MOK2 | Brand Intelligence & Design

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We’re a vertically integrated real estate development company. There are a lot of historic buildings in the Miami region. As well as doing new projects, we’ve worked with a lot of historic preservation and repurposing buildings, giving them currency for a modern market and making them relevant and dynamic to lifestyle.

We’re a local brand that cares a lot about our community and builds things that are sustainable to build community. We’ve done construction, property management, leasing, sales, and anything attendant to that.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with MOK2 | Brand Intelligence & Design?

We needed someone to help us with branding for our company.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We’ve had a relationship with their team for over a couple of decades now. They’ve managed our identity, keeping it current within the contemporary market.

As we’ve evolved, we’ve used them to keep our brand accessible and relevant. In the early .com days, we hired them for our construction company.

We had a new construction company with a new name, and we decided that the individual’s name was well-known enough that we didn’t want to take over any other name. They were part of that strategic process of branding, and they wanted us to keep our name to keep our equity. They had it be lowercase to reflect the modern market, and they made it feel green because it was about the earth and buildings.

That logo has been used continually through today in all types of platforms.

Recently, their team redid my website. It was a major undertaking, and they were integral.

Summarizing the last 20 years, they’ve managed the brand, brand identity, and repositioning the company through its growth and evolution. We’ve had many companies, and they are all vertically integrated again and housed in the same location. It is the concept of launching a brand to positioning it and then repositioning it. That’s a continuum of what they’re able to do and their capabilities.

What is the team composition?

We work with two people on average at any given time, and the two partners have been the same from the beginning. I usually always work with one of the partners and one of their associates.

How did you come to work with MOK2 | Brand Intelligence & Design?

They were referred to us by another highly established local company. They were doing brand identity for real estate companies, music artists, and other big names.

Their team was doing very high level, sophisticated, and relevant branding. They did entire identity packages for a multitude of companies.

What is the status of this engagement?

We’ve been working with them for the last 20 years.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

I look at the market, and they are very forward-thinking, and they are on the cusp of the curve.

They know what’s going on throughout the world, and they know what’s going on in their marketing and branding market and identity. They understand what is going on culturally, cultural movements, and movements that affect culture. They understand the news and perception around the world as well as locally, and that is very important for understanding trends, being on the cutting edge of understanding trends, business trends, cultural trends, artistic trends, and marketing trends as well as words and imagery that will be important to the market, in addition to technology platforms and what to use, how to use, and how to extract more equity for an audience.

Along with being comprehensive, they’re very big picture thinkers. That also leads to efficiency because when things are done right, they don’t have to be redone. They can distill and drill down with ease. They are uncomplicated, and they simplify everything. They are 100% accessible. If I pick up the phone, I need someone who will pick up the phone and respond without vagaries.  

How did MOK2 | Brand Intelligence & Design perform from a project management standpoint?

From a project management standpoint, they’re very good. They’re fluid and current.

Dialogue is important, and the currency is important. We need to be on the same page, so we are continually on the same page. It’s a very fluid style of communication. They deliver the message instantly. They know the essence of something because they are very intuitive; they are very right brain and left-brained. Their team exhibits strong emotional intelligence.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They’re very global in their understanding of the world at large and as to their industry. With that, they can craft the message and brand because they understand the DNA of the brand. They get how the message ought to be delivered, and their messages are interesting and relevant enough to elicit curiosity.

They’re visually pleasing and interesting. Their work is clean and relatable.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Their team is full of ideas without even having to probe or push them. The ideas burst from their heads, and it’s not just design ideas. They’re bursting with business ideas for business growth. They come up with new facets of the business.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the owner of Streamline Properties. We’re a real estate company headquartered in South Beach. Primarily, at this point, we’re doing less development and more management and brokerage work.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with MOK2 | Brand Intelligence & Design?

My company was established in 1984, and I hired them to refresh my brand, design a new logo, and create new collateral for me.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

The primary task was redesigning the logo. They were familiar with my company and created several different versions of the logo for me to review. We gave them feedback, based on which they produced a few more versions. From there, we settled on what we chose as our logo to move forward with. 

