, the new identity celebrates our individual journeys and the strength we gain by standing together.

Friends' Central School
We leaned into the Quaker values on which Friends’ Central School was founded to build a brand that honors their history and emboldens their forward-thinking approach to education. Starting with positioning the school around the idea of being stronger together, we developed the mantra “We Go Further” to give the school community— faculty, staff and families— a shared rallying cry. United by the new shared mission and refreshed brand identity, Friend’s Central is now moving further as one of Philadelphia’s most sought-after Quaker educational institutions.

Mural Arts Branding
After 30 years leading the charge for public art in Philadelphia, it was time for the Mural Arts brand to catch up to its prolific output. Inspired by the people and the paint, we developed an identity that brings chaos to order and order to chaos. It’s all rooted in a mark inspired by graffiti, but refined and incredibly flexible. Around it is a vast exercise in how form and function can come together to create a brand experience that is both inspired by and supportive of the amazing artists it is here to serve. Because Mural Arts is about all of us, what we bring to it, and the simple fact that art can inspire change.

Love Park
The LOVE statue (and the park it sits in) is one of the most iconic spaces in Philadelphia—which itself is a city of iconic places. We set out to make our city proud and deliver a flexible brand identity that spoke to locals and visitors alike. In doing so, we created a visual identity and personality that was as comfortable welcoming a food truck festival as a black-tie affair. The identity plays in the park across signage, advertising and even ping pong tables (bucket list checked).

Asian Arts Initiative Rebrand
In the heart of Philadelphia’s Chinatown lies a multidisciplinary arts center that has become a catalyst for community creation. The Asian Arts Initiative was looking for a brand reflecting their 25-year legacy of connecting cultural expression with social change. The result was a brand that encapsulated their role in the diverse experiences of the community and positioned them to continue making a difference in their own corner of the world.

Arts + Business Council Branding
Creativity and commerce. Not always the easiest pairing. But when the Arts + Business Council came knocking for a brand overhaul to align with their purpose to foster collaboration between Philadelphia’s creative and business communities, we knew they were up to something good. We built them a vibrant and inclusive identity capturing the intersection of art and commerce, inviting audiences to imagine what can happen when business and culture play nice.
Reviews
the project
Branding, Design & Web Dev for Nonprofit
"They were good at reading the room, the clients, and the opportunity and putting everything together."
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’m the executive director of the Global Philadelphia Association. We’re an organization that positions Philadelphia internationally.
What challenge were you trying to address with J2?
We were an 11-year-old organization and halfway through our existence when we were able to activate the World Heritage City status for the city of Philadelphia. We knew it was coming because we had to go through many applications and meetings. We then involved J2 in our project as we wanted to activate in Philadelphia the knowledge and importance of becoming the first World Heritage City in the US.
What was the scope of their involvement?
The team began by activating the civic and corporate key leaders in Philadelphia to make sure that they understood what World Heritage meant. International people were very familiar with the idea of World Heritage, but folks in the US weren’t.
As a result, we wanted to ensure that those leaders would align themselves with different thought groups around the next steps in activating the World Heritage designation and what Philadelphia could do with it. The data helped us with that discussion and building events around that process.
J2 was also responsible for making a small website, but it wasn’t the main thrust of their work. They also did a lot of graphic design work and helped us develop a very strong messaging.
What is the team composition?
At any given time, we were working with 2–8 people, including Jason (Executive Creative Director). We also worked with their project manager, designer, web developer, and client coordinator.
How did you come to work with J2?
Our board had all sorts of people, including a well-known architect in Philadelphia. Through him, Jason came highly recommended. We also knew of J2’s reputation for graphically designing and positioning visually on planes, cities, and universities.
How much have you invested with them?
We spent $80,000.
What is the status of this engagement?
We worked with them from October 2014–October 2016.
What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?
