Anyone can start a business. Few entrepreneurs can build a business that reaches a broad range of clientele with completely different needs, from Fortune 100 companies to nonprofits and local retailers.
Jeff Griffith is one of those few. He is a bold creative personality, whose talents for design, branding, advertising and video content have brought businesses to life for over thirty years and in every American time zone.
Rest assured that Jeff is no upstart. His work has been discussed on CNN, MSNBC, The Ellen DeGeneres Show, and the subject of heated debate on that most authoritative of public fora: The View. He has worked on magazines that could be argued to have even greater cultural bearing than Eden Prairie Lifestyle, such as Men’s Health andO, The Oprah Magazine. He once produced a digital campaign for a Norwegian gaming company so persuasive that YouTube, eager to study it at greater length, extended its run for a month free of charge. And one time, Jeff spearheaded an extensive (and successful) grass roots multimedia campaign to prevent construction of a proposed casino adjacent to the Gettysburg National Military Park in Pennsylvania. He recruited famed composer John Williams, who provided the poignant score, along with Ken Burns, actor Sam Waterson, and other celebrities who volunteered their time.
“I was one of those strange kids who always knew what he wanted to do when he grew up,” Jeff recalls. “Movies. Television. Even commercials. Especially commercials. I wanted to be the one to conceive them – then bring them to life.”
Jeff’s freshly earned UW–Oshkosh degree in journalism and advertising would land the Dairyland native in a most un-Dairylandian place.
“Honolulu,” said Jeff, in a tone that indicated he was presently speaking in Minnesota during winter. “I joined an advertising agency there and quickly learned to adapt my work to Hawaii’s distinctive ethos. I would spend many more years honing my sensitivity to local cultures while working at various media companies, ad agencies and publishing houses in Atlanta, Chicago, Winston-Salem, San Francisco, West Chester, New York City (for 26 years), and now the Twin Cities.
“Of course, now that I’ve returned to the Midwest, I’m once again surrounded by the mindset I grew up with – a homespun appreciation for authenticity.
“But wherever you are, the need for thoughtful branding and advertising are the same. They must make the audience feel something. I want to build brands that are impossible to ignore!
“When I first sit down with a client, my goal is to understand precisely what their business and customers are all about. How will people interact with the brand? Through social media? Yard signs? Online video? A mobile app? Business cards? A diner placemat? No touch point is too small to overlook. If you’re opening a hotel, I’ll envision the guest experience from the second they walk in the door right down to the swizzle sticks in the lobby bar.
“It’s all about finding the universal truth – the emotional connection that doesn’t just drive people to your business, but keeps them coming back.
“Sometimes that calls for humor, as was the case for rebranding a staid forty-year-old barber shop called ‘Don’s’ in Ponte Vedra, Florida. ‘Three talented barbers and 1 crazy one.’ ‘Even mullets need some love.’ ‘The best thing next to donuts.’ (Noting that Don’s is located next to a donut shop.) Those are only a few examples of what turned out to be a very effective multimedia campaign including outdoor, social media, in-store experiences and branded events. It’s quite crazy! Within six months, we were discussing possible franchising!
“Other times, the universal truth calls for boldness. That’s what caused Whoopi Goldberg to hold up my work on the air. It was a full-page New York Post ad for a small addiction treatment center in Central New Jersey, headed by an enormous ‘DON’T DIE LINDSAY,’ which ran when a certain very famous Lindsay had been very publicly in trouble with the law. Among other things, The View ladies argued for seven minutes whether the ad crossed the line.
“But you know what? The treatment center was booked solid as a result. At the end of the day, that single ad started a powerful discussion on national television!”
Whether you’re building a brand from scratch or revitalizing one that’s begging for a refresh, you need an expert who can understand your business, shape your identity, and execute it across every touchpoint with intelligence, heart and grit. Choose Jeff Griffith Creative, where a single Swiss Army Knife of a man will conceive your brand identity from the logo all the way down to its swizzle sticks.
JeffGriffithCreative.com | JeffGriffithCreative@gmail.com | (646) 418-2800
“Every day I strive to create breakthrough, thought-provoking and oftentimes fun, or poignant, sophisticated, entertaining and highly effective content and branding for my clients all over the country, no matter the size or the medium.”
– Jeff Griffith