In a world where artificial ingredients, dupes, fakes and faux everything are nothing new, it’s refreshing to find a brand embracing real, authentic, pure ingredients. Our newest client, Backyard Nectar doesn’t have to fake sweet. It’s naturally made that way with 100% organic blue agave. Founded by Ryan Huntley, a past bartender and spirit salesman, Backyard Nectar is sourced from a local farm in Mexico, which its owners lovingly refer to as: Ryan’s backyard. Once we embraced the story behind Backyard Nectar Agave, we began creating the first brand chapter: The website.
“Getting a new product off the ground and out in the world isn’t easy. Launch has been an incredible partner in helping us develop our brand strategy, design and voice. This is just the beginning for Backyard Nectar.” —Ryan Huntley, Founder of Backyard Nectar
Like many startups out there, Ryan is in the beginning stages of launching his product and doesn’t have the big brand production budget. Yet. Not a problem for our Launch Agency studio. We have the talent needed to bring his product to life using our in-house capabilities. All food styling, propping, photography and video work was done at the office of Launch by Launchers. The result is an authentic, appetizing and informative site that leaves visitors wanting to learn more.
Ryan’s current goal is to get Backyard Nectar into more bars and restaurants and ultimately, get it on the shelves at local liquor stores. Cheers to entrepreneurs like Ryan! And cheers to a beautiful future working together!
It was big night for Launch Agency and our clients at the 2024 AAF Addy Awards. From AR activations to cinema advertising to sports sponsorships, we received honors in 10 categories, including Judge’s Choice Award. Hats off to Baylor Scott & White McLane Children’s, Baylor Scott & White Health, Evergreen Power Solutions and Tulipalooza for trusting us with your beloved brands. Here’s to making work that makes a difference.
PHOTOGRAPHER: ANDY MAHR, AR: GROOVE JONES, DIRECTOR: JOHN SUITS, NATURAL SELECTION
LAUNCH AGENCY WEBSITE
SELF PROMO — SILVER
Unleashing the power for Baylor Scott & White Health.
The power to live better™
Repositioning the largest not-for-profit healthcare system in the state takes a Texas-sized effort. To introduce Baylor Scott & White Health’s new mission to empower its patients, Launch Agency was proud to team up with agency partners, Monigle, Camelot Media and Door No. 3. Our combined efforts created a campaign that’s already seeing powerful results with a 12% increase in brand equity.*
The new customer-first positioning led to the creation of a new tagline from Launch, “The Power To Live Better” and a new brand identity from brand experience agency, Monigle. “The real power in healthcare lies within our customers, they allow us to do what we love. Our role is to inspire them to live better every day. This refreshing and joyful campaign repositions us as the support our patients need to improve every aspect of the care they receive,” said Ben Day, Director of Creative & Brand Management at Baylor Scott & White Health.
Launch Spot
By partnering with award-winning directing trio, The Fold, we created a series of spots taking viewers on an energetic and empowering journey showing what healthcare looks like from the POV of the consumer. The soundtrack for all spots includes vintage gospel song “Power” by Mattie Wigley that was rearranged by local musician Damon Criswell. And photography by Callie Lipkin beautifully celebrates our new visual expression across print, OOH, social and digital.
*Among key healthcare systems in our markets, Baylor Scott & White Health was the only brand to see significant movement in brand equity measures, with BERA scores showing a 12% increase from Q3 to Q4. The next closest brand saw only a 6.4% difference.
Stars goalie, Jake Oettinger invites you to get motivated with Motivotter.
We recently teamed up with Baylor Scott & White Health and the Dallas Stars to create an AR experience leveraging one of the biggest “stars” of the Stars, Jake Oettinger. As the team’s goalie, Oettinger always stays focused, motivated and determined, which makes him the perfect voice to inspire fans along their health journey.
Working with Dallas AR and VR experts, Groove Jones, we developed a look-alike Oettinger in the form of a mini-AR Jake. Only it isn’t actually Jake: It’s his inner voice which we named Motivotter, a combination of his nickname “Otter” and “motivation.” The experience allows users to place Motivotter on any surface, next to anything they’ve achieved or want to achieve. Like eating healthier, working out more, walking their dog—you name it, Motivotter is there celebrating your victories with cheers, back flips and a variety and dance moves.
