STAND OUT AGAINST THE COMPETITION.
ATTRACT YOUR IDEAL CLIENT.
If your company is struggling to differentiate itself, you need to do one essential thing: make an immediate emotional connection with your potential clients. Every successful brand does it.
The problem is, it can be challenging to hit on that special “something” that sets you apart, articulate what it is clearly, and present it in the most compelling and effective way possible.
This is where we can help. We are S&G Studios™ – a boutique creative agency specializing in branding. We help our clients tell their unique stories, and demonstrate to the world who they are, what makes them special and why they should be hired.
BRANDING - building your foundation
First off, there are misnomers about the term “branding”. A lot of people only associate it with a logo. Although a logo is one attribute of a brand, it’s so much more – branding conveys the “personality” of an entire company. It evokes an emotion - good or bad. It’s a feeling. A reaction. An experience. Branding is the foundation of the rest of the sales process, and since people are emotional beings, they won’t “buy” until they feel good about a brand. Without an emotional connection, a logo is just a logo.
We offer our clients custom solutions that have the power to transform their business. We are experts in finding a company’s UVP (Unique Value Proposition) and making sure it shines through all aspects of their brand. This is the key to standing out against the competition.
What sets us apart is our ability to really understand your business and its needs. We then work on every detail of your storytelling and branding process to make sure it all rings true for you. Next, we work extensively with you on your brand strategy and development. This is an integrated approach that ensures your success from start to finish.
Everything we create for you is custom and built from scratch. We do not utilize templates.
BRAND STRATEGY
Unique Value Proposition
Positioning
Attributes
BRAND IDENTITY
Logo Design
Taglines
Brand Bible
BRAND EXECUTION
Writing
Photography
Videography
MARKETING - GETTING FOUND BY YOUR IDEAL CLIENTs
You may ask, "Aren't branding and marketing the same thing?" Actually, no. They are complementary, but not interchangeable. Branding is who you are and why people should want to do business with you. Marketing, on the other hand, is how people find you and how you build brand awareness of your services and/or products.
Marketing will get you leads, but if your brand identity and message is vague or confusing as to how you help people solve their problems, it will not convert into sales. It’s paramount to have a clear and concise brand identity and message before you embark on any serious marketing efforts.
Once your branding is in place, we team up with marketing aficionados who can help you develop a unique and effective marketing strategy.
BRANDING & PUBLICITY SEO
Media Campaigns
Local SEO Solutions
Google SEO & Maps
CONTENT MARKETING
Establish "Expert Status"
Expand Online Presence
Leverage Big Brand Sites & Publications
WHY US?
We have extensive experience telling different types of stories succinctly and in the most compelling way that captures people’s attention. We've spent 25+ years in storytelling, branding and marketing, with over 15 of those in the highly competitive cable TV industry, where even a tiny gain or loss in viewership means the difference of hundreds-of-thousands-of-dollars in increased or lost advertising revenue.
We now take all of this experience and apply it to helping businesses like yours tell their story, cut through the clutter and increase their revenue.
Our TV work has garnered over 100 internationally renowned advertising awards...
CASE STUDIES
Click on the thumbnails to watch the videos.
FULLY PROMOTED RE-BRAND (3:06)
This video tells the story of how we worked with our client to develop a new brand strategy and image to attract high-end B2B clientele. In order to do it, the owners had to move away from where they were visually as an established franchise and try something completely new.
MONK (3:55)
This video tells the story of how the Emmy Award-winning comedy/detective series was promoted, and how, after multiple seasons on the air, we found new and exciting ways to attract a younger audience, while still staying true to Monk’s character and peculiarity.
ACCESS HEALTH INSURANCE AGENCY (2:26)
This video tells the story of a boutique insurance agency, and the challenges we faced in its rebranding. Through our process, we were able to pinpoint and execute the needed changes, and now instead of closing 2 out of 10 sales, they close 8 out of 10 - a 400% improvement.