Before doing the World Heritage Work, we were a $150,000 operation nonprofit. However, once we activated the community at a higher level when we became a World Heritage City, we successfully increased the budget to $500,000.
How did J2 perform from a project management standpoint?
They had an excellent project management process. We communicated in person.
What did you find most impressive about them?
They were good at reading the room, the clients, and the opportunity and putting everything together.
Are there any areas they could improve?
No.
Do you have any advice for potential customers?
Come to the table and be clear with your messaging and what you’re looking for. Give them good directives to move and do what they have to do. I also advise you to listen to them because they lead their clients in the right direction.
the project
WordPress Dev & Branding for Cemetery & Funeral Home Company
“J2’s passion for the project is reflected in their outputs.”
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’m the president and CEO of Laurel Hill Cemetery and West Laurel Hill Cemetery & Funeral Home. We have two cemeteries right across the river from each other.
What challenge were you trying to address with J2?
We’re a multifaceted organization — we have multiple locations and at least four different entities — so we want to unify it. Our group has multiple logos, IDs, and URLs, and the whole idea is to communicate with our customers in a much more logical and understandable way.
What was the scope of their involvement?
J2 has worked on our branding and web development needs, including our logo and brand name. Our cemeteries are named differently, and J2 has brought them all under the rubric of Laurel Hill. We’ve kept the different entities but put them all under one logo.
Currently, we’re in the throes of finishing the website. We expect everything to be completed by the end of March 2022. They use WordPress to develop the website.
What is the team composition?
We mainly work with Alan (Co-Founder & Principal), Brian (Founding Partner & Managing Director), and Cara (Creative Director).
How did you come to work with J2?
I knew Alan from my previous work, and J2's reputation in the community was highly positive. I did a number of calls and interviewed some of their clients — they provided rave reviews. That was when we started our engagement.
How much have you invested with them?
We’ve spent between $100,000–$250,000.
What is the status of this engagement?
We started working together in July 2020, and the engagement is ongoing.
What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?
We measure success using the timeliness of J2’s delivery and their attention to our needs. Our team also checks their patience as we work through the decisions of our company’s leadership. We also evaluate their aesthetics and design talent, along with their ability to grasp the needs of our organization. So far, J2 has helped us achieve more brand awareness.
How did J2 perform from a project management standpoint?
In terms of deadlines, J2 is running late; they’ve surpassed the schedule by a couple of months, which isn’t too far off our timeline. That said, they’ve informed us about this delay. In fact, we may have caused some of the delays. Overall, while they’re running late, they’re still excellent communicators. The team has also stuck with our budget.
To manage the project, we’ve used Basecamp. We typically communicate using Zoom. I don’t get into the nitty-gritty details of their communications, but the team talks to my staff via phone calls, emails, and Zoom or Google Meet.
What did you find most impressive about them?
J2’s passion for the project is reflected in their outputs. They’re excited about their work, and that shows in the final product.
Are there any areas they could improve?
No, there aren’t any. The team has been truly responsive and patient, and they’ve performed professionally — I can’t say enough good things about them.
Do you have any advice for potential customers?
Hire J2, and be transparent with them. They’re eager to learn about their clients because the more they know about their customers, the better product they deliver.
the project
Branding and Website Design for Tin Capsule Company
“At any given time, we knew exactly where we were at in a project.”
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 am the owner and VP of Keystone Capsules, which manufactures, recycles, and produces tin wine capsules. Keystone Capsules is owned and operated by Nathan Trotter, where I am a partner.
What challenge were you trying to address with J2?
J2 helped develop and create a brand for Keystone Capsules.
What was the scope of their involvement?
J2 developed branding materials and a website for Keystone Capsules. Their team outlined each step of the process, starting with identifying our business needs and desired branding positioning. Then, J2 developed the brand voice and materials, including a logo, letterhead template, and a PowerPoint template. J2 also designed our website.
What is the team composition?
We worked with 5–7 teammates from J2, but another five teammates were working on the backend.
