BBM&D Strategic Branding
Type: Private
Founded: 1992
Headquarters: Ventura, CA
Key people: Barbara Brown (Founder, CEO), Heidi Wagner (Chief Accounting Officer), Elaine Muray (New Business Development Director), Liz McKee (Senior Vice President, Design Management), Suzette Brown (Vice President, Managing Director, Production), Keir DuBois (Director, Web Design and Development).
Industry: Advertising, Marketing
Services: Brand strategy, marketing and advertising
Website: www.bbmd-inc.com
Profile
BBM&D Strategic Branding is an independent, strategic branding, marketing and design agency based in Ventura, CA. The agency was originally founded in Ventura in 1992. It operates with full staff, contract creative consultants as well as strategic partners. Marketing services include: brand strategies, marketing strategies, market positioning, brand and corporate identity, online marketing, media planning and placement, advertising and collateral, specialty publication design and consultant services, magazine design production management, company catalog design and corporate annual report design. The company’s client base includes products and services aimed at the business-to-business and business-to-consumer retail markets. The company specializes in arts and cultural marketing.
Clients have included: The Air Force One Museum, the Santa Barbara Museum of Art,1 Sunkist,2 Stonewall Vineyard, Aerobics and Fitness Association of America and American Fitness Magazine,3 Bloomingdales, General Motors’ Saturn Corporation,4 Limoneira Company2 lemon and avocado grower, Gluten Free & Fabulous Products, Kinkos, Casual Living Worldwide fine outdoor furniture, WellPoint Foundation (now Anthem) health care, California Association for the Gifted, Ojai Community Bank, B and H Flowers organic flower grower, Bugle Boy clothing company (now Perry Ellis International) and Patagonia outdoor clothing.
History
BBM&D was founded in the City of Ventura, California in 1992 by president Barbara J. Brown. The company’s early work concentrated on developing creative for companies inclined toward innovative design and communicating their cultures and brand stories to target niche markets. Within the first few years, the firm was asked to provide marketing communications creative for General Motors’ (GM’s) launch of the Saturn car company on college campuses in the U.S. — GM’s first launch of a new brand in 64 years.5 BBM&D translated Saturn’s “different kind of car company” theme, its culture of teamwork and its landmark partnership with the United Auto Workers (UAW) into communications materials designed for the college and labor union market segments. In 1997, the firm was selected to develop creative for Patagonia to communicate the company’s culture of outdoor adventure to its wholesale buyers. Other business segments served in the company’s early years included telecommunications, tourism, law, home furnishings and software.
In 1995, BBM&D expanded its offerings to include web design and development and other Internet communication media as additional marketing tools to support businesses seeking to capitalize on the accelerating growth of the Internet. In 2008, the company changed its name from Barbara Brown Marketing & Design to the acronym BBM&D with the moniker to BBM&D Strategic Branding as a dba. The change was made to reflect both the growth of the company and the changes within the industry.
Awards
BBM&D has garnered more than 250 awards for creativity and marketing. Among its award-winning creative include honors and awards for the American Advertising Federation “ADDYs,”1 Western Publishers Association “Maggies”, Calendar Marketing Association, and American Design & Advertising (American Corporate Identity ACI 24 Winner). BBM&D has also been honored to be published in a number of benchmark publications including Rockport Publications, David E. Carter Publications, Madison Square Press, Northlight Press. The firm’s Presidential Library work is now part of the National Archives.
References
* 1 American Design & Advertising
* 2 Addy Awards
* 3 Los Angeles Times
* 4 Western Publications Association
* 5 1000 Greetings
* 6 Saturn Corporation
* 7 Ventura Business
* 8 Breaking Designer’s Block
* 9 Step-by-Step Graphics
* 10 Ventura County Economic Development Association
* 11 Campus Voice
* 12 Pacific Coast Business Times
Footnotes
1Frank Moraga, Business editor, “Ads for platinum capture the gold at Addy Awards,” Ventura County Star, April 14, 2001, p. D01
2“BBM&D strategic branding named agency of record for Ojai and Santa Paula community banks,” VCEDA News, Ventura County Economic Development Association, November 2008
3“Agency wins magazine contract,” Ventura County Star, March 23, 1999, p. E03
4Business Notes, “Barbara Brown Marketing and Design of Ventura wins nine awards,’ Los Angeles Daily News, April 1, 1996
5“GM pulled out all the stops for Saturn, its first new brand in 64 years,” Automotive News, Crain Communications, Inc. April 29, 1996