Then, we had a lot of collateral materials, like stationery, email templates, business cards, advertising templates, notecards, front window design, and all ways we could reach the public. They redesigned all of our collateral. 

What is the team composition?

We worked mostly with Mauricio (President) and Kevin (Co-Founder).

How did you come to work with MOK2 | Brand Intelligence & Design?

I followed a referral to use them. 

How much have you invested with them?

We spent about $15,000. 

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked together from February–October 2004.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We still use the collateral to this day. Their service was excellent. I was dealing directly with the owners, which I appreciated. 

How did MOK2 | Brand Intelligence & Design perform from a project management standpoint?

I was always pleased with their responsiveness and openness to client feedback. We mainly spoke through email. We also had some in-person meetings. As far as deadlines, they produced everything on time and according to our schedule. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

They had a good balance of having pride in their work and being open to modifying it for the client. At the time we did this project, they were a generation younger than I was, so they had a fresh perspective that I appreciated. I had my own ideas that they could call “old-school” but they represent the “new-school”.

To this day, they still capture the vitality that comes with the new school. They were always reinventing themselves and were clever. Even though this project was 16 years ago, I am still friendly with them. I was an elected official in the area at one point, and they would call me about the projects they were tasked with for the city, which always impressed me. We might be engaging them in the future, as well. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

I never had any problem with them. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Come in with an open mind, as with any marketing. If you just want someone to do exactly what you tell them to do, you can probably use a different company. MOK2 was full of rich, creative ideas and they kept their finger on the pulse of the digital world. 

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

Babalu: Consumer retail based in Miami Beach, FL CEO

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire MOK2 | Brand Intelligence & Design?

Miami served as our base of revenue and operations and revenue, so we were looking for a local agency with an international scope. We were looking for a brand to conceive of an enduring brand image that would resonate with the multiple Latin, European and American cultures that pass through our gateway, yet still bounce as an authentically local home-grown identity.

What were your goals for this project?

We were looking to develop our Babalu brand recognition as a household name through the local Miami market first (our consumer base) and then, given that Miami is a key crossroads of the western world, build out the Babalu in stages internationally.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

It was a very easy decision to choose Mok2 as our intelligent design partner: after review of their client portfolio and initial discussions regarding our goals to strategize the brand concept and growth for Babalu, we quickly saw how quickly that Mok2 team not only had the internal resources, but inherently understood how to wrap their minds around a needs and goals of their clients and to deliver a platform for client success.

Describe the scope of their work in detail.

Planning Proposal Execution Mok2 kept the demands from us as their client very simple to a minimum so we could continue to focus on our strengths. This is a professional talent in itself

What was the team composition?

We worked most closely with the principals of the firm. They have proven accessible at all points throughout the duration of our partnership, and offered client servicing above-and-beyond expectations. Their team: composed of both creative and tech. If there was an external source required for a specific purpose, they had excellent 3rd party resources on-tap.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Babalu became known as enduring go-to retail brand, a familiar touch-point for repeat international visitors, and a reliable brand for Miami locals. At its peak, Babalu became one of the highest-grossing per square foot turnover retailers ($4,000/sq ft). This can only happen with a cohesive resonant brand image.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Flexible, proactive and effective. Mok2 delivered professionally on all levels. No ego ever obstructed the objective. All ideas on the table brought to meetings by both parties were considered and filtered as part of the discovery process. When Mok2 delivered our multi-layered presentations, they extrapolated and incorporated all reasonable suggestions into the project proposals, always with streamlined effect.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

All of the above. Mok2 treated Babalu with the care and intelligence that can only be found by working with brilliant creative and strategic partners.

Are there any areas for improvement?

As CEO we are both watchdogs for our company and its assets, as well as driven on building revenue and profitabliity. I am more than comfortable with all aspects of the Mok2 deliverables and how we arrived at each point of project execution together.