How did you come to work with J2?
We’d worked with J2 before on other projects for our flagship company, Nathan Trotter. They helped reinvigorate and refurbish our branding and website. Initially, we found them through some research we completed on companies in the Philadelphia area, where we’re based. All of that was about 10 years ago, but we had a good experience working with them on the Nathan Trotter projects, so it was a no-brainer to use them again with Keystone Capsules.
How much have you invested with them?
We invested around $75,000 with J2.
What is the status of this engagement?
This project with J2 was from March–December 2021.
What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?
We aren’t tracking any formal metrics for this project. However, we’ve received tremendous feedback from customers in the marketplace, who we are focused on appealing to. My team is thrilled with the product J2 delivered.
How did J2 perform from a project management standpoint?
We had regular status, tactical, and milestone meetings with the J2 team; at any given time, we knew exactly where we were at in a project.
What did you find most impressive about them?
J2’s team was very talented and professional, which contributed to an easy project and a high-quality final product.
Are there any areas they could improve?
We set a website implementation in October when we first discussed the proposal, but rollout didn’t happen until November. However, the J2 informed us that the timeframe was tight and shared regular updates throughout the processes, so we didn’t push back on that at all.
Do you have any advice for potential customers?
I’d advise customers to be open and communicate as much information as possible to the J2 team. The more project information J2 consumes, like market data or project direction, the better the final product.
the project
Rebranding, Web Dev & Design for Domestic Staffing Business
"J2 was super easy to work with and performed beyond our expectations."
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’m the founder and CEO of Philadelphia Nanny Network, a domestic staffing business. We service families hiring nannies and babysitters, and we’re one of the largest providers of employer-sponsored backup care.
What challenge were you trying to address with J2?
We had already expanded into other markets outside of Philadelphia, and we were planning on continuing our expansion. We needed someone to guide us through the process of conducting a total rebrand. In line with that, we needed a website overhaul.
What was the scope of their involvement?
J2 helped us with our rebranding efforts. The first order of business was to explore whether or not we should change our name. The team conducted a study around our current brand and how entrenched it was in our local market. They considered how we had already been in business for around 30 years. With the help of their analysis, we eventually decided to keep our original name and just do a total rebranding.
Then, the J2 team tweaked some elements of our brand, including how we presented ourselves. They created a new logo along with a style guide revolving around that logo. Afterward, they designed and developed our website, handling everything except the copy, which another vendor did. J2 created the website from scratch on a newer platform that had more functionalities than our old site. For example, they built contact forms into the website.
What is the team composition?
I mainly worked with Brian (Founding Partner & Executive Creative Director) and another teammate with whom I worked closest. We had in-person meetings where they would bring in one of their experts depending on what part of the project we were in, so I worked with several people on the team. This included developers, designers, and so on.
How did you come to work with J2?
Our first meeting was serendipitous. A friend and I were on a ski trip and decided to go to a restaurant on our last day. We sat at the bar and started talking to the two people next to us, who happened to be Brian and his father, who founded J2 originally. They happened to be from Philadelphia and mentioned that they did branding and web development, which was a project that I needed to do.
When I got back from the trip, I immediately contacted them, and they submitted a proposal. I had contacted two other vendors, but J2 seemed like the best fit. They were capable and incredibly creative, and at the same time, they considered our needs. I felt confident and comfortable with them, as well. Their price point was slightly higher than we wanted, but it was reasonable enough for us to move forward with J2. Everything just fell into place after that.
How much have you invested with them?
We spent somewhere between $10,000–$50,000.
What is the status of this engagement?
The project lasted from April–December 2016.
What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?
Thanks to J2’s work, we had a massive increase in engagement. The site was easily navigable, allowing our potential clients to complete our forms easily. Overall, we got a lot of value out of their work. In fact, we continue to use the website.
