Bridgestone Golf

Sacrificing media for a better messenger.

DISCIPLINES

CATEGORIES

Challenge

Bridgestone Golf is a distant number three in golf ball sales. Titleist and Callaway outspend Bridgestone by a factor of 10. Their logos are plastered all over the best tournaments and players. But, millions of golf ball tests consistently reveal that Bridgestone makes the better ball.

Challenger Brand Solution

Symbols of Re‑Evaluation

The messenger matters, and, unfortunately, Bridgestone Golf is not a great messenger. Tiger Woods, on the other hand, is. At this time, Tiger was fighting the good fight to play better. No one knew if he would ever win again, but for many people, it didn’t seem to matter. It was making him more relatable and appealing, because he was fighting the same fight they were: to play better golf. Tiger had always been an innovator and equipment junkie, so when one of the elements of his game that he was changing was his golf ball, it created a win-win for him and for Bridgestone. Ads, emails and social posts feature Tiger Woods, other pros and everyday golfers demonstrating in fun, humorous ways the better results they can get when they play the best ball for their game. Media was laser-focused with digital videos, banners, social posts and email blasts.

Insight

This is probably not news to anyone, but golf is not an easy game. However, what if it were? Most golfers don’t give the ball they play much credit for how well, or how poorly, they play. Bridgestone’s golf ball fitting tests can find the perfect match, tailored to each individual’s needs and concerns. For most golfers it’s the difference between being on the fairway versus in the rough, in the hole or on the fringe. So, bottom line is, if you want to play better golf, you need to play a better ball.

Making Golf Lessons Fun

Bridgestone Golf has a number of pro’s that they endorse in addition to Tiger Woods; Lexie Thompson, Brent Schnecker, Bryson DeChambeau, Matt Kuchar, Fred Couples. They all have unique strengths on the course and unique personalities off the course. We approached tip videos with those things in mind, so the viewer not only learned a great tip, but got a sense for who these players really are. Win Win.

Reliable Performance

Over the course of the season, over 1 billion impressions surrounded golfers with a single message — if you want to play better golf, you need to play a better ball, a Bridgestone ball.

Results

GKV’s first with Bridgestone Golf, was a record year. Year two saw double-digit increases in sales for all the balls featured in the advertising, including a sell-out of a limited-edition Tiger Woods ball.

Calvary Hospice

Driving direct inquires through digital marketing.

DISCIPLINES

CATEGORIES

Challenge

Challenger Brand Solution

Emotional Connection

Results

The campaign successfully delivered nearly 82,000 visitors to the landing page, with continuous optimizations driving steady traffic growth. Ultimately, the initiative generated over 5,500 inquiries (phone calls and web form submissions), fueling future patient acquisition efforts.

Clover Health

Medicare Advantage
Digital Marketing

DISCIPLINES

CATEGORIES

Challenge

Clover Health is one of the fastest growing Medicare Advantage plans in the country. After multiple years of executing successful “offline” acquisition marketing programs with GKV, the client expanded its relationship with the agency, giving us responsibility for improving the performance of all of its digital marketing programs.

Challenger Brand Solution

Symbols of Reevaluation

GKV created an integrated campaign  around a single, provocative theme: “Dare To Compare.” This challenge projected the self-confidence that Clover has about its Medicare plans. It also provided a reminder for prospects that it’s smart to review their Medicare coverage each year.

Tactics / Solution

GKV developed a comprehensive digital marketing strategy tailored to the needs of two key target audiences: 1) Medicare eligibles and 2) their adult children and other caregivers who are often important influencers of their loved ones’ Medicare decisions. For each audience, we created multiple creative executions and ran them across multiple digital platforms. This allowed us to make small initial bets on creative to assess their in-market performance so we could make quick adjustments as needed.We used awareness/consideration tactics to keep Clover top-of-mind and drive web traffic, which we used to populate a pool of prospects for retargeting. We also used separate conversion tactics to drive leads. As the campaign progressed, we optimized to the best-performing creative executions and media tactics within each platform. This led to a steady increase in conversions over time, even as impressions leveled out.

Results

The campaign was incredibly successful, delivering over 46,000 online conversions. The campaign served 93.7 million digital impressions and had 1.4 million landing page views. In addition, the campaign drove a 72% increase in new website users year over year, as compared to the previous AEP.

Additionally, this expanded relationship allowed GKV to create a more cohesive campaign across all advertising channels, and it gave us a better understanding of the online journey by which Clover prospects become Clover members.

Constellation Texas

Selling electricity plans one funny animal at a time.

DISCIPLINES

CATEGORIES

Challenge

Challenger Brand Solution

Symbols of Re-evaluation

GKV cut through the clutter in a big way by creating bold, humorous videos that featured highly engaging found video footage of animals doing funny, goofy, memorable things. We used the animals’ antics to grab attention and to signify the shock, frustration, disappointment, and other emotions customers feel when dealing with many electricity providers.

The videos created symbols of re-evaluation for homeowners, causing them to re-evaluate how poorly they were being treated by their electricity providers and how much they were being overcharged. We also featured the funny animal stars of the videos in social posts, banners, billboards, and direct mail.

Results

The campaign got noticed and connected with both Rate Hoppers and Never Switchers, entertaining them and enticing them to switch to Constellation.

• The campaign delivered 69 million impressions.
• The campaign drove 531 website sessions with plan switchers.
• Lead volume grew 12.6% year over year, and it increased 25.3% compared to the prior period.

Elderplan: AEP

A local plan in the big city.

DISCIPLINES

CATEGORIES

Challenge

Elderplan, a member of MJHS Health System, is a small, not-for-profit health plan that provides a variety of coverage for Medicare and/or Medicaid beneficiaries living in New York City. Strong national brands have dominated the market and continue to grow. Elderplan was losing market share.

Challenger Brand Solution

Symbols of Re‑Evaluation

An ad spend like the behemoth national plans that also operate in New York was not an option. Nor was creating me-too advertising that would become just more noise. There was a real opportunity to make an emotional case for why Elderplan was a better choice for the diverse population of New York City. Being a smaller, local plan does have its advantages … like customer service provided by local people. And sharing the same values and beliefs as the community as well as having the knowledge of and a history with local markets that the national players could never have.

Storytelling

GKV took Elderplan hyperlocal, relying on their long history and connection to the different boroughs, their understanding of the culture and values of each one, and a strong community outreach program to create meaningful connections with people in the neighborhoods.

Tactics

This proud, authentic and locally based campaign was executed in multiple advertising mediums including TV, OOH, print, digital and direct mail. The advertisements were customized by borough and also included Spanish customizations.

Results

The campaign provided Elderplan with a brand refresh. Market share grew in one of the most competitive areas in the country. Community outreach teams noted advertising was seen by prospects and helped increase traffic to locations. The TV spots were produced in a manner that allowed them to be used year-round.

GoNetspeed

Growing fiber share one neighborhood at a time

DISCIPLINES

CATEGORIES

Challenge

Challenger Brand Solution

Symbols of Re-evaluation

Proprietary market research confirmed that residential internet needs are evolving rapidly, perhaps even faster than anticipated. It was already clear that more people working from home more often had resulted in a growing number of connected devices at use simultaneously. Combined with an increased use of streaming services and more robust online gaming, the demand for faster and more reliable internet continues to rise. Many households still experience traditional cable internet that is often slow, unreliable, and many would say overpriced, prompting nearly 60% of cable users to express a willingness to switch providers.

Our research identified three distinct consumer segments for GoNetspeed to prioritize:

• Speed Demons: They gravitate to the fastest speeds to operate the advanced technology and devices at home for their family.

• Cable Captives: They have been thinking about cutting the cord and switching to fiber. They have heard of fiber, but don’t know the specific benefits and think it’s probably expensive. They subscribe to multiple streaming services and recognize they are paying too much for their cable and internet. They want to switch but just have not acted on it.

• Service Prioritizers: They value customer service and a company that is always available. They’re focused on a hassle-free experience, so they focus on their work or play. All elements, from installation to problem-solving, from a user-friendly website to an app where they can pay their bill, contribute to meet their expectation of the value proposition.

GoNetspeed’s best opportunity to grow market share was the trifecta of converting cable customers, educating them on the advantages of fiber internet, and delivering a superior customer experience. To support this, GKV crafted a unique, compelling creative campaign tailored to each consumer segment.

More Able Than Cable. GoNetspeed is better than the cable you currently have, with advanced fiber optic technology, friendly service, and a team of local, knowledgeable professionals.Go Fast Faster. Educate consumers on the advantages of GoNetspeed fiber internet: Cost: Fiber is less expensive; Speed: Fiber is faster; Reliability: Fiber is significantly more reliable; Bandwidth: Fiber delivers higher bandwidth; Security: Fiber is safer and more secure .Your Fast Friends. GoNetspeed is committed to delivering a superior customer experience. We work harder for you.

The campaigns were then strategically geotargeted and messages were deployed in GoNetspeed markets based on the market composition — whether the market featured only cable providers, both cable and fiber, or was a new versus established territory. Essentially, managing the primary message delivered to each neighborhood within each market, depending on their current access options.

Results

The strategy and campaign had an immediate impact on key KPIs and set the standard for GoNetspeed’s acquisition marketing. Highlights included:

• Double digital increase in lead generation in markets where cable is primary competitor
• Increase in the conversion ratio from leads
• Increase of installs to home of + 8%

Let’s create growth for you. Contact us today.

David.Blum@GKV.com
410.234.2457

GoVAX

GoVAX, Maryland! Let’s end COVID.

DISCIPLINES

CATEGORIES

Challenge

Challenger Brand Solution

Symbols of Re-evaluation

GoVAX Maryland!

Hard-to-Reach Audiences

This campaign produced almost $3 million or 30% more in free added-value media placements and production services.

1200+ Campaign Assets

Over the course of this partnership with the Maryland Department of Health, GKV created close to 1,200 ads and creative assets, including:

• 158 TV ads
• 98 radio ads
• 90 out-of-home ads
• 769 digital and social ads
• 72 brochures and flyers
• Comprehensive website (updated daily) with multiple campaign landing pages;

Results

• Using the materials listed above, MDH served 1.5 billion impressions across both traditional and digital mediums. These efforts contributed to more than 11 million sessions to the covidlink website.
• Maryland’s vaccination rate far exceeded the national average in every age and demographic category, with 91.9% of eligible Marylanders getting vaccinated, the sixth most vaccinated state in the country.
• MDH was contacted by the National Governors Association and asked to present the GoVAX campaign to its membership, stating it was “one of the most effective campaigns in the country.”
• MDH and the Governor’s Office were contacted by the State of Delaware requesting to use the GoVAX “Real Kids” campaign to help motivate parents to vaccinate their children.
• 16% more parents vaccinated their children in Maryland (62%) than the national average (46%), according to the Kaiser Family Foundation.

• Focus groups and survey participants consistently ranked the Maryland Department of Health, which disseminated information through the GoVAX campaign, as one of their most trusted sources of information, after their own physicians and family friends and relatives
• Nearly 75% of Maryland residents surveyed reported being aware of the GoVAX campaign within the first year of the initiative.

• Participants in focus groups conducted by GKV reported receiving COVID-related news from three primary sources — Maryland Governor Larry Hogan, the covidLINK website, and GoVAX television commercials.

Hills Bros.® Cappuccino

How to partner with influencers to effectively launch a new product and stand out from the holiday crowd on social media.

DISCIPLINES

CATEGORIES

Challenge

The holidays are one of the most competitive times of the year on social media. So how do you break through the holiday clutter when you are a challenger brand? There is strength in numbers, and utilizing influencer partnerships can expand your brand, increase awareness, drive trial of the new flavors and even reach new consumers/fans.

