Financial Services B2B Media Campaign Earns DeSantis Breindel a Summit Creative Award

B2B branding and marketing firm DeSantis Breindel is a winner in the 2011 Summit Creative Award® competition. The agency received recognition for its B2B media campaign for their client Stephens, an independent financial services firm based in Little Rock, AR.

Stephens was at a critical moment of transformation. While other investment firms were floundering in the tumultuous financial markets of recent years, Stephens held an enviably secure position – built on strong relationships, integrity and prudent risk-taking,” said Howard Breindel, Partner and Co-Founder of DeSantis Breindel. “To capitalize on this opportunity, Stephens needed a clearly defined and uniquely positioned brand, deployed across the most effective communications channels.”

Following extensive internal and external research, the agency recommended a new brand based on independence: independence from external shareholders, independence from the herd mentality of Wall Street, independence from stale thinking. The brand was distilled in a tagline, “Capitalize on Independence.”

“The new brand was implemented internally and externally through multiple channels, including online and print advertising, a new website, microsites, corporate video, an internal brand launch and an ongoing employee engagement program,” said Dru DeSantis, Partner and Co-Founder of DeSantis Breindel. “We focused on consistent, synchronized messaging across these channels to ensure that all of Stephens’ key stakeholders were engaged with the new brand.”

About the Summit Creative Award

Now in its 17th year, the Summit Creative Award recognizes and celebrates the creative accomplishments of small and medium sized advertising agencies and other creative groups with annual billings under $30 million. Over the seventeen years, the competition has established itself as the premier arbiter of creative excellence for firms of this size and has become a coveted honor worth touting.

Entries in 23 major categories are judged against a stringent set of standards. Judges search for innovative and creative concepts, strong executions and the ability to communicate and persuade. Winners were selected in a wide-range of categories from print and broadcast to, emerging media and viral marketing.