Killian Branding   Adapt. Evolve. UNCLAIMED



The myth of the full-service agency is absurd in an age when the number of services has exploded, media choices are more complex, and virtual teams are the norm. We say, as you should:Do in-house what you do best, and turn to pros for all the rest.

Stuff we do pretty damn well:
  • Branding, to make our clients visible, differentiated, and urgent.
  • Company naming and product naming. Re-naming, too.
  • Logos, taglines, corporate identity
  • Marketing Automation to measure the ROI of every tactic
  • Graphic design
  • Web design, programming,SEO.
  • Video and animation content
Stuff we don't do well so we partner with excellent affiliates:
  • PR
  • Events
  • Qual and quant research execution
  • Programmatic

(4.8)

Founded : 1987

Employees : 10 - 49

Avg Hourly Rate: $200 - $300

Min. Project Size: $10,000

312.836.0050


Key Clients

For 29 (!) years we have served clients in every category and on three continents. We once said we did everything except automotive and fragrance, but then we did those, too. We have served clients of every size, from startups to Fortune 100 big hitters.

Currently, we are working with B2B products and services, B2C productsand services, a retailer or two, high-tech, NFP and education. Despite years of beverage experience, no current clients, so we're thirsty for one.

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Address:

Killian Branding:
1113 West Armitage Avenue
Chicago, Illinois 60614
+1 703-444-0505

Focus Areas/Specialities

  • Email Marketing
  • Mobile & App Marketing
  • Conversion Optimization
  • Advertising
  • Branding
    • Marketing Strategy
    • Brand Messaging
    • Brand Strategy
    • Naming
    • Visual Identity
  • Content Marketing
  • Logo

Reviews

Branding Materials for Event Catering Company

Project   |     |   $50,000 - $199,999   |   May 12, 2020

Project Summary

Since the start of their company, the client has used Killian Branding to design print ads, brochures, and other marketing materials. Their most recent project is an updated website.

Feedback Summary

The design work that Killian Branding produces has made the client’s brand more cohesive and client-focused.

Killian Branding has put original thought and ideas into our product's execution.

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Willing to Refer

Background:

We are a small catering company for weddings and corporate events. We have been in business for 10 years. I am the owner of the company and the pastry-chef manager. 


Opportunity / Challenge:

Our website was old and needed an update.


Solution:

Killian Branding has been working with us since the start of the company, designing print brochures and ads. Killian Branding created a multipage brochure in a modular fashion, allowing us to take out and add pages as needed. It worked well from a printing-cost perspective. It also allowed us to target different audiences using the same piece, rather than having a different brochure for every section of our business. When we first started out, we were new and offered everything, from events to drop-off catering, cooked meals, and classes. There was a separate page for each of those, so, if we decided to no longer offer a particular service, we were able to do it without remaking the whole printed piece. Killian Branding helped us develop that strategy and designed the material.

Most recently, we've used them to redesign our website from the ground up. Killian Branding updated it according to how our business has changed over the last 12 years—what services we've taken out, which ones we're trying to grow. They’ve made the site more client-focused.

I had mostly worked with individuals before finding Killian Branding. They were the first agency we've used which had everything under one roof in terms of copywriting, design and strategy. I found Killian Branding through the friend of a friend. We met with Killian Branding's team and principal and decided that they were a good fit.

Our projects with Killian Branding have ranged from individual ads to larger scopes, like the website redesign. An average project costs around $5,000.

We started working with Killian Branding at the beginning of 2005, even before our business was started. We have an ongoing relationship.


Results & Feedback:

We have kept our own metrics using Google Analytics. We're getting many more form submissions on the website, which is great. It's up to us to convert them into actual events, but getting more traffic is great.

Killian Branding's owner has been my main point of contact. For small updates, I can also reach another manager and get responses right away.

The overall focus on our brand involved cohesive thought around what we were trying to offer, rather than on making it look pretty. Killian Branding stuck to the same branding for all our material, helping make it more cohesive.

Not that I can think of.


Ratings:

Overall Score: 5

I've been happy overall and I wouldn't have done anything differently.

Quality: 5

We did look at a couple of other options for the website project, given that we didn't have an unlimited budget. Killian Branding was much more cost-competitive than I'd have thought, based on the amount of experience they have.

Cost: 5

Killian Branding has put original thought and ideas into our product's execution.

Scheduling: 5

All our deadlines were met, even though I'm notoriously bad at giving people the information they need. Killian Branding kept me on track so that they could complete their work.

Willing to Refer: 5

I have recommended Killian Branding and will continue to do so.

Branding for Fast Food Restaurant Group

Project   |     |   Confidential   |   May 12, 2020

Project Summary

Killian Branding was responsible for the branding of a new healthy, fast food restaurant. They created a positioning statement and additionally determined the target customer for long-term success.