The design, color scheme, graphics, and images were all expertly chosen. The brilliance of the website is how timeless it is — even though it’s been a few years since then, I still get compliments about how creative our site’s design is. Usually, websites have a specific shelf life, and then it starts to look outdated, but our site has stood the test of time.
How did J2 perform from a project management standpoint?
J2 was super easy to work with and performed beyond our expectations. They didn’t drag out the project — they presented a reasonable timeline and worked within that timeline, meeting all their goals and deliverables. We used Basecamp to manage the project, and they were very organized in how they approached things. I initially found it hard to use, and the team was very flexible and offered to use email. However, with their encouragement, I learned to use Basecamp and found it to be really helpful. I even started using it on other projects.
What did you find most impressive about them?
I was impressed with their ability to listen and understand our vision in a short time. J2 synthesized our goal and created a design that was just phenomenal. It was also remarkable how easily the team could work with different companies in various industries.
We kept in touch with them in the years after the engagement and maintained a strong relationship. Actually, we have a potential project for another business of mine, so we’ve recently been in contact with Brian.
Are there any areas they could improve?
It would’ve been easier if I didn’t have to find another vendor to write the copy. Luckily, I found a great writer, and it all worked out.
the project
Branding for Nonprofit Social Service Organization
“J2 got our mission, bought into it, and got inspired by it.”
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’m the executive director and head coach of a 150-years-old social service agency headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. We serve and focus on the issues of intergenerational poverty.
What challenge were you trying to address with J2?
We needed to rebrand our agency while we were doing a strategic plan at the same time. We wanted to align the language, the brand, and the relaunch. We were probably the oldest and least-known agency in the city at the time, and that had to get corrected. We hired J2 to do the rebranding work with the idea that our engagement would then morph into design work and collateral building.
What was the scope of their involvement?
We went together through a mission statement, language definition, and value alignment, and the heavy lifting of the work was around the parallel effort of doing a strategic plan and the rebranding. We had to basically reset the agency, and we went through some organizational changes to tie in with all of those efforts. J2 also created a new logo and look and feel for all the collateral materials on the web, as well as printed materials down to the business cards.
Along with the new strategic plan, the brand roll-out, and the collateral, they helped us define how that was announced, designed, and disseminated. J2's work focused on both recruiting efforts with the participants of the fundraising and the overall communication with the stakeholders.
What is the team composition?
Alan (Co-Founder & Principal) has been involved in the overall project, Lucy (Art Director) was involved from the design point of view, and there were 5–6 other people in and out of the project as well. We also worked with a lead individual on the J2’s design team and a couple of other people.
How did you come to work with J2?
We had an RFP process, and J2 responded. Prior to when I joined this company, I knew some of the agencies. I also had good recommendations of them from people that I knew in the industry. We looked at around 5–6 firms and, using a lot of different criteria, we settled in on them.
How much have you invested with them?
We’ve spent around $100,000–$250,000.
What is the status of this engagement?
We started working together around January 2016, and the engagement is ongoing.
What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?
We have about 8,000 donors historically, and that donor base has grown and been more active since the branding work made by J2. Our agency has also grown in terms of foundation and institutional support. I can’t tell if it all has to do with the branding, but it was clearly involved. Our new website clearly drove pro-growth.
In terms of size programs, we’ve grown about $3.5 million since then, but there have been ups and downs with government contracts. Before our engagement, we had about $8 million on the programs’ budget, and now we have over $11 million. Although the volatility is there and funding is a third of that number, the branding effort has supported that.
How did J2 perform from a project management standpoint?
We held a lot of in-person meetings when we were on a pre-COVID-19 time. We picked a local agency so we could meet with them, and J2 had a lot of interaction with the board and with us in the strategic plan group.
We had a lot of work sessions both at J2’s place and ours with a lot of whiteboarding, design thoughts, and refinement. It was the classic development process. When we were doing this, we worked pretty closely with our board. We had a subcommittee that was involved there, with some people with domain and experience in this space.
