OUR WORK

We create communications not just to inform, but to inspire. From planning national brand conferences, to developing technology initiatives, our goal is always just a little bigger: To drive company performance by engaging employees.
SERVICES: Design & Video

Compelling creative solutions. Optimized for engagement.

KNOWLEDGE UNIVERSE
Family and Employee Engagement: Print Campaign

CATEGORIES
Ideation, Print Design, Treatment and Script Writing, Video Production, Video Post Production
Early childhood education provider Knowledge Universe recognized the need to increase engagement among their staff and their customer families. Vignette worked with KU to meet them with a multi-channel engagement program, including components like: leadership communications, employee “selfies” integrated with a redesigned teacher’s newsletter, and the centerpiece of the program, a viral video called “Tuesday, 7:50AM.” The program succeeded, improving engagement across the board as measured by a Gallup Q12 administered to staff and families.

KNOWLEDGE UNIVERSE
Family and Employee Engagement: Viral Video

CATEGORIES
Ideation, Print Design, Treatment and Script Writing, Video Production, Video Post Production
So, how do you get your people emotionally involved in a survey? The video pretty much speaks for itself...

ANN INC.
New Associate Experience

CATEGORIES
Ideation, Print Design, Experience Design
ANN Inc. has extensive training resources for field employees, but recognized the same level of support should apply to its corporate team. Vignette interviewed more than 200 ANN INC. corporate leaders and associates to determine their needs, then created a multi-channel New Associate Experience from the ground up. The NAE includes branding, print collateral, environmental signage, a complete library of coaching and partner guides, and ANNx—a TED-style series of open forums between leadership and new associates. The program launches in 2015.

NINE WEST
Brandwashing Concept

CATEGORIES
Ideation
To foster change in the marketplace, Nine West invested in brand re-education (“brandwashing”) for the corporate employees, retail associates, and partners who represent the brand every day. Vignette was asked to create an experience that would provide a lasting foundation of brand knowledge and enculturation, elicit an emotional connection to the brand, and furnish the resources needed to represent and deliver on the Nine West brand promise. The program focused on a home-office exhibit installation to “brandwash” the Nine West team with a refreshed perspective to take to the streets.

NIKE
Vapor Carbon Video
How do you make a technical story hit like an NFL linebacker?

CATEGORIES
Ideation, Treatment and Script Writing, Video Production, Video Post Production, Motion Graphics
Nike needed to tell the story of their first 3D printed shoe. It evolved from a prototype track spike into the Vapor Carbon, a combat-ready football cleat field-tested at the Super Bowl. Technical stories are full of jargon and process-speak, so we scripted it to evoke the scale and drama of the Super Bowl. We shot interviews with the shoe designers and used motion graphics to bring it all to life—no 3D printer needed! The video debuted at the shoe’s press launch, and has received over 25,000 hits on YouTube. The shoe debuted at the Super Bowl. There’s no telling how many hits it’s dished out.

LOFT
Seasonal Tools

CATEGORIES
Ideation, Wireframe, Print Design
In retail, a new season means new styles, looks, and trends. At LOFT, it also means 9,000 store employees need to remain informed and engaged. We work with LOFT's consumer selling points to create an insider’s guide that store Associates use to style customers. The result has created a point of difference for LOFT, as Associates use style coaching to assist shoppers throughout their in-store journeys. Associates rely on these tools to excel, and LOFT has the highest employee engagement scores across all brands at ANN INC.

DECKERS
Customer Experience Conference

CATEGORIES
Ideation, Print Design, Experience Design, Script Writing, Video Production, Motion Graphics
Deckers Outdoor Corporation produces an annual Customer Experience Conference to energize their brands and Direct to Consumer channel. Vignette handles the content, including the theme, concept and design of keynote presentations, and a program of videos shown throughout the event. In addition to creative development, Vignette delivers presenter coaching, environmental design, and live event production management. Hundreds of global participants fly in to attend for three days. It has to be worth the trip. Nearly a thousand slides, 20 speakers, and 27 videos later, the 2014 event went down as their best ever. Next order of business: Topping it next year.

FISKARS
Home and Garden Videos
How do you turn a stranger into a brand ambassador—in 5 minutes?

