Location: New York
URL: www.desantisbreindel.com
Key executives: Howard Breindel and Dru DeSantis, partners
Employees: 30
2011 revenue: $8.1 million
2011 b2b revenue: $8.1 million
Key clients: CIT, EisnerAmper, Energy Education, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, Royal Bank of Scotland
Major 2011 campaigns: CIT, “Over One Million Reasons We Come to Work,” print, online; EisnerAmper, “Let's Get Down to Business,” print, online, out-of-home; Stephens Inc., “Center Street CEO Summit,” TV, print, online, events
Comments: Increased revenue by 11%; added new clients, including Capital IQ, Deutsche Bank, EisnerAmper; 100% b2b.
New York agency DeSantis Breindel's ability to see opportunity in adversity has helped it prosper, as it grew its revenue 11% last year to $8.1 million. New-business wins included EisnerAmper, Capital IQ and Deutsche Bank.
“Many companies have been reinventing themselves, coming out of financial problems, merging or spinning off,” said Howard Breindel, partner at DeSantis Breindel. “We help [businesses] navigate the inflection points so they can emerge more prosperous than before.”
For CIT, which emerged from bankruptcy in 2010, the agency crafted a brand message accentuating the commercial lender's role as a supporter of small and midsize businesses. The effort included customized online and print ads in vertical markets such as healthcare and telecommunications, and a campaign targeting D.C. legislators and regulators.
DeSantis Breindel also helped independent investment bank Stephens Inc. develop a campaign aimed at hard-to-reach CEOs. The effort included print ads, online and TV spots, and culminated with the Center Street CEO Summit, an invitation-only conference at which more than 80 CEOs gathered in Little Rock, Ark., to discuss economic and social issues. Each participant was given an iPad with apps created for the summit.
The summit was “hugely successful,” Breindel said, noting that Stephens closed some significant business deals shortly after the event and elevated its brand perception.
Accounting firm EisnerAmper also turned to DeSantis Breindel for a new identity. Created through a merger between two regional companies, EisnerAmper became a top 15 U.S. accounting firm. From qualitative and quantitative research, DeSantis Breindel learned that clients admired EisnerAmper's personal service, which inspired the tagline “Let's get down to business,” designed to convey its image as an approachable partner. An internal campaign was followed by digital, print and outdoor ads.
DeSantis Breindel's business is 100% b2b, a fact of which Breindel is proud. B2b requires “a different strategic and creative skill set,” he said. —Patricia Riedman
| LARGE AGENCIES | |
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WINNER: BBDO READ MORE |
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RUNNER-UP:
Ogilvy & Mather North America READ MORE |
| HONORABLE
MENTION: Wunderman READ MORE |
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| MIDSIZE AGENCIES | |
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WINNER:
Doremus |
| RUNNER-UP:
gyro READ MORE |
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| HONORABLE
MENTION: Stein+Partners Brand Activation READ MORE |
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| SMALL AGENCIES | |
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WINNER:
Sullivan READ MORE |
| RUNNER-UP: DeSantis Breindel READ MORE |
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HONORABLE
MENTION: RiechesBaird READ MORE |
| INTERACTIVE AGENCIES | |
| WINNER: MRM READ MORE |
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RUNNER-UP:
Digitas READ MORE |
HONORABLE
MENTION: Tocquigny |
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