Creating a creative identity

Your creative agency identity

Every business needs an identity. What is an Identity Statement? This would be one statement that sums up what the business is and how it contributes to a perfect world. Why go through the trouble of figuring it out? Well, it will help inform your decision making as you look for opportunity in the marketplace. Let’s take a look.

Previously, you have probably seen this behavioral statement from some businesses before and not recognized it. For example, our identity as a creative agency at, House of Sticks is, “When businesses are in need of a creative agency to produce world class creative and need the best talent in Dallas, they will want to use House of Sticks.” We are a video production company in Dallas that also has an incredible software development division. We want to serve businesses who are looking to increase their public appearance with the use of high quality creative. Simple enough.

The creative part

Let’s look at the nuts and bolts of this statement. It doesn’t say what we, as a company, want to do. It doesn’t set a goal. It doesn’t say anything about the future. Instead, it describes what House of Sticks offers in a perfect world.

This is the ultimate message any business needs to get across. Its the reason for existing boiled down to a bite sized sentence. Advertising in Dallas is huge and its growing. There are a TON of new businesses moving to Dallas. There is also a bunch of competition from creative agencies much larger than ours. Our creative agency needs a strong identity statement so we can stay on track when looking for the right clients. Your identity statement is a bet on your reputation. Follow this:

Typically businesses are known for a certain level of quality and service. No one is shopping for quality at Wal-Mart, they are shopping price. No one who goes to Sewell in Dallas is looking for the best price, they are looking for world-class service. Your business will grow a reputation whether you like it or not. The best advertising agencies and marketing groups understand the current reputation and then attempt to steer it in a direction that matches the business goals by creative writing and asset production. Its the most foundational piece of any advertising.

To know where you are going, you have to first know where you are.

Our creative agency

House of Sticks as a group creative agency, is a media and software production house. We make really good stuff. We want to be known for creating top shelf design and digital based services. We know that. We need Texas to know that. Texas is growing, Dallas is blowing up and our Identity Statement allows us to remember which advertising and marketing projects will lead us to that end goal. A good identity statement allows us to see which services and advertising clients we want to take on. It helps keep our end goal reputation in mind. Otherwise, we would end up taking on any branding or graphic design jobs and wind up some where we don’t necessarily want to be.

Here are some things you need to remember when creating your business identity:

• You are stating what your business does in an ideal world.
• You are explaining your target demographic.
• You are showing what market you are in.
• You are conveying your business model in a brief manner.

Lets look at our statement again. “When businesses are in need of a creative agency to produce world class creative and need the best talent in Dallas, they will want to use House of Sticks.”

Do you see how we managed to do all of those things? In a perfect world, as a full service creative agency in Dallas we want to provide businesses the look and tools to accomplish their business goals. Take a look at our other work and you will see how the statement is backed up with the quality advertising and creative work we provide. The target demographic would be any commerce vertical who understands the value of a marketing, advertising and is in need of an agency worthy of their business. The market is B2B, and the business model is to be the full service one-stop shop to produce all the assets needed for their advertising needs. By contrast, we are NOT a staffing agency, we are not a firehouse. Other larger agencies can be all things to all people. We want focus.

It is storytelling in a manner. You are telling the story of your company in a very brief way. It’s one of the first things people will find and ask about your business or creative agency. Its much simpler to have it ready to go. In that one single statement, we try to let everyone know what we are. You should work on doing the same.

The creative agency product

Of course, once you have decided what your behavioral statement is, who your target demographic is, you need to use it in the right way. That’s where we come in. We make all the stuff you need to explain your identity or marketing campaign’s identity to the world. That’s advertising. We make the videos, the websites, the mobile apps, the pictures. All the creative and marketing fire power. Think of our agency as a way to expand your identity to talk to your potential customers. If you run a business in the Dallas or Fort Worth area, or have an internet connection anywhere in the world, then House of Sticks can help you. Here’s an article from a recent publication that has a bit more.