Detroit Institution Taps Agency To Further Its Brand

Solve’s been hired by one of Detroit’s most beloved bars, The Mercury, to celebrate its reputation and grow its following.

John Colasanti, Solve CEO and native Detroiter, was introduced to The Mercury by a friend while attending the North American Auto Show earlier this year on behalf of client Bentley Motors. The Mercury, established in the 1930’s and nestled in the heart of Detroit’s Corktown Historic District, is among a growing number of businesses fueling the city’s resurgence. Colasanti was impressed by the bar’s unique character and rich history, and he and owner Dave Steinke agreed a partnership was in order. Solve will work across a range of branding platforms including social media, events and promotion.

“Detroit has an amazing spirit, fueled by invention and resiliency,” says Colasanti. Recently, a range of high-profile crafted brands, including Shinola, Two James Spirits and the Detroit Bicycle Company have launched in Detroit. “The Mercury epitomizes the city’s pride and energy, and truly represents the brand Detroit,” Colasanti added.

Solve’s first assignment was to help promote The Mercury’s Tiger Opening Day festivities, headlined by a “Kegs and Eggs” breakfast that celebrated the launch of Arbor Brewing Company’s Strawberry Blonde. Solve tapped into passion of The Mercury’s loyal fanbase and developed openingdayexcuses.tumblr.com, encouraging Detroiters to find creative excuses for missing work in order to partake in the day’s events. Content was actively distributed and shared through The Mercury’s social media sites.

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A team from Solve was recently in Oxnard, California capturing content for another collaboration with Optum Pro Cycling. The project will extend the team’s “Human-Powered Health” campaign into the 2014 UCI racing season. “Most pro cycling teams are known by the collection of sponsor logos on their uniforms. With ‘Human-Powered Health,’ Team Optum is standing for something bigger. They’re championing an active lifestyle and that’s allowing them to reach out to a broader fan base,” said Eric Sorensen, Solve Creative Director. The work will launch in May at the Tour Of California and include video content, a TV spot and an Instagram-fed fan engagement site, humanpoweredhealth.com.

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Successful “Become Yourself” Campaign Represents First Effie In Agency’s Short History

Fast-rising Solve adds yet another first to its young but impressive resume. Last week, Effie Worldwide bestowed the honor of a 2014 Effie Award to Solve for its “Become Yourself” campaign for client Medifast. Recognizing work that ran during 2013, the award notification states an Effie celebrates “the most effective marketing efforts of last year, incorporating an insightful communications strategy, outstanding creative, and the market results to prove it worked.”

“We broke the Medifast campaign in January 2013, just over a year after opening our doors and at a time we had only nine employees. If Solve isn’t the youngest and smallest agency to ever win an Effie, we’re certainly close,” said CEO John Colasanti. “This serves as further proof that the team at Solve is a potent delta force that does the work of an army.”

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Solve client Organic Valley was one of 2,600 exhibitors at the 34th annual Natural Products Expo West 2014, the world’s largest natural, organic and healthy products event last week. More than 67,000 attendees, a record-breaking number, visited the Anaheim Convention Center in California March 7 through 9 to attend meetings, see presentations and experience product samples. The record level of exhibitors and attendees is testament to the continued vigorous growth in the natural, organic and healthy living category poised to grow to $226 billion by 2018, an annual growth rate of 8.6%. Solve joined the marketing team from client Organic Valley, a longtime exhibitor at Expo, to help work the booth.

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Solve recently attended client True Value’s spring 2014 retailer meeting at the Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta, GA. The event built upon the momentum established at last fall’s Reunion, which unveiled a new look for the bi-annual gathering that was developed by Solve. In addition to showcasing upcoming product lines and unveiling business plans, the convention allowed the over 3,330 retailers to meet and directly interact with three new executives recently added to the co-op’s leadership team. Abhinav Shukla, chief operating officer, Tim Mills, senior vice president of growth, and Ken Goodgame, chief merchandising officer. These individuals join a management team alongside Blake Fohl, chief customer officer, and John Hartmann, CEO, who will work together to lead True Value into the future.

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Pokes Fun At Absurd Application Process Of Other Agencies

Solve is using a unique approach to promote its summer internship and evaluate applicants. As reported earlier this week in industry trade publications, the agency posted over-sized, handwritten letters at key, on-campus locations at targeted universities across the country to announce its program. Inspired by one of the agency’s founding principles of genuine human connection, the program runs counter to what agency internships have embraced in recent years. Valuing substance over silliness, Solve refuses to ask candidates to condense resumes into 140 characters, present themselves via fake campaign or funny videos, or answer irrelevant nonsensical questions. Rather, Solve is simply asking for a resume and cover letter…to be sent (via mail) to the agency.

“Regardless of constantly evolving platforms and technology, brand communication has always been about genuine connections,” says Ryan Murray, Solve Account Director and intern program leader. “This fundamental truth inspired our approach…we want to reach out to potential applicants in a personal, straightforward way and ask them to respond in kind, so we can actually get to know them,” Murray adds.

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Orbea Partners With World’s Only All-Diabetes Pro Cycling Team

Solve debuts an integrated campaign this week for high-end racing bike brand Orbea. Appearing in ROAD Magazine and other cycling enthusiast magazines, the campaign is Orbea’s largest-ever U.S. effort. The elite brand is positioned in the new work as a rider’s edge. To provocatively make the point, the Solve campaign partners with Team Novo Nordisk, the world’s only all-diabetes pro cycling team. One headline reads “Who needs a faster bike? A rider with diabetes? Or the opponent who underestimates him?”

“The Solve team immersed themselves in our brand. This emotionally powerful campaign, centered on a partnership with Team Novo Nordisk, provides substance to the edge our high-performance bikes enable,” said Tony Karklins, Orbea’s Global Director of Road Bikes. Print, digital, social content and race events work together under the #OrbeaOvercome banner to foster a community of cyclists dedicated to overcoming personal challenges.

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