We Believe In Taking A Bold Step Forward

Complete Nutrition

Our work with this thriving Midwest-based nutritional supplement franchise began by developing a powerful social and web presence capable of propelling brand awareness. Complete Nutrition creates all of its own products. We’ve embraced that unrivaled characteristic, crafting national and franchise-level branding into a finely-tuned machine. And as the company has prospered, so has our relationship.

15% increase in store traffic
23% increase in website visits
153% increase in Facebook "Likes"
768% growth in web traffic directed to Facebook

View Site

Complete Nutrition home page

CTS360 landing page

Complete Nutrition Get Fit! guide

Get Fit! guide interior page

Get Fit! guide meal planning

Complete Nutrition franchising home page

Complete Nutrition franchising interior page

Scooter's Coffee & Yogurt

Scooter’s came to us as a major player in the coffeehouse industry aspiring to be an even larger competitor as a hybrid coffee/frozen yogurt franchise. After experiencing tremendous growth in just 10 years of franchising, Scooter’s needed to solidify a new brand identity — frozen yogurt included — with national presence and consistency. After creating and defining a new identity, we began developing franchisee materials — from grand opening procedures to outdoor signage. We’re developing an online learning tool for employee training to help Scooter’s foster franchisee success and to continue new-store growth. In addition, we researched and planned franchise sales tactics and collateral to attract new potential franchisees.

Scooter's new logo and icons

Scooter's in-store menus

Scooter's Yogurt step-by-step instructions

Scooter's in-store information pieces

Scooter's Yogurt flavors and yogurt machines

Geist Manufacturing

Traditionally known as power-source developer, Geist Manufacturing has grown immensely since its inception in 1948. That growth has lead to a gamut of new products and services — and customers across six continents. Yet, the brand perception hadn’t developed along with the company. Our mission was to give Geist its appropriate brand identity as a data center solutions company.

Geist’s business model now includes powering, cooling, managing and monitoring entire powering systems for massive data centers across the world. The brand identity we created gave equal stature to each of its focus points. We developed visual icons to help distinguish each of them, while explaining their importance and their place within the overall powering process.

Geist's new brand identity

Geist Power icon

Geist Cool icon

Geist Monitor icon

Geist Manage icon

Geist Accessories icon

HobbyTown USA

With more than 170 franchises open or under development in 43 states, HobbyTown USA is a clear leader in the retail hobby industry. Our expertise has served as an extension of the company’s marketing team. Early research suggested a need to connect national-marketing with individual-franchise strategy. Through creative direction, campaign strategy and franchise sales tactics, we’ve provided an overall marketing mix that has helped this company even further dominate its industry. In the process, HobbyTown’s transaction totals have increased as much as 23 percent.

View Site

HobbyTown USA Holiday Gift Guide

RC Plane section of HobbyTown USA Holiday Gift Guide

Model Train section of HobbyTown USA Holiday Gift Guide

RC Car section of HobbyTown USA Holiday Gift Guide

Hobbyist of the Year homepage

HobbyTown USA Franchise Opportunities website

Smeal Fire Apparatus

A pioneer in fire apparatus, Smeal was founded in 1963 in the small town of Snyder, Neb. Still family owned, Smeal’s Snyder plant now employs more than 300 people who build fire trucks and aerial ladders that help protect lives and property across North America. With no internal marketing team, Smeal contacted us to shape and direct its growing brand. We honed its rebrand — including logo and messaging — to honor the hard-working Midwestern company’s tradition and history while looking to the future. We constantly create and update web content, print collateral, trade show marketing and news brochures to expand the brand.

Visit Site

Smeal Corporate Brochure

Cover of Smeal sales catalogue

Interior of Smeal catalogue

February calendar page

October caldendar page

Cover of 2012 Smeal calendar

Frontier Bank

Founded in 1937 in Madison, Neb., Frontier Bank hired us to define, position and communicate its brand’s unique attributes to key audiences. Launching an official rebrand in May of 2012, Frontier Bank has already utilized our work for deposit acquisition campaigns in newspaper, direct mail and web — gaining it a new customer base. Community events, mortgage lending communication and radius marketing campaigns in the Lincoln, Neb., area have fostered even greater relationships with new and existing customers. Since launching its Lincoln location more than two years ago, Frontier Bank has grown its assets under management to more than $40 million.

The New Frontier Bank print piece

The New Frontier Bank postcard

Making Your Dreams a Reality print piece

HaymarketNOW!

The decision by the Lincoln, Neb., community to construct a new sports arena was initially contentious. Some Lincolnites feared tax increases and a general lack of profitability in difficult economic times. Our goal for this campaign was to ease concerned minds. Focused on transparency, we created the HaymarketNOW! identity to take citizens through every step of the building process. We created a non-biased web presence to publicize every aspect of development — from budgets to building plans.

