Two decades ago we were a small creative collective working with big brands like Burton Snowboards.
Today, we’re makers pushing past market expectations, branding experts working alongside clients who value one-of-a-kind work, and risk-takers solving complex problems with creativity.
In the in-between, we’ve built a team and portfolio that’s gained a reputation for being unapologetically authentic.
Whether you’re here looking for your next ad partner or to make your next career move, there’s one thing we want to make clear about this business—we all have a choice: we can either follow or Defy.
The foundation of great work is a strong strategy. It’s what guides the courses we take to get clients where they want to go.
We prefer open communication with our clients to learn their businesses, develop relationships with their team, and jot down the small anecdotes that lead to big ideas down the line.
DEVELOPING GREAT WORK REQUIRES TRUST.
We believe an environment that promotes our team’s physical and mental health creates an atmosphere of inspiration and collaboration. So that’s just what we do. Together we’ve developed a flexible workflow that allows us to influence culture from the inside of our office or from the inside of our homes.
Our investment in people grows well outside our workspace. We understand this is all bigger than ourselves, so Defy continues to serve nonprofits and the ad community at large.
Don’t see a position for you? Send your stuff to team@wedefy.com. We’re always interested in putting the best talent on our radar.
Case Study
Cynch
2019 -
Current
AMERIGAS CAME TO DEFY SEEKING VIDEO MARKETING ASSETS TO SUPPORT THE TEST MARKET LAUNCH OF CYNCH, THE COMPANY’S NEW PROPANE DELIVERY BRAND.
AmeriGas, the nation’s largest retail propane marketer, came to us to help launch their new propane delivery brand, Cynch. Cynch is a new service that gives customers the ability to order new or replacement propane tanks online and have them delivered directly to their doorstep. AmeriGas had an exciting new product, but needed branding and creative to spread awareness. We stepped in to successfully communicate their story to the right audience in their four test markets. Here’s how it went down.
Timing Cynch’s launch during its peak grilling season, we identified suburban families as the ideal test subjects along with an early summer rollout. We had our audience. Now it was a matter of reaching them.
Cynch was a unique assignment so it called for a unique approach. Yes, we needed to launch a brand, but we also needed to create awareness around an entirely new behavior for the grilling community. We had to show “yesterday’s griller” that there’s an easier, more convenient alternative to refilling their propane tanks. We had to grab their attention but also hold it long enough for a teaching moment. So, how do we change the habits of our target demo?
Our first step was to develop a “how to” video that used campaign artwork to communicate simplicity and functionality, while remaining entertaining. The result was an animated instructional video that is digestible, engaging, and—frankly—not boring.
Job done right? Not exactly. Sure, we could have stopped after the initial ask, but that’s not our style.
We saw an opportunity for an exciting new service so we also pitched a series of narrative scripts that pushed brand awareness and held the attention of our target consumers through humor. The result was a campaign that revels in a worst-case scenario for a lovable, humorous character who could have that embarrassment and insecurity with Cynch. Say hello to Gary. Watch the :30 and :60 spots below.
Location scouting, casting, makeup, directing, editing, you name it, our team fully produced these spots from pre to post. Every little detail was curated by Defy, including shooting in the famous Bok gymnasium.
The branding we established with Cynch has mobility. We armed AmeriGas with a collection of characters that have the potential to be used in a series of future spots, as well as game plan for how to enter other markets as they continue to expand their offerings nationwide.
With a strong base established, we were able to identify additional touch points to recommend as campaign extensions for 2020 and beyond. These included stadium & mall placements, direct mail recommendations, and new homeowner campaigns.
Two narrative spots, one informational video, and enhanced branding materials launched for an early-summer campaign. Teaser content was released in early summer, with key pieces dropping in time for the 4th of July (arguably the biggest grilling day of the year). We delivered a textbook execution of strategy-driven branding with entertaining spots and the numbers to back them up.
As a result of the project, brand awareness grew as did the publicity inside our market.
Consumers began engaging with the brand and propelling it even further, and it’s safe to say they were happy with Cynch’s service based off their Facebook client reviews.
After a successful rollout, Defy has equipped AmeriGas to campaign in additional target markets around the country. Just recently, they have began to offer services in Phoenix, AZ with more locations to follow.
Campaign Extensions
Cynch’s social presence has improved significantly since teaming up with Defy. With the assets we provided, they’ve been able to turn our characters into memes and create one-off posts, to engage with their followers while making room for new ones.
Defying the Standard
AmeriGas came to us asking for an instructional video to support their launch. What they walked away with, was a two-part video strategy and execution that drove consumer interest, raised their brand awareness, and provided the Cynch team with a toolkit to campaign anywhere in the country.
2.15.21
You always had a choice. Instead of following, you chose to Defy.
As you’ve come to know from our relationship, we always looked to push beyond limits to help our clients create work that stands out from the norm.
Over the last 12 months, we’ve finally gotten around to focusing this same approach on our own agency.
Moving forward, the agency formerly known as [ 2 one 5 ] Creative will go by Defy.
Our new brand name honors the spirit of our beginnings as an artists collective 20 years ago, and lights an exciting path ahead for an agency that continues to grow and evolve.
Together, we look forward to continuing to defy the conventional, limits, and expectations in 2021 and beyond.
