Daake

Introduce your business and what you do there.

Level 3 Communications is a telecommunications agency based in Colorado. I worked there from 1997 to 2008. I was the chief marketing officer.

What challenge were you trying to address with Daake?

At the time, Level 3 was a startup with a blank canvas, so there was absolutely no identity. Nobody knew of the company in the industry, and Daake was able to define the essence of the brand and the corporate identity. They developed something very strong that represented the new high-tech company that Level 3 was going to be.

What was the scope of their involvement?

I worked with Daake on a variety of projects from high-level corporate projects like annual reports to developing branding icons and different things for internal communications projects. Anything that we needed to have done, we could turn to Daake for their assistance with graphics and branding. Actually, Daake developed the logo and brand for Level 3 Communications. They worked side by side with the chief executive officer at Level 3 and myself to develop the Level 3 corporate identity. As part of that process, about three or four different agencies were simultaneously creating identities because we were moving pretty fast; it was a startup company. Ultimately, we selected the identity that Daake had developed, and it remains the same logo today that it was back in 1998.

They truly were our in-house agency and graphic design resource for quite a while. They did everything from annual reports and advertising, to trade show exhibits and booths. They also helped us with video production and our website. They did everything, even the company Christmas cards. Way before anybody did things electronically, they were developing e-cards for us. They ran the gamut.

How did you come to work with Daake?

Not only was I client of Daake, but I was also an employee at one point. I met Dave [Webster, Principal of Daake] in 1994 and we hit it off. An opportunity came along with one of our clients, Level 3 Communications. I left Daake and went to work for Level 3, and Level 3 remained as a client of Daake at that time as well.

How much have you invested with Daake?

We spend $200,000 and above yearly.

What is the status of this engagement?

I have known and worked with Dave since 1994, and then started working with Daake and Level 3 in 1997 before it was even named. I worked with Dave up until 2008 at Level 3. Then, when I moved to Gates Corporation, I worked with Dave on some projects there; that would’ve been until 2013. I haven’t had a project with Dave since 2013.

Could you share any evidence that would demonstrate the productivity, quality of work, or the impact of the engagement?

I think it’s always hard to put a return on investment on branding and advertising initiatives, but the one that has a direct correlation was our annual reports. They weren’t just financial documents. We used them as marketing pieces when we would go to Wall Street to raise funds. We were using those not only as financial documents but as a way to demystify the technology because it was a new cutting-edge technology that was not readily accepted by the industry and was new to Wall Street. We were able to raise millions of dollars in capital based on those materials.

How did Daake perform from a project management standpoint?

Project management goes back to placing a priority on the client’s business. They were always very responsive. I could call anybody at the agency at any time with any question, issue, or idea. That’s pretty refreshing, that you can just have that type of a relationship with an agency.

What did you find most impressive about Daake?

Not only is the entire team at Daake professional and very talented, but you enjoy working with them because they’ll do whatever it takes to get the job done. They’ll stay up all night. There’s a lot of value in what they charge and the priority that they place on your business.

Are there any areas Daake could improve?

At the time, I think their billing was a little slow. Most agencies want to be paid before they even start a project, but that was never an issue. That was the only thing, that sometimes they were a little slow with getting us their bill so that we could pay them. It could be a problem, but to some, that’s probably a benefit.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I have been on the senior executive team of 2 telecom companies. We took them public and rapidly built them into Fortune 500 companies. It was an intense run and Daake was with us every step of the way.

What challenge were you trying to address with Daake?

Both of these companies grew very quickly, and the initial challenge was to create a brand and marketing strategy, with all that entails. We needed to create a corporate identity, logo, and brand values, always trying to understand who we were, and how we were differentiated in the marketplace.

What was the scope of their involvement?

Daake created a corporate identity, logo, and helped us build a brand through a whole range of activities, including collateral and website advertising. We've run numerous projects with Daake and built the brands together. Everything from internal strategy to all the touch points with the customer, Daake was with us through every step of this complicated process.

How did you come to work with Daake?

I had worked as the CEO of an ad agency on Madison Avenue, so I had some understanding of the agency world. When I first joined our telecom company, the CEO already had some history with Daake. To his credit, because of my background, he gave me complete freedom and license to evaluate the landscape and determine whom I wanted to work with. I looked at a number of options, was impressed with Daake, and tried them out on a couple of tasks. I also bid out our logo work and contacted a number of agencies, both New York and other national ones. Daake did the best work and rose to the top, which was an eye-opener for me. It never occurred to me that an agency in Omaha would surpass that level of work. It was a humbling experience for me, and I've remained impressed with Daake for the last 25 years. They have consistently delivered world-class work.