CATEGORIES
Video Production
Everyone knows Fiskars makes scissors with orange handles, but they’re also committed to innovation in the gardening and yard care space. To raise awareness about their remarkable tools, they set out on a cross-country tour of home and garden shows, and asked Vignette to document the interactions between folks and their awesome equipment. We traveled with their roadshow and captured the ah-ha moments of consumer discovery on camera. Seriously, check out how much easier Fiskars makes outdoor chores by rethinking the designs of your basic toolset. Orange handles are popping up faster than dandelions in backyards all over the world.
SERVICES: Leadership Communications

From those who lead a brand to those who live it.

AARON'S
TEAM Employee Magazine

CATEGORIES
Vision and Values Communications, Leadership Communication
Aaron's is the largest player in the "Lease to Own" home goods space. With Vignette's help, Aaron's re-booted their shelved employee magazine as a re-imagined, re-branded employee engagement machine. It needed to look fresh, but still serve a well-established brand. It also had a lot of important news to convey, so it really it had to be picked up and read. We made sure the magazine’s visual appeal was dialed up, and the new magazine is a big hit. Employees are engaging with their roles as brand ambassadors.

MERRELL
Board of Directors Presentation

CATEGORIES
Executive Board Presentations
It’s tough to pack the personality of a veteran business leader into a PowerPoint. When that leader is an iconoclast who plans to question all of his audience’s assumptions, there’s no tiptoeing. We only had one chance to nail it. To maximize our chances, we led a series of sessions with the presenter, Merrell’s President. His trust, collaboration, and generosity with his time allowed us to steep in his persona and message, making the presentation crackle with his energy. The result was a shot heard round the company, and part of a classic brand’s future success.

DECKERS
The Future of Retail

CATEGORIES
Executive Board Presentations, Vision and Values Communications
Deckers Outdoor Corporation needed a branded presentation for their Board of Directors Meeting. The goal was to educate the Board on a major strategic initiative: the Omnichannel 100 Day Plan. Vignette partnered with Deckers to develop the presentation strategy, the visual direction and production of the critical, one-shot presentation. To support this effort, we also created a video to tell investors the story of Omnichannel Retail from the Deckers perspective. The video explored the past, present and future of Omnichannel retail, and showcased the new Deckers Shibuya concept store in Tokyo.

NIKE
Christiana’s Camera

CATEGORIES
Vision and Values Communications, Leadership Communication
Some personalities seem to lend themselves to branding. Nike has one in Christiana Smith Shi, their President of DTC. Christiana’s team came to us to help brand her monthly letter to retail associates, in which she cross-pollinates ideas between Nike HQ, the retail teams, and the communities they serve. Christiana’s Camera shines a light on important happenings in the world of Nike’s field employees. Charity work, community action, smart ideas for a motivated retail team, and lots more are presented with a signature voice and lots of photos. The email version launched in 2014 became popular, so a printed version is being discussed. Christiana’s branded channels are multiplying, as is employee engagement.
SERVICES: Employee Communications

Elevated, authentic experiences. What employees expect.

LOFT
Seasonal Tools

CATEGORIES
Communication Strategy, Employee Engagement Strategy and Programs, Product Education
In retail new seasons mean new styles, new looks, and new trends. It also means 9,000 store employees need to be informed and engaged. We work with LOFT's consumer selling points to create an insider’s guide that store Associates use to style customers. The result has created a point of difference for LOFT, as Associates use style coaching to assist shoppers throughout their in-store journey. Associates rely on these tools to excel, and LOFT has the highest employee engagement scores across all brands at ANN INC.

NIKE
Conversion Campaign

CATEGORIES
Service Training
Nike’s Conversion Campaign is about boosting sales across the fleet. Vignette was hired to create a video featuring Christiana Smith Shi, President of Nike Direct to Consumer, to kick off the initiative, set expectations, and inspire the audience. A workbook and posters were added to the program to flesh out the concepts in the video with more in-depth information and stats, and to serve as a motivational reference in the field for the Nike retail team. The campaign is ongoing in Nike stores all over the world.

ANN INC.
Interactive Video Training

CATEGORIES
Product Education, Service Training
Customer interaction is the heart of the Point of Sale (POS) experience. It’s not just a transaction. It’s a bridge to the next interaction. New customer programs, like ANN INC.’s paperless receipts and credit incentives, can enhance the POS experience if the team is confident communicating about them. Both sales associates and their coaches need specialized training, so we scripted and shot talent playing various roles in LOFT stores, then wrapped the footage in an interactive training module for distribution to all LOFT and Ann Taylor retail associates. Armed with this experiential training, all ANN INC. retail stylists are ready to keep things smooth and genuine at the POS.