To launch the experience, we partnered with award-winning director, John Suits to create a teaser-like trailer introducing Motivotter to fans. The film, along with numerous digital and OOH executions, invites users to “Unleash Motivotter” through Instagram or TikTok. All executions drive to motivotter.com.
Once you tap any social icon, the Motivotter filter opens and is ready to play.
Social posts encourage fans to share their favorite Motivotter moments.
In a short time, Stars fans have already adopted Motivotter as one of their own.
As the official healthcare partner of the Dallas Stars, Baylor Scott & White Health is proud to leverage this partnership to inspire fans around Dallas to achieve their goals – big or small.
Behind the scenes
To create Motivotter, Groove Jones scanned Oettinger in their XR Avatar Scanner powered by 50 4K cameras that capture HDR (high dynamic range – for color and depth) using multiple focal lengths—instantly capturing both the geometry and texture of the person standing inside. This, in turn, allowed us to make a lifelike mini-AR version of Jake.
3D Team: Jeannot Landry, Elliot Johnson, Chris Fisher, Groove Jones
Animation: David Aguilar, Groove Jones
Graphic Design: Bip, Groove Jones
Production VP: Monte Masters, Groove Jones
Audio: Andrew Carman, Groove Jones
Production Coordinator: Khoi Tran, Groove Jones
Director of Creative: Ben Day, Baylor Scott & White Health
Brand Manager/Sports Sponsorships/Digital: Tyson Stuart, Baylor Scott & White Health
Director of Consumer Marketing/Brand Strategy & Planning: Kristn Owens, Baylor Scott & White Health
Brand Planning & Strategy: Robin Kraase, Baylor Scott & White Health
Marketing Producer Creative & Brand Management: Megan Doss, Baylor Scott & White Health
Senior PR Marketing Consultant: Eric Keese, Baylor Scott & White Health
Get care now. Like now, now.
To announce the news that the MyBSWHealth app now connects you to Baylor Scott & White Health 24/7, we partnered with award-winning director Eli Green to create a series of charming spots focusing on what happens when we get sick after hours or on weekends––you know, times when the doctor’s office is usually closed.
From frantically searching the internet for clues to creating less-than-appetizing homeopathic remedies, we see real-life scenarios get solved by simply connecting patients with the expert physicians at MyBSWHealth.
“Urgency is a tricky message in humor. With a hint of levity and character performance, we found a tone that connects need and relatability for Baylor Scott & White Health,” said Eli Green of Cultivate Media.
The television commercials launched during Dallas Cowboys games and even mention that you can get care during the game. Digital and social executions feature actual clocks that call out the exact time they are running to emphasize you can get care right this very minute. And airport OOH speaks to the fact that you can get care right now between flights.
By correlating with the times and places you can get care through the MyBSWHealth app, this charming campaign hopes to empower patients across Texas to get the care they need whenever they need it. Like right now. Later today. On weekends. At the airport. In the grocery store. You get the idea…
The campaign is running in North and Central Texas on television, print, OOH and social platforms like Snapchat, Instagram and Facebook.
Timelapse video of a war room build. (Never let the account team set up the camera – leave that to the art directors.)
The advertising war room – far less aggressive than it sounds (although there are occasional battles within) – is Strategy Central at Launch. It’s here we conduct a full brand audit and assessment of “enemy” territory. What are our client’s greatest strengths? How well does their product or service differentiate itself in a sea of sameness? Vital insights are drawn here, insights critical to informing the planning process.
We discussed the role and history of the war room with Launch partners and Creative Directors Diane Seimetz and Dave Wilgus:
What exactly is a Launch War Room?
It’s one of the few truly private places in the agency…no windows, a real door to close. We find this helps our squirrel-prone brains to focus. Inside, the walls are covered with pinnable material, which becomes home to a wide variety of our client’s and their competitors’ marketing, brand and social media assets, online reviews – almost anything digital and physical we can unearth. In the end, it’s a 360-degree deep dive, providing a unique, all-in-one glimpse into the customer experience.