Challenger Brand Solution

Symbols of Re‑Evaluation

In order to raise awareness of the new limited-edition holiday flavors, GKV leveraged influencers to create new content, gain new fans, help drive users to enter a giveaway, and increase awareness and trial of said new flavors. Paid support helped us to increase awareness and drive additional entries.As part of the influencer partnerships, the brand also conducted a promotional giveaway on the Hills Bros.® Cappuccino social media channels. We capitalized on the holidays and winter theme with #MostFlavorfulTimeOfYear. The promotion ran for 3 weeks on the Woobox platform and 10 winners were randomly selected to win prize packs (limited-edition 3-pack and branded mug).

Tactics

Influencers introduced their fans to Hills Bros.® Cappuccino by announcing the partnership and the new limited-edition 3-pack, providing in-store and online places to buy product, and giving fans a chance to enter the giveaway.

We aligned with the 5 key markets in order to create a custom influencer program that was authentic and real to the Hills Bros.® Cappuccino brand. The influencer program was made up of 6 influencers, a mix of nano and micro-influencers. In total, the following content was posted:

• • 12 in-feed Instagram posts
  • 13 Instagram stories
  • 2 original recipes with 2 long-form blog posts

Our influencers went above and beyond, posting 6 additional (free) Instagram stories and #1 product feature in a “photo guide” Instagram post.

From the 11/2/2020 start date through the end of the year, 35 influencers reached out to Hills Bros.® Cappuccino on Instagram, inquiring about partnership opportunities. A few of these influencers have since created content using the brand’s product, which we have been able to utilize as user-generated content (UGC) on owned social media channels.

Results

• Our Woobox giveaway landing page received 112,196 views and 42,967 entries.
• Compared to the 2019 holiday promotion, we increased our entries by 1,066%.
• 20,639 emails were collected for CRM and lookalike audience on Facebook.
• Our promotional post on Facebook reached 228,000 people and had over 740 engagements, while on Instagram it reached 275 people and had 50 engagements.
• We increased our fans on Facebook and Instagram by 30% compared to the previous period.
• Total average engagement on our influencers’ posts was 25%, while the industry average is 1.22% to 3.57%.

GKV has been named by DesignRush as one of the top Social Media Marketing Agencies.

Independence Air

Launching a new brand in the world’s toughest category
when people had no reason to believe in a new airline.

DISCIPLINES

CATEGORIES

Challenge

When United Express, a regional airline operating out of Washington Dulles International Airport, decided to end their relationship with United and become an independent, low-fare carrier, GKV was retained to launch the new brand.

This environment, particularly in the Washington, D.C. area, was no place to start a new airline. With higher fares, more delayed flights, more lost luggage, and less customer service, consumer confidence and brand loyalty within the airline industry were at an all-time low. People had no reason to believe in a new airline.

Challenger Brand Solution

Brand Inside

The positioning we created for the new airline was to be the “unairline-like airline.” The brand promise was to “Challenge the status quo to make travel faster, easier and more interesting.” We named the airline “Independence Air” and developed all of the brand components, including the logo, the external marketing, the graphic treatment on the plane’s exterior, and even the seat colors.

That was the easy part of the branding. The biggest challenge was to engage, energize and mobilize the employees. According to Gallup, an airline’s customer service impacts brand loyalty four times more than its advertising.To create and instill an internal brand culture at Independence Air, we developed and managed a Brand Inside proprietary process to engage employees to understand and live the brand every day. Through intense training and the development of a truly branded workplace environment, Independence Air employees were soon delivering a positive, energetic, on-brand experience unlike anything else in the industry.

Results

Within one year of its launch, Independence Air was named the Number One Airline for Customer Service by Market Metrix, a recognized independent research firm, as well as Travel and Leisure magazine. Independence Air even beat service powerhouses Southwest and JetBlue.

L3 Media

In the changing world of A&D marketing,
be agile or be left behind.

DISCIPLINES

CATEGORIES

Challenge

Under new leadership, L3 Technologies’ goal was to expand their marketing efforts beyond the traditional Aerospace & Defense industry tactics to better engage with customers and suppliers directly and daily, rather than solely relying on trade shows and print publication advertising.

Challenger Brand Solution

Sacrifice

Once upon a time in the last century, most Aerospace and Defense companies had a proven formula for marketing: choose the right publications, negotiate costs for a year-long presence, and create the advertising plan.But as the digital revolution made its way to traditional A&D vertical publications, L3 Technologies (L3) had to make a change from a print-only focus to include digital advertising. Within 3 years, GKV transitioned L3’s corporate media mix from 93% print in 2016 to nearly 85% digital by Q1 of 2019. Yet, there was one significant barrier to this change: the perception that senior A&D executives and military leadership, L3’s key audience for corporate messaging, would not see digital advertising since the leadership team generally worked in secure facilities where digital devices were restricted and adblocking was commonplace.

Overcoming perceived barriers

In late 2016, L3 allowed for a test to determine how to best adapt to the changing advertising landscape. GKV utilized a mix of e-newsletters — the primary means by which senior military leadership and A&D executives accessed A&D news — along with a digital display campaign using several prominent media A&D properties. Key performance indicators (KPIs) were established to assess the campaign as follows:

• 0.05% – 0.08%: standard benchmark performance
• 0.20% – 0.35%: A&D industry average, based on performance data provided by A&D media companies
• 0.35%+: above the A&D benchmark range

The initial test was successful and it became clear to GKV and L3 that key audiences accessed information when offsite, either prior to or after normal work hours. Now that this perceived barrier was no longer a factor, the shift to digital media accelerated.

Focusing digital media investment around L3-attended A&D trade shows

Like many vertical industries, trade shows played an important role for networking and sales. In 2017, with nearly 28% of the budget allocated toward digital advertising, GKV implemented a “mini-campaign” approach to maximize the impact of digital advertising during AUSA Winter Symposium, Sea-Air-Space, SOFEX, the Paris Air Show and AUSA.

These 5-week digital campaigns (2 weeks prior, at show, 2 weeks post) utilized premium ad units and placements on sites such as Defense One and Defense News. As a result, L3 experienced more engagement than in previous years, demonstrating again how digital advertising could be used to build brand awareness.

Creating sponsorships to redefine the L3 brand

To help differentiate L3 positioning and distinguish it as a technology company within the A&D space rather than just a defense contractor, GKV worked with two media properties to create custom sponsorship programs which garnered industry attention:

• The Defense News Minute: 5-second video at the beginning of daily updates with the L3 logo throughout the broadcast housed on DefenseNews.com
• Defense and Aerospace Podcast and Transcript Sponsor: 5-second introductory mention by host and industry veteran Vago Muradian with L3’s logo on the podcast transcripts

Both sponsorships helped further elevate L3 as a leading company within the A&D industry.

Results

By the end of 2018, L3’s digital campaign achieved the following, reflecting L3’s core tenets of agility, cost-effectiveness, and proven results:

• Ability to change out creative quickly, responding to current needs of the business
• With 31% of the 2018 budget, digital generated nearly as many impressions as print, at 46% less cost
• Generated an average 0.36% CTR for L3’s digital advertising, exceeding the A&D benchmark range

L3 Social Media

GKV established and implemented
a social media strategy for L3 that
grew their community by 50K and
increased engagement by 96%
in the course of one year.

DISCIPLINES

CATEGORIES

Challenge

Under new leadership, L3 Technologies’ goal was to expand their marketing efforts beyond the traditional Aerospace & Defense industry tactics to better engage with customers and suppliers directly and daily, rather than solely relying on tradeshows and print publication advertising.

Challenger Brand Solution

Symbols of Re‑Evaluation

After completing a deep-dive audit and discovery process, GKV developed a ground-up social media strategy and delivery plan for L3. To execute the plan, we designed and managed a robust content calendar with content and targeting to reach and engage a vast audience including customers, suppliers, internal employees and prospects. Content ranged from event messaging, HR recruitment and timely opportunistic posts to innovative new product showcases and thought leadership. Additionally, GKV handled community management which required real-time monitorization of all activity and timely response to comments and questions. We monitored performance daily and provided detailed reporting which included recommendations for optimizations for testing and performance.

Insight

With consistent posting schedules and cohesive designs, we learned what channels, content and post timing performed the best. We used this information for our benchmarks and then tested against those benchmarks.

Results

In just one year, GKV amplified L3 Technologies’ social presence on both Facebook and LinkedIn, with a combined community increase of 54,536 followers and an engagement increase of 96.5%.

Check out our blog article here with tips for high-impact social content, channel strategy & optimization and how to respond to social post comments.

2017 vs. 2018 Facebook

• Facebook impressions increased by 230.1%

• Facebook engagement increased by 96.49%

• Facebook followers increased 29.89%

2017 vs. 2018 LinkedIn

• LinkedIn impressions increased by 90.9%
• LinkedIn followers increased 132.57%

Maryland Lottery:
OLD BAY Bucks

An appetizing scratch-off campaign that’s fun,
magical and just a little bit spicy.

DISCIPLINES

CATEGORIES

Challenge

Two things Marylanders love: playing the Maryland Lottery and putting OLD BAY® on just about everything. So when the Maryland Lottery asked GKV to create an integrated campaign for OLD BAY Bucks scented scratch-offs, it was a match made in heaven. Elements included TV, radio, point of sale, out of home, digital and social media.

Challenger Brand Solution

Symbols of Re‑Evaluation

A scratch-off that smells like OLD BAY®? That sounds like a fantasy. And that’s exactly what GKV did. The launch of the OLD BAY Bucks Scratch-Off was timed to coincide with the sales seasonality of OLD BAY to provide the Maryland Lottery with the maximum selling period. The ticket was launched just before the 4th of July weekend, and the Lottery events team optimized the use of OLD BAY during its busy summer event schedule.

At Launch

The Maryland Lottery used the opportunity of a live televised drawing to showcase the game, complete with a sandy beach setting around a popular Downtown Baltimore waterfront hotspot, OLD BAY, and Maryland Lottery mascots and t-shirt/product giveaways. The Lottery created a wide range of marketing materials to highlight the fun and, in some ways, quirkiness of a seafood-based seasoning product featured on a scratch-off game.

Results

Over 28 million media impressions
‍
Over 7,000 social media comments and shares

OLD BAY Bucks outperformed every $2 game in FY19, making it the best-selling and most popular $2 ticket in FY19
‍
Among the highest advertising recall of any Maryland Lottery television commercials tested (76%)

High reported ad recall six months after the campaign stopped airing (44%)

High purchase intent (81%) among scratch-off players

The campaign in a crabshell.

Take one deliciously fun scratch-off game that smells like OLD BAY®. Add three hunky mermen, a floating clamshell throne and one daydreaming employee and what do you get? A record-setting, integrated campaign that smells great and performs even better.

OLD BAY® and associated marks and logos are trademarks of the McCormick & Company, Incorporated, licensed to the Maryland Lottery and Gaming Control Agency.

McCormick

A non-recipe recipe for success.

DISCIPLINES

CATEGORIES

Challenge

McCormick has become all things flavor. They have expanded from their original red cap line of spices via line extensions like Grill Mates and acquisitions like Lawry’s, Frank’s RedHot, French’s, Thai Kitchen and Simply Asia, and more. For generations, McCormick has relied on recipes to create demand for their flavor products. Just as what and how people cook has evolved, where they seek recipes has evolved too, from recipe books to social media. Millennials and millennial-minded consumers don’t want rigid recipes, they want to be inspired to experiment with flavor. They want relatable brands with a sense of humor, engaged in popular culture. And they prefer Instagram and Pinterest to Facebook. It’s the non-recipe recipe for success.

