November 10
BULLDOG KNOWS SPORTS
Bulldog Drummond just completed a deep dive into all that is sports and sports food for ESPN Zone, the popular restaurant and sports bar chain operated by The Walt Disney Company. Bringing together American Grill food, more than 10,000 square feet of interactive games and an unparalleled HDTV viewing experience, ESPN Zone occupies a unique position in the food service sector. However, research showed that sports fans didn't necessarily know that ESPN Zone had a full restaurant. By playing up ESPN Zone's deep sports heritage, Bulldog Drummond created a campaign which includes merchandise, consumer experience touch-points, advertising, menu and more, bringing together all aspects of the ESPN Zone experience with new creative positioning.
November 5
PROTECHNOLOGY IS A HIT
After more than 15 years of making the best hockey equipment in the NHL, Easton Hockey has made its first helmet. The challenge for Bulldog: communicating to players that despite being a new category, Easton has once again delivered a product that is best in its class. "Protechnology" is a platform Bulldog developed for a microsite devoted to the Stealth S17 which highlights the helmet's attention to form, fit and function. Within hours of launching, the new microsite recieved more than 1,260 hits, and another 3,833 people visited the site the following day. The microsite is divided into four sections. "Protechnology" (the S17 defined), "Blognology" (S17 reviews), "Formnology" (S17 headform contest), and "Videonology" (S17 in action)."
November 1
BULLDOG DIVES INTO THE YOGURT
Bulldog Drummond is honored to announce its strategic partnership with frozen yogurt phenomenon Pinkberry. Bulldog's partnership with the yogurt pioneer includes 360 degree involvement in the brand including guiding brand, marketing, online, PR and overall innovation. Bulldog is honored to be working with one of the most talked about and refreshing brands in the design and food space over the last couple of years. Ever since Pinkberry opened in 2005, it has developed a cult following with its simple menu of yogurt and assorted toppings such as fresh-cut fruit blueberries, strawberries and coconut flakes. The privately held company has 69 stores in California and New York.
October 1
SNACKTRITION ON TV
Snacktrition, the new line of fiber and calcium-enriched snacks from Mama Mellace's, was recently featured in a healthy snacking spot on KUSI-TV. In the spot, KUSI-TV correspondent Beck Bamburger makes a visit to the Mama Mellace's kitchen to see how the new line of health-conscious snacks are made. Snacktrition almonds and cashews are health-baked through a simple oven-roasting process developed to provide less fat and a more natural and flavorful crunch compared to traditional oil- roasted varieties. The full line of healthy snacks provides snackers with a healthy alternative to snacking. Click here to tour the Mama Mellace's kitchen yourself: http://blip.tv/file/1205960. Working closely with the Mama Mellace's team, Bulldog Drummond named, branded and helped bring Snacktrition to market.
September 24
THREAD GETS A TAN
Thread, a traveling fashion expo showcasing independent designers, has gone national. Celebrating its fifth anniversary this year, Thread has grown from two shows a year in San Diego to shows all over the country including Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Seattle, San Francisco, and—most recently—Miami. Bulldog Drummond played a key role in mapping out plans for growth as well as helping to build a broader revenue model and new consumer experience touchpoints. Thread has been working with Bulldog for the past two years to increase awareness in the fashion and consumer experience spaces. A new online experience is in the works.
September 17
LONG LIVE FUN WITH 77KIDS
77Kids, a new clothing line for kids 0-12 from American Eagle Outfitters, will launch online this December with brick-and-mortar sites to follow in 2010. In preparation for the launch, Bulldog Drummond has been working closely with the AEO team on every aspect of the business from brand strategy, overall identity, and product packaging to online experience, strategy to market and promotional events for launch. Like the clothing that stands behind it, the 77Kids brand has been built with a very careful filter to be relevant to both moms' needs and kids' wants. "Long live fun" expresses the 77Kids brand philosophy of creating clothing that lets kids be kids.
September 14
SNACKTRITION WINS TOP HONORS
Snacktrition, the new line of fiber and calcium-enriched snacks from Mama Mellace's, has received several awards from ShapeYou.com in their annual "Gear of the Year" awards. Snacktrition Sea Salt Almonds with Calcium were recognized as “Top Gear of the Year” in the Natural and Organic Food Products category, while Sea Salt Cashews with Fiber, Salt & Pepper Cashews with Fiber, Smoked Almonds with Calcium, and Fruit & Nut Mix with Fiber and Calcium each received a “Great Gear of the Year” award. "We are thrilled that Snacktrition is being recognized as a great tasting and nutritious snacking option," says Mike Mellace, president and chief executive officer. "Snacktrition makes it easier for people to incorporate the goodness of additional fiber and calcium into their daily routine." Working closely with the Mellace's team, Bulldog Drummond named, branded and helped bring Snacktrition to market.