BANFIELD PET HOSPITALS
Meeting in a Box

CATEGORIES
Employee Engagement Strategy and Programs
Every channel has a place, but nothing's quite like face-to-face. Banfield is the nation's largest provider of veterinary care with over 1400 locations across the US. They needed to standardize staff meetings at all of their hospitals, and asked Vignette to help maximize these face-to-face interactions. The result? Meeting In a Box! This suite of communications tools and training materials is branded with Banfield’s quirky and sincere love of animals. Insights from a pilot program will inform a nation-wide rollout of the tools next year.

NIKE
Athletes and Events Videos

CATEGORIES
Employee Engagement Strategy and Programs
What do Bo Jackson, Kevin Durant, The Indian National Cricket Team, and a Flying Squirrel have in common? (Hint, that Flying Squirrel is Gabby Douglas.) Yeah, it’s Nike. Beaverton, Oregon is Nike’s World HQ. When an athlete visits for an event, the opportunity to create engagement is pretty obvious. Over the years, Vignette has documented athlete visits (and a host of other events) for Nike because they understand the employee engagement dividend they get from the star power of the brand.

DECKERS
Customer Experience Conference: Cascade Communications

CATEGORIES
Communication Strategy, Employee Engagement Strategy and Programs
Deckers produces an annual Customer Experience Conference to energize their global retail teams. It’s an intense experience. A milestone. Then, it’s “over.” What’s next? How do we leverage this 3-day experience for the rest of the year? We have a powerful tool for that: The “cascade.” Post-event cascade materials take advantage of the momentum these experiences generate. They carry the event’s branding and feel worthy of special attention. The event-specific apps attendees put on their phones become beachheads for continuing attention. In this way, events never truly “end.” They become a connected series of climactic moments in the lives of the brand ambassadors. It’s the cascade that forms this connective tissue.

LOFT
Event in a Box

CATEGORIES
Communication Strategy, Service Training, Social Community Management
Fashion is personal. People choose, wear, and talk about their clothes. Understanding this, LOFT creates private shopping functions for their best clients. These styling parties are important sources of revenue, but, more importantly, they integrate local LOFT stores into their communities through influencer marketing and word-of-mouth. To ensure these events are brand-correct and consistent, LOFT asked Vignette to develop a party-planning and coordination resource: LOFT Event in a Box. Part branded planning guide, part supply catalog, this beautifully bound book helps LOFT managers treat their core clients to a great party.
SERVICES: Meetings & Events

Face time. Maximized.

DECKERS
Customer Experience Conference

CATEGORIES
Concept and Theme, Event Branding, Content Development , PowerPoint and Keynote Design, Presenter Coaching and Rehearsals, Post-Event Cascade
Deckers Outdoor Corporation produces an annual Customer Experience Conference to energize their brands and Direct to Consumer channel. Vignette handles the content, including the theme, concept, and design of keynote presentations, and a program of videos shown throughout the event. In addition to creative development, Vignette delivers presenter coaching, environmental design, and live event production management. Hundreds of global participants fly in to attend for three days. It has to be worth the trip. Nearly a thousand slides, 20 speakers, and 27 videos later, the 2014 event went down as their best ever. Next order of business: Topping it next year.

DECKERS
Customer Experience Conference
How do you surround event guests with seamless content?

CATEGORIES
Content Development, Video Production, Post-Event Cascade
The videos played a tremendous role in gluing the content together as a unified program over three days.

ANN INC.
Field Leadership Conference

CATEGORIES
Concept and Theme, Event Branding, Content Development , PowerPoint and Keynote Design, On-Site Video Production, Presenter Coaching and Rehearsals, Post-Event Cascade
LOFT and Ann Taylor field leadership are invited to an annual event to align them with strategy and to see a preview of the Fall and Holiday product. To make it genuinely inspirational, we start with a strong, honest concept and build from it to create the visual design and content for the event. We coach and rehearse the speakers. We produce presentations and collateral. We bring the concept to life in a way that surrounds the event guests and speakers. Then, we manage the presentations and all content onsite at the venue to ensure it all comes through seamlessly. The result is a “surround engagement” experience that sends attendees home energized as brand ambassadors.