A recent Launch War Room built for our client, Norwex.
What led Launch to establish this practice?
Surveying the competitive landscape has always been intrinsic to our discovery process. While we think we know what the others in the category are saying and doing, our recollections can be dated, confused or just not the case. Things change quickly in the world of consumer brands, and there’s really no substitute to ensure you’re working off the latest information than gathering it for yourself. We felt that designating a dedicated space to collect, view, compare and share this intel would encourage and facilitate this key effort.
What do clients gain from this process?
A date with the War Room is always a highlight of the brand strategy process. Our clients are extremely busy, and they appreciate this unique glimpse into their customer’s journey – all under one roof. It’s immersive, interactive, and has impact.
How does a war room get built?
It really does take an army to locate/source the large amount of content required to outfit the effort. A typical war room can include everything from website pages, Instagram feeds, video, print and promotional samples, menus, packaging, paid digital, search. We have people who have become expert at organizing this content on the walls in an easy-to-understand way.
Do you have any tips for building an effective War Room?
The key is to represent all relevant channels, so you get a really good idea of each brand’s story, who they are targeting, how they are attempting to position themselves, how they talk about their company, mission, unique benefits. It also helps to have at least one tall person on your team to pin things nice and high on the wall:)
How else does Launch fight the good fight for clients?
Spending time learning what’s going on in the competitive space is just one of the many ways we prepare to go to war for our clients. It’s part of our four-stage Launch Sequence® that combines strategic process with creative prowess.
Building a powerful brand starts with insights as the foundation, which inspire work that’s relevant, engaging and meaningful. Often highly entertaining, too. Creativity used in this way is the marketer’s ultimate trump card, prevailing over clutter to cut-rate pricing.
Memorable, shareable ideas not only differentiate a brand, they drive its success.
Relaunching healthcare for the better.
As our name suggests, our clients turn to us when launching or relaunching a new product or service. But it’s not every day we get the call to relaunch an entire category and make its powerful new mission into a meaningful message – stat. Based on Baylor Scott & White Health’s century-old legacy of innovation, and its focus on how people get well and stay that way, “Changing healthcare for the better” was born.
The campaign kicked off in July 2018 with teaser and reveal outdoor, digital, social and :30 and :15 television. Broadcast creative was shot by award-winning director, Jeff Bednarz and edited by Jack Waldrip of Charlie Uniform Tango with music by EliasArts of Los Angeles.
With our partners at Baylor Scott & White Health, we continue to look for new and better ways to spread the word throughout North and Central Texas, so keep an eye out for new work in the coming months.
Out-of-home board
Building an Authentic Brand
There’s a lot of talk about what it means for brands to be authentic. We’ve all seen brands that have a disconnect between their marketing messaging and their actions toward customers and employees. How can we put authenticity at the core of our marketing efforts? Well for starters, address your customers like they are real people, with lives outside of your product. There are other considerations to have in mind when crafting brand strategy.
1) Carefully Consider Brand Voice
Is your brand in any way relatable when you speak online or in traditional media? While not every brand has to be as casual in their brand voice as, say, Wendy’s, speaking to your customers like they’re friends or family is always achievable. At the end of the day, people don’t wake up looking to interact with a brand, so think of what else interests your customers. What are they passionate about? And what pain points might they have in their daily lives that your brand could solve? Identifying these factors will inform your brand voice.
2) If Your brand is Committed to a Cause, Stand Behind It
Customers aren’t dummies – they can tell when your brand is merely doing lip service by committing to a particular cause, especially if your other actions as a business don’t align with said cause. Kat Von D Beauty, the indie makeup brand started by tattoo artist Kat Von D, gets it right. Von D is a strong opponent of animal testing, and her brand reflects these beliefs. The brand consistently supports organizations that protect animals, such as Project Chimps, and they weave this support into their messaging and products themselves.