Challenger Brand Solution

Emotional Connection

Cooking and eating are inherently social, rich with opportunities to build an emotional connection between McCormick’s portfolio of brands and consumers. We focused on four key aspects to our social approach.

Act like a person, not a product.

When it comes to social, people are attracted to brands that act, talk and look like they and their friends do. So, to attract our target audience, we acted like our target audience.

Use rich, relevant content.

The greatest engagement comes from rich, relevant content that fans can participate in and share.

Content is king, but context is queen.

Content is king and context is queen, but to put a finer point on it, video content is king and storytelling is queen. Storytelling is important because that is where the emotional connection between consumers and the brand happens.

Have a balanced approach.

No one wants to sit next to someone at a dinner party where that person only talks about themselves…we want to talk about ourselves too. Therefore, a brand needs to reciprocate and ask questions, interact, share valuable info and reward fans so it’s not just a one-sided selling message.

Results

Engaged over 2.6 million people.
Generated over 1 billion impressions!

Miller Value Partners

: We gave a 30 year old brand newfound independence.

DISCIPLINES

CATEGORIES

Challenge

An icon was separating from a premium brand and needed to establish a distinctive visual presence.

Challenger Brand Solution

Emotional Connection

Bill Miller was known worldwide for his authentic and contrarian style of value investing. Despite his high personal brand equity, the world associated him with Legg Mason. Through the multi-year separation from Legg, Bill’s Firm needed to clearly communicate to their investors, to their prospects, and to their peers that they were independent – not only in ownership, but also in their ability to provide access to their unique investment approach.

Two-step Evolution

GKV was approached by Miller’s marketing director in 2014 to expand the Firm’s brand visual identity and design/develop a website to establish an online platform for the Miller team to communicate directly to its investors for the first time.In 2017, after 30 years of operating under the Legg Mason flag, Bill Miller stepped out to establish his own, independent firm. It was time for GKV’s creative and brand competence to shine. We created a new logo that was as iconic as the Firm’s founder to stand out in the competitive asset management space.  GKV also evolved the website, created new marketing collateral, and expanded the brand visuals to support investor communications.

Results

During the 7 years we’ve worked with Miller Value Partners, there has been a substantial increase in website traffic and in e-newsletter registrations, both of which supported stronger investor relationships and longer investments in the Firm’s funds.

Maryland Managed Care Organization Association

Helping more Marylanders keep their Medicaid coverage.

DISCIPLINES

CATEGORIES

Challenge

Challenger Brand Solution

Symbols of Re-evaluation

MMCOA’s “Redetermination” campaign was created to make sure those who needed to renew their insurance would know how, when and where to do so.

With friendly, clear messaging, we spoke directly to Medicaid enrollees to tell them what they needed to do: update their contact info so that when it was their turn to renew their coverage, they could receive their notice to do so. With only a 45-day window to complete the process once they’d been alerted, time was a factor, and we urged enrollees not to hesitate when it was their turn to renew.

Medicaid Check-In

Reaching the Target Audience

GKV partnered with the MMCOA and Maryland Department of Health to produce a full toolkit of materials for the nine managed care organizations (MCOs), the Maryland Health Benefit Exchange, and our community-based partners to generate awareness. We wanted the messaging to be anywhere our audience would be. We reached them through videos, radio, a landing page, digital ads, email outreach, billboards, transit cars, bus shelters, waiting room flyers and more. And we spoke with them in English, Spanish, Haitian Creole, Mandarin and Vietnamese.

Results

• Successfully reenrolled 1.07 million Marylanders
• Achieved a 7% renewal rate,10th best in the nation
• Drove nearly 95,000 Maryland Health Connection account updates
• Generated over 2 million page views on the dedicated campaign webpage
• Served over 174 million media impressions
• Saw media channels perform above benchmarks and key performing indicators (KPIs)

The Medicaid Check-In campaign received national recognition by earning a series of prestigious accolades at both the Healthcare Ad Awards and the Aster Awards. These awards, which celebrate excellence in healthcare marketing, advertising and communications, honor organizations that demonstrate exceptional creativity, design and overall effectiveness in their campaigns.

Molina

Encouraging the switch to a
Medicare Advantage plan.

DISCIPLINES

CATEGORIES

Challenge

Molina Healthcare was launching a Medicare Advantage plan in Idaho. Strong brands including multiple “Blues” plans and Humana dominated the market. Consumers had lots of information and were overwhelmed with options. And following a national trend, MA plan switching in Idaho continued to decline.

Challenger Brand Solution

Sacrifice

While the competition continued to leverage their heavy advertising budgets to attract “switchers” from other Medicare Advantage plans, the Molina advertising campaign focused on one powerful primary message to target a narrow audience that consisted of Medicare beneficiaries who were not eligible for Medicaid because they exceeded FPL guidelines. Many of these people signed up for Original Medicare, but had never purchased a Medicare Advantage to supplement or enhance the benefits offered under Medicare. Many times this audience was confused about their options and did not understand the differences between Original Medicare and a Medicare Advantage plan.

Tactics / Solution

Leveraging Molina’s commitment to being a caring, mission-driven organization that truly understands the needs of its members, GKV created a campaign that featured a funny, plain-spoken, salt-of-the-earth character named “Isabella” who provided a direct comparison between Original Medicare and a Molina Medicare Advantage plan. The campaign was executed across multiple advertising mediums, including TV, radio, OOH, print, digital and direct mail.

Results

A very successful campaign — achieved 142% of enrollment goal, assisted in generating sales for Molina’s SNP plan, and efforts have led to planning for expansion efforts in other states.

National Penn

We showed a mid-sized bank how to go beyond the expected.

DISCIPLINES

CATEGORIES

Challenge

Rather than be just another “me too” bank, National Penn had to find a niche that truly set them apart in the minds of their customers.

Challenger Brand Solution

Brand Inside

As a mid-sized bank with offices in central Pennsylvania, National Penn was being squeezed between large national banks and small community banks. Most banks National Penn’s size had adopted positionings that were essentially the same: large enough to offer the products of a big bank, but small enough to provide the exceptional customer service of a community bank. So GKV conducted hundreds of customer and employee interviews and discovered something that truly set National Penn apart.

National Penn employees not only provided professional service, but they also got to know their customers, making them very adept at anticipating future needs. These employees went “beyond the expected” for their customers.

Learn it. Live it.

Our job was to ensure that it wasn’t just isolated individuals who went “beyond the expected,” but that it was woven into the very culture of the organization. GKV used its Brand Inside methodology to develop and conduct brand experience workshops.

This program provided employees with distinct roles in changing their environment. It emphasized that it’s the small moments of truth that make the biggest difference. And it outlined the Keys to Success, including a new CRM system and updated recruiting, training, and performance review processes that better aligned with the brand promise of going “beyond the expected.”

Results

National Penn experienced reduced turnover in its key retail positions as well as greatly improved employee and customer satisfaction based on surveys conducted by independent research firm, Market Metrix.

How to reinvent a
stagnant brand.

DISCIPLINES

CATEGORIES

Challenge

No Yolks is well known for its decade’s old lower cholesterol promise, but for today’s consumers, dinner is less about dietary benefits and more about the ease and flexibility, additional benefits of having no yolks. For Millennials and Gen Z, what they cook and when they cook it has no rules.

Challenger Brand Solution

Emotional Connection

Since our target consumers didn’t believe in rules for the kitchen, we embraced the change, and we made our campaign: No Yolks. No Rules.

Rather than push traditional recipes, we encouraged exploration. We’re using social media influencers to help build awareness, change perceptions and drive prospects to No Yolks’ revamped website, where users can find “din-spiration” from new recipes like Tacos without the Shells, Buffalo Chicken … and new twists on traditional recipes. Our fully integrated omnichannel plan includes digital video, banners and paid social and search. We’re also utilizing BDI/CDI data to optimize our shopper marketing program of retailer-sponsored search, onsite and offsite digital ads, add-to-grocery-list ads and moment-based mobile media, as well as Instacart and Ibotta, to drive immediate basket ring.

Results

Success in social media came for continuing to support original content with minimal spend (priority posts) to reach the target audience and grow the social media community. The Cost-Per-Engagement beat the benchmark at $0.02 (benchmark: $0.097 CPE). Additionally, users engaged more with the priority posts compared to organic posts 61.3% versus 14.2%. On Instagram, we substantially increased our Reel content, achieving an impressive 434,865 video views. This marks an 85.79% growth from Q2 and a 25% growth from Q3.

Omega-3s

Omega-3s: always a good idea for your heart.

DISCIPLINES

CATEGORIES

Challenge

Challenger Brand Solution

Symbols of Re-evaluation

Working with respected global market research leaders at IPSOS, GKV implemented a three-phase methodology to identify the target audience and campaign messaging. The messaging strategy that emerged centered around heart health and trigger moments;: events or occasions in every person’s life  that remind you that you only have one heart and that it’s time to take care of it.

Test Market

National Rollout

Expanding from a highly successful single-market test in Charlotte to a modest national rollout, the omega-3 campaign helped  increase sales in a period of 10 weeks compared to the prior year.The national campaign increased the year-over-year sales rate by 1.12%.

Results

• 35.7% of existing omega-3 users reported that they increased consumption after seeing campaign ads.
• 18.3% of non-users reported being extremely likely to start using, or resume using, omega-3 products after being exposedto the campaign.

• The biggest sales gains were in the largest sellers and with branded products
• Unit sales grew by 1.26% nationally from the year-over-year average; pushing out of the negatives for the first time in 2015

• The campaign delivered more than 325,000,000 impressions.

Roanoke Cooperative

Rebranding with restraint.

DISCIPLINES

CATEGORIES

Challenge

Roanoke Electric Cooperative has provided electricity to 15,000 members in rural North Carolina for 85 years. Progressive new senior management wanted to expand the products and services the co-op offers, so it could further enhance the lives of its members. The first new product in the pipeline was brand new high-speed internet service. However, members only ever knew Roanoke for one thing: electricity. So marketing a new, non-electricity product was unchartered territory. The co-op was also saddled with a tired, generic, 30-year-old logo that graphically represented electricity and that was shared by many electric cooperatives across the country.

Challenger Brand Solution

To position Roanoke Electric Cooperative for expansion of its product and service line, it was clear to GKV that the co-op needed rebranding. But it was also clear that the rebranding needed to be evolutionary, so it would not jeopardize the eight decades of trust the co-op had established with its members. Following our rigorous brand development process, we proposed a rebranding for the co-op that included three components: a name change, a new logo, and a new tagline.

The name change.

Our solution was subtle, but profound. We simply removed the word “Electric” from the name. The shortening to “Roanoke Cooperative achieves two big goals: It gives the organization the perceptual space to offer products and services beyond electricity. And it preserves the long-standing familiarity and security that members have with their co-op.

The new logo.

Our new logo design is a bold departure from the old, quiet, undifferentiated “green ball” logo. The new large “R” screams loud and proud that this is Roanoke’s logo. The right side of the R is shaped like a lightning bolt, signaling to members that the co-op’s core product is still electricity.

The new tagline.

It was vital to reassure members that while their co-op’s name and logo have changed, the co-op’s deep commitment to serving members has not. In three simple words, the new tagline declares that the partnership between Roanoke Cooperative and its members is and will continue to be as strong as ever.