It all was pretty close and interactive, and we got pretty close to J2’s team.
What did you find most impressive about them?
J2 got our mission, bought into it, and got inspired by it.
Are there any areas they could improve?
We go through major partner reviews as a matter of governance on three-, four-, and five-year cycles depending on the area. That includes accounting firms, law firms, and any major provider. I do that with my other businesses — it’s a matter of good governance to go through a formal review so we don’t get too comfortable with our providers. We also need to test the market and move forward through that process.
The J2 that we worked with back then has had a lot of personnel changes. I’m somewhat close to the founder, but we’re reviewing them right now, and we don’t know where that’s going to take us. The J2 that we worked with in 2016 had a fair amount of turnover, but now, it’s not clear if we’re going to continue working together.
We have some real concerns about the agency that we’re now experiencing, and we've got to dig into it to move forward. They’ve changed staff and their subcontractor’s strategy. Candidly, we need to go back and do a reevaluation. We still respect the firm, but some really key people from the design perspective are no longer with them.
Do you have any advice for potential customers?
These types of projects can get very squishy, and the creative process is, by definition, squishy. You have to be very, very clear on the impact that you’re looking to get so that you don’t have a mission creep.
the project
Brand Identity & Marketing Collateral for Arts Center
“It was clear that they had a complete understanding of our needs.”
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’m the executive director at Asian Arts Initiative. We’re a community-based arts center in Philadelphia.
What challenge were you trying to address with J2?
We hired J2 to help us with our brand strategy and identity design — our whole identity package.
What was the scope of their involvement?
J2 was responsible for creating a whole identity system for us, including our logo, taglines, stationery, and other collateral. They also did our brand bible, which included all of the rules around how to use our identity assets.
They did a marketing discovery to do brand strategy. They looked into our organizational mission and strategy. The team did a lot of research on our organization, constituents, and staff.
What is the team composition?
We worked with 4–5 people regularly, including the creative director, the CEO, and the art director. We also worked with graphic designers and discovery lead coordinators.
How did you come to work with J2?
J2 was introduced to us by a peer organization in our city. We liked the work that J2 did for them, and we decided to contact them to see what they thought about us.
We shopped around with a few different agencies. However, what really appealed to us was their thoroughness in describing the engagement process. Their proposal itself was very thorough, too. Additionally, the lead design team was very available to us. It was clear that they had a complete understanding of our needs.
How much have you invested with them?
We spent $30,000.
What is the status of this engagement?
We first engaged with J2 in 2018. However, we started working together in June 2019, and that particular project culminated in February 2020. Throughout 2020, we continuously worked together when needed.
What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?
I measured the success of this project with the buy-in from our staff and board and the general enthusiasm for the outcome, which was overwhelmingly positive and supportive. The usability of the brand guidelines with our new, young design and branding team has been excellent. It’s all been positive feedback.
From a quantitative perspective, the brand deck has translated very nicely into our presence on a lot of other platforms. We’d never had a designed identity before, so it was a very new and fresh debut.
How did J2 perform from a project management standpoint?
J2 was excellent at meeting deadlines and being responsive.
What did you find most impressive about them?
J2 is very receptive to feedback — they can handle it. They take feedback very well and understand if you have any concerns.
Are there any areas they could improve?
I can’t think of anything that J2 could improve.
Any advice for potential customers?
Be as candid, open, and honest as possible. We were able to be super honest with them, and it turned out well.
the project
Rebranding & Logo for Community Shopping Center
"I love working with them. They’re a team of very diligent perfectionists."
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 work for Kimco Realty, a real estate investment trust (REIT) national platform. I am a general manager of one of their assets, which is called Suburban Square in Pennsylvania.
What challenge were you trying to address with J2?
We were redeveloping the shopping center, so it was natural to rebrand as well.
What was the scope of their involvement?
