News

Biannual Sales Meeting Is Record-Setting Success

True Value Company’s recent Fall Reunion in Chicago’s McCormick Place saw a 5-year high in attendance across the company’s independent store owners, company vendors and corporate support team. The biannual (spring and fall) meeting showcases the company’s product lines and business plans for the upcoming year. In partnership with the True Value marketing team, Solve helped redesign the brand experience for this fall’s meeting to be closely aligned with their recently launched national brand campaign.

“‘Behind Every Project Is A True Value’ is a powerful brand idea,” said True Value VP, Marketing and Chief Customer Officer, Blake Fohl. “More than just a message in our national advertising, we’re driving the idea into the very soul of this organization – our 3,300 independent store owners and their customer service teams.”

Solve touched numerous parts of the experience including crafting an interactive brand building workshop for store owners. In addition, store owners were invited to step into a video booth and share how they live the brand every day. Heartfelt stories of retailers proudly partnering with customers in their communities to enable successful project completion were captured on video and played on screens throughout the show floor.

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Popular Faucet Brand Adds To Agency’s DIY Experience

Solve has been hired for a branding project for Delta Faucet Company, a wholly owned subsidiary of home improvement and building products leader, Masco Corporation. America’s faucet innovation leader, Delta offers an extensive line of residential (kitchen and bath) and commercial products.

The Delta experience will add to Solve’s growing expertise in the DIY category. The agency was awarded the True Value Hardware account after a competitive pitch in February 2013. That brand’s “Behind Every Project Is A True Value” campaign continues to build momentum in the marketplace with growth in brand awareness, retailer engagement and sales.

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RPA Veteran To Relocate From Los Angeles To Minneapolis

Shawn Hansen has joined Solve as Account Director on the agency’s Bentley Motors account. Solve was recently appointed Bentley’s AOR across its America’s region (including North, Central and South America).

Hansen comes to Solve from RPA in Santa Monica, California, where he spent 13 years in escalating management roles on the agency’s Honda and Acura accounts. At RPA, Hansen was involved with several high-profile campaigns and architected communication strategies for a number of product launches, including Honda’s initial foray into a truck platform and Acura’s entry into the SUV market. “Shawn’s auto pedigree is formidable. His experience across brand, dealer and product launch initiatives makes Shawn a perfect leader for the Bentley business,” says John Colasanti, Solve CEO. Bentley is shoring up its brand in the Americas prior to a planned SUV introduction in 2016.

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Agency To Help Luxury Car Maker Drive Sales In Americas

Solve has been hired by Bentley Motors as agency of record across the company’s Americas region (including North, Central and South America).

Since its start in 1919, Bentley has set the standard for automotive craftsmanship and performance. The company, headquartered in Crewe, England, has Americas operations in Herndon, Virginia. Bentley has been owned by Volkswagen AG since 1998.

Bentley is looking to build on its success in the Americas, the company’s largest sales region, by infusing fresh energy into its branding program. The company is planning to launch an SUV model in 2016. “The Solve team understands the premium automotive category and the distinct position Bentley occupies in that space,” says Christophe Georges, Bentley President and COO. “They know how to deliver at global, national and local levels, as well as how to inspire and support a dealer organization,” Georges added.

Solve won the account in a competition among five agencies. “Bentley is a legendary brand with a wonderfully ambitious spirit,” says John Colasanti, Solve CEO. The founders of the two-year-old agency worked closely with Porsche launching the company’s Cayenne SUV. Their additional automotive experience includes Subaru, Chrysler and Harley-Davidson.

Solve partnered with Akquracy, a Minneapolis-based CRM company, during the review and the two firms will work together developing Bentley communications strategy and implementation moving forward.

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Roman Paluta has joined Solve as Director of Business Development. Paluta brings a wealth of experience, having worked at agencies including Leo Burnett/Chicago, Carmichael Lynch/Minneapolis and recently Bailey Lauerman/Omaha, where he was President of the 2013 Ad Age “Small Agency Of The Year” National Award winner.

Hiring Paluta is a significant move for the fast rising, two-year old Solve. “With a solid talent and business foundation in place, now’s the time to proactively architect our growth,” said John Colasanti, Solve CEO. Colasanti and his three partners worked with Paluta for over ten years at Carmichael Lynch. During their time together, the agency added high-profile clients including Porsche, IKEA, Harrah’s Entertainment, AG Edwards and Subaru. “Roman’s proven ability to understand client needs makes him an exceptional matchmaker. He’ll help us identify more marketers who value the results that come from the straightforward, client-centered way we work,” Colasanti added.

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