Rosedale Federal

We helped an older bank discover the fountain of youth

DISCIPLINES

CATEGORIES

Challenge

Rosedale Federal Savings and Loan Association, a 100-year-old neighborhood institution, had a history of providing banking and loan products to Baltimore residents. Rosedale Federal developed an extremely loyal customer base but didn’t commit resources to marketing. As a result, the customer base aged and utilization of loan products declined. In the fall of 2010, Rosedale Federal hired GKV to help increase brand awareness, attract younger customers, and most importantly, generate an increase in residential mortgage loans.

Challenger Brand Solution

Emotional Connection

GKV went to work and created a brand repositioning campaign. A new brand promise expression, “Rosedale Federal – Your neighbor. Your guide. Your bank.” was developed to create an Emotional Connection with the consumer. New, brighter colors were incorporated into the advertising to engage younger consumers, while clever, inviting messaging stressed that Rosedale Federal was committed to reliable personal service with superior products.Prior media plans for Rosedale Federal were heavily reliant on print advertising. GKV developed and implemented a new media strategy that consisted of a fully integrated campaign using multiple channels – TV, radio, OOH, digital and print advertising. The campaign was designed to reach a broader audience and provide multiple touchpoints for consumers to engage with the bank.A strong, geo-targeted digital presence was used to drive online mortgage applications. Since there was a limited marketing budget, GKV and Rosedale Federal worked together to identify zip codes that provided the greatest opportunity for success.The digital executions included traditional desktop banners, as well as mobile ads targeting younger consumers. GKV also incorporated pre-roll video into the media plan. The use of pre-roll videos at that time was not nearly as common as it is today and allowed us to position Rosedale Federal as a more contemporary bank.Since digital assets drove inquirers to the Rosedale Federal website, GKV worked with Rosedale Federal to redesign the website so it was user-friendly and consistent with the new advertising campaign. Data capture devices such as lead forms were added to the site to build a lead pipeline.GKV also managed all campaign reporting. Campaigns were monitored and results were analyzed by media property, creative/messaging performance, and ad unit to provide for continual optimization.

Results

• The average number of applications per year more than doubled
• The average loan amount increased by 25%
• Annual revenue nearly tripled
• Due to the success of the mortgage loan business in attracting younger consumers, Rosedale Federal launched a suite of new checking accounts products.

San Giorgio

The Right Way to Pasta.

DISCIPLINES

CATEGORIES

Challenge

Challenger Brand Solution

Symbols of Re-evaluation

Audience mapping identified our target audience as people 25-44 who love feeding their families with their own unique take on recipes; people who enjoy big, joyous meals with lots of discussion and delicious food to eat. We named them “Makers.” GKV created unique and compelling “real people” content that would speak to Makers in a more relevant and emotional way, thereby building their loyalty to San Giorgio. We reached and connected with the younger target demographic through a distinct social presence to bring the San Giorgio brand to life.

The Right Way to Pasta

The resulting campaign explores the many conflicting opinions people have about cooking pasta. And while we may never agree on pasta making, we can agree that by starting with San Giorgio, the result will be great hearty pasta meals thanks to the brand’s more than 100 years of proven pasta know-how.

The creative features authentic pasta Makers commenting on their personal pasta-making methods to reinforce the authenticity of the brand.

Results

The campaign was hugely successful from an engagement perspective, with website visits up 152% (34% of visits from millennials), social engagement rates over 11%, and annual sales increasing more than 46% from the previous year.

Shentel

Turning customer service into a competitive advantage

DISCIPLINES

CATEGORIES

Challenge

After acquiring two cable companies in southern Virginia and West Virginia, Shentel made a major investment to upgrade these markets with new, state-of-the-art fiber optics. Despite Shentel offering a better product than the competition, their marketing efforts were not producing new customer growth.

Research showed that consumers were very skeptical of cable companies. There had been a track record of companies entering their market with grand promises, only to exit very quickly.

Challenger Brand Solution

Brand Inside

Shentel had to create a deeper connection with the customer. So, we started with a new Brand Promise to be used in all of Shentel’s communications: “Always Connected to You.”

But first we needed to do some “Brand Inside” work to ensure that every interaction with a Shentel employee was an on-brand experience for the customer. An experience that would become a competitive advantage for Shentel.

The Brand Inside process involved the following:

• Identifying employees throughout the organization to act as Brand Ambassadors.
• Developing employee materials for the Brand Ambassadors to use to train their direct-report employees.
• Conducting countless workshops to identify “triggers” (potential points of conflict) and “moments of truth” (opportunities to provide meaningful impressions with customers).
• Conducting training sessions to educate on how to perform your job in an on-brand fashion, and how to convert detractors to brand cheerleaders.
• Getting leadership buy-in. We took the learning from the Brand Ambassadors and made a formal presentation to Shentel’s executive team.

Results

After educating and energizing Shentel’s employees, the enthusiasm spread like wildfire. We were welcomed into homes, and the results have been amazing:

• Employees were excited and invigorated.
• Net promoter score greatly increased.
• Brand awareness soared by 12%.
• Customer acquisitions exceeded goals.
• Shentel was named to Forbes 2014 list of 100 Most Trustworthy Companies in America – the only cable company to make this list.

Spring Valley

Winning the fish oil wars.

DISCIPLINES

CATEGORIES

Challenge

Challenger Brand Solution

Symbols of Re-evaluation

At Walmart, fish oil shoppers are overwhelmed by choice and underarmed with information. Most shoppers lack any understanding of the key omega-3 nutrients — EPA and DHA — that give fish oil its health benefits and that Walmart’s Spring Valley fish oils provide in greater amounts. Shoppers also don’t know how much EPA and DHA they need each day. So, GKV designed highly engaging, educational point-of-sale posters that grabbed shoppers’ attention and explained the benefits of EPA and DHA and gave clear dosing recommendations. These same benefits and dosages matched the information featured prominently on redesigned Spring Valley fish oil labels.

Our clear, comprehensive point-of-sale materials gave shoppers the information they needed to re-evaluate the value of fish oils in general and the superiority of Spring Valley fish oils specifically.

Results

Within six months of the point-of-sale campaign, sales showed a 14.1% share shift away from the leading national fish oil brand NatureMade to Walmart’s Spring Valley brand.



Sprint: Big Presence

Big service and big savings. Now you can have both.

DISCIPLINES

CATEGORIES

Challenge

Shentel, the 6th largest communications technology company in the United States, operates the Sprint wireless business in parts of Maryland, Virginia, Ohio, Pennsylvania and all of West Virginia and today serves over 4 million subscriber devices.

When Shentel-Sprint acquired regional competitor nTelos wireless, it gave them the opportunity to convert almost one million former nTelos subscribers to Sprint service. In addition, they developed aggressive goals to add new Sprint subscribers in its newly created geographic footprint, which expanded to Southwestern Virginia (all points west of Richmond) and all of West Virginia, in just over one year.There were many hurdles to overcome:

• Sprint suffered from a poor reputation in the new geographies
• nTelos customers and employees had been very loyal to the nTelos brand
• Verizon, AT&T and T-Mobile spent significantly more in media than Sprint
• Sprint’s national advertising focused on parity, actually less than parity, with its slogan “All networks are within 1% reliability”
• Sprint needed to retain nTelos customers and add new subscribers while investing $400 million to upgrade hundreds of its cellular towers and network to improve coverage in the area

Research

Research helped GKV develop overall strategies to meet the many obstacles facing Sprint.

• Internal employee research found a lack of confidence in Sprint among some former nTelos employees (now Sprint employees) at the store level.
• Attitudinal research conducted among 3,000 wireless customers in market confirmed:
  • Consumers were dissatisfied with the wireless plan choices available to them
  • Sprint had the poorest reputation compared to all other carriers in the territory
  • Residents had a high level of pride in their home turf
• Net Promoter Score (NPS) research indicated that Sprint’s NPS score in the new territory was below the national average for Sprint. Sprint’s NPS was significantly higher in every market operated by Shentel/marketed to by GKV than the Sprint NPS national average.

• The market was underserved by major corporations that ignored the region.
• Messaging research determined the key elements to trigger a consumer to switch were:
  • Upgraded network/better coverage
  • Unlimited data (Sprint was the original Unlimited carrier)
  • Value (defined as best network for the lowest cost)
• Big data audience research culled from internal customer records and geo-cluster analyses determined that the most likely prospects to switch to Sprint were: young professionals/singles (Adults 25-34), growing families (Adults 25-44) including Latino families and multi-generational households, and Empty Nesters (Adults 55-64).

Challenger Brand Solution

Brand Inside

Educate the internal audience on the hundreds of millions of dollars Sprint was investing in VA and WV to improve wireless service and become the #1 carrier in the area.

• A team of agency personnel joined the Sprint team on a “big” marketing road show to explain the strategy, show the new communications materials, answer questions and rally the troops.
• One key message delivered to employees in the marketing road shows was that Sprint was about to spend the most advertising money, in its entire history, in Virginia and West Virginia, which was music to the sales staff ’s ears.
• The final launch event was to bring Sprint spokesperson Paul Macerelli (the former Verizon guy – now the Sprint guy), who had obtained some celebrity status, into the market to meet local employees. Paul was not used in broadcast communications since the Shentel-Sprint VA and WV networks were superior to the competition as a result of the upgrades. This would have been a conflicting message to the corporate “all networks within 1%” message Paul was delivering nationally.

Challenger Brand Solution

Symbols of Re‑Evaluation

Convert nTelos customers to Sprint customers before they leave for another carrier by demonstrating the benefits of an improved Sprint network.

• Communicate with former nTelos customers early and often about the coming benefits of the soon-to-be-improved Sprint with direct messages such as text messaging, eblasts, bill stuffers and in-store materials.
• Offer Sprint wireless plans that were comparable if not better than their current nTelos plan.
• Ramp up urgency as conversion deadlines got closer.
• Drive customers to Sprint stores to talk with store associates and experience their passion for the brand and the improvements in process.

Challenger Brand Solution

Emotional Connection

Create advertising that taps into local pride and tells the story of infrastructure improvements that will change the face of wireless in VA and WV.

• Develop separate communications for the Virginia and West Virginia markets and further, where possible, present even more localized messaging. Connect the national brand with the local markets to show that Sprint cares about the small communities and invests in them.
• Incorporate key consumer switch triggers such as improved network, unlimited plans and overall value under the investment umbrella.
• Create marketing materials that feel big and important in scope without spending major production dollars.
• Be patient with launch strategy. It was tempting to start heavy advertising the moment the acquisition was finalized. However, this would have backfired, as customers could have highly negative experiences with Sprint and this would worsen their perception of Sprint right out of the gate. On the other hand, waiting too long would mean jeopardizing sales goals. The team worked together closely with engineering to determine the optimal tipping point, when enough upgrades had been made for customers to notice a difference and while substantial work was ongoing (often complicated by local regulatory restrictions).

Sprint – The Best Value in Wireless Now Has The Best Network in Your Area

The campaign was called “Big Presence,” which literally meant that Sprint now had a much bigger presence in the markets they acquired and was making major investments in those markets to upgrade wireless service and improve overall wireless experience.Each production element was carefully thought through in collaboration with the client to ensure it was on strategy.

For example:

• All video footage and photography used in the campaign was shot authentically in the markets in which the advertising ran.
• The DMAs/cities selected to feature in the communications represented key geographies with the highest percentages of potential switchers determined by the audience segmentation research.
• The “big” phone icon used throughout the campaign was a symbolic nod to Sprint being EVERYWHERE.
• Fast-paced Stop Tilt video cameras were used to represent high speed, high tech and high performance.
• No promotional offers were included in the messaging as it was disingenuous to talk about community investment while hawking a BOGO. Promotional messaging was handled separately.
• GKV used internal production resources to edit and finish the spots, at a tremendous cost savings to the client.