J2 has been helping us with our rebranding efforts. They’ve delivered a logo and a messaging for our website and social media, taking note of our company’s existing branding. We're still working together very closely, day in and day out.
What is the team composition?
I’ve worked with around 8–10 teammates since the project started.
How did you come to work with J2?
I came in when the company was deciding which firm to go with, so I’m not sure how we found them. Ultimately, J2 stood out because they were available and shared excellent ideas with us. They also seemed to understand the product well, so we decided to work with them.
How much have you invested with them?
We’ve spent $32,500.
What is the status of this engagement?
We started working together in January 2017, and it’s ongoing.
What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?
We’re pleased with what J2 developed. People have responded well to the logo and the color scheme, and they appreciate the more modern look compared to our original logo. The messaging they’ve created is clear and concise. Overall, their work is sensitive to our core demographic. We’ve been in the community for over 90 years — our customers have been coming here for generations, and they’re very attached to us. J2’s work is cognizant of those loyal customers while also being attractive to new customers. It's been a successful process.
How did J2 perform from a project management standpoint?
They are, without a doubt, the best in project management. We have weekly calls to go over their progress and make final decisions on the next steps. Before COVID-19, we also had some face-to-face meetings. Communication was very tight, concise, and frequent. Our personalities meshed well.
What did you find most impressive about them?
They're just highly professional, and they care about providing a good product. It’s a unique project, but J2 has done very well. They have a deep understanding of the center because most people on their team personally knew and shop at the center. If they didn’t understand the property already, it would’ve been quite the learning curve because it’s a very complex shopping center. They are very sensitive to everyone in the community and how the rebranding would impact them.
It’s clear that J2 took a very personal interest in it, and it’s not just another project to them because they’re part of the community themselves. It’s that personal dedication that has allowed them to be successful. Every single teammate we’ve handled is fantastic — I love working with them. They’re a team of very diligent perfectionists, and they have my respect and trust.
Are there any areas they could improve?
I haven’t experienced anything remotely negative while working with the team.
Do you have any advice for potential customers?
It's okay just to leave them to do their job; they're very good at what they do.
the project
Rebranding & Comms Audit for Cultural Arts Institution
“J2 has been a wonderful partner.”
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'm the SVP of strategic marketing and communications at the Kimmel Cultural Campus, which is a multi-venue performing arts complex in Philadelphia. We present a diverse array of performing arts presentations attended by people in the 11-county region. We present around 1,500 events a year and about 1.2 million people come through our doors annually.
What challenge were you trying to address with J2?
The Kimmel Center was built as a one-building complex that housed a couple of theaters and the Verizon Hall. Over the last 20 years, the arts organization has grown, and it now manages two additional venues along Broad Street. Our biggest problem was a brand perception that we still were the only Kimmel Center building here and that we weren’t related to the Academy of Music and the Merriam Theater, both of which we manage. As a result, most people thought we were essentially an orchestra, which was our main performance group that worked in one building.
Branding challenges came out because of that perception. For instance, we weren't getting credit for all of the other work that we presented, which was 80% of our work's volume. On top of that, people associated us with classical-based institutions. However, what we mainly presented were Broadway tours, stand-up comedy, rock concerts, and jazz concerts. In other words, genre perspectives were quite different. We began our work with J2 to address these branding challenges in a variety of ways
What was the scope of their involvement?
We already had a lot of data about the branding problem since we’d undergone a bit of research around the development of a new website. We handed that research over to J2, and they conducted additional in-depth research. They created focus groups and interviewed civic leaders, board members, ticket buyers, and people around the region. They worked to get a better sense of people’s real perceptions about us and what they could advise us.
Apart from that, J2 also performed a communications audit. We gave them a couple of years’ worth of materials to tell us how to better design our communications to convey the continuity of our brand. Through that, we figured out how we could reverse the brand challenges that we have. Then, J2 did a site audit and gave recommendations around tying our buildings together and stitching them visually and physically so they’d appear like one multi-building complex. For context, the architecture of the buildings spanned 165 years, so the three buildings looked absolutely different from each other.