HUMANSUIT (1:48)
This video explores SCI FI's brand positioning as the place where imagination comes to life. This particular brand film simply asks "what if?", a question that became the foundational strategy for all of the network's on and off-air branding and marketing efforts.
CHURCH RE-BRAND (1:47)
This video tells the story of the corporate identity challenges faced by a small church while trying to grow its congregation and find its place in the community. We took a non-existent and haphazard brand identity and made it feel established and unified with a simple new logo and tagline.
THE SECRET ADVENTURES OF JULES VERNE (3:16)
This video tells the story of how we promoted a low-budget Canadian TV production with high aspirations. We used the nostalgia of Disney’s 20,000 Leagues Under The Sea to inform and unify the look and feel of the motion graphics packaging and print ads, which elevated the show to a ratings success.
branding executions
Click on the thumbnails to visit the websites.
When our client came to us, their objective was to attract a new target market - high-end B2B clients. In order to accomplish this, we needed to develop a new brand strategy and image that appeals to that segment. Once we defined what their unique value proposition was, we wrote all new copy, developed compelling taglines, created videos as well as all new photography that visually reinforced their new upscale image. We then took all these components and designed and built this website that provides a clear call-to-action for prospective clients.
This insurance agency needed a complete re-brand, including a new brand strategy and identity that speaks to their ideal clients. Once we defined what made them stand out against the competition, we designed a new logo, wrote all new copy, developed compelling taglines, incorporated all new photography that visually strengthened their new image. We then incorporated all these assets and designed and built this website which has helped increase their sales conversion rate by 400%.
In the highly competitive real estate space, how do you differentiate yourself? The brand strategy we developed for Malena was not only based on what sets her apart from other real estate professionals, but we also created an image that is true to her core values and appeals to her ideal clients. The new image is professional and modern, while still conveying the essence of what makes her unique. We wrote all new copy, including taglines, and shot all new photos. The new website we designed and built is easy to navigate and has helped to position her as a leading player in the real estate business.
As there are plenty of companies that offer heating and air conditioning services, how do you make yours stand out from the crowd? This is where brand strategy is key. Our main focus was to create an emotional connection with Air Crafts' prospective clients when visiting their website, by conveying that their customer service is stellar, that they understand their clients' needs, and are trustworthy. To implement this strategy, we wrote all new copy, including taglines, as well as new photography, and then designed and built the website around these newly created assets.
Financial tracking is essential to staying in business, but many don’t realize they can outsource these services, including financial forecasting. So how do you find these prospective clients? For starters, you have to know who and where they are, understand what their pain points are, as well as their aspirations and goals. We built the brand strategy and image around how Hope Financial Consulting can alleviate stress and save their clients valuable time so that they now can spend more time on their business rather than working in their business. By appealing to their prospective clients' emotions, HFC is now more likely to win their business.
storytelling
Taglines, homepage copy and copywriting scripts that tell compelling stories quickly. Click on company logos to view.
VIDEOS & FILMS
Click on the thumbnails to watch the videos & films.
INFINITE TECHNOLOGIES (1:32)
This whiteboard video was created help attract general contractors to partner with Infinite Technologies at the beginning of new building projects. We were responsible for all of the strategy, scripting, original illustrations and custom animation for the piece.
BRAND FILM, IDs & INTERSTITIALS (1:50)
A short collection of network branding films that kept viewers off-center, on their toes and laughing over their outcomes. Live action, traditional 2D animation and state-of-the-art 3D special effects showcase a quirky collection of image spots for a variety of TV networks.
COLE PALEN’S FLYING CIRCUS, VOL. II (5:00)
A short promotional film made for the Old Rhinebeck Aerodrome, showcasing the museum's collection of fully operational vintage aircraft, and featuring clips of their elaborate weekend re-enactment shows. Shot with our 16mm Arri S and set to music from The Rocketeer.
