Small Marketing Companies Band Together to Award $15,000 Brand and Identity Package
November 30, 2007, Denver , CO - A consortium of local marketing professionals today announced the establishment of Making the Brand™ an annual contest designed to educate the local business
community about the power of effective branding and marketing.
Making the Brand™ is presented by three independent marketing companies, CreativeXchange Marketing, Phases Design Studio, and The Write Stuff. The owners of these firms saw a need in the local
small business community for a stronger awareness of the importance of branding and marketing.
"Small businesses are at a disadvantage when it comes to branding," says Travitt Hamilton, owner of The Write Stuff, a local copywriting firm and one of the Contest Presenters (www.travitthamilton.com). "They
usually don't have much money allocated for it, and many don't even realize they need it. Since traditional marketing firms are often out of their price range, some small businesses try to build
their brand piecemeal whenever they have a little extra money or time, so their 'brand,' ends up being a jumble of collateral. Part of the reason we're running this contest is to level the playing
field so that small businesses understand that there is a way for them to afford the same level of professional branding that larger companies have access to. At the same time, we want to demonstrate
the process of branding to the small business community."
This year's Grand Prize is a brand and identity package worth approximately $15,000, including a comprehensive marketing review and plan; a full graphic design package, including logo, website,
brochure, and stationery; content for the brochure and website, a tagline, and an elevator pitch. Other services, such as project management, printing, product photography, online video, and Search
Engine Optimization are also included. Two runners up will receive a complimentary evaluation of their current brand and marketing collateral, valued at $795.
The contest is open to businesses in the 7-county Denver metro area with up to 100 employees, who have been in business for at least a year. The winning entry will be chosen based on an assessment
of the company's current brand by the Contest Presenters. Complete details and rules will be available at www.denversmakingthebrand.com beginning December 15th, and on January 1, when the contest
officially launches, online nomination/entry forms will be available on the website.
Beth Boen, owner of CreativeXchange Marketing (www.creativexchangemarketing.com), a strategic marketing planner and another of the Contest Presenters, along with Phases Design Studio (www.designfiles.net),
and The Write Stuff, describes the concept. "A great brand can mean the difference between ultimate success and constant struggle for an otherwise strong business. The big guys understand this;
the little guys often don't. And the ones who don't learn it will continue to be the little guys."
According to Kandra Churchwell, owner and Creative Director of Phases Design Studio, the Contest Presenters "want to take one client, a business that's doing OK, that has promise, but hasn't broken
through yet to the level of success that they deserve, and walk them through the process of building a strong brand in a very public way. We want to demonstrate the power of great branding, but
also show the local small business community how the process works-how you build a great brand from scratch."
Three finalists will be announced on February 18, and the winner on February 25.
The winner and their new brand will be presented at a gala press event in June, 2008.
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