Meanwhile, the project has changed in scope around the time that the COVID-19 pandemic was occurring. We held out on the project for a while because it wasn’t possible to push through. Then, we came back to J2 saying we were going to take the project down a notch; we weren’t going to do what was recommended, though we’d still use all the research we had. We wanted to use their conceptual ideas and move forward.
What is the team composition?
We’ve worked with 6–7 members of their team, and we mainly interact with Alan (Co-Founder & Principal) and Claire (Account Manager). We also work with their design team and exit team, which has done the physical audit of the buildings. That team has also made recommendations on things that we can do to tie the buildings together.
How did you come to work with J2?
I ran into Alan at a couple of events, including a gala for the Marian Anderson Awards held at the Kimmel Center. He then came in and spoke to the design and leadership cohort that I happened to be in, and he stood out to me as someone to think about if we ever did rebrand.
Interestingly enough, J2 didn’t put in a proposal when we sent out our RFP. Several members of our marketing advisory board had recommended them, and they asked why J2 didn’t send a proposal. As a result, I called Alan and asked them about it, and he told me that we already knew our problem. There was a lot to unpack when it came to a nonprofit, so we talked through some of his questions and misconceptions about us. Eventually, even though J2 didn’t submit any proposals, I threw all the other proposals away and went with Alan.
How much have you invested with them?
We’ve spent around $100,000.
What is the status of this engagement?
The project began in February 2019, and the project is ongoing.
What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?
J2 has been a wonderful partner and leader for our organization to lean on. Everything has been relatively smooth. I have an employee who’s in charge of ensuring that all the I’s are dotted and the T’s are crossed in terms of communications. So far, she’s enjoyed working with J2, and everything has been smooth-sailing.
How did J2 perform from a project management standpoint?
J2 is using project management software with my more hands-on team. However, I largely just do email, conference calls, and physical meetings with them. In 2019, we had regular meetings. Then, the rubber hit the road, and we were only meeting when there was something to review.
During that time, we felt we weren’t meeting at all. We’ve only just recently started meeting again, but it’s not regular. When we need to have a conference call with our CEO, Alan makes himself available to present the project’s status.
What did you find most impressive about them?
J2 has the ability to be flexible and roll with the punches.
Are there any areas they could improve?
No, there aren’t any. They’ve already addressed everything that I thought they could improve.
Do you have any advice for potential customers?
Trust their point of view and do your best to listen. Their perspective is good, and Alan’s really a thinker. If you sit back and listen to them, things coalesce. In a lot of ways, I’ve used Alan as a thought partner in all kinds of things because of the way he thinks.
the project
Branding Refresh for Real Estate Consulting Firm
"I was fascinated by how J2 assembled their team; they were a multidisciplinary group."
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.
U3 Advisors is a consulting firm that specializes in providing real estate strategy and economic development strategy services primarily to universities, colleges, nonprofits, and extra-governmental entities. We work primarily in the US, but we also work in select engagements in Canada.
As the VP, I work directly with the CEO and CFO of the company in managing our internal business operations. In our conversations with J2, I manage all of our marketing and business development efforts.
What challenge were you trying to address with J2?
We thought our brand needed a refresh and reorientation to reflect what the company was and where it was going. Organically, the way we were messaging the company had evolved over the years, and we wanted to know what the evolution looked and sounded like.
Then, when we did some internal workshop, and we found out that there had been significant changes in how we talk about ourselves — in a more thematic mission-driven way. Those changes made sense considering the mission-driven nature of our third-party clients and the sectors in which they operate.
However, we realized that none of the changes that occurred were captured in our marketing collaterals or digital presence. That was the genesis of the problem we were trying to solve, and that led us to engage with J2.
What was the scope of their involvement?
