What We've Done. How We Did It.

Client: City of Houston Water Department - Municipal Community Relations

Challenge: Inform Houston communities about the City of Houston’s (COH) award-winning Biosolids Recycling Program.

Scope & Solution: The engineering firms under whose guidance Arriba worked (Lockwood Andrews & Neunam and Black & Veatch) tasked us with developing an educational and buzz-worthy PR Campaign for the historically under-publicized, award-winning COH Biosolids Recycling Program. This effort evolved into a two-year program.

Arriba was contracted to research, write, design, and produce an entertaining and informational video and companion brochure. We highlighted the fact that the COH recycles biosolids into Class A fertilizer (since 1906) and sells it in Houston garden stores as well as Class B soil amendments used to fertilize crops, sod farms, and grazing fields. The challenge was taking a technical environmental subject and making it compelling and memorable for the average person.

Arriba approached the video from the grassroots up. We took camera crews to water parks, sidewalks of downtown Houston and malls where school children and adults were asked on camera where they thought water from the toilet, bathtub, shower and kitchen drain went. The answers were amusing (sometimes hilarious) and caught one’s fancy.

To lend credibility, Arriba wrote Houston’s Mayor and Houston Visitors’ Bureau Director into the script as well as soil scientists and environmental consultants. We filmed subjects that ranged from the sludge plants where HouAconite (fertilizer) is made to the open cow grazing fields where sludge is applied as a soil amendment. The video was shown throughout the Houston Independent School district, where it was popular with science teachers. It was introduced during a Special Event at the 69th Street plant – which included camera crews and hundreds of students on tour.

Arriba was awarded an extended contract to engage in a more aggressive awareness initiative targeting the business community. A second DVD/video was developed to profile the compliance of the industrial community in meeting environmental regulations in the disposal of biosolid waste. Summarily, Arriba’s overall campaign included videos, Public Service Announcements, brochures, press releases and special events designed to educate the community.

 

Client: Waste Management Internal Newsletters - Environmental and Recycling Internal Communications

Challenge: Waste Management Recycle America (WMRA) was embarking upon a rapid expansion into recycling and, through internal expansion and acquisitions, had established 130 recycling operations across the United States and Canada. Arriba was selected to design, write, produce and ship a quarterly high-end multi-page internal newsletter in English and Spanish.

Scope & Solution: Arriba produced an eight-page newsletter, followed by a quarterly six-page newsletter for two years. Arriba interviewed key recycling employees at selected locations for technical material. Graphics were included to help whet the visual appetite of the reader. Photographs of employees, achievements and events were included to take the newsletter from an informative, but dry publication, to a more dynamic and readable publication.

To demonstrate to the field the efforts corporate was taking to reduce costs Arriba was asked to convert the newsletter to an electronic publication, which continues today, six years into the program. Other than the elimination of printing and mailing, very little has changed from the initial concept. In addition to the newsletter Arriba wrote and illustrated speeches for the division President, Breaking News bulletins and print advertisements.

The ongoing success of the recycling newsletter led Waste Management to select Arriba to design, write, and produce a multi-page electronic email internal newsletter for another division, WM Upstream. Arriba currently writes, designs and publishes a monthly newsletter for the growing Upstream division.

 

Client: Waste Management Presentation - Executive Communications

Challenge: The President/CEO and Chairman of the Board of Waste Management (WM) was invited to make a presentation to its largest vendor, a worldwide equipment manufacturer. In attendance at this presentation would be several hundred worldwide executive managers of this company.

Arriba was selected to lead a team of three WM preferred vendors in developing a high level electronic presentation underscoring an in-depth analysis of WM’s position in the waste industry, its relationship with this manufacturer, a précis of the problems being experienced with the manufacturer’s products and distributors, solutions being provided to WM by selected competitors, suggested solutions for the manufacturer to consider to strengthen its relationship with WM, and the opportunities for both companies working in partnership with one another. Our challenge also was to show the audience that WM was a more significant part of its customer base than it realized.

