Hi ddms,
Welcome! Thank you for your invitation to participate in your website redesign RFP. To give you a better idea of some of our work, we've curated a few of our favorite digital stories on this site just for you. We hope you enjoy perusing a range of work we've done for some very special partners. You'll see that no project was exactly the same, but each resulted in business-driving digital excellence. Enjoy!
No CPA needed to see these bad numbers.
For over two decades, QuickBooks had offered an optional benefit program called ProAdvisor. It was built as a loyalty program that rewarded accountants for things they probably already did for their business anyway (enrolling new clients, completing training courses, etc.). In principle, the program was great: Sign-up was easy, rewards were meaningful and the redesigned point-earning structure was straightforward. The only problem? Nobody signed up for it.
Don’t talk to them like, well, accountants.
Through numerous interviews with QuickBooks users, we heard the same request: Talk to us like people. We discovered that recent communication from ProAdvisor had relied heavily on wonky lecturing, sterile messaging and even professional stereotypes. To convince users to return to ProAdvisor, we needed to do something that would seriously subvert their expectations. And as the big QuickBooks annual conference approached, we knew it was our chance to make it clear that this wasn't the ProAdvisor these accountants had come to know and ignore.
ProAdvisor Proverb #18: The pursuit of order is its own reward.
To reposition ProAdvisor enrollment as a badge of honor for QuickBooks users, we inducted members into our secret order of accounting masters: The Society of ProAdvisory. Cryptic campaign messaging was displayed through dashboard cards within QuickBooks, and social media influencers received premium brand kits to help spread the word. To bolster the aura of mystery and intrigue, we developed an Illuminati-inspired visual identity and accountant-themed wisdom (“ProAdvisor Proverbs”) for a themed microsite. During the QBConnect conference, we created a secret lounge just for Society members, filled with exclusive giveaways, accountant-themed drinks and, most importantly, a clear sense that the ProAdvisor had achieved a higher order of accounting enlightenment.
We knew we’d hit the mark when hundreds of social media shoutouts started rolling in from conference attendees who couldn’t help but show their ProAdvisor pride.
Being a member of the #QuickBooks Society of ProAdvisory can be pretty badass! #QBConnect2019 #ProAdvisor
In all, how successful were we? Well, ProAdvisor Proverb #61 says, "Balance every success with equal celebration." And we had a BIG celebration.
Oh, what a tangled web they wove.
As QuickBooks had rapidly expanded their products and service tiers, the added product SKUs were tacked onto QuickBooks.com. As a result, the user experience had become increasingly convoluted, to the point where many users were unable to find and differentiate between products. Accountants were often purchasing the wrong product — subscribing to products meant for their advisory clients (B2C) rather than for them (B2B). Intuit brand managers recognized the problem and knew quick-fixes weren’t going to solve the underlying issue. It was going to take something much more drastic.
"Just blow it all up."
After several suggestions from Intuit to explode the entire web experience and rebuild it from the ground up, the effort was affectionately code-named “Project Dynamite.” Through rigorous usability testing and interviews, we discovered that much of the existing content was still worth salvaging. Rather, the pressing need was to show how each SKU fit into a broader QuickBooks ecosystem. One interview quote really summed up the goal of our effort: “How is Intuit making my life easier? Show me how it all connects.”
Boom went the dynamite.
After all the dust settled, we had created a flexible web template that could manage a large array of product types while still allowing for individualized branding. Improved feature and benefit information blocks allowed Intuit to speak to more than just price points, and subtle styling choices drastically helped differentiate B2B and B2C products. We also built a centralized hub to house all training resources — along with an easy-to-use navigation system to accommodate the entire life cycle of QuickBooks accountants (prospect, beginner, intermediate, expert).
Soon after the launch of our redesigned site, surveyed accountants began reporting significantly greater satisfaction in product knowledge and site usability. Intuit was particularly encouraged that Project Dynamite yielded giant increases in traffic to Product and Training pages (128% and 109% growth, respectively). Moreover, Intuit called our work "the bomb." Enough said.