We started to dig deep with J2 through our discovery period where they got to know our company and where we gave them additional information beyond what we shared during the process. That process took 3–4 months to unfold, and Alan (Co-Founder & Principal) and Brian (Founding Partner & Executive Director) heavily engaged with us during this time. Frankly speaking, that happened because of the nature of our work; we were always busy most of the time.
They interviewed a select pool of customers and they pulled quotes from them. Based on the processes that they did, they created our brand platform. Beyond stating our palette and how our U3 mark should be used in content and other collaterals, J2 also stated who we were and how we wanted to talk about ourselves from a marketing standpoint. They helped us present ourselves as a company in a thematic language so that our target audience would want to engage with us.
What is the team composition?
Brian acted as the project executive and senior project, and he pushed the discovery process. They also had a design lead and a process manager.
How did you come to work with J2?
J2 was selected as the team to help us with our rebrand and marketing refresh as part of a competitive process. We issued an RFP to a shortlist of approximately 10 firms, most of whom were based in the metro Philadelphia area where our headquarters was located. The shortlist contained the companies who were referred within our professional networks, and they approximately collaborated with 1–2 companies we had worked with in the past. In fact, J2 competed head to head with the design firm that developed our website and digital presence.
We chose J2 because they not only understood what we were trying to do in a practical sense but also proposed services that were the right size for our budget. Moreover, they were the most responsive team we communicated with. J2 saw the value in learning for us and they wanted to expand their knowledge base by knowing our work.
How much have you invested with them?
We had originally budgeted around $20,000 for the project, and we ended up spending around $30,000. That happened because we weren’t disciplined around time, and the project dragged out.
What is the status of this engagement?
We worked together from June 2019–January 2020. We don’t have an official project at this time, but we still collaborate together. The team gives us technical support and other assistance in areas such as creating presentation templates.
What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?
J2 was able to channel our core values and ethos into the brand platform they built for us. After our partnership, we developed a deep relationship with them, and we considered them to be a great team.
On our digital presence, we had very clear metrics and analytics on a daily basis, and on average, we had roughly a 40% uptick in our site traffic. On average, our traffic was 110% whenever we sent out email blasts and social media posts that connect to our website. We never had that traffic driven to our old website. Since our new website was cleaner and simpler — it looked good aesthetically, and it was user-friendly.
How did J2 perform from a project management standpoint?
Their patience and flexibility manifested when we dragged out the timeline of their originally outline aggressive discovery period. They were also very fair and transparent in modifying the scope and what the implications were in terms of pricing.
Their flexibility also clearly appeared in their project management process. At first, they suggested using Basecamp to manage our workflow. However, they quickly realized that we were not very prescriptive around platforms. As a result, they quickly pivoted from adapting whatever we used for our project workflows such as Dropbox and Google Docs. Those platforms became our avenue to share our products, comments, and deliverables — it was very effective and secure.
What did you find most impressive about them?
I was fascinated by how J2 assembled their team; they were a multidisciplinary group. Everybody from their team came from a similar background, and they had a very specific role during our collaboration. I was also impressed with the level of discipline they had with bringing a big team for us.
Are there any areas they could improve?
From a design standpoint, they presented a lot of conservative choices that didn’t wow us. I felt that some of the ideas they had presented were boxed and that may be caused by the way they were trying to read us and didn’t want to misread us. Perhaps, they didn’t just want to go off the reservation and present us with something that feels completely dissonant from what we discussed and honoring what our scope was. J2 was just earnest about being respectful of our relationship.
However, we quickly worked through that, and we challenged them to challenge us. After having conversations with J2, they delivered, and they hit the ball out of the park. They were a fantastic team, and we got a great amount of value that was outsized to what we paid.
J2's exemplary work dramatically increased the firm's budget from $150,000 to $500,000. Their solid project management process and communication skills allowed them to establish a strong partnership. Above all, the client appreciated that the team steered them in the right direction.