September 4
EUFORA LAUNCHES "NATURE IS OUR STYLIST"
Bulldog Drummond just completed a new advertising campaign for the Carlsbad-based hair care company Eufora. "Nature is our stylist" will launch in September and continues to build on the strategic brand platform Bulldog and Eufora built together just over a year ago. Sales are up, the brand has renewed presence in the market, and a high-end product line is on the way. "We were looking to partner with an agency that would become intimately involved with our brand and could bring us original business solutions in creating a unique and compelling brand image." says Eufora founder Don Bewley. "Bulldog has been spot on in their approach to elevating our brand's market position which has clearly distinguished us from our competitors."
September 1
WESTFIELD LONG ISLAND GAINS COMMUNITY APPROVAL
Westfield South Shore and Westfield Sunrise each received community approval this week to go ahead with their planned revitalization. Bulldog Drummond worked with Westfield's Development Marketing team on both Long Island properties to create the renderings that established a vision for the region. Bulldog's goal was to differentiate each property from the other, while simultaneously linking both in a unified Long Island shopping experience that fits with the local culture and lifestyle. Bulldog is currently working on creating new leasing communications to represent the revitalization as the centers move ahead with redevelopment.
August 26
CLEANWELL GOES TO THE DEMOCRATIC NATIONAL CONVENTION
CleanWell has been named the hand sanitizer of choice of the Democratic National Convention. According to a convention press release, CleanWell was chosen because it doesn't contain Triclosan, a suspected carcinogen commonly found in antibacterial soaps and dozens of other consumer products. Leveraging the natural, germ-killing power of thyme and oregano, CleanWell's all-natural formulation sanitizes just as well as synthetics, without the harmful side-effects. "Green" is one of the themes of this weekend's activities; other green initiatives include the use of biodegradable trash bags and lower-impact food containers, extensive recycling of paper, plastic and aluminum beverage containers, and efforts to track the convention's overall carbon footprint. CleanWell will be distributed via dispensers at the Pepsi Center.
August 19
BULLDOG AND THE FDA GO ON A DEEP DIVE
Bulldog Drummond is leading a two-day collaborative workshop with the FDA to look at internal working processes, purpose, passion, shared interests, and celebrating common successes. The two-day session will take the 25-person team through a number of experiential exercises to introduce team members to new ways of thinking and working together. The intensive deep dive is a part of Hatch, Bulldog's proprietary innovation process for jump-starting new growth with its strategic partners.
August 15
STRATEGIC GROWTH FOR CATS AND DOGS
As part of an ongoing strategic relationship with The Honest Kitchen, Bulldog Drummond is guiding the development of a five-year business plan to help the company solidify its vision and operating goals for the future. Specifically, Bulldog is helping The Honest Kitchen develop their product pipeline, their online e-commerce strategy, and forming an advisory board to advise the company on key operating issues on an ongoing basis.
August 3
TOY SHOPPING WITH MATTEL
Bulldog Drummond has completed a project working with children's toy manufacturer Mattel to take a look at the future of toys. Working in close collaboration with Mattel's executive team, and with the market research company Hypothesis, Bulldog conducted a thorough review of ethnographic and quantitative research Mattel and Hypothesis conducted with moms and kids to identify insights that may lead to areas of opportunity. These insights will be developed into tangible and actionable Points of View that internal and external teams can share with the rest of the company.
July 14
BULLDOG DRUMMOND GIVES FLORESTA A BRAND MAKEOVER
Floresta, a San Diego-based non-profit that uses environmental programming to combat poverty, has tasked Bulldog Drummond with giving it a complete brand makeover including a new identity, a new website, and a new campaign to raise awareness about the connection between poverty and environmental degradation. Now approaching its 25th anniversary, Floresta has planted over 3.5 million trees, issued more than 4,600 loans, and transformed tens of thousands of lives of the rural poor by helping them become more self-sufficient. The brand makeover will help communicate the stories of lasting, meaningful change Floresta effects in the communities it serves to its target audience.
July 7
BULLDOG TEAMS UP WITH ARTHUR ELGORT
Bulldog Drummond recently teamed up with renowned Vogue photographer Arthur Elgort as part of the Fall campaign for Martin + Osa, a division of American Eagle Outfitters. Arthur Elgort has been at the forefront of fashion photography since the mid 1960s. The campaign was shot in New York and Brooklyn and will run in-store, online and in national fashion magazines around the country. Now with 22 stores nationwide, Martin + Osa Refined Casual Clothing + Accessories is a brand Bulldog Drummond helped create just three years ago as part of a close collaboration with American Eagle.
