Don't Worry. Be Happy.

This ad series appeared as the back panel of a four-page printed ROP insert following three very promotional pages and, much like the tasty White Russian, it was quite the palette cleanser. Customers got the joke and we quickly found that what worked in print translated perfectly to digital media.

Happy to report that sales of Effen Vodka doubled forecast and that ad was the first in a 12-month series of equally simple, yet effective ads. As is almost always the case, less was more.

 Why have a coordinated effort to help grow the game of hockey? In the most simple terms, it helps business. More players = more sales. While 100% true, there is a second and even more important reason.  It is the right thing to do.  

The Everywhere campaign appeared in print, digital, social, and in-store.

Total Hockey rewarded its customer base with millions in rewards. The program kept 100,000 broken graphite sticks out of landfills. The program helped USA Hockey grow youth hockey participation by 50,000 players. True reasons to #LoveYourGame.

It is a rare opportunity to help reinvent a brand with a 150-year history. Marshall Field’s was well respected, but the changing face of retail meant engaging an entire new audience without alienating those who had been with the brand for years. Our strategy was to make the flagship State Street store 

a destination of store within store concepts from around the globe. 

Iconic visuals created by legendary fashion photographer Victor Skrebneski and events like the Vertical Fashion Show dominated priceless international media coverage. Customers voted with their hearts and their wallets.

Positive year-over-year sales increases and significant increases in guest traffic proved that even the best can be improved. 

Measure to Master. That tagline was developed to help convey Rapsodo’s primary purpose for being. By measuring ball flight, we help baseball players and golfers achieve their full potential providing the real-time measurements of their practice sessions so they can learn and improve. While an apt definition of what the company does, it lacked emotional resonance. What do the best athletes in their sport want? They want to show their Dominance. Their Dedication. Their Greatness. They want to be the best.

For them, second place is the first place looser

The program rolled out in key publications like Baseball America and Golf Digest as well as a multitude of digital media placements. The campaign helped achieve 100% penetration in the key market:

Major League Baseball.

The company started in golf and then created a dominant position in Diamond Sports. The itch to get back on the course was a scratch too hard to pass up. The Rapsodo Mobile Launch Monitor was born. 

Customers could harness the power of their smart phone in concert with state of the art radar to create an affordable alternative to the overpriced options in the market. At $499 with a data set and accuracy level on par with competitive devices priced at $16,000, the MLM quickly became the go-to device for professionals, serious players, and weekend warriors. 

By combining a digital and traditional media strategy, B2B and B2C outreach efforts and partnerships with key leaders in the golf industry, the MLM’s launch angle was like that of a crisp wedge. Pointed to the sky with lots of room for growth.

$3.5 MM in sales during initial holiday sales period. Highlighted as Best Personal launch Monitor by My Golf Spy. Key retail tech item at 

Golf Galaxy, PGA Tour Super Store and Amazon. 

When a global sports technology company wants to tell its story to recruit future team members, it makes sense to lean on its strengths. For Rapsodo, the answer was in how our devices capture the data we collect - via best in class camera technology. 

What does a camera do? It Looks at what is visible through its lens. By looking at our current team members, we created a series of stories that appealed to future employees. Baseball and softball players, golfer, sports enthusiasts, AI engineers, or social media specialists could all see themselves as part of 

Team Rapsodo. 

What Winning Looks Like has helped position Rapsodo as a best in class employer in Singapore, Turkey ,and the United States.

Soar with your strengths. Time to fill open positions 

decreased by 35% post-campaign.

 We built the website to a $45 million business. While pleased, we knew we could do better. Site analytics pointed to opportunities to transform the customer experience. From there, we created the five point plan to reinvent.

New creative POV 

Improved Video Integration

Improved Search Banners

Email Synergy with Home Page

Dynamic, Programmatic Social Posts 

In concert with the technological and system improvements, we developed a new creative POV to capture the essence of the game. Photos were taken at full-speed creating a frozen-in-time moment with no motion blur or loss of subject. Shot with typical strobes and a Cannon 5D Mark 2 camera for efficiency and cost control. Art and science blended seamlessly. 

Results? +12% Traffic. +11% Sessions. +3% pages per session.

Sick. Filthy. (Thats hockey speak for awesome.) 

Like it or not, we live in an always-on world that requires a constant generation of content to stay relevant and connected to customer groups.  While some content can be spontaneously generated in response to a trending topic or the latest viral video gaining steam, to really be spontaneous, you need to be planned.  

Sounds like an oxymoron, but it is the reality of doing more with less in the resource constrained environments of today. By combining product launch information with relevant hockey and social calendar events, we created a roadmap to plan our every move. It kept us on track and created a roadmap for everyone connected to follow.

#The5Ps 

Work can be hard. Work can be frustrating. Work can be challenging when the setbacks mount on a new effort. I like to move forward with a smile.

Sure beats the opposite. Lots of ways to attract bees, but I prefer honey.

#EnjoyTheRide