We’re asking this question because Duft Watterson team members recently attended the 1% for the Planet Annual Summit in Los Angeles. As a 1% member, Duft Watterson is aligned with companies that include Patagonia, Honest Tea, Nature’s Path, and others who give 1% of our gross revenue each year to approved non-profit partners. We put … Continued
We all know first impressions are oh so very important, from dating to website design. A landing page or homepage is a first-impression opportunity that should align with your brand aspirations, and wording should be precise and strategically placed for optimal UX, SEO and brand support. Simply put, great website design can create credibility, which … Continued
When Bluefin, a leader in the data and payment security industry, came to us for help refreshing their brand identity, language and lead-gen website, we were eager to get started
Idaho’s summertime brings warm days at the lake, campgrounds and busy roads. With the rise in highway traffic, these travel months mark the “100 deadliest days” on roadways. For the past two years, DW joined arms with the Idaho Transportation Department to tackle behaviors that contribute to crashes. Nationally, fatal highway crashes increased in 2020. … Continued
Climate change is all around us and is becoming impossible to ignore. Warmer temperatures, rising sea levels and wildfires devastating the planet are no longer news. As a concerned advertising agency and One Percent for the Planet member, we followed our motto “show, don’t tell” to recreate two limited-run national park posters envisioning the potential … Continued
A while back Miller Brewing Company had a headline snafu. But not just any snafu. A billboard-sized error. They wrote the following headline for a billboard, which they paired with an image of their beer: A tasty contradiction. Except they spelled the last word “contraditcion”. Whoops. Typos happen. They’re always going to happen. The important … Continued
the ask For over 100 years, Washington Trust Bank has been known for its “can-do” customer service throughout the Northwest, which led to consistent word-of-mouth growth. But with new people moving into the region, and with the emergence of COVID-19, they realized that new audiences could benefit from hearing how the bank was uniquely positioned … Continued
Maybe you want to launch a new product. Or perhaps it’s time for a brand refresh. Whatever the reason, choosing the right advertising agency can make all the difference to your success. An agency essentially functions as an extension of your team. You should be able to interact with them seamlessly and trust them completely. … Continued
We’ve all been there. You hit send on an email. Then something makes you take a second look and there it is — bam! — a spelling error. You immediately wish you could take the email back and fix your mistake. But it’s too late. How can you avoid this kind of faux pas in … Continued
Who is the modern American Santa Claus? Has he had an influence on marketing? Whether or not you believe he has, one thing is for sure: Santa Claus has become a popular mass media figure and his image is replete in department stores, shopping malls, and decorations throughout the world each December. Santa Claus, or … Continued
The holidays are finally here! If you’ve got a creative person in your life, you know how hard they can be to shop for. In the past, the budget-conscious among us may have just shared our Disney+ password with them and called it a day. But this year feels different. The pressure is on to … Continued
As a marketer, you are by default a communicator. That means, when it comes to getting a message across, you’re expected to know what to say and how to say it. Your writing needs to be as clear as humanly possible. So if you’re mixing up your idioms, how can your audience expect to trust … Continued
If you’re a marketer, this scenario might sound familiar: you toss out an idea in the conference room that sounds like a winner. You build it out and bring it to life. But once the idea gets executed, the result doesn’t, well, feel right. You feel like a failure. But should you? According to most … Continued
Apparently, there’s an election happening pretty soon, which means if you watch TV, listen to the radio or hop on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Snapchat or TikTok in the next 40 days, you might see a political ad or two. Sadly, political advertising has always been the ugly step-child of the advertising world. For some reason, … Continued
Democracy is both messy and one of the greatest experiments in human history. On one turn it’s an effort to form “a more perfect union;” on the other, it’s a framework for all of us to define our own futures. This plurality of voices and opinions is why voting is one of the most important … Continued
Given our agency’s deep experience marketing healthcare, from brand advertising for hospital systems to marketing service lines, Medicare Advantage and health plans, I’m often asked what elements make it the most effective. It’s a timely question, not just because of how noisy the market typically is, but also because of COVID-19 and the reality that … Continued
As a marketer, you want your brand to stand out. Problem is, everyone else wants their brands to stand out, too. The market is crowded and elbow room isn’t easy to come by. Every day, the average person sees between 4,000 to 10,000 ads, depending on where they live and work. Every second, 6,000 tweets … Continued
All too often, people confuse a corporate blog with a content marketing program. So often, in fact, that I regularly find myself in conversations that go something like this: Client: We need to do content marketing. DW: That’s great! Do you have a business goal in mind? Client: … DW: No problem, tell us why … Continued
It’s the spookiest time of the year, which means that it’s time to talk about the spookiest typeface of them all; Trajan. While this typeface doesn’t have an origin story linking it to the macabre, it certainly has made a name for itself: Horror movie posters, and a lot of them. A quick history Trajan … Continued
Creative people have two main superpowers the world needs: They see the world in ways no one else does. They tell stories in meaningful, powerful ways. Since these skills come naturally to creatives, they almost have a responsibility to use them to do good in the world. When most people think of giving, they probably … Continued