A multi-media approach was used as follows:

• Television was run to build awareness quickly and to demonstrate the Sprint market investment.
• At launch, local news and cable networks were used to reach influencers.
• Subsequently, television was purchased to achieve reach and frequency goals against the broad audience of 25-54 as well as each of the three key demographic segments mentioned before.
• Sports programming tied into local college teams (Virginia Tech, UVA, West Virginia, etc.) to tap into local pride.
• Radio was used to target locally and primarily designed to reach customers in the car given length of time driving in these less densely populated areas where previously wireless coverage could be spotty.
• Digital advertising was used with a combination of pre-roll and banner ads served specifically via carrier targeting. Verizon, AT&T and T-Mobile customers got separate messages suggesting they switch from their current plan to a Sprint plan.
• Out of home was used to deliver additional frequency and reach to customers traveling across the state.
• Point of sale was used to reinforce messaging at retail with multiple versions created and posted based on the geographic location of the store.
• Grassroots tactics such as yard signs, door hangers, etc.
• Current customers were sent a direct mail execution.

Results

• Over 90% of nTelos customers were successfully migrated to Sprint despite the work-in-progress nature of the network upgrade construction. These customers were free to switch to any carrier and this high retention level far exceeded Sprint expectations.
• Customers ported in (switched) to Sprint from the competition at a much higher rate than customers ported out from Sprint or nTelos to a competitor
• Net Promoter Scores tripled within a year
• Top-of-mind awareness increased by over 25%
• Store traffic increased up to 41%
• Gross adds (acquisition) rose to their highest level in company history
• Churn (retention) remained steady despite the service interruptions during tower upgrades

Sprint: Inertia

Most people love their mobile phones, but not their carrier… so, why don’t they switch?

DISCIPLINES

CATEGORIES

Challenge

Research showed the majority (70%) of wireless customers in the target geography had been with their current carrier four-plus years, and many had over seven years of loyalty. People were not switching wireless carriers in these markets because it was simpler to stay with their current carrier, or because they would forget to take action despite paying more money than they should be. Further, Sprint was consistently outspent by the competition, and Sprint’s network quality was perceived as subpar despite major investments in infrastructure technology.

Challenger Brand Solution

Symbols of Re‑Evaluation

—

Insight

Most people love their mobile phones but not their phone plan. Our research indicated that the biggest hurdle for consumers who want to change carriers is the perceived hassle. The data also revealed that there were trigger moments (getting their bill, upgrading their phone) or life events (getting married, adding a child to the plan) when the barrier to change was lower. We separately uncovered that, historically, competitive spend dropped in June and July, leaving a window of opportunity for Sprint to achieve a higher share of voice and greater impact.

Strategy

We identified target audiences with the highest propensity to switch to Sprint’s value pricing for its Unlimited plan, and then created materials geared toward the trigger moments that can spur these audiences to overcome inertia and consider switching. Messaging reminded prospects that they were overpaying for wireless and prompted them to think about switching when the monthly bill arrives, before life gets in the way and inertia settles in (until next month’s bill comes and the cycle repeats).

We created a campaign that allowed for flexibility in changing offers to match the audience’s applicable lifestyle/trigger moment (for instance, a discounted Unlimited Family Plan for growing families or a device BOGO for newlyweds), all with constant reminders of how expensive their current bills may be.In-market mystery shopping research conducted by the GKV team found high levels of awareness of the promotion, and findings were used to optimize key messaging that was resonating with the market and driving store traffic. Inertia messaging proved to be so successful that a holiday version of the creative debuted several months later to resonate with the audience and impact inertia.

Results

Sprint had the best June – August period in its history, exceeding all previous acquisition campaigns. Even though the broadcast media ended in mid-July, the weight of the campaign and consistent messaging (unusual in the category) led to residual sales growth through August. Digital advertising performance (clicks) was the highest in company history. Executions that called out the competitor were geo-fenced by zip code clusters, and ones that carrier-targeted customers’ current providers scored best.

St. Joseph

High Blood Pressure Cough, Cold and Flu

DISCIPLINES

CATEGORIES

Challenge

The go-to-market plan had been slightly behind schedule, and in order to make it in time for flu season, GKV had been brought on board to quickly and efficiently get messaging in-market in a cost-effective and impactful fashion

The new product line had national distribution in major retailers, but the marketing budget did not allow for a national media plan. GKV had to come up with a strategic media approach that would reach the most qualified audience.

Challenger Brand Solution

Sacrifice

Media Research: We identified top markets that over-indexed for hypertension/high blood pressure to create an opportunity index. Within those markets, media habits were analyzed and showed a greater usage of radio and digital media, which helped direct our media selections.

Market/Health Intelligence

As the product was launched during cold/flu season, markets were tracked for higher incidence of cold/flu. Information from the CDC, Sickweather.com and Google Flu Trends was used to predict when, where and how severely a market would be impacted by the flu.

Shelf-talkers and FSIs were utilized in a small number of retail locations/markets to provide a baseline for subsequent years of marketing.

Responsive Plan

To maximize the budget, the media mix of radio and digital levels was adjusted across markets on a regular basis. Not typically seen with radio buys, we were able to optimize the spend by market by using weekly updates and projections of flu incidents. We had a system in place to quickly purchase live radio reads on top stations that reached our target audience, in markets that were seeing the uptick of flu incidents.

Results

Overall, the campaign increased sales of St. Joseph Cold and Flu remedies more than 10% in cities with media running compared to those with no media coverage.

Werner Ladder

We turned climbing a ladder into “rising above the rest.”

DISCIPLINES

CATEGORIES

Challenge

Werner ladders are the favorite brand among professional contractors. But how could GKV extend Werner’s brand messaging into the vast DIY market?

Challenger Brand Solution

Create an Emotional Connection

Werner ladders aren’t only the preferred brand for professional contractors, they have long been used to cut the nets down at the conclusion of the NCAA Basketball Tournament.

So how did we turn a few minutes on the court into a lasting impression for millions of DIY-ers? First, we created a strong connection between the drive for excellence on the jobsite and on the court. Werner ladders symbolized a commitment to doing the job right. Or…Werner is the ladder for those who “Rise Above the Rest.”

Full-Court Press

To maximize Werner’s brand exposure, GKV recommended and executed a fully integrated campaign before, during and beyond the tourney climax. This consisted of a five-week national radio promotion with ESPN Radio’s Mike and Mike in the Morning show, cable TV programming through CBS College Sports, digital advertising on multiple sports properties, online scoreboard sponsorships, plus unique on-site events at NCAA tournament locations including the Final Four weekend.

Slam Dunk

A GKV-built microsite served as the focal point for online and offline efforts and featured interactive games, user contributions, video clips from Mike and Mike, and coaches cutting down nets (including Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski), plus information on Werner’s history with the championship game and links to Werner’s product sites.

Results

The “Rise Above the Rest” campaign generated over 1 billion total impressions. Werner’s corporate website traffic increased by 88.6%. How successfully did we seed the Werner brand into the public conscious? College coaches interviewed on ESPN after being eliminated from the tourney literally said they wished they could have climbed “the Werner” this year!

Discipline

Advertising

A subjective solution to an objective problem.

The best advertising is developed when the client and agency start with the problem, then pull together a diverse team of open and curious minds, ready for a great journey of discovery and experimentation.

The problem may seem simple, but there is almost always an infinite number of possible solutions, some good, some not so good, that is where those curious, diverse minds come in. People don’t just buy products or services, they buy brands, they buy companies, they buy hope, they buy value… A collaborative team that is part of the journey from problem to solution is the secret to creating advertising that captures both the uniqueness of your brand and the uniqueness of the customers you hope to serve.

Case Studies

• Constellation Texas — 05/21/25
• MMCOA — 04/09/25
• GoVax — 03/26/25
• Omega-3 — 03/26/25
• Rosedale Federal — 10/24/22
• Molina — 02/28/20

Work Examples

• Chilly Churn™
  Ice Cream Mix — 09/16/25
• Winland Foods: This is How We Pasta — 08/27/25
• Mrs. Wages: Spice Sauce — 08/11/25
• Chilly Churn™
  Ice Cream Mix — 04/15/25
• Maryland Cannabis Administration: Smoke Free Spaces — 02/25/25
• Candy Shop™ Cocoa: Waking up a sleepy category — 10/24/24

Discipline

Brand Development

The recipe for developing a successful brand is one part strategy and one part creative.

Becoming a brand is how your product or service becomes more memorable, engaging, and how you can achieve higher margins and greater customer loyalty. With the advent of social media and the growth of direct to consumer brands, brand development continues to change and evolve.

At its core, a brand is still a promise to its customers about what the brand will deliver and how they can expect it to behave. But, consumer expectations have changed more than ever. It goes far beyond simply the product or service they provide. It now includes the causes a brand will champion as well as how the brand treats its employees, communities, suppliers and the rest of the world around them. It has never been more important to have a strong and consistent brand than it is now. With the introduction of social media consumers now too have a platform that makes it easier to call a brand out when it fails and doesn’t live up to its promises.

Case Studies

• Roanoke Cooperative — 05/22/23
• Miller Value — 10/28/22
• Rosedale Federal — 10/24/22
• Shentel — 07/14/21
• Independence Air — 06/24/21
• National Penn — 12/29/20

Work Examples

• Mrs. Wages: Spice Sauce — 08/11/25
• Covenant Advantage: Medicare Advantage — 07/31/25
• Maryland Cannabis Administration: Smoke Free Spaces — 02/25/25
• Candy Shop™ Cocoa: Waking up a sleepy category — 10/24/24
• Maryland Cannabis Administration: Impaired Driving — 07/09/24
• No Yolks: Breaking the rules. Connecting with consumers. — 02/20/24

Discipline

Brand Inside

Our expression for “company or brand culture” and the experiences you as a company deliver to your customers, employees, communities, and suppliers.

Many brands create great ads and have memorable taglines or brand lines, but they don’t follow it up with great customer experiences–leading to bad reviews and negative perceptions about the company by consumers. Your brand’s promise, position, personality all starts internally–it’s a brand philosophy (mission, vision, and values). If your employees believe in your philosophy and stay true to its standards, it will trickle down to the consumer creating a customer experience you can be proud of.

Building a brand inside is not just a marketing function. Your brand inside, starts with buy-in at the top, in human resources, in the front office, the back office… from everyone. It is all about integrating your brand behavioral expectations into training, performance evaluation, and communications.

We know it seems overwhelming, but it’s not and we can help. GKV has developed a proprietary process to help you build your brand inside.

Case Studies

• Shentel — 07/14/21
• Independence Air — 06/24/21
• National Penn — 12/29/20

Discipline

Data Analytics

We turn data into insights, wise decisions and winning brands.

More than ever, the effectiveness of a brand’s advertising and marketing efforts can be measured. Our first step with every client and engagement is to set goals and KPIs, so that going forward your analytics teams can analyze performance against KPIs and develop and share key insights and make optimization and strategy recommendations.

Given the many tactics that today’s brands use, GKV uses Datorama to consolidate data from all marketing and web analytics platforms in a customized automated dashboard — this can also include business outcomes (ex.: leads, sales, etc.). Much of the media data is updated every night at midnight, so you have access to the latest data first thing in the morning.

Your analytics team can also do deeper dive statistical analyses to answer business questions, such as impact of marketing spend, promotions, as well as revenue forecasting based on different marketing mixes and spend levels.

GKV is a performance-driven agency, so you may be surprised when an art director explains that she made a change to creative to increase its engagement rate. Everyone lives the data at GKV, not just your analytics team.

Work Examples

• Winland Foods: This is How We Pasta — 08/27/25
• That’s Tasty organic living herbs — 06/21/21

Discipline

Digital & Broadcast Production

The ability to create all the content brands need to connect with audiences today. 