NIKE
Launch Summit Video: Mobile Post-production
How do you produce a compelling video in one day?

CATEGORIES
On-Site Video Production and Post
Nike. USAID. The State Department. NASA. All in one place, for one day, solving global problems. Sounds like something worth filming. Nike needed their Launch Summit shot, edited and distributed to channels all on the day of the event. No problem. Vignette’s mobile editing capabilities mean full, on-site video production is always in reach. We arrive on set with nothing, and end our day with delivery of finished product, ready for consumption. We can do this because we’re problem solvers ourselves (and, yes, there are astronauts and Olympians involved).

DELOITTE
Impact Day Video
How do you capture the energy and emotion of giving back?

CATEGORIES
On-Site Video Production and Post
With over 60,000 highly skilled consultants, stationed all over the planet, Deloitte is a team that gets things done on a giant scale. They’re always active in community service, but once a year, on “Impact Day,” the whole mega-crew applies 100% of their energy to making the world a better place. Deloitte asked us to come to Los Angeles and film Impact Day activities, then create a highlight reel to boost engagement with the program all over the firm. We spent the day filming technologists painting schools, accountants packing food bank boxes, and business consultants teaching non-profit leaders how to be more effective. It all comes together in the Impact Day 2014 video.

OUR SERVICES

THE ERA OF THE MEMO IS OVER.

In an always-on, real-time connected world, employees need to be engaged like consumers: where they are, and how they’ll best receive it.

DESIGN & VIDEO

Our content strategists, storytellers, and designers work together to drive compelling creative solutions that address the needs and wants of your employees. The process begins with creative concepting and continues through an iterative process, as creative work is optimized to engage at every touch point.

Concept
  • Ideation
  • Wireframe
  • Storyboard
Design
  • Print Design
  • Intranet and Website Design
  • Responsive Design
  • Native Application Design
  • Infographic Design
  • Experience Design
Video
  • Treatment and Script Writing
  • Video Production
  • Video Post Production
  • Motion Graphics

CONTENT STRATEGY

Delivering the right content to the right audience at the right time starts with Content Strategy. It combines brand research, audience segmentation, and communication planning to help identify what content we should use, what existing assets we can leverage across touch points, what new content we need to create, and how it will all get in front of our audience.

  • Audience Segmentation
  • Content Inventory
  • Gap Analysis
  • Editorial Planning
  • Copywriting
  • Video Production and Post
  • Photography
  • Brand Asset Development
  • Internal Content Marketing

EMPLOYEE COMMUNICATIONS

Branded communications and training tools are what employees expect. We create internal brand advocates by delivering them elevated creative and authentic experiences. Vignette studies the external branding of a company and translates the insights we gain to employee branding. This reinforces engagement with the communications, tools, and programs that make up the employee experience.

  • Communication Strategy
  • Employee Engagement Strategy and Programs
  • On-Boarding Programs
  • Product Education
  • Service Training
  • Social Community Management

LEADERSHIP COMMUNICATIONS

Delivering clear and inspirational content from brand leadership to employees is proven to drive engagement. Vignette enables this by spending time with leaders, earning their trust as standard-bearers of their vision and their message, and getting to know their employee culture. By offering insight, strategy, visual communication, and elevating design we drive a deeper connection between those who lead a brand and those who live it.

  • Executive Board Presentations
  • Organizational Alignment Programs
  • Vision and Values Communications
  • Leadership Communication

MEETINGS & EVENTS

Bringing employees together is how meaningful relationships truly are formed. We harness the power of live meetings and events to maximize this face time. Our clients know their events are the crown jewels of the year for employees. We approach them as the “peak experiences” in the cycle of storytelling that makes up the complete employee experience. When done well, they can be unforgettable.

  • Concept Theme and Development
  • Event Branding
  • Presentation Content Development
  • PowerPoint and Keynote Design
  • On-Site Video Production and Post
  • Presenter Coaching and Rehearsals
  • Event Application Development
  • Post-Event Communication Cascade

OUR
CULTURE

WHY WE'RE DIFFERENT

WHY WE'RE DIFFERENT

Unlike most other agencies we focus on employees so they can better serve their customers. Our mission is to drive engagement from within by innovating internal communications.

Great communication isn’t amplifying the noise across channels or making the graphics more colorful. We believe driving engagement starts by giving employees the tools to connect to the company in meaningful ways, in turn helping them push the brand forward.