June 30
BULLDOG BOOTCAMP 2
The Bulldog team flexed its mental and physical muscles this week as part of a half-year review of project work and overall business. The day began with a vigorous half-day boot camp in Balboa Park where Bulldoggers learned basic self-defense, rotated through an interval training circuit, and worked on developing core strength. The second half of the day was spent reviewing key projects from the past six months and breaking into teams to discuss successes, challenges and opportunities for growth. "The day was designed to build a deeper level of personal confidence and connections among the team," says Cat Berry, the shop's Chief Whip. Adds design-Thinker Mario Garcia: "Those throw-down sit-ups kicked my abs! I'm now five packs away from a six pack."
June 25
2008 A NEW SCHOOL IN MALAWI
As a part of an overall commitment to making a difference in people's lives, Bulldog Drummond will partner with World Vision and Y-Malawi to help fund a new elementary school in Nkhoma. The school will open in 2009 and serve 200 students each year. In a nation where nearly half the population struggles to live on less than $1 a day, education plays a key role in shaping and affecting change. HIV/AIDS has taken a huge toll in the country, affecting nearly a quarter of the country's 4 million people. On the bright side: three years ago Malawi established a special fund to help its farmers get fertilizer and high-yield seeds. The famine-prone country's harvest doubled in one year, and it is now a model for other African countries in the grips of the food shortage crisis.
June 18
2008 WD40 LOOKS TO BULLDOG TO LOOK FORWARD
Bulldog Drummond just completed a 90-day strategic review for WD40's Team Tomorrow— WD40's internal innovation group—to identify areas of opportunity that will help Team Tomorrow expand its impact on the company and spark further innovation. Through close collaboration with key Team Tomorrow leaders, Bulldog's deep-dive covered everything from WD40 inter-departmental perceptions, internal vision and product pipeline to the company's innovation processes and trajectory. By detailing how and when innovation happens, and identifying what challenges prevent innovation from occurring, Bulldog paved the way for new areas of growth and change.
June 12
2008 WESTFIELD UTC WINS PLANNING COMMISSION APPROVAL
Westfield UTC reached a huge milestone Thursday when the City of San Diego Planning Commission voted overwhelmingly to recommend approval of the redevelopment to City Council. The redevelopment is part of a greater collaboration between Bulldog and Westfield to revitalize and reposition Westfield shopping centers around the country. For UTC, Bulldog created a community-inspired vision that looked beyond shopping to connect to the San Diego lifestyle. The new UTC will emphasize sustainable building materials, open-air plazas, and extensive gardens to create a fresh outdoor experience reflective of the unique character of San Diego. Bulldog is currently working with Westfield on vision projects in Connecticut, Long Island, Florida and Los Angeles.
June 5
2008 BULLDOG GIVES HIGHLAND CAPITAL A TURNAROUND PLAN
The private equity division of Highland Capital in Dallas recently hired Bulldog Drummond to conduct a strategic review into the business operations of Home Interiors, one of its portfolio companies in need of a drastic turnaround strategy. Bulldog's review included a deep dive into the sales, distribution, product design, brand and communication functions of the business. Using our "discovery, translation, creation" process, Bulldog framed Home Interior's challenges and delivered both short and long term initiatives to drive change.
June 1
2008 BILL SAGER JOINS BULLDOG AS DESIGN THINKER
Bulldog Drummond is pleased to welcome Bill Sager to the team. Originally from Wisconsin, Bill and his fiance moved to San Diego for the weather and surf and have no plans on moving back. Bill's work experience includes a stint at local San Diego ad agency Vitrorobertson where he worked on such clients as Yamaha, Newcastle Brewing and Taylor Guitars. However, it was the fact that Bill—at age 8—performed Thriller in front of a crowd of 2,000 for a high school talent competition that won him the job at Bulldog. Expect to see quicktime videos of Bill doing the moonwalk and robot on the Bulldog Website 2.0. And pick up this month's issue of Surfer Magazine to see his winning design for the Surfer Vans Cover Contest.
June 1
2008 BULLDOG'S PASSION FOR THE PALE
After a year-long deep dive into all that is beer, Firestone Walker Brewing Company launched the newly refreshed brand image and "Passion for the Pale" campaign created by Bulldog. Working closely with company founders Adam Firestone and David Walker, Bulldog looked at every aspect of the popular Paso Robles microbrewery to develop a complete new business and brand strategy. The brand refresh includes both new packaging and a website redesign that feature a wrestling lion and bear. The bear and lion are a nod to Firestone's inspired leadership—two brothers-in-law whose frequent disagreements result in a better, more passionate product. The strategy behind the quirky "Passion for the Pale" was driven by the Firestone's true passion for world class pale ales and brewing practices.