Scope & Solution: Arriba researched and gathered facts and statistics from WM’s archives to be able to develop a non-adversarial presentation. Arriba was charged with communicating a fairly negative message subtly and diplomatically. The presentation was considered successful as measured by the manufacturer’s response, with corrective action and an equipment cost savings that more than offset the cost of the presentation.

 

Client: Wright Killen & Company (Purchased by Ernst & Young and eventually Cap Gemini) - Branding, Image, Name Recognition for Downstream Oil & Gas Consulting Firm Arriba was retained for seven years, until the firm was purchased by Ernst & Young - now a division of Cap Gemini.

Challenge: To increase the visibility and name recognition of this refining, petrochemical, and chemical management consulting firm on a global basis with the ultimate objective of building an industry presence that would assist owners in selling the company.

Scope & Solution: When Arriba began planning a media campaign for Wright Killen, it was found that the firm had received approximately 25 mentions in the press in during the previous year. Almost all were one or two lines generated by one consultant. Although this consultant was a principal, his opinions frequently did not concur with the overall position of the firm.

Arriba implemented a four-pronged marketing approach consisting of: regular and aggressive interaction with the international press, hosting seminars on environmental industry issues (such as the Clean Air Act and compliance with Reformulated Gasoline EPA regulations); developing branding and a conservative graphic image and identity in a new suite of printed materials and proposals; and a periodic direct mail campaign to a very targeted market in upper management.

After three years of concentrated media relations activities, the number of published citations, quotes, and articles about Wright Killen exceeded 250 internationally. The quality of the quotes represented Wright Killen at a high strategic level as a leader in thought. Media exposure increased by 200 percent over a two-year period. As a result, Wright Killen’s name recognition in downstream markets skyrocketed, clients referenced articles they had read, and the marketplace perceived Wright Killen to be a firm of several hundred consultants rather than the 50-man shop it was in reality.

All measurement indicators showed that Wright Killen had heightened its credibility, visibility, image, and identity. In addition, Wright Killen’s speaking engagements rose from an average of two per year to in excess of 20 professional presentations at industry conferences and meetings per year. Wright Killen also developed an identity with top and middle management in all the major energy companies. The scope and volume of engagements proliferated and the company increased its revenues by 75 percent over this heightened three-year period of media exposure. Ernst & Young’s acquisition of Wright Killen was influenced by its desire to purchase a firm that already had developed a niche marketshare and strong domestic visibility and leadership - all of which could not have been achieved without a strong, well-rounded public relations and marketing program.

 

Client: BJ Services, Pipe and Process Division - Trade Booth Design

Challenge: The Process and Pipeline division of BJ Services Company (BJ) attends over 25 worldwide trade shows, each focusing on a different target audience. BJ considered the cost for developing individual trade booths for each show to be prohibitive.

Scope & Solution: Arriba designed a modular trade booth with interchangeable graphic panels that could be moved in or out depending upon the audience and marketing message(s). Consequently, the booth Arriba designed has a common, generic center panel for use in all trade shows. To create maximum flexibility, several specific interchangeable left and/or right panels also were designed and produced. At some trade shows, only one of the panels is changed out; at others, both panels. The concept has proven to be so successful that BJ purchased an identical second booth to reduce shipping costs and time to meet its high frequency trade show schedule.

 

Client: Amorphous Technologies – Direct Mail (website designed by Arriba)

Challenge: Amorphous Technologies Incorporated - now Liquid Metal Technologies - had developed an oil and gas energy industry product that resulted in reduced maintenance costs and increased longevity not matched by its competition. While the product had been used successfully for over 10 years, the company had a small sales force covering existing and potential market places worldwide. In addition, company expansion was related directly to cash flow generated from existing sales. The company had never advertised and had relied upon word of mouth from satisfied customers. Competitors were offering inferior products, but were doing so supported by greater sales forces and trade journal advertising.