An insurance David in a market of Goliaths.
PEMCO is a regional insurance provider located in (and exclusively serving) residents of the Pacific Northwest. And while Seattle and Portland markets were experiencing rapid growth in the insurance industry, PEMCO was reaping little or none of the benefit — continually being aced out by national insurance giants. They needed a smart campaign to build awareness and steal back a share of the growth happening right in their own backyard.
Our appraisal: Think big by thinking small.
To find PEMCO’s market foothold, we conducted extensive research across customers, brands and the category as a whole. It became clear that PEMCO needed to position themselves as a local insider, rather than trying to be all things to all people. As a home-grown insurance provider, PEMCO understood the people and their lifestyles better than any out-of-state competitor ever could. So we devised a campaign to reposition PEMCO as a people-first insurer with a strong allegiance to the residents of the Pacific Northwest.
The defenders of your Northwest.
Our campaign to reintroduce PEMCO served a two-fold purpose. Aside from changing the brand perception in the public at large, it also created an identity for PEMCO agents to own with pride: their role as vigilant defenders. The new “PEMCO Pledge” came to life across just about every channel, including a complete website redesign. Periscope created an entirely new site design that markedly improved user experience, information architecture and other elements, while still clearly communicating the new brand positioning in a simple, compelling manner.
Just six months after the campaign launched, PEMCO saw the number of completed customer quotes more than double. They experienced a huge increase in job applications and inquiries, helping the company to attract and retain high-level talent. Additionally, agents and other employees embraced their new identity with open arms, taking it upon themselves to deliver on their new promise and make a real impact for their Pacific Northwest neighbors.
"We have an unwavering allegiance to the Northwest. No other insurance company can say they know Northwesterners like we do. [Periscope has] helped bring our strategy and vision to the life in an innovative and fun way."
When it came to carving out PEMCO market share, it turned out the best offense was a stellar defense.
Lottery engagement was dying. Literally.
While the core player demographic (ages 55+) was playing more than ever, Minnesota Lottery executives recognized the hard truth: Future growth would have to rely on attracting newer, younger players. The brand had lost nearly half a million players age 18 to 35 to other forms of entertainment over the previous decade. To increase sales and rebuild a resilient player pipeline, we needed to shift the brand’s perception.
FACT: Millennials want more than avocado toast.
A lot has been said about millennials, but there’s no denying that the average young adult is affected by a very real form of FOMO (fear of missing out). They’re driven by communal experiences and social connection, which can lead them toward spontaneous and impulsive behaviors. To capture the imagination of this age group, we had to do more than sell a ticket — we had to offer a social experience worth joining.
Game for a little excitement? Just say "I'MN."
At its core, our idea was simple: Turn the lottery into statewide call to adventure. Make the game a team sport. To accomplish it, we created a platform that could translate across the entire range of digital channels. By tapping into the FOMO-driven motivation, we positioned the Minnesota Lottery as the provider of spontaneous moments worth opting in for. "I'MN" is more than a tagline. It's what you say when you're game for whatever's next.
In the campaign's first year, we saw a 3 percent increase in sales across all Minnesota Lottery products, making it a record sales year. We also saw incredible growth and engagement across all social platforms; in comment threads, many posts included the phrase "I'MN" (even when the commenters weren't prompted to do so). Without a doubt, this confirmed our initial hunch: Minnesotans are definitely game for a little excitement. Did we win the lottery? We think so.
"I'MN really fits with the adventurous spirit of Minnesotans who love to join in the fun."
Hello, Cargill!
We’ve put this site together to showcase a few examples of our recent digital work and give you some sense of what Periscope can do for your business and your brands. We’re looking forward to deepening our partnership and helping you build a more unified ecosystem so that your brands can connect more deeply with audiences and your business can act with strategic clarity. Periscope would be honored to serve as your digital Agency of Record.