OUR PEOPLE

OUR PEOPLE

Our culture isn’t defined by a mission statement or marketing materials. It shows itself when our people bring their best everyday and work like a team to deliver solutions that drive value for Vignette and our clients. Our culture stands out during a brainstorm meeting to come up with a solution to a client’s challenge, working late to finalize a pitch for new business, at the local bar celebrating a win, or when a team member is in need of help and someone proactively pitches in.

Our people are better defined by their actions – that’s where you see our culture in full effect. From the newest member of the team to our senior leaders, support and dedication is embedded into how we approach our goals and how we work with each other to achieve them. We all own the outcome, we’re all pushing each other toward greatness, and most importantly, we’re all in this together.

Mike Lepis, Co-Founder, Creative Director

Mike Lepis

Co-Founder, Creative Director

 

Now: Agency-wide strategy and vision, content strategy and creative ideation and direction.

Then: Mike has been leading the creative development of brand communications for over 15 years. As an in-house team member at Nike and Sony he developed and managed programs in retail, internal, mobile and consumer marketing. Drawing on his experiences at these global brands, Mike expressed his entrepreneurial efforts and creative vision in 2000 as a co-founder at Lost Highway Pictures and then Alpha Multimedia Solutions in 2004. Vignette was founded in 2011 out of Mike's vision to create an agency focused on producing creative and meaningful brand communications to engage employees.

"Understanding people is the key to engagement. No idea or creative concept can connect with an audience if you don’t understand what they need and how they’ll best receive it."

Shona Lepis, Co-Founder, Marketing Director

Shona Lepis

Co-Founder, Marketing Director

 

Now: Define and execute the overall online marketing strategy to meet Vignette organizational objectives.

Then: With nearly 14 years of entrepreneurial experience, Shona has been a designer and marketer at a number of successful creative companies ranging from an ISP to managing her own boutique design studio with clients in the US and Europe. Shona is an active member of the Portland design community and has served on the board as Communications Director of the Portland chapter of AIGA and a founding member of Branding Salon, a consortium of brand, design, development and marketing professionals. Shona recently earned a certificate in Digital Marketing Strategies from Portland State University's Center for Executive and Professional Education. Her passions include Instagram, insightful design, collecting old rusty things and communications that connect.

"I'm passionate about marketing in all forms especially all the new social media channels. I love spreading the word about Vignette and all the great work we do."

Gregg Apirian, Managing Director

Gregg Apirian

Managing Director

 

Now: Agency-wide strategy and vision, operations, and business development.

Then: With nearly 20 years in entrepreneurial and executive-level roles, Gregg has been an instrumental leader at many respected agencies. Most recently he was CEO of DVELOP, EVP Digital at Trailer Park, EVP at Schematic (now POSSIBLE), and began his agency career as co-founder and CEO of BLITZ. Over the years his combined experience helped drive growth and delivery of digital innovation to clients like GE, Microsoft, The Coca-Cola Company, Target, Verizon, OWN, Sony Pictures, NBC Universal, Johnson & Johnson, HSN, Ann Taylor & LOFT, Nike and Reebok.

“I’m motivated by improvement in any sense. Seeing improvement lead to quantifiable results for our employees, clients and industry peers is my best definition of success."

Dave Stawinski, VP of Production

Dave Stawinski

VP of Production

 

Now: Responsible for agency-wide delivery of all projects and ensuring Vignette delivers its best work quickly and efficiently.

Then: With nearly 20 years of production experience working for leading digital agencies such as DNA Studios, BLITZ and Second Story, Dave has managed a large number of diverse projects and teams. Over the years he has managed important projects for clients like LOFT, Nike, Johnson & Johnson, Coca-Cola, General Motors, Honda, Anheuser-Busch, Sony Pictures, Disney, Microsoft, HP, the Library of Congress and others.

"Someone once said, 'Plans only last until the battle begins.' I would not hire that guy."

UPDATES

Here's what's been happening on our end...
Join us at the A.L.I Strategic Internal Communications conference in San Francisco January, 28-30, 2015.

LET'S TALK

THE AGENCY FOR EMPLOYEES

THE AGENCY FOR EMPLOYEES

Join Our Team

We know one thing for sure. We’re only as good as the talent on our team. That’s why we take finding great people so seriously. If working in a fast paced, team-based culture, and being creative all the time is who you are—reach out. We want to meet you!

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