Scope & Solution: Arriba designed and wrote a tri-fold direct mailer with a compelling competitive message while creating a worldwide mailing list of potential customers. The front cover of the mailer was designed with an attention getting graphic and tag line while the inside spread included a formatted chart of the chemical composition of Armacor as compared to its competitors. Recipients were asked to “do the math”. The mailer proved to be so successful over the past eight years that ATI reprinted the mailer to use as sales literature and increased sales without adding an additional sales person or investing in additional marketing materials, until 2008. Based on that success, Arriba recently was selected to develop and place a series of full-page monthly ads, develop a website and design and produce a trade show booth for the company. We were asked to do the same for a newly acquired sister company.

 

Client: DWD - Marketing Initiatives For More Than 25 Years

Challenge: DWD International (DWD) is a manufacturer of mega-ton air conditioning and pressurization systems used primarily for living quarters on offshore drilling platforms for the oil and gas industry. Since its inception, in 1976, DWD has faced market demand whose highs and lows resemble deep furrows. Essentially, new business depends upon when the oil companies are releasing new projects – which follow the highs and lows of the industry.

DWD must determine what platform construction projects are being considered, by whom, where they will be built, getting in on the early design stages, finding the decision maker for air conditioning and pressurization systems, and how to positively influence that decision for DWD. Since these answers can be anywhere in the world, DWD knows, with limited personnel resources, it has to keep its name in front of many people in different parts of the world at different levels.

Scope & Solution: DWD is Arriba’s longest term client; more than 25 years. Over these years Arriba has been creating (as budget would allow) an encompassing marketing program that has included specification catalogs (for the shelves of engineers in major oil companies), brochures, ads in several languages and multiple publications, an updated logo and stationary package, response letters to interested inquiries, trade show invitations, an updated website (currently being constructed), presentations, and on-site photography. As Arriba continues to be the only marketing communications company DWD has used during the past two decades, which speaks for the success of the relationship.

 

Client: JP Morgan Chase

Challenge: Employee surveys had indicated a need for JPMorgan Chase to be communicating more regularly with its 12,000 employees spread across the state of Texas. Employees around the state thirsted for more knowledge about their colleagues.

Scope & Solution: Arriba designed and perpetuated a monthly trifold newsletter which featured a collage of nine to ten photos of employees representing various job titles within the bank on the cover of each issue. Stories on the remaining two pages focused on employee participation in community relations activities. The publication continued for four years, until Bank One and JPMC merged and Bank One took over management of Texas.

 

Client: JP Morgan Chase - Community Relations

Challenge: (a) As true of most financial institutions of this size, JPMC is very active in community activities and contributing to the growth of surrounding communities. Arriba was engaged by the Vice President of Community Relations to support her activities. Previously, we had supported her communications needs when she was Executive Director for the Houston Hispanic Chamber of Commerce for almost five years. (b) The project that challenged us to the greatest degree was the design of a long-term exhibit for the historic lobby of the downtown JPMC headquarters. Working with multiple contributors, the exhibit needed to be designed and hung within a three-week period.

Scope & Solution: (a) Arriba designed and produced unique and ethnically-targeted invitations to events held for the Hispanic, African American and Asian communities. (b) Working within a room that was not designed for an exhibit, Arriba developed a spoke and wheel approach consisting of 10 panels and 5 spokes that invited visitors to circle the room, going from spoke to spoke.

The subject of the exhibit was the renovation of an historical military building that was donated to house Houston’s Hispanic Cultural & Educational Center. Arriba worked with Cisneros Design Studios (yes, the brother of the famous Cisneros) to feature architectural elements of the building on each panel as well as a collage showing students engaging in the arts. We also interfaced with the public library’s research department and several Hispanic support organizations to pull this very successful exhibit together within the time frame allotted.