View Site

HaymarketNOW! Home Page

HaymarketNOW! blog and custom Facebook feed

SquareOne Club

It's not every day that you get to work with television stars. Marty and Amy Wolff, stars of season three of NBC’s "The Biggest Loser," came to Thought District with a vision to create an environment for the development and nurturing of mental and physical strength for obese people. We developed the identity and website as "SquareOne," a space where people can be encouraged in their search for a healthy lifestyle through workout regimens, nutrition classes and clubs.

View Site

SquareOne homepage

SquareOne Connection interior page

GT Exhaust

GT Exhaust started in 1978 as a small silencer company, creating quieting solutions for factory machinery. The California-based manufacturer has since transitioned in a major way, producing worldwide, industry-leading sound and emissions solutions. We wanted to reinforce GTE's position as the leader in both production and social responsibility. Its website is an information hub — a database for companies with sound or emissions problems. A direct-mail campaign targeted potential clients with a message of condoning environmental responsibility through GTE emissions solutions.

GT Exhaust Ensuring Tomorrow booklet

GT Exhaust informational folder

GT Exhaust homepage

GT Exhaust landing page

Bo Pelini Foundation

Working on anything related to Husker football is a bit of a dream for a Lincoln, Neb., agency. A successful partnership with the University of Nebraska-Lincoln’s football recruiting program made the Bo Pelini Foundation a perfect fit for TD. Founded in 2009, the foundation raises money for a number of charities through a variety of football-related events. Our goal with the foundation was to give a face to an honorable cause — and it was our pleasure to do it pro bono.

View Site

Bo Pelini Foundation homepage

Nebraska State Education Association

NSEA and a number of related governmental agencies identified truancy in Omaha-area schools as a major concern. Fresh off the successful “Words that Stick” campaign aimed to generate excitement for Nebraska public schools, we were selected to communicate the reasons truancy occurs, and the problems it creates. We placed a variety of engaging outdoor pieces in high-traffic areas in the Omaha metro, created web and social materials and produced TV and radio spots each intended to specifically target children, parents and/or teachers with the message that the answer to truancy is “ApPARENT.”

View Site

Top of NSEA Truancy Solutions microsite

NSEA Truancy Solutions microsite

Truancy facts

Section for posting your own solution for truancy

Truancy Solutions Facebook page

NSEA Words That Stick homepage

NSEA Words that Stick Facebook page

NUFCU

The University of Nebraska’s Credit Union tasked us with defining, positioning and communicating its unique brand to gain new customers and to drive loan growth. We delivered a Brand Power Plan to NUFCU, resulting in the “Be Smarter With Money” campaign. The campaign elements unified the credit union’s brand under a dramatic, red-heavy, graphic approach that allowed it to maximize exposure and recognition, and to better utilize its marketing budget. Our recommendations included: employee brand training; a full suite of in-branch collateral; video screen artwork; banners; newsletter enhancements; direct mail; and a YouTube page to maximize educational seminars. We also created a detailed plan to promote new locations via public relations and event marketing.

Higher Earning print piece

Smarter Banking print piece

Back of Smarter Banking flier

Higher earning flier

James Arthur Vineyards

Yes, you can make wine in Nebraska. In fact, the state’s largest winery, James Arthur Vineyards, has proven you can make great wine. The classic vineyard hosts a variety of cultural events and conferences, and has been a staple of Eastern Nebraska culture since James Arthur planted vines by hand in 1992. We've created award-winning print pieces, a site with a 360-degree tour, and all collateral materials for James Arthur Vineyards' 13th anniversary collector's bottles.

View Site

James Arthur Vineyards Lucky 13 wine labels

Lucky 13 wine label

James Arthur Vineyards Edelweiss poster

James Arthur Vineyards Edyn's Blush poster

James Arthur Vineyards Heartland White poster

James Arthur Vineyards home page

James Arthur Vineyards Winemaker's notes

James Arthur virtual vineyard tour

James Arthur Vineyards Nebraska Red poster

James Arthur Vineyards 2 Brothers poster

Lincoln Partnership for Economic Development

The Lincoln Partnership for Economic Development was looking for a way to attract new, high-impact industries to boost Lincoln’s economic environment. An extension of the Lincoln Chamber of Commerce, the partnership was formed to thoroughly develop the Lincoln economy, and to plan for future business expansion. To foster growth, we first needed to source deeply rooted information to create a desirable outlook for prospective business owners. Our site redesign embraced this knowledge, and clearly demonstrated and communicated Lincoln’s clear business-creation advantages.