In 2005 I was leading PR and communications for a dot com. Little did I know we were in the midst of a marketing channel evolution. Corporate social media was new, and brands were trying to figure out how it fit into their marketing mix. Blogging was all the rage, but brands weren’t quite certain … Continued
My colleague Ward Duft recently wrote an article about winning the war for talent. It’s a hot topic and one that marketers are being asked about more often these days. Clients frequently ask if Glassdoor helps or hurts their recruiting efforts. The question is often phrased like this: “We have a Glassdoor problem; how do we … Continued
Thick-framed glasses, flannel shirt and a cup of pour-over coffee: That’s the stereotypical look of the mythical graphic designer. But like all mythical creatures, the aura surrounding graphic designers is rooted in both fantasy and reality. Understanding them will help you work more seamlessly with a designer or agency. Graphic Designer Myth 1: Designers are … Continued
If you’re a marketer, brand designer or advertising agency, you’re probably just as excited to watch the commercials on Super Bowl Sunday as you are the big game. It’s a day where legacies are created both on and off the field. The winners on both sides walk away with the glory, and the losers get … Continued
It wasn’t long ago that I was a wide-eyed, almost-college-grad graphic designer preparing to walk the stage and find my very first big-kid job. I remember the excitement, the nerves and the fear that I hadn’t properly prepared myself for what was next. Thinking back to this time makes me reflect on how I could’ve … Continued
A marketer looks at employer branding We regularly talk about UVPs (unique value propositions) in marketing. So often, that I wonder if our clients think we sound like a broken record. I am sure you’ll be relieved to learn that this blog is not about UVPs – it’s about EVPs. While the two are related, … Continued
Washington Trust Bank opened its doors in Spokane in 1902. They began with a commitment to provide businesses with a level of customer service above and beyond the status quo. That might seem trite. But they meant it. And customers responded by helping the bank grow exponentially. Today, the bank’s footprint covers Washington, Oregon and … Continued
Ten years ago, if you told a San Franciscan or New Yorker that you work for a Boise marketing agency, they might have looked at you a little funny. Why? It seems a bit dismissive, right? That may be true, but most people think all great marketing agencies are in San Francisco, New York, Los … Continued
Part four of a seven-part series We’re all guilty of it—we see our favorite celebrity carrying a product around, and then soon enough, that thing has made its way into our shopping cart. How’d a bottle of Sauza 901 Tequila end up in my house? My fiance saw a commercial with their brand spokesperson Justin … Continued
As marketers, we have to be the lifeguards manning the messaging station – standing watch over the forefront of what’s new to stay fresh and relevant. Influencer marketing campaigns are a new shift causing waves across numerous industries. We have put together a training manual of what you should know before getting into Influencer Marketing. … Continued
Is there anything more American than Smirnoff ICE Red, White and Blue – Limited Edition – Blue Raspberry, Cherry and Citrus adult beverage? I know, there’s a lot that’s wrong with that statement. But a week out from America’s birthday I am, for the first time, considering cracking open a bottle of the blue saccharin … Continued
Here at DW, we’re surrounded by dads whether they’re our own or a fellow teammate. With Father’s Day around the corner, we’re taking a moment to share our favorite dad ads. We’re almost 20 years into the 21st century and I’m still caught off guard when I see an ad celebrating fathers. A month or … Continued
In part one of our Influencer Marketing series, we talked about the investment behind Influencer Marketing. In part two we explore how to evaluate and identify the audiences that follow social media influencers before getting started. Influencer marketing is something most brands try at one time or another, and some campaigns are executed seamlessly with … Continued
Influencer marketing is the happening thing–the buzzword sparking the interest of brands small and large, and for good reason. Amongst other marketing challenges, brands constantly have to play algorithm Whac-A-Mole to keep their place in a customer’s digital feed. Have a handle on your SEO? — Prepare for Google to switch things up. Have your … Continued
Be quick, clever, factual and always empathize For two years my wife and I have settled in once a week for a good cry. No, we’re not in group therapy. It’s not a new age method to achieve a deeper emotional connection. Nor is it that we’re big criers. It’s because we’re hooked on NBC’s … Continued
I recently had the pleasure of judging the North American Effie Awards with a lot of great people from both the agency side and from some of America’s marquee brands. The Effies are unique because awards aren’t handed out just for excellent creative. The campaigns are judged by the thinking behind the creative: how well … Continued
I tend to find inspiration in unusual places. For instance, Jack White once inspired me to give up my cell phone for a day. I discovered sage work-life balance advice from Ferris Bueller, shared PR advice I learned from Mr. T, and I once doled out user-generated content lessons I learned from Dick Cheney. Today I am wondering if Frank … Continued
We’re supposed to admit when we fail, right? And we’re supposed to learn something when we fail, right? This past weekend, when my Father In-law (FIL) asked about what I do for a living, I opened my mouth, started talking, and realized I might need some time to think. I felt as though I needed … Continued
Duft Watterson delivers an innovative marketing approach that advises clients to show, not tell. A new marketing agency, Duft Watterson, has launched in downtown Boise, with an office in the San Francisco bay area. Brought to life by local agency veterans Ward Duft and Jill Watterson, Duft Watterson is a full-service, high-touch marketing agency with … Continued