Rocket, Reprised: Cincinnati agency blazing into 2011 with national Addy buzz, a diversification mandate, new clients and a new office in The Windy City

In early 2010, Joel Warneke, Greg Fehrenbach and their crew at Rocket Science + Design were cranking out a dynamic brand of branding business, enjoying a healthy buzz from a national Addy award (the only Cincinnati agency to do so), and grooming a client list anchored by a Fortune 50 spinoff.

The agency was dutifully spreading its wings across a wide variety of platforms and services, gaining steam with a simple sales approach:

Rocket Science offers the big-brand experience of Cincinnati and New York Madison Avenue agencies, with the same amount of panache and creativity, just without the big bill and attitude.

A funny thing happened on the road to Easy Street, however.

Aforementioned Fortune 50 spinoff decided to consolidate all of its business with a single agency network.

The Rocket response?

Gulp.

Gut-check.

And get on with life. Such is agency life in the new normal that the American economy in general, the advertising industry specifically, have become.

“It was most definitely a test of who we are, what kind of resiliency does the agency have. And just how good are we?” Fehrenbach said. “This was as big a challenge as we’ve faced.”

The first order of business was a diversification mandate, spearheaded by their new business development team of Liz Lindley and Chuck Tabri.

Secondly, Rocket Science concentrated on its own brand identity, embracing its roots as a small design firm.

“We’re a boutique, not a department store,” says Warneke. “Our offerings are specific, limited and focused on how our strengths best elevate the brand.”

The company also widened its field to target medium- and small-sized businesses, clients who traditionally may not have the marketing resources to engage a first-class agency.

THE REBOUND OF THE ROCKET

Heading into 2011, the agency founded in 1999 in Cincinnati’s Over-the-Rhine district has most certainly regained its pace, as evidenced by:

- adding at least a dozen new clients across a range of industries;
- opening a new office in Warneke’s hometown of Chicago;
- successfully achieving a wide diversification of clientele, amidst a brutal economic backdrop.

“The diversification mandate means we’re taking care of some fairly large names in the corporate space, companies like Luxottica, Cintas and Valvoline. But we’re also proud to call the 2010 Kelly Cup Champions, the Cincinnati Cyclones, a valued client,” said Warneke, also noting the addition of Neurowave Medical from Chicago.

Other new clients with whom the agency established relationships this year include Meridian Bioscience, Mammotome, Ohio Heart and Vascular, Healthcare Regional Marketing, Senior Resources Alliance and Horizon Community Church.

“While we’ve developed a niche specialty in healthcare marketing, we are equally experienced in other consumer and business-to business categories such as sports and outdoor recreation, the finance and banking industry, and the arts and non-profit sector,” Warneke said.

“What’s been particularly encouraging is clients immediately realize how quickly we can positively impact their business. We are blue sky, innovative and conceptual thinkers. We are commited to elevating the brands with which we work to new heights.”

Indeed, the recipe at Rocket Science + Design reaches far beyond the design realm into the brand strategy and development arena. A proprietary service, dubbed “Rocketyping,” helps the clients and design team leverage a brand’s personality and deeply connect with their target audience.

Areas of specialty are identity, packaging graphics, on-product branding, collateral design, environmental graphics (retail, trade shows and event branding), user interface, name generation and digital motion graphics.

The Rocket Science crew possesses a wealth of experience, having clocked years at major corporate players such as Procter and Gamble and Johnson and Johnson, and major global branding agencies.

They labor inside a creativity-inspiring space where the door is always open to clients, and business partners, as a “home away from home” when they’re on the road, in the neighborhood, or simply looking for a breath of fresh air and change of scenery from their main workplace.

At Horizon Community Church in Newtown (www.horizoncc.com), which just built a multimillion-dollar facility to share with a fast-growing congregation, Rocket Science was a pleasant surprise to Creative Arts Pastor Paul Tate.

NO PLACE FOR THE POMPOUS

Tate emanates from the design/agency world. He owned his own design firm for several years.

He felt proud to serve as the brand shepherd at Horizon, and was leery when the church board sought outside help to develop a new logo and associated brand implications.

“When we set out to refresh the Horizon brand, I was a bit defensive, having had too many experiences with prima donna designers who weren’t particularly collaborative or communicative,” Tate said.

Enter Rocket Science + Design. Exit Tate’s reservations.

“To my surprise, the Rocket Science team was the exact opposite. I was very impressed by the quality of the work, but even more impressed by the quality of people I was working with.

“It’s a testament to Greg and Joel that they’ve assembled such a great group. I admire their design skills, but they’re also fun and down-to-Earth people, easy to exchange ideas with, and open enough to listen to our perspective on things,” Tate said.

“They worked with us, rather than working above us, or condescending to us. It’s a refreshing thing that I haven’t seen with other agencies and design firms,” Tate added.

At Mason-based Senior Resources Alliance (www.sranet.org), a membership-based organization that provides insight, expertise and strategic solutions for the senior living service provider community, Rocket Science unleashed its full-throttle Rocketyping.

The agency spent more than a year with Senior Resources Alliance (SRA) personnel on sales calls, at member meetings, strategic planning sessions, attending trade shows and lobbying events.

The result was a new name, a new brand message, a completely different way of thinking and image of the company within its own ranks.

Over the first part of 2011, SRA will launch its new brand with Rocket Science guiding the way.

“After we met with them, we felt a certain connection. We liked the work they had done, but we also really appreciated the fact that they wanted to dig deeper with us to find out who we were, who our customers were, and how we went about our business on a day-to-day basis as well as our long-term goals,” said President and CEO R. Scott Collins.

“Rocket Science has helped us tell our story. They did an in-depth brand audit with members and stakeholders to find out what people really thought about us.

"What we discovered was people couldn’t clearly articulate who we were, or what we did. The time was right to undergo a big shift in our brand, and these guys were instrumental in helping us accomplish that,” Collins said.

For more information about Rocket Science + Design, please visit the suburban HQ at 5939 Deerfield Boulevard, right behind the glorious Deerfield Towne Center, call (513) 398-1700 or visit www.Rocket201.com.

To reach Partners Greg Fehrenbach, and/or Joel Warneke, send respective e-mails to: greg@Rocket201.com and joel@Rocket201.com.

For media inquiries regarding Rocket Science + Design, please contact Mr. Andy Hemmer, President of AndyHemmer.com PR at (513) 604-5428 or andy@andyhemmer.com.

Rocket Science + Design is a boutique firm with Big Brand Experience, located in suburban Cincinnati (Deerfield Township).

Rocket Science + Design
5939 Deerfield Boulevard
Mason, Ohio 45040
(513) 489-1700
Press Contact: Andy Hemmer
andyhemmer@me.com
(513) 604-5428

This release was published on openPR.