View Site

LPED homepage

LPED Open For Business interior page

Nebraska Global

Born of an idea from Thought District CEO and founder Eric Dinger, Nebraska Global was created with the mission to connect "Nebraska nerds" with the money needed to create new software companies. After laying the foundation for the business plan, our role included developing the Nebraska Global visual identity, website and pitch collateral. With a brand befitting a group of innovators, Nebraska Global prospered. An initial raise of $37.5 million — one of the largest of its kind in the Silicon Prairie’s history— has led to the creation or funding of five companies to date.

View Site

Nebraska Global business cards

Nebraska Global branding

Nebraska Global homepage

The Nebraska Global Mission landing page

Nebraska Global web infographics

Nebraska Global interior landing page

Access Solutions

Access formed in 2009 as a commercial real estate company specializing in brokerage and development services. In 2010, the company divided its business into two separate models — Access Turnkey and Access Commercial. Turnkey is a four-step process to help companies expand or rebrand through real estate initiatives, while Commercial specializes in brokerage and development services within the Midwest’s retail, office and hospitality sectors. We partnered with Access through this transition, developing an identity system that engineered growth for both models underneath an overarching brand. Utilizing its new brand identity and web presence, Access is one of the Midwest’s major players in commercial real estate.

View Site

Interior of Access brochure

About Access page from brochure

Access homepage

Access Commercial Real Estate landing page

Access Turnkey Process landing page

Industrial Maid

Switching from manufacturer-to-distributor sales to selling direct to the consumer isn't a simple maneuver. But the demands of 21st century business required Industrial Maid to innovate its selling strategy. We expanded its existing brand identity, emphasizing solutions in air filtration and ventilation customizable enough for any consumer demand. We developed an interactive site featuring e-commerce as well as industry news and information. We leaned heavily on a unique and personal user experience to provide consumers comfort and confidence in purchasing straight from the source.

View Site

Industrial Maid homepage

Industrial Maid product landing page

Security National Bank

As an extension of its in-house marketing team, Security National Bank has relied on Thought District for the development of all web-related materials. Tasked with translating a successful, existing brand identity to a new medium, we produced the SNB website and related content. Our warm relationship with SNB’s marketing heads has proved conducive to a successful partnership.

View Site

Security National Bank homepage

Security National Bank mortgage calculator

Legends Sales & Marketing

The development of the Haymarket Arena in Lincoln, Neb., required selling a number of accommodations. Because of our relationship and work with JPA (the arena developers), Legends Sales & Marketing contacted us to help brand and strategize sales of suites, club seats and skyboxes.

Your Place in the Market booklet

Interior page

Interior page

Madonna Rehabilitation Hospital

Madonna is one of the region's premier medical rehabilitation and research facilities. A technological innovator with an exceptional staff, Madonna has produced countless success stories during its 50-plus years. But it was ready for an aesthetic update when it hired us in 2011 to define, position and communicate its brand to core audiences. We completed an in-depth research study to gauge employee, patient and referring physician engagement, as well as to solidify Madonna's unique brand attributes. This research informed our creation of new brand positioning and communication elements that will begin to reach audiences in July 2012.

Madonna in-house information piece

Madonna in-house information piece

Madonna in-house information piece

Sandhills State Bank

Tracing its origins to the acquisition of a financial institution in the small town of Bassett, Neb., Sandhills State Bank now manages more than $100 million in assets with multiple locations in Nebraska’s Sandhills region. SSB enlisted our help to define, position and communicate its brand’s key attributes to pinpointed audiences. The summer of 2010 marked the launch of the new SSB brand, featuring a website, in-branch materials, event marketing support and additional collateral materials.

View Site

Sandhills State Bank homepage

Sandhills State Bank Financial Solutions landing page

Hampton Enterprises

Hampton has been a cornerstone in the Lincoln construction industry for decades. The company’s business grew exponentially when it expanded into realty. We wanted to capture Hampton's illustrious history while showcasing its vision of the future, including its role in Lincoln's Haymarket Arena expansion. The arena is developing as an economic boost and a source of pride for Lincoln, and we helped Hampton communicate its role in the production of the valuable new piece of real estate.

View Site

Hampton Enterprises homepage

Hampton Enterprises featured property landing page

Lincoln Benefit Life socialLife

A subsidiary of insurance giant, Allstate, Lincoln Benefit Life found itself in a peculiar situation following the success of Allstate’s humorous “Mayhem” campaign: How does one capitalize on the growth in overall client base and brand recognition in the less-humorous world of life insurance? To accomplish that, we executed a social strategy into LBL’s existing marketing mix — a traditionally difficult challenge for the insurance industry. We crafted the LBL SocialLIFE blog as a go-to for all things life insurance. Rather than stressing the importance of LBL insurance itself, the blog serves as a resource center for brokers and dealers.

LBL SocialLIFE blog homepage