How much have you invested with Daake?

I can’t disclose that information, but I can say that we've had an across-the-board collaboration with Daake, and called them in for almost everything that we did. We used other agencies occasionally for video work and conferences, but our brand work was entirely done by Daake, and it was comprehensive. We were growing rapidly and becoming a Fortune 500 company, so we were in a hurry. There were many challenges and growing pains with the brand as we continued to acquire companies and merge cultures together. Along the way, there were a number of times when we had open bids, and looked at agencies from around the country for big jobs. In almost all cases, we found Daake's work and pricing to be superior to the other options.

What is the timeline of this engagement?

I've worked with Daake in various capacities for more than 20 years.

Could you share any evidence that would demonstrate the productivity, quality of work, or the impact of the engagement?

The projects were so wide-ranging that it would be impossible to speak about all of them. However, one part of their work that I could point to as incredibly successful was the annual reports they created for us, year after year. We were building the first international network infrastructure to be completely optimized for internet technology. This was when the internet was still in its infancy, so people didn’t really understand what we were doing. We were building a different kind of network, and we needed to tell our story in a way that was clear and compelling to investors, customers, regulators, and potential employees, helping them understand what we were doing and why.

Being able to tell our story effectively was crucial for being able to recruit highly-skilled employees and raise the billions of dollars of capital needed to build an international network. Daake absolutely delivered for us in the shaping and development of our story for each of our critical audiences at each stage of our development as a company.

To give a few examples of our success, working with Daake, our work was frequently recognized and honored at key national marketing and technology conferences. State public utility commissions around the country would contact us and ask for 20 copies of our annual report because they were using them to train their staff.

We also found that industry analysts kept our reports on their shelves as references. One of the most important recognitions we received for the work we did with Daake involved a request we received from the office of the Chairman of the SEC—a request for more copies of our annual report. They told us it was one of the best examples of an annual report they’d seen and wanted to use our report as an example for other companies.

How did Daake perform from a project management standpoint?

Daake had a whatever-it-takes attitude. Whether it was a weekend or 11 o'clock at night, Daake was there working away and doing whatever it took. If we were at a trade show or conference, they worked around the clock. Daake was in the foxhole with us at all times.

What did you find most impressive about Daake?

The caliber of work provided by Daake is first rate. They are as good, or better than anyone I've ever worked with, and never disappointed me. Coming out of the agency world, and having been involved in marketing, public relations, and advertising, I've encountered very talented people who lead with their creative egos and make it difficult to question their vision. This would always lead to tension between the client and the creative team.

With Daake, the ego is taken out of the process. Even though they are an incredibly creative team, they are humble, they listen, aren't afraid to incorporate client input, and gently provide the right direction for the work. Daake let us be a part of the process and explored every idea which was thrown to them. Daake worked with us, compromised, and changed the creative approach, based on our input. It was an incredibly positive experience to go through the creative process with them.

On another note, Daake does not lead with the billing and their budget, which I see as a plus. Daake's focus was always on the work, making the client look good, and delivering whatever they needed. And they never charged as much as I expected them to charge.

I always felt that, out of all the agencies I've known and worked with, Daake's caliber of work, lack of ego, and ability to put the work first were unique and incredibly powerful. Unlike other agencies, which have clients who come and go, Daake creates relationships that last for many years.

Are there any areas Daake could improve?

Daake could do a better job of promoting themselves. Because they do so much work, the old saying "the cobbler's children have no shoes" applies to Daake. Over the years, we've had to convince them to brag a bit more about their work and the parade of prestigious awards they've won and continue to win. Their principal, Dave Webster, is very humble. There’s a reason his clients—and his employees—have stayed with him for so many years.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the president of the company. Upstream Brewing is located in Omaha's Old Market District. We are a 20-year-old brewing company and pub. Our company's name is what “Omaha” translates to from the local Native American language.

What challenge were you trying to address with Daake?

I was looking for a company that could help us develop some marketing materials and a new website for us. We had been undergoing a brand strategy refresh with a different vendor. After this process, we met with a few companies we thought could help us bring that brand vision to life. I felt very comfortable with the Daake team right away, especially after seeing examples of their work. I decided to work with them almost immediately after that meeting.

