The Client:

Nice Shoes is a full service design, animation, visual effects and color grading studio based in NYC, specializing in commercials, web content, film, TV and music videos. Since its inception in 1996, Nice Shoes has established itself as the trusted name for agencies such as Y&R, Ogilvy, Grey and a host of high-end brands in advertising and entertainment alike.

The Challenge:

When TRUST and Nice Shoes began collaborating in 2009, Nice Shoes was already renowned as one of the preeminent color grading houses in advertising. What Nice Shoes needed was TRUST's expert PR and marketing team to shine a light on the breadth of its exceptional VFX and Design capabilities, to raise general brand awareness and to provide full service solutions for a host of ever-shifting communications needs.

The Strategy:

Reach relevant trades and blogs through targeted storytelling:

Rather than implementing the age-old PR model of casting a wide net and reaching trade editors through static press releases, TRUST tailored its outreach to blogs and trades that would drive home Nice Shoes' renewed brand messaging. TRUST set up Nice Shoes' news as interactive HTML releases to optimize reader engagement, sent to key media contacts and pushed Nice Shoes' identity as the go-to studio for VFX, design, color grading, and innovative services.

Connect with industry contacts through direct marketing:

With its extensive database of industry contacts, TRUST managed the dissemination of Nice Shoes event announcements and monthly newsletters to key members of the advertising community. Utilizing a decade of experience in building connections in the industry, TRUST developed strategically targeted email marketing campaigns to put the Nice Shoes message in front of the right audience consistently.

Optimize company website to appeal to prospective clients and maintain brand messaging:

A brand's website is the cornerstone of its online presence and requires constant maintenance. Understanding this, TRUST took over the administration of the Nice Shoes site, serving as an all-purpose web contractor and communications consultant. With its team of writers and technical experts, TRUST kept the Nice Shoes website current with a constant stream of fresh content and up-to-date technologies.

The Results:

Increased brand awareness across the media spectrum:

From speaking engagements to exposure in reputable blogs and trades, TRUST's efforts lifted the visibility of Nice Shoes' on-staff talent, range of services, and work with top agencies. Consistent contact with influential editors and bloggers ensured long-term relevancy in the advertising space, which in turn, created new business opportunities.

Established active online community:

With a burgeoning community of close to 3,000 followers on Twitter and Facebook, Nice Shoes has witnessed organic social media growth since 2009-- a product of TRUST's careful curating of the company's groundbreaking work and vibrant culture. Advertising and entertainment game changers, top trade editors and bloggers, Nice Shoes staff, and many more flocked to the company's Twitter and Facebook pages to interact with the brand and its talent.

Built a vital online storefront for the Nice Shoes brand:

TRUST made a number of communications-related enhancements to the Nice Shoes website--restructuring its menus to better advertise Nice Shoes VFX, creative finishing and beauty work, outfitting it with appropriate social media buttons, and attending to the inevitable volley of technical glitches that arise with any online presence. TRUST also helped the Nice Shoes staff develop a system for providing regular updates of exciting new work to the site's dedicated news section, supplementing this with noteworthy projects, new hires, and award wins from TRUST press releases.

Generated sales leads with Direct Marketing analytics:

Using data derived from its Direct Marketing campaigns and shrewd research techniques, TRUST was able to deliver a series of tools to aid the Nice Shoes sales team in targeting prospective accounts. These included regularly updated lists of brand advocates, lists measuring brand awareness among advertising agencies and lists of targeted prospects tailored to Nice Shoes' professional strengths.