Welcome to The Richards Group. We’re a fiercely independent branding shop that exists for one reason: to endear brands to people.
And if our purpose is to endear brands to people at every point of contact, we need to have the resources and expertise it takes to make that happen. And we do. All born here. All raised here. All interconnected, commingled, and collaboratively creative.
Capabilities
Every area of expertise at The Richards Group started because a client had a need. Over the years, that’s meant building best-in-class offerings that can (and do) stand alone as well as play a role in a fully integrated offering.
Analytics and Data Management
The strength of this team? They turn data into actionable insights. Integrated customer data solutions including data management, database architecture and development, business intelligence, and analytics – supporting customer relationship management, loyalty, and return on investment across digital and traditional marketing channels.
Brand Architecture
Our clients often ask us to help them solve complex brand architecture puzzles, so we’ve developed a collaborative, workshop-based process that combines insights from our proprietary research tool, Brand Geometry, with the business realities that so often drive brand architecture.
Brand Identity
While having a strong logo is important, brands need more. A logo is simply a signature, a symbol that stands for a brand, and while we do many of them each year, it’s always in conjunction with an identity. Our identities are a suite of visual and verbal elements that work together, build on one another, and create a full expression of what a brand stands for – something a logo can rarely do on its own.
Content Production
We have an in-house motion graphics studio, a on-staff director/cinematographer, a growing number of content creators, and the in-house resources necessary to edit and record voiceovers (live in the studio or patched in from anywhere–most recently Bulgaria), perform sound design or effects, and provide digital radio spot delivery service through our state-of-the-art editing and recording studio.
Crisis and Issues Management
Most of the time we play offense, but when we play defense, we play to win. From product recalls to allegations of employee abuse to natural disasters of all descriptions, our crisis management experts work fast and hard to turn negatives into neutrals, compress the news cycle and fight firestorms on social media.
Digital Design and Production
Alongside our brand management, creative, strategy, and media disciplines, we add the talents of dedicated digital specialists whose areas of expertise include business analysis, user experience architecture, production, project management, analytics, and code development. Our team has won over 200 industry awards for digital innovation, effectiveness, and creativity. And we’ve worked with companies and organizations across many industries, categories, and geographic locations.
Graphic Design
When you consider that design is where The Richards Group originated, you have to expect our design group to be among the most recognized in the country. (And they are.) Logos and brand identity, website design, in-store and event design, package design, environmental design, and graphic standards and systems – this group does pretty much everything except advertising.
Hispanic Marketing
We disregard stereotypes, clichés, and assumptions used for marketing to Hispanics and instead strive to be an accurate, contemporary reflection of the evolving U.S. Hispanic landscape. This includes understanding nuances among Latinos, acting on important new trends, recognizing alignment with the general market, and leveraging human truths.
Media Planning and Buying
Unlike most agencies of our size, we never disconnected media from creative. This has allowed us to build a strategic practice that focuses on experienced collaboration, data and technology excellence, and creative problem-solving. At our place, the media team sits side by side with art directors, copywriters, strategic planners, public relations pros, and data analysts – not in a separate building or separate city.
We also don’t follow the herd when it comes to titles. We’re intentionally flat and virtually titleless, so where others may use titles, we use years of experience. We find that’s more impressive to our clients.
Mobile Marketing
If you want to find your target, you have to go where they go. Strategic and technical consulting, content-management-system-powered platform development, software development kit integrations, audience engagement via push and mobile ad solutions, audience segmentation and targeting via location-based (geolocation) and behavior-based solutions, app store strategies and promotion, digital wallets, and mobile commerce implementations.
Naming
When you pick a naming partner, you have quite a few choices: public relations firms, freelance copywriters, even computer software programs. So why pick Flying Start? Simply put, we are a dedicated naming and verbal identity firm. We’re known for developing names that work – names that create opportunities, open doors, make connections, and stay top-of-mind. We are fluent in branding, linguistics, and customer research. We know you need a compelling name. You need it quickly. You need it on budget. And you need it to sell itself.
Public Relations
As a senior member of our team says, “There’s more to PR than press releases.” Public relations services including communications strategy, media relations and social media engagement, internal branding, thought leadership affiliation, community relations, speechwriting, presentations, event planning, crisis management, and communications and media training.
Relationship Marketing
Today, consumers expect a more personalized experience with brands. This makes applying data and insights to every touchpoint more important than ever. Whether converting prospects into customers or working to build loyalty through a one-to-one relationship, our roots in direct marketing and customer relationship management make this customer-centric focus second nature.
Search Marketing
Through full-service search management and enterprise-level technologies, we can quickly position our clients within the most relevant results through paid and organic search optimization. The Richards Group’s search team has worked with Google and Yahoo/Bing as partners for almost two decades and is a member of the Google Brand Council, participating on their Advisory Board. We are also a member of Bing’s Product Advisory Group to help spur innovation and results for our clients.
Social Media
Where there’s digital, there’s social. Holistic social media practice that includes social media strategy, social listening, and reputation management; influencer outreach; community engagement; paid social media; app development; social media management platforms; and reporting
Sports and Entertainment Marketing
By aligning with the sports people love, the entertainment they crave, and the causes they champion, brands can reach consumers at the points where they are the most engaged. Our disciplined approach takes clients from partner identification to activation.
Urban Marketing
Marketing solutions to address the cultural insights of African-Americans in addition to the unique mindset of the urban audience. Includes strategic planning, consumer research, digital communications, advertising, direct marketing, media planning, and grassroots marketing.