The GKV creative and production teams are expert storytellers with the ability to develop everything from engaging animated social posts to epic commercial campaigns.

As culture and technologies evolve faster than ever, deep in-house resources and reliable production partnerships allow us and our clients to stay nimble, creating timely content that grabs attention and resonates with consumers.

Regardless of the project scope, GKV can meet stringent deadlines and ensure quality work from concept to execution.

Case Studies

• Constellation Texas — 05/21/25
• MMCOA — 04/09/25
• San Giorgio — 04/03/25
• GoVax — 03/26/25
• Omega-3 — 03/26/25
• Werner Ladder — 12/22/20

Work Examples

• Maryland Cannabis Association: Youth Prevention Campaign — 09/10/25
• Bob Bell: Testimonial Campaign — 09/10/25
• Winland Foods: This is How We Pasta — 08/27/25
• Covenant Advantage: Medicare Advantage — 07/31/25
• Maryland Cannabis Administration: Safe Storage — 07/21/25
• University of Michigan Health Plan: Breaking Through the ‘New to Medicare’ Clutter — 07/11/25

Discipline

Digital Marketing

As the marketing landscape has evolved over the past decade, so has GKV.

We’ve integrated new digital solutions into virtually all of our work and we’re focused on delivering ROI while remaining true to our clients’ brands.

Over the years, we have built a strong in-house digital team with expertise in a number of disciplines including paid search, SEO, email, display, web strategy/design, UX design/development, copywriting, video production, and social media. And as new channels and disciplines come to the forefront, we will have those covered as well.

Some of GKV’s specific digital strengths include content marketing, integrated campaigns, website/e-commerce/landing page design, web development Social Media strategy, email marketing, display advertising, and video production across all channels.

Case Studies

• Constellation Texas — 05/21/25
• San Giorgio — 04/03/25
• Calvary — 03/27/25
• Clover Health: Medicare Advantage Digital Marketing — 05/06/24
• No Yolks. No Rules! — 10/26/23
• Independence Air — 06/24/21

Work Examples

• Mrs Wages: Make It Last — 09/29/25
• Chilly Churn™
  Ice Cream Mix — 09/16/25
• Maryland Cannabis Association: Youth Prevention Campaign — 09/10/25
• Winland Foods: This is How We Pasta — 08/27/25
• Mrs. Wages: Spice Sauce — 08/11/25
• Maryland Cannabis Administration: Safe Storage — 07/21/25

Discipline

Direct Marketing

The GKV team has a highly experienced direct marketing team.

Our experience in this measurable sector of the business stems from the creation of a full service marketing affiliate in 2000, GKV Direct. GKV Direct was merged into Gray Kirk/VanSant Advertising, Inc., in 2003.

Direct mail production management is detail oriented, and effective use of the technique requires strong relationships with list brokers, a reliable set of production suppliers and constant analysis to produce the best results. Our art designers and copywriters are skilled professionals with a rich history of developing direct mail and DRTV campaigns that translate into relevant, motivating communications.

We employ full-time production managers with years of experience managing large-scale, cost-effective direct mail campaigns. We also employ experienced broadcast producers who are adept at producing award-winning brand response television that delivers leads while supporting integrated, multi-channel campaigns.

Today’s digital advertising mediums are in essence direct response vehicles as well. Virtually all of our clients use digital media in one form or another. We believe in evaluating the messaging, the media and the placement (or lists) and in optimizing variables to lower costs while increasing response. Our deep experience provides a solid foundation and base of knowledge that we bring to each of our clients.

Case Studies

• St. Joseph Aspirin — 11/19/20
• Molina — 02/28/20
• Elderplan: AEP — 02/28/20

Work Examples

• Covenant Advantage: Medicare Advantage — 07/31/25
• Clover Health: Valor Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment Campaign — 03/29/23
• Clover Health: Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment — 06/27/22
• OSF MedAdvantage — 07/22/20
• Miller Value Partners: Brochure — 02/26/20
• Snyder’s of Hanover: Pretzel Pieces — 07/23/19

Discipline

Experiential Marketing

Engaging with consumers in a live environment and creating a memorable experience with the brand that consumers will talk about long after.

What is experiential marketing? In layman terms, it is event marketing or live marketing. The GKV team has a tremendous amount of specialized expertise in conceptualizing, designing and producing outreach programs and exhibits throughout the country and in Canada.

Managed by an in-house, dedicated experiential marketing group, we have been working on programs that reach people where they live, work, play and pray for a long time. We work hand-in-hand with our public relations team and our clients to create memorable on-brand interactions and experiences for both consumer and business-to-business audiences. This work is based on a solid, strategic foundation, backed by industry research and consumer insights. We work collaboratively to execute fresh and innovative ideas across the various touchpoints that connect with our clients’ target audiences.

Case Studies

• MMCOA — 04/09/25
• GoVax — 03/26/25
• Omega-3 — 03/26/25
• Werner Ladder — 12/22/20

Work Examples

• Snyder’s of Hanover: Discover the Pretzelbilities — 02/24/20
• Sprint: At The York Fair — 09/20/19
• OPTAVIA: Brand Launch — 07/23/19
• Snyder’s of Hanover: National Pretzel Day — 07/22/19
• PANDORA: Martina McBride — 07/22/19
• 2018 Addy Awards: The Last Addys? — 02/26/18

Discipline

Grassroots Marketing

Reaching customers where they live, work, pray and play.

GKV created GKV Reach because brands that make a concerted effort to reach out to their audiences in communities they live, reap handsome rewards in loyalty and effectiveness, especially for matters that affect individuals on a personal level and require greater consumer education.

Case Studies

• MMCOA — 04/09/25
• GoVax — 03/26/25
• Omega-3 — 03/26/25

Work Examples

• Snyder’s of Hanover: National Pretzel Day — 07/22/19
• Premier Health Plan — 02/26/19
• CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield — 02/25/18
• Maryland Physicians Care: Healthy Groove — 07/18/17

Discipline

Media Planning/Buying

GKV’s Media Department is comprised of seasoned professionals, well-versed in planning and buying media across the customer journey.

Our insights-driven, omnichannel approach to media is designed to help clients successfully meet their objectives.

GKV uses a wide range of tools to gain deep understanding of the media usage, psychographics, geography and purchase behaviors of U.S. audiences at both national and local levels. This research allows us to develop, deploy and optimize media campaigns designed for impact, motivation and customer action.GKV’s depth of experience includes planning and buying the following:

• Broadcast TV and radio
• Digital display, audio
• Paid social media advertising
• Search engine marketing (SEM)
• Online video and OTT
• Mobile web and app advertising
• Retail media networks/e-commerce platforms
• Out-of-home

Media today is becoming increasingly moments-based, so it is imperative that advertisers reach the right customer at the right time.
At GKV, we’ll help you do just that.

Case Studies

• Constellation Texas — 05/21/25
• MMCOA — 04/09/25
• GoVax — 03/26/25
• Omega-3 — 03/26/25
• Rosedale Federal — 10/24/22
• Hills Bros. Cappuccino — 04/13/21

Work Examples

• Maryland Cannabis Association: Youth Prevention Campaign — 09/10/25
• Winland Foods: This is How We Pasta — 08/27/25
• Covenant Advantage: Medicare Advantage — 07/31/25
• Maryland Cannabis Administration: Safe Storage — 07/21/25
• Maryland Cannabis Administration: Smoke Free Spaces — 02/25/25
• Maryland Cannabis Administration: Impaired Driving — 07/09/24

Discipline

Public Relations

Telling your brand story.

Our PR team is focused on crafting messaging, creating compelling content, and connecting your brand with a larger audience through the channels they trust. Whether your goal is to increase brand awareness, educate audiences, demonstrate thought leadership, manage a crisis, or reposition your company in the industry, public relations is a strategic and integral part of the marketing mix.

Case Studies

• Sprint: Inertia — 02/28/20

Work Examples

• Cape Cod Potato Chips: Ridiculously Good Chip — 04/21/20
• Snyder’s of Hanover: National Pretzel Day — 07/22/19
• PANDORA: Martina McBride — 07/22/19
• PANDORA: Aly Raisman — 07/22/19
• PANDORA: Mother’s Day — 07/18/19
• Medifast: Your whole world gets better — 07/18/17

Discipline

Research

Our goal with any research project is insight.

In today’s data-driven world, marketing research is involved in all aspects of what we do from defining our audience and setting objectives to testing creative and optimizing our approaches.

Simply regurgitating numbers, or repeating verbatims is not insight. Great insights are what drives great advertising, more engaging content and more effective spending. We have co-developed proprietary techniques and established effectiveness benchmarks with a range of partners over the years.

Recognizing that not all research questions require gold-plated techniques or suppliers, we have a range of research solutions to fit all budgets and timeframes. And while we do have a research department, you may be surprised just how research savvy everyone at GKV is. Research and asking smart questions is part of our DNA.

Case Studies

• GoVax — 03/26/25
• Omega-3 — 03/26/25
• Sprint: Big Presence — 12/22/20
• St. Joseph Aspirin — 11/19/20
• Sprint: Inertia — 02/28/20

Discipline

Search Engine Marketing

Little did Albert Einstein know how thoroughly his advice “Never memorize something that you can look up.” would be transformed in the 21st Century.

Consumers today are constantly searching the internet to research products, services and ultimately get answers to their questions. The internet and the ability to easily search for information has forever changed how we conduct our daily lives from searching for a recipe to online banking. It’s also changed how we interact with brands and how brands compete with each other. In many cases, a paid search result is the first experience a consumer has with your brand.

For GKV, paid search is all about answering the questions asked and crafting the right message, at the right time, and at the right cost to increase brand visibility, meet the needs of the users and ultimately drive results for our clients. GKV has a large portfolio of Paid Search clients covering an array of industries, including but not limited to Consumer Packaged Goods (CPG), B2B, Telecommunications, Health Insurance and more. We also have accredited SEM Specialists on staff. Have questions about paid search, contact us today.

Work Examples

• Winland Foods: This is How We Pasta — 08/27/25

Discipline

Shopper Marketing

Today’s consumers are shopping anywhere and at any time… and we are there, connecting with them to drive conversion and sales.

GKV helps you find the right balance for retailer-specific and fully integrating programming to achieve desired results. We simplify conversion and the retail landscape. We uncover the motivational factors at each step of the customer journey so you can know where to connect and get them to buy. And we focus on meaningful engagements with consumers to change their behavior, seamlessly integrating efforts across all media and touchpoints.

Our capabilities include:

• Omnichannel planning and activation
• National retailer activation planning
• Regional and/or local retailer planning and activation
• Retailer media planning and execution

Case Studies

• GoNetspeed — 10/02/25
• Spring Valley — 04/15/25
• San Giorgio — 04/03/25

Work Examples

• Mrs Wages: Make It Last — 09/29/25
• Chilly Churn™
  Ice Cream Mix — 09/16/25
• Winland Foods: This is How We Pasta — 08/27/25
• Chilly Churn™
  Ice Cream Mix — 04/15/25
• Candy Shop™ Cocoa: Waking up a sleepy category — 10/24/24
• Orrington Farms: The Power of Powder to Drive Customer Re-Evaluation — 04/08/24

Discipline

Social Media

One of the fastest growing and most nimble marketing disciplines of the last five years.