What was the scope of their involvement?

We started with a brand discovery process that went deeper than the process I initially mentioned. We created material which got to the essence of what we were, and what we were trying to communicate. This was the driving force for everything which we did afterward.

Our logo is solid, and we didn't want to change it, but Daake has updated our advertising and developed our website. The process included a lot of photography and assessment of what we needed, which pages were important and which weren't. Daake did a great job of putting things in the right order, in a succinct way. There are many facets of our business, but we also needed to ensure that the brand would be visible throughout the website, in a consistent manner.

There is a bit of humor which shows through on our website. Even though it has an upscale, wood paneling look, the humor tones it down to the right level.

How did you come to work with Daake?

We received a recommendation for Daake and a few other design and marketing firms in town from a contact, after having a long look in the market. We felt that Daake had the best feel for us.

How much have you invested with Daake?

The total cost of our project with Daake was between $10,000 and $50,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

Our website was completed 6 months ago [March 2016], after close to 9 months of work.

Could you share any evidence that would demonstrate the productivity, quality of work, or the impact of the engagement?

I haven't really looked at the stats lately. As far as the website goes, I can say it's very seasonal. There are important events like the College World Series when we may get 1,800 hits per day. Clients being able to easily make reservations through the site has certainly been a benefit, but I think overall, I’ve just been impressed with the anecdotal evidence of the success of the project. I get comments all the time from people who love the site. Also, it’s been really helpful that we can make modifications when needed, without having to go back to Daake.

What did you find most impressive about Daake?

The best part of working with Daake without a doubt is their people. Daake's team is very enjoyable to work with. They have a good sense of humor, and I've been able to have really good conversations with their principal about business in general. They're a classy outfit, serious about what they do, but also fun. Daake is the third agency that I've used over the last 20 years, and they're the best out of the three, even though the others are larger firms.

Are there any areas Daake could improve?

No. I'm satisfied with what Daake has done for us, and the pricing has been fair. We've been given breaks on pricing at times. Daake understood that we're a smaller business, and has been good in this regard, while also providing tremendous quality.

What tips or recommendations could you share that might increase the likelihood of success with Daake?

Not really. There are no warnings I'd give to others, but not everyone is going to be the right type of client for Daake.

Please provide us with a brief description of your company.

We are a multi-billion dollar Fortune 500 company with more than 20,000 employees.

What is your role at the company?

I am the former Director of Communication & External Relations for the corporate brand.

What was the business challenge that you were trying to address with Daake?

The company was undergoing a time of tremendous change, internally and within its industry. The company had a number of decentralized compliance programs, subject matter experts, and resources. We needed a unified approach in order to educate employees on the importance of acting with integrity. I was the communication lead on the project and approached Daake to create the internal umbrella brand and associated applications for the initiative.

Please describe the scope of their involvement in greater detail.

The project focused on simplifying compliance program communication and unifying messaging under one brand. Daake used their exploratory process, gathering insights, and developed a brand to educate employees and build awareness for the program. In addition, Daake created a series of marketing applications as part of the campaign launch.

How did you come to work with Daake?

Daake’s relationship with the company spans more than two decades, providing a range of creative, brand design, and advertising services. The firm’s institutional knowledge, along with award-winning work and tenured staff, provided the bench strength I needed on this complex communication challenge. I would not have entrusted this work to any other firm.

Could you provide a sense of the size of this initiative in financial terms?

We have spent between $50,000 and $100,000.

What was the timeline of the project?

About 9 months from concept to launch.

Could you share any statistics or metrics from this engagement?

We launched the campaign with a video message from company leadership to demonstrate support of the program, followed by a series of integrated communications. Within the first 30 days, we saw increased awareness and engagement from our employees on the topic. The campaign accomplished the goal of creating a unified thread to simplify a complex topic and helped employees understand their role in upholding the company’s integrity-based culture.

What distinguishes Daake from other providers?

During my tenure with the company, I approached my relationship with Daake collaboratively, where they functioned as an extension of my team. Collaboration with clients, agencies, and vendors, aligned toward common business goals, is paramount to how Dave Webster [Principal and Chief Creative Officer] has run his business for the last 30 years. The resulting work is smart, inspired, memorable, and distinctive.

Is there anything Daake could have improved or done differently?