3) Don’t Try and Capitalize on a Movement if It Doesn’t Fit Your Brand
Pepsi is a great example of what not to do in this scenario. Their much maligned and now infamous Kendall Jenner commercial attempted to capitalize off recent protest movements. The execution was tone-deaf, and there was no reason for Pepsi to insert itself into that conversation. Brands need to think about whether it is fitting to address a social or political movement, and how best to engage in the discussion if so.
4) Use Your Platform to Dispel Myths About Your Category
One of the best ways to demonstrate authenticity? Use your platform to get real with customers. UK Feminine hygiene brand Bodyform has done just that, making it their mission to change the way we discuss and show the experience of having a period. By consistently pushing the envelope with ads that are a far cry from the usual white-dress-wearing fodder we’re used to seeing, Bodyform has established themselves as an authentic and unique player in their category.
The most important thing to remember when creating an authentic brand is that your customers aren’t fools – they can see through any half-hearted attempts at authenticity and will take their business elsewhere.
Crafting a Brand From the Bun Up
Sometimes there’s really nothing that hits the spot quite like a good old-fashioned burger. Here at Launch, we like burgers as much as the next guy, and we were more than happy to partner with Texas burger chain Chapps Burgers to relaunch their brand. We sat down with Dave Wilgus, Launch Principal, to learn more about the rebranding process.
WHAT WAS THE GOAL OF THE CHAPPS REBRAND?
Chapps Burgers, family-owned and operated for 34 years, spans 7 restaurants in the DFW metroplex and has a history of making great-tasting hamburgers. The family owners wanted to franchise their business and came to Launch to help them re-launch the Chapps brand. Our goal was to create an engaging brand story and cohesive brand experience that would attract new customers and franchise investors alike.
WHAT WAS THE DESIGN INSPIRATION BEHIND THE INTERIOR DECORATION AND BRANDING?
Customers told us that Chapps’ amazing burgers, quality ingredients and fair prices kept them coming back for more. Chapps’ long history of doing things right and treating people like family made them a Texas burger institution. The simple traits that made Chapps successful became our inspiration. We created a brand that embodied their strong work ethic and passion for making a great tasting burger. We started with a graphic look and feel we call “Blue Collar Cool.” Classic and industrial in tone, the design direction takes its cues from an era of vintage craftsmen, when baseball tickets, painted signs and union logos were works of art. The voice of the brand is a common sense, no B.S. attitude delivered with likable, relatable wit and humor.
HOW ARE THESE ELEMENTS COMMUNICATED BOTH IN-STORE AND ON THEIR WEBSITE?
We try to use all customer touch points to get people to engage with the Chapps brand and tell our unique story. Starting in-store, we took advantage of every available square inch, down to the napkin holders. The new restaurant interior design incorporated the primary brand colors and graphics direction – modern industrial tone with a touch of vintage warmth. We used a white brick wall behind the order counter to hand paint brand graphics that tell the Chapps story and communicate our brand values. The new menu hanging above the counter reflects the modern vintage graphic look and feel of the brand with language that speaks to the quality of our ingredients and long history.
Chapps Burgers Wall Mural
We created five eye-catching posters with bold photography and smile-worthy headlines to help people understand what makes a Chapps burger so special.
Chapps Burgers Poster Art
Packaging is another important way to tell our story in and out of the store environment. We used simple, recycled materials to make bags, boxes, and cups that continued the vintage graphic look and fun, memorable messaging.
The Chapps website gave us the opportunity to give people a big picture overview of everything the brand stands for starting with our history and the belief of the family patriarch that “we can make a better burger.” Mouth-watering photography paired with humorous headlines and copy feels warm and welcoming. Even if you’ve never visited a Chapps in person, you’ll understand how we became a Texas Burger Institution.
Chapps Burgers Website Homepage
WHAT WAS THE MOST CHALLENGING ASPECT OF THE REDESIGN?
Our limited budget was somewhat challenging but we were able to find ways, including more affordable printing techniques and materials, to communicate the brand story in-store and online.
WHAT WAS THE MORE REWARDING ASPECT OF THE REDESIGN?
Seeing the final results of all our work in the first Chapps remodeled store gave us all great satisfaction. And hearing that store sales were up – even better!
Out-of-home board