Where before, brands saw social as something they had to do to check the box, they now see it as a business driver. With more and more consumers engaging in branded content, using social to source recommendations as well as a path to purchase, GKV has grown its social team, expertise and capabilities.Why Social?  — “Content builds relationships. Relationships are built on trust. Trust drives revenue.” This quote from Andrew Davis’s latest book Brandscaping puts a fine point on why great branded social content drives business.  Additionally:

• Consumers are 71% more likely to make a purchase based on social media referrals
• 74% of consumers rely on social network to guide purchase decisions
• 7 in 10 millennials, Gen Xers and silver surfers (boomers in social) are more likely to make purchases from brands they follow and engage with on social

GKV’s Social Media Department experts who work hand-in-glove across agency departments.  The team has developed award winning social campaigns for OLD BAY and MD Lottery as well as created a proprietary process for developing social strategy and content. Our capabilities include:

• Social strategy and planning
• Content creation, curation
• Social program management and publishing
• Social advertising
• Influencer engagement
• Community management
• Social listening, trending topics
• Metrics and reporting

Case Studies

• Constellation Texas — 05/21/25
• MMCOA — 04/09/25
• San Giorgio — 04/03/25
• GoVax — 03/26/25
• Omega-3 — 03/26/25
• Independence Air — 06/24/21

Work Examples

• Mrs Wages: Make It Last — 09/29/25
• Chilly Churn™
  Ice Cream Mix — 09/16/25
• Maryland Cannabis Association: Youth Prevention Campaign — 09/10/25
• Winland Foods: This is How We Pasta — 08/27/25
• Mrs. Wages: Spice Sauce — 08/11/25
• Maryland Cannabis Administration: Safe Storage — 07/21/25

Discipline

Strategic Planning

A word that you will hear very often at GKV is sacrifice.

It is our way of talking about strategy, because at its essence, a strategy is about sacrifice. Trying to do everything never makes sense for a person or a brand. We help you take a step back and understand what messages and touchpoints will be the most effective for your goals.

As much as we like to create great advertising, content, events, media plan, we resist the temptation to just start creating. We take the time to gather the information to understand your customer’s journey and develop a strategy that will help you achieve your goals.

This will then lead to the creation of one comprehensive, insightful and clear brief that outlines the strategic plan, gaining agreement to the sacrifices that will need to be made and providing all the elements the team needs to execute the strategy. A good strategic plan is like a good map, it helps you on your journey.

Case Studies

• Rosedale Federal — 10/24/22
• Shentel — 07/14/21
• Independence Air — 06/24/21
• National Penn — 12/29/20
• Werner Ladder — 12/22/20
• Sprint: Big Presence — 12/22/20

Work Examples

• Winland Foods: This is How We Pasta — 08/27/25
• Covenant Advantage: Medicare Advantage — 07/31/25
• University of Michigan Health Plan: Breaking Through the ‘New to Medicare’ Clutter — 07/11/25
• Maryland Cannabis Administration: Smoke Free Spaces — 02/25/25
• Candy Shop™ Cocoa: Waking up a sleepy category — 10/24/24
• Maryland Cannabis Administration: Impaired Driving — 07/09/24

Discipline

Web Design & Development

Web design and development focuses on your brand’s online presence and how your customers interact and experience your brand whether a corporate website or a campaign landing page.

Our goal is always to create a user experience that is not only memorable but also meets the needs of your customers as well as your business goals. We start by gathering insight from a variety of sources. Those insights are then used to develop the strategy, design, and content to get your audience to take action.

Case Studies

• GoNetspeed — 10/02/25
• Spring Valley — 04/15/25
• MMCOA — 04/09/25
• GoVax — 03/26/25
• Omega-3 — 03/26/25
• No Yolks. No Rules! — 10/26/23

Work Examples

• Mrs Wages: Make It Last — 09/29/25
• Chilly Churn™
  Ice Cream Mix — 09/16/25
• Winland Foods: This is How We Pasta — 08/27/25
• Chilly Churn™
  Ice Cream Mix — 04/15/25
• Maryland Cannabis Administration: Smoke Free Spaces — 02/25/25
• Maryland Cannabis Administration: Impaired Driving — 07/09/24

Category

Aerospace and Defense

The Aerospace and Defense industry relies on agility, intelligence and creativity. Yeah, we can relate.

At GKV, we have over 30 years of proven experience navigating the complexities of marketing in the Aerospace and Defense environment. We have led the way in shifting our A&D clients from print to digital, creating and executing successful marketing strategies for large brands across multiple business lines. We understand the procurement process and know how to manage many layers of decision-makers. And our media team is well-versed in the changing A&D landscape, with deep experience in planning and executing A&D campaigns for both the U.S. and international markets.

Our people are wired to act and adapt, turning on a dime if the situation demands. No matter the endeavor, GKV is there with a leader’s knowledge, experience and performance.

To be successful, messages need to be crafted to address each decision-maker’s needs.

Our strategic approach to these challenges is to use appropriate traditional and new media to custom-build a marketing program built to reach the defined target audience.In most cases, business to business marketing requires a strong lead generation program to capture high quality prospects. This mix might include direct mail, email, digital marketing, telemarketing, promotional events, and vertical trade advertising. Our media team has purchased significant media in many industry verticals, and is very familiar with the sales teams and editorial content of many publications. They are often able to negotiate very favorable terms and create special arrangements.

The goal of any or all of these activities is to acquire actionable response data. That data is typically housed in an effective prospect database, and used by the sales force to move the prospect to the next step in the sales cycle. The most successful programs we develop are those that feature real collaboration between sales and marketing. Ongoing tracking and measurement provides the opportunity to make intelligent marketing decisions and to optimize the investment.

Case Studies

• Independence Air — 06/24/21
• L3 Media — 11/11/20
• L3 Social Media — 10/19/20

Work Examples

• L3 Brand History — 11/10/20
• L3 Technologies: Print Ads — 07/22/19

Category

Cause Marketing

In the age of digital activism, it has become increasingly easier to engage, spread awareness and promote a cause.

As momentum continues to grow, especially with younger audiences, supporting a cause is no longer a choice for brands. We are now in an age where businesses can no longer stay silent on important issues.

That’s where cause marketing comes in. Cause marketing is a public relations strategy that brings a for-profit corporation and a non-profit organization (or “cause”) together to collaborate, raise funds and awareness for the issues they care about. The goal is to see both the business and the cause thrive, together.

Work Examples

• Maryland Lottery: Thanks Ray — 07/18/19
• Medifast: Your whole world gets better — 07/18/17

Category

Consumer Packaged Goods

Creative and inspirational CPG marketing that gets results.

Every category has challenger brands, but in Consumer Packaged Goods (CPG) the dominance of the category leaders is particularly stunning. In today’s consumer landscape with brand loyalty being a thing of the past, successful challenger brand’s advertising must be noticed, its social media must engage and its owned media must deliver real value.

Understanding the Audience

The first step in becoming a successful challenger brand is understanding your audience beyond demographics – their offline and online behaviors, interests and most importantly the journey they take to find and purchase your products.We have developed a four-step process that can help you understand and map your audience’s journey and then build a marketing strategy based on their needs, wants and interests to deliver the right messaging and content at the right time. It incorporates the insights and data you already have with third-party data to give a complete picture of who your audience is and how you can help guide them through their customer journey.

It’s also built on evolution. The process of understanding your audience never stops as the needs of your audience are always changing and so will the touchpoint and messaging.

As CPG advertising and shopper behavior continues to change, GKV will be there to help elevate and evolve your brand in today’s consumer landscape. Check out some of our CPG case studies and articles. Then, contact us to discuss your CPG marketing challenges.

Case Studies

• San Giorgio — 04/03/25
• No Yolks. No Rules! — 10/26/23
• Hills Bros. Cappuccino — 04/13/21
• Werner Ladder — 12/22/20
• McCormick — 04/22/20
• Bridgestone Golf — 02/28/20

Work Examples

• Mrs Wages: Make It Last — 09/29/25
• Chilly Churn™
  Ice Cream Mix — 09/16/25
• Winland Foods: This is How We Pasta — 08/27/25
• Mrs. Wages: Spice Sauce — 08/11/25
• Chilly Churn™
  Ice Cream Mix — 04/15/25
• Candy Shop™ Cocoa: Waking up a sleepy category — 10/24/24

Category

Financial Services

GKV has rich and deep experience marketing financial brands.

In fact, we have a financial brand on our client roster every year since we hung out our shingle 38 years ago. We have helped market a wide array of financial products and services that include wealth management, traditional banking products, credit cards, stand-alone ATMs and credit counseling services for brands that are local, regional and national in scope.

Our work in the category has encompassed complete rebranding assignments, new product launches and brand inside initiatives to ensure our client’s employees consistently deliver on­ brand experiences to their customer. Our “Challenger Brand” marketing approach has helped our financial clients gain market share in a constantly consolidating category.

Case Studies

• Miller Value — 10/28/22
• Rosedale Federal — 10/24/22
• National Penn — 12/29/20

Work Examples

• Miller Value Partners: Brand Development & Website Redesign — 11/17/20
• Miller Value Partners: Brochure — 02/26/20

Category

Health Care & Insurance

GKV has strong capabilities and decades of successful experience in the health care arena.

We’ve faced many marketing challenges, from driving enrollment and building a brand in expansion markets to turnaround situations and new product launches. Selected by CMS to launch the Medicare Prescription Drug Program, GKV has deep experience engaging Baby Boomers and Medicare beneficiaries in local, regional and national health plans and providers.

Visit GKVHealth.com to discover more about our decades of success with public and private health plans as well as our deep experience in every segment of the healthcare industry.

Driving Enrollment

We have created successful direct-to-consumer programs for plans from coast to coast. And we have worked with Medicaid plans across the country to drive enrollment.Our staff understands the regulatory environment and has experience developing effective, but compliant, marketing materials. Having worked with companies that provide insurance and managed care products, as well as those that deliver health care services and prevention programs, we have a 360-degree view of the system.

Our team understands how to deliver successfully against the target audiences that are important to you now, and those you may focus on in the future of this dynamic and challenging environment you operate in.

Case Studies

• Calvary — 03/27/25
• Clover Health: Medicare Advantage Digital Marketing — 05/06/24
• Elderplan: AEP — 02/28/20

Work Examples

• Covenant Advantage: Medicare Advantage — 07/31/25
• University of Michigan Health Plan: Breaking Through the ‘New to Medicare’ Clutter — 07/11/25
• CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield: CHPMD (Medicaid) — 06/11/25
• Maryland Cannabis Administration: Impaired Driving — 07/09/24
• Calvary Hospital: In-Home Hospice Campaign — 05/01/24
• GoVAX Real Kids Campaign — 05/23/23

Category

Marketing to Boomers

Boomers control over half of the nation’s wealth.
Connecting with them matters as much as it ever has.

The value of marketing to the boomer generation is obvious. Doing so successfully gets a bit more complicated. It’s a huge cohort that is actually two cohorts. And it’s a group that has never followed the path of any generation before it, including the one leading into retirement.

For years, we have helped a diverse set of clients engage and motivate this audience through compelling creative and targeted media, from Medicare plans to golf equipment to coffee. Our generation-spanning staff understands this audience and how to reach them, including advanced database solutions and shopper marketing.

Although they love nostalgia, there’s nothing old school about boomers, or the way you win them over.

Work Examples

• Clover Health: Valor Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment Campaign — 03/29/23
• St. Joseph Products: Aspirin — 03/01/22
• Blue Shield of California: Age-In Campaign — 07/22/19
• Walmart: Spring Valley — 02/27/16

Category

Over-the-Counter Medicines & Personal Health

The consumer focus on do-it-yourself healthy lifestyles continues to grow.

With it, there has been an exponential increase in the supplement business, whether it be vitamins, powders, or foods and beverages fortified with beneficial nutrients. Few agencies have the depth of experience in marketing nutrients, supplements and weight-loss products as GKV.

