Check out these project case studies that highlight some of our marketing and advertising solutions to get a feel for the work we create.
Case Study #1: National Franchise Brand Found Success Outsourcing Marketing Services
Street Corner Urban Market opened its first convenience store inside West Ridge Mall in Topeka, Kan., in 1988. Since then, the company has grown to several dozen franchises located across the country.
The Challenge: Street Corner expanded its franchise options to include four business models, each geared to different market opportunities with a range of start-up requirements. They needed sophisticated yet concise presentations they could utilize to walk prospective franchisees through these options, and they needed to convey a “You can’t lose!” message.
The Solution: Four sleek and customizable presentations built on Microsoft’s digital storytelling app Sway.
Case Study #2: Ogden Publications: From Face-to-Face to Virtual Events
For more than 10 years, the Mother Earth News Fairs have been America’s go-to event for folks interested in gardening, hobby farming, off-grid living, natural health, and food independence.
The Challenge: In March of 2020, the global pandemic brought a freeze to large gatherings for the foreseeable future and Ogden Publications needed a quick transition to hosting events in a virtual environment. We needed to create a virtual Mother Earth News Fair within eight weeks that could salvage the company’s event business in 2020 and beyond!
The Solution: We created the Mother Earth News Fair Online: Summer 2020. The virtual event featured eight course categories, each with 7-8 prerecorded workshop videos from veteran Fair speakers. We marketed three key benefits to “attendees”: no travel expenses; no limit on the number of times a workshop could be viewed: and, because you could attend from the comfort of home, no distance hurtle. The event attracted more than 5,000 guests and delivered six figures in attendance and sponsorship revenue, all at a fraction of the cost compared to an in-person event. The company gained expertise and a new model for customer engagement that will likely grow well into the future.
Case Study #3: Stretching Resources
The Topeka Swim Association is a USA Swimming-sanctioned community swim club. Historically, the club had good success in garnering membership using flyers distributed to local schools.
The Challenge: In March of 2020, schools were closed for in-person learning and the club had to find new ways to reach their target audience.
The Solution: We were able to successfully launch a social media campaign that not only saved hundreds of dollars in printing expenses, but also increased participation by 50% from the 2019 tryouts.
Case Study #4: Increasing Customer Value with Native Content
A few years ago, the publisher at Ogden Publications decided to expand their advertising offerings to include native advertising. Native ads are marketing content that match the editorial design and tone of the magazine and should blend extremely well with regular articles. The content needs to be carefully curated, informative, and minimally disruptive to avoid eroding the brand’s integrity. Native advertising can be either paid or used for internal marketing initiatives.
The Challenge: To establish a native advertising content template that seamlessly integrated with the magazine’s editorial guidelines and include drafted native content for ancillary merchandise sales.
The Solution: At Bluestem Creative, we believe an important cornerstone to good business is good storytelling. Native advertising is a direct way of providing customers with valuable information that can be useful in their lives, earning their trust and loyalty. Here’s an example of one of our native projects with content that serves value and inspiration to the reader while also engaging them with a targeted product offering.