Feedback Summary

The work performed thus far has been excellent. Even though the team is across the globe, they’re consistent and reliable. They have a good sense of judgement, and present their work on time and in an organized fashion.

Killian Branding approached our brand with common sense and Midwestern values

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Willing to Refer

Background:

I’m the owner of a new restaurant concept in Saudi Arabia, which sells healthy meals in a casual fast food setting; things like sandwiches, salads, and juices.


Opportunity / Challenge:

We needed help to figure out our branding. More specifically, we wanted to determine the personality of our brand, what we're about, and who our target customer is.


Solution:

We’re in the first stage of the process. They produced for us a positioning statement and established our brand. They also worked with us on determining what type of customer we needed to attract. Our customers include typical healthy customers and someone that’s a little bit overweight and looking to eat healthy. However, they found our target customer was neither of these and was someone who more typically eats a Quarter Pounder with a Diet Coke. This type of customer needs to be satisfied and he’s not willing to give up taste to be healthy. Their team identified that if we could get this type of customer in our restaurants, we would be successful. In stage 2, they’ll produce marketing materials and determine the points of contact for our target customer.

I worked with Bob [CEO, Killian Branding] and two of his assistants.

I looked for marketing agencies through the U.S. and found the teams on the East Coast were very slick, and the teams on the West Team coast were more relaxed and free-spirited. When I met with Killian, they had good, Midwestern values that made sense. I appreciated their approach and came to the conclusion that I should work with them because of that. They have common sense and a value system that I could understand, and I thought people could understand.

We began working together in 2017 and the engagement is ongoing.


Results & Feedback:

While we don’t have any measureable statistics yet, we will further down the road. However, we’re very satisfied with the work so far. I’ve worked with many international brands, marketing companies, and they didn’t even come close to them. The deliverables will be available in the middle of 2020. We’re about 5 years out.

They’re excellent. Overall, they have a very good approach and bring together all the pieces and present them in an organized manner, even though they’re 10,000 miles away.

No, I’m dedicated to working with their team and believe in them 100%.


Ratings:

Overall Score: 5

Quality: 5

Cost: 5

They're excellent.

Scheduling: 5

Perfect. No problems.

Willing to Refer: 5

Branding for Members Only Club

Project   |     |   $10,000 - $49,999   |   May 12, 2020

Project Summary

Killian Branding manages branding for a private membership club, making it more cohesive. They’ve provided numerous services, including refining the logo, updating the website, and posting Instagram stories.

Feedback Summary

Killian Branding provides high-quality services and is incredibly organized. They hold weekly meetings to review project progress and next steps. Their communication could’ve been a bit clearer at the beginning of the engagement, but it’s improved since then.

The turnaround time for most tasks has been less than 24 hours; they’re that prompt.

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Willing to Refer

Background:

I’m the general manager of a private membership club with a small plate restaurant. We serve upscale cocktails, boast an extensive whiskey list, and have a talented chef. I handle all the administrative tasks, including social media, marketing, and payroll.


Opportunity / Challenge:

We needed a partner to help us with branding, especially on social media.


Solution:

Killian Branding has helped us with various projects, including internal branding like our messaging and core beliefs. They created a tagline for our business—which they trademarked—and unified all our different documents, such as our house rules, membership guidelines, and dress code. We clarified our mission statement and company vision, identifying our desired position in the market and brand voice.

We already had a logo, but they refined it by making it black and gold. For our Facebook page, they created a short 30-second slideshow, and they’ve also worked on our Instagram stories. All the posts are consistent across their look and feel, which is typically gold text on a black background. They haven’t helped with content creation yet since most of that is done in-house, but they help disseminate it. A different company built our website, but Killian Branding revamped it and made it look cleaner. They also set up automated emails to our customer base.

We found out about them through the owner’s daughter, who has a nationally-recognized restaurant.

We’ve spent about $18,000.

We began working together in October 2018, and the partnership is ongoing. 


Results & Feedback:

They track certain metrics and provide a monthly report to show progress and improvement.

We have weekly calls that last about 45 minutes each. They send the meeting agenda beforehand, and we can give feedback right away.

They’re incredibly organized and process driven. They think we have a great brand, and they always seem to have someone who can work on any request right away. The turnaround time for most tasks has been less than 24 hours; they’re that prompt.

In the first month of our engagement, they didn’t produce much information or many documents. We now know it’s because they were doing things like trademark approval, but they could’ve done a better job communicating what they were working on.


Ratings:

Overall Score: 4.5

Quality: 5

Cost: 4

They’re a bit pricey but do high-quality work

Scheduling: 5

They've met 100% of our deadlines so far.

Willing to Refer: 5

They’re great for small businesses that don't have an internal branding team.