I have a long history with Daake and know their work well. I can’t think of anything I would have done differently on this project. The work was well received by company leadership and met our communication objectives.

Please describe your organization, and what is your role there?

Currently, I'm a professor in marketing, and I operate small marketing consulting firm. However, in past lives, I've served as the CMO at several Fortune 500 companies. I've worked with Dave (CEO, Daake) at most of those companies.

What business challenge were you trying to address with Daake?

There have been so many challenges through the years that it's hard to give you a summary. Typically, the work has been design-focused for various marketing projects. However, there are always going to be a strategic component when you're working with Daake.

Here's the thing about Dave. He and his group do extremely high-quality work—technically and creatively—from those perspectives. Also, they don't have a bunch of attitude baggage. They believe that their job is to provide the best possible design solution for a client, even if the client doesn't understand what that is. Sometimes, they're in a position of bringing a client up to speed, and if the client is smart enough, they actually hang around and figure out what they need to learn.

I've used Daake on various assignments usually when we needed to get some identity put forth or when we needed to get some fresh ideas or fresh design work on a project. I tell you something else; when it comes to something like an annual report, Dave has an eye that I have never experienced. I'm not being overly crazy when I say this. You will find people in the industry that don't come even close to what he does. It's extraordinary.

Could you provide a sense of the size of this initiative in financial terms?

Again, it's varied so much. A number of years ago, I was working at a company that was sponsoring the Hawaii Bowl (postseason college football game). Daake went there and filled the entire stadium with graphics of our company. That obviously was a sizeable project. In any given year, I'm sure I'm spent seven figures with Dave. That's one of the things that's great about Dave. He's capable of doing anything—anywhere. From decorating a sports stadium to designing annual reports, his expertise ranges from the very simplest to the very most complicated, and all of it is great.

How long have you being working with Daake?

It's embarrassing. The first time I actually worked with Dave, he was working for an agency. This was back in the '80s. Dave was an art director, and his work was so much better than anyone else's. I was working for Goodfella's Pizza at the time and, eventually, I went onto Pizza Hut. I separated from that agency. But, I hired Dave to do some projects for me right away because I knew what he was capable of.

What are the results of Daake's work? Could you share any statistics or metrics from the projects?

Well, that's a magic word – success metrics. I love it, I hate it, and I understand it. What are success metrics and what does it matter? Design is very difficult to measure. If people say it's simple then they're missing the whole point of design, they truly are. It's a false paradox when it comes to that because many people are just selling things they don't even know exactly what they're talking about. My point with this is simple. Every time that Dave has worked on a project—every time—there has been at some point in time where I had to answer to a boss. Someone that said, "Is that a fair price for what we got, and did it do anything for us?" I have to tell you, I can't think of a time when it didn't work out—when it wasn't positive.

Let me give you maybe an example of that. One of the more unusual projects that Dave has done for me was at my previous company. We had done this visioning exercise, and the exercise was to get the top 100 leaders in the company together and have them describe what they felt would be their vision for the company. We then translated all that information into covers of famous magazines, a parody of sorts, and put the pictures of these people on the cover, along with copy that would describe what it is that their vision was.

Dave helped us pull that visual off so that someone could look at themselves full size on a magazine cover, we blew them all up and filled an entire ballroom with 100 pictures of magazine covers. Now, when people walked in, looked at that, and saw all these magazine covers, how do you measure that? How do you measure the effect of people feeling appreciated and knowing that they were a hero in whatever their particular task was? 

I can tell you this: every time I've done work with Dave, someone has walked away and made a comment about the quality of it, about the message, about the cleverness, or about something that's struck them.

When it comes down to specific ads that we created, we've done projects where they needed to move the needle, and Daake came up with creative solutions that struck at the core of the strategy. The result was that the prospect that they were shooting for saw that ad, recognized the ad, and responded by contacting the company. That was verifiable, and those metrics matter. But, Daake's work often goes beyond simple advertising and enters the realm of brand building, which is not really measurable.

What distinguishes Daake from other providers?

Commitment—period. There's no one more committed to the objective of the task. No one that I've ever met that is more committed to the objective of the task. They're just extraordinary at doing that.

Is there anything Daake could have improved or done differently?

It sounds silly if I say nothing, so I'm inclined to say something. The only thing I wish they'd do is to promote themselves more. That's just for their own good. I truly believe that this is the best vendor I've ever worked with in my career. That may sound like a gross exaggeration, but it's not.