Visit GKVHealth.com to learn more about how we move product for health and OTC brands as well as our deep experience and decades of success in every segment of the healthcare industry.Keep It Simple
Your product may offer many benefits. But if you try to state too much, consumers won’t hear any of them. Pick the single most important benefit and say it clearly. As an old professor used to tell me, “if you chase two rabbits, you won’t catch either one.”

Increase Your Online Presence
Gone are the days when primary care doctors gave patients all the answers. Consumers are increasingly relying on online channels to self-diagnose. Today, 96% of internet-using adults have used online health information to help them make decisions.

Packaging, The First Impression
Packaging for OTC medications is no longer just a carrier of the product. It is an integral part of connecting with the consumer. Keep it simple and targeted. For example, packaging for an all-natural dietary supplement should probably have a much more nurturing look than that of a bold, performance-enhancing sports supplement.Keep Em’ Coming Back
Many OTC medications are taken on an as-needed basis. However, vitamins and supplements are generally consumed daily. This frequent use makes the OTC industry ideal for customer loyalty programs, which can increase repeat purchases and provide a precious source of data.

No Guts, No Glory
The safe route is for the old guys who have been running the show for a long time. But their grip is loosening, and always will for the new guy who goes to where the ball will be, not where it’s been. But taking chances doesn’t mean risking it all.

KPIs… Fun? No. Critical? Yes
What makes advertising and marketing effective isn’t the numbers. It’s the insights, the creativity and sweating the details. But those skills need to be pointed in the right places. Start with the numbers, know what you are trying to accomplish, stay aware and stay nimble, so you can make your risks less risky.

Case Studies

• Spring Valley — 04/15/25
• MMCOA — 04/09/25
• GoVax — 03/26/25
• Omega-3 — 03/26/25
• St. Joseph Aspirin — 11/19/20

Work Examples

• Maryland Cannabis Association: Youth Prevention Campaign — 09/10/25
• Maryland Cannabis Administration: Safe Storage — 07/21/25
• Maryland Cannabis Administration: Smoke Free Spaces — 02/25/25
• Maryland Cannabis Administration: Impaired Driving — 07/09/24
• GoVAX Real Kids Campaign — 05/23/23
• St. Joseph Products: Aspirin — 03/01/22

Category

Retail & Consumer Services

Consumer services companies face the daunting task of building relationships with consumers in categories that often lack trust.

Everyone offers very similar services and says the same things:

• Lowest price guaranteed!
• This is our biggest discount ever!
• Trust me, I am an expert!

So, creating effective communications can be very challenging.

To generate awareness and drive sales, you must do things differently than everyone else. You need to think and act like a challenger brand! Check out some of our case studies to see how we have helped clients break through the sea of sameness, and then call us to discuss your challenges.BUILD A LIGHTHOUSE IDENTITY

Just as ships navigate the seas by lighthouses, people navigate life by people and organizations of character and conviction. For any company that GKV works with, we start by understanding and clarifying the consumer insights that drive choices. Our goal is to simplify the choice for the consumer.

SIMPLIFY AND SACRIFICE

You can’t afford to be all things to all people. You must focus on a powerful primary message while utilizing the most effective and efficient media vehicles. There are so many stories that a brand could tell about itself, but the strongest brands are usually very single-minded and are willing to sacrifice some secondary messages.CREATE SYMBOLS OF REEVALUATION

Challenger brands want to disrupt the autopilot relationship they may have with the consumer by making visible changes, creating what we call symbols of reevaluation. Maybe a new service or a new logo or a new pricing strategy. Usually, it’s a visible change to the advertising. Whatever the symbols of reevaluation are, the intent is to announce to the consumer that it’s no longer business as usual.

ESTABLISH AN EMOTIONAL CONNECTION

Category leaders generally create the expectations of the category with rational benefits…we’re the biggest, we’re the cheapest, we’re the most convenient, etc. So, that territory is taken. Challenger brands need to be thought leaders. They need to create an emotionally-based rather than a rationally-based relationship with the consumer.

Case Studies

• Constellation Texas — 05/21/25
• Roanoke Cooperative — 05/22/23
• Maryland Lottery: OLD BAY Bucks — 02/28/20
• Molina — 02/28/20
• Sprint: Inertia — 02/28/20

Work Examples

• Bob Bell: Testimonial Campaign — 09/10/25
• Constellation: Texas Electricity Campaign — 06/11/24
• Maryland Lottery: Come and Get Your Fun Campaign — 10/19/23
• MD Lottery: Hot 7s — 05/18/23
• Maryland Lottery: Holiday 2024 — 12/01/22
• SHEFIT: Finally, a sports bra that does its job. — 08/08/22

Category

Telecommunications

Cable, broadband and wireless technologies connect people to the world. And we keep those companies connected to ever-changing needs of consumers. Reliability, relevance and the perfect offer rule the day.

Wireless Services: Value and nimble retail offers rules the day

Mobile devices are lifelines. They guide us through our days and wireless network connectivity makes it all work. Yet consumers are often willing to put up with higher prices, poor service and unreliable connections, especially in more rural areas. To overcome consumer inertia and perceived hassle of switching carriers, effective brand marketing demands communicating value and constantly shifting offers and tactics

Broadband Services: Brand + Value + Promotion = SUCCESS

Life demands the fastest internet speeds and reliable service…morning, noon, day, and night. It is more important than ever to have the right internet provider. Consumers want to be confident that their home is powered with the speed necessary to accomplish what they want, when they want. To drive growth and reduce churn in a highly competitive category, Internet Services Providers must effectively breakthrough and differentiate brand perception while elevating the speed/price value proposition.

Case Studies

• GoNetspeed — 10/02/25
• Shentel — 07/14/21
• Sprint: Big Presence — 12/22/20
• Sprint: Inertia — 02/28/20

Work Examples

• Shentel: Faster Internet. Better Life. — 11/03/20
• Shentel: PowerHouse Internet — 10/23/20
• Sprint: Animal Kingdom Campaign — 02/03/20
• Shentel: Always Connected to You — 10/13/19
• Shentel: Gift Card Promotion — 10/13/19
• Sprint: At The York Fair — 09/20/19

Work Examples

• Blue Shield of California: Age-In Campaign — 07/22/19
• Blue Shield of California: We Are California — 02/03/18

Case Studies

• Bridgestone Golf — 02/28/20

Work Examples

• Bridgestone Golf: Play the Ball the World is Watching — 05/08/19

Work Examples

• Brown & Toland Physicians — 02/27/18

Case Studies

• Calvary — 03/27/25

Work Examples

• Calvary Hospital: In-Home Hospice Campaign — 05/01/24

Work Examples

• CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield: CHPMD (Medicaid) — 06/11/25
• CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield — 02/25/18
• CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield: Open Enrollment — 07/18/17

Case Studies

• Clover Health: Medicare Advantage Digital Marketing — 05/06/24

Work Examples

• Clover Health: Valor Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment Campaign — 03/29/23
• Clover Health: Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment — 06/27/22

Case Studies

• Constellation Texas — 05/21/25

Work Examples

• Constellation: Texas Electricity Campaign — 06/11/24
• Constellation: Tomorrow’s Here — 11/18/20
• Constellation Energy: Decision Tree — 02/05/20

Work Examples

• di•gel: Un-do — 07/23/19

Case Studies

• Spring Valley — 04/15/25
• Omega-3 — 03/26/25

Work Examples

• DSM: Babypalooza — 02/26/20
• Omega-3 Partnership — 07/23/19
• DSM: A Trio Of Global Websites — 01/30/18

Case Studies

• GoNetspeed — 10/02/25

Work Examples

• OSF MedAdvantage — 07/22/20

Case Studies

• Hills Bros. Cappuccino — 04/13/21

Work Examples

• Hills Bros. Coffee: It’s everywhere! — 09/26/22
• Hills Bros.^®+ Mrs. Smith’s: One Delicious Duo — 09/14/21
• Hills Bros. Cappuccino: Every Man — 02/05/20
• Hills Bros. Coffee: Every Man — 02/05/20

Case Studies

• Independence Air — 06/24/21

Case Studies

• L3 Media — 11/11/20
• L3 Social Media — 10/19/20

Work Examples

• L3 Brand History — 11/10/20
• L3 Technologies: Print Ads — 07/22/19

Case Studies

• MMCOA — 04/09/25
• GoVax — 03/26/25

Work Examples

• Maryland Cannabis Association: Youth Prevention Campaign — 09/10/25
• Maryland Cannabis Administration: Safe Storage — 07/21/25
• Maryland Cannabis Administration: Impaired Driving — 07/09/24
• GoVAX Real Kids Campaign — 05/23/23
• MARYLAND DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH: WEBSITE — 06/28/21
• Maryland Department of Health: GoVAX Campaign — 02/19/21

Case Studies

• Maryland Lottery: OLD BAY Bucks — 02/28/20

Work Examples

• Maryland Lottery: Come and Get Your Fun Campaign — 10/19/23
• MD Lottery: Hot 7s — 05/18/23
• Maryland Lottery: Holiday 2024 — 12/01/22
• Maryland Lottery: 2021 Holiday Campaign — 12/17/21
• Maryland Lottery : Holiday 2020 — 11/10/20
• Maryland Lottery: Dreamers — 02/05/20

Work Examples

• Maryland Physicians Care: Healthy Groove — 07/18/17

Case Studies

• McCormick — 04/22/20

Work Examples

• McCormick: No Flavor Like Home — 04/19/20

Work Examples

• OPTAVIA: Brand Launch — 07/23/19
• Medifast: Your whole world gets better — 07/18/17

Case Studies

• Miller Value — 10/28/22

Work Examples

• Miller Value Partners: Brand Development & Website Redesign — 11/17/20
• Miller Value Partners: Brochure — 02/26/20

Case Studies

• Elderplan: AEP — 02/28/20

Work Examples

• MJHS: Website — 08/30/19
• MJHS: Pediatric Hospice — 01/30/18
• MJHS: The Brooklyn Ladies — 07/18/17

Case Studies

• Molina — 02/28/20

Case Studies

• National Penn — 12/29/20

Case Studies

• No Yolks. No Rules! — 10/26/23

Work Examples

• No Yolks: Breaking the rules. Connecting with consumers. — 02/20/24

Work Examples

• Premier Health Plan — 02/26/19

Case Studies

• Roanoke Cooperative — 05/22/23

Case Studies

• Rosedale Federal — 10/24/22

Work Examples

• Rosedale Federal: Residential Mortgage — 07/23/19
• Rosedale Federal: Peace Of Mind — 01/28/18

Case Studies

• San Giorgio — 04/03/25

Work Examples

• San Giorgio: The Right Way to Pasta — 02/13/24

Case Studies

• Shentel — 07/14/21

Work Examples

• Shentel: PowerHouse Internet — 10/23/20
• Shentel: Always Connected to You — 10/13/19
• Shentel: Gift Card Promotion — 10/13/19

Case Studies

• Sprint: Big Presence — 12/22/20
• Sprint: Inertia — 02/28/20

Work Examples

• Sprint: Animal Kingdom Campaign — 02/03/20
• Sprint: At The York Fair — 09/20/19
• Sprint: Unlimited Data — 07/22/19
• Sprint: Website — 02/25/18

Case Studies

• St. Joseph Aspirin — 11/19/20

Work Examples

• St. Joseph Products: Aspirin — 03/01/22
• St. Joseph Products: Cough and Cold — 07/23/19

Work Examples

• Walmart: Spring Valley — 02/27/16

Case Studies

• Werner Ladder — 12/22/20