CAL COAST PEST MANAGEMENT (1:00)
This whiteboard was created to highlight Cal Coast Pest Management’s commitment to their clients, their working philosophy, and their multi-faceted skill set. We were responsible for all of the strategy, scripting, original color illustrations and custom animation for this piece.
SHORT-FORM WHITEBOARD VIDEOS (0:26)
Created as a quick snapshot, these whiteboards demonstrate that less can be more. For Cori Create, the idea was to show how an idea on paper is realized into three-dimensional reality, while for S&G Studios, the idea was to animate a fun and engaging rendering of our company logo.
TV PROMO REEL (4:23)
A compilation of marketing and promotional spots in multiple genres for a variety of TV clients. Examples of comedy, sci-fi/horror, sports, documentary and reality represented.
OPERATION: BLACK DRAGON (20:11)
Set on board a C-47 transport plane in WWII, a rookie radio operator discovers the crew's navigator is a spy who intends to drop a top-secret cargo over enemy territory. The rookie must sabotage the mission in order to save it. Shot aboard a vintage aircraft, the production features period costumes and miniature flying effects.
WEREWOLF OF PRAXTON HALL (15:02)
In this Mobil Award nominated film, a cursed man calls his brother home in the hopes that he will kill the beast within. Vintage lighting equipment and practical atmospheric effects were used to capture the look and feel of the Universal Monster Classics. Part of the permanent film collection at NYU's Bobst Library.
PHOTOGRAPHY
Click on the photos to enlarge.
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TESTIMONIALS
Here's what some of our clients have to say...
Joy Raine - President & CEO
Access Health Insurance Agency
Kelly Bagla Esq. - CEO
Bagla Law & Go Legal Yourself
John Biethan - President, Producer
Imagine Podcasting
Peggy Lebo – Creator of True Voice Method™, Vocal Coach & Singer-Songwriter
True Voice Method™ & Peggy Lebo Music
Malena Bennett - Real Estate Broker
Malena & Associates
Jason Hope - CPA, CFA & Founder
Hope Financial Consulting
MEET OUR TEAM
SAM DE SANTO
Whether it’s with pencil or pen, pixel or paper, Sam is a multidisciplinary creative thinker. With a Master's degree in film production from NYU's Tisch School of Arts, Sam is an accomplished director and writer. His thesis film was nominated for the prestigious Mobil Award and was screened at the Director's Guild in Los Angeles. It was also featured on Sci Fi Channel's short film show Exposure.
Additionally, he has enjoyed an illustrious career in the TV industry as a creative director and writer/producer of promotional spots and marketing campaigns for Emmy® Award-winning shows like MONK, Battlestar Galactica and Steven Spielberg Presents TAKEN among others. Sam is also a gifted illustrator, cartoonist and photographer, and served as the lead storyboard artist on several independent feature films and music videos.
Sam has also published his first children’s book, an historical action adventure novel, Bumble Humblestone® and The Secret Cargo, which he both wrote and illustrated.
GUNILLA DE SANTO
A detail-oriented big picture thinker, Gunilla has had her fingers in a lot of creative pies. As a heartfelt and expressive storyteller, and with a love for all things visual, she has enjoyed a multifaceted career in arts and entertainment.
A native of Sweden, she started her career there as a dancer and back-up singer. After her move to the US, she became a promotions executive in the recording industry where she earned several gold records for her contributions. Transitioning to the independent film industry, she associate produced an award-winning short film, and then joined the Sci Fi Channel where she advanced to Vice President, Production & Project Management in Marketing and Branding.
During her tenure there, she produced numerous high-profile branding projects, collaborated with BAFTA-winning cinematographers John Mathieson (Gladiator) and Rob Hardy (Mission Impossible: Fallout), director Craig Gillespie (Million Dollar Arm & Cruella) and visual effects companies like The Mill (Gladiator & Black Hawk Down) and Smoke & Mirrors (GoldenEye opening credits).
Her work has achieved critical acclaim and has won her over 100 internationally renowned awards, including One Show, AICP (MOMA), The Art Director’s Club, D&AD and Clio, among others.