As AM grew throughout the years, I began to notice something. Those working on business strategy and those who creating brand systems and marketing content weren’t able to collaborate well in many organizations. The business strategists would give solid direction on what was needed, but they didn’t have the creative skills to bring it fully to life for the organization. And, on the other hand, the creatives couldn’t get it right without being part of and understanding the business strategy conversations. Neither side could get all the way there because they were working separately and they didn’t have both skill sets in one team. But, the more we combined those two processes, the more impactful the results became.
The product of that combination is OVRFLO, a signature process we’ve developed over years of experience in the industry. OVRFLO is a lofty ideal. It’s full of nuance, processes, and years of trial and error—in other words, it’s hard to describe in one article. But, I’m going to do my best. By giving you a glimpse into OVRFLO and what to expect, I hope you can understand that we have big dreams for you and your business.
How Does It Work?
As I mentioned before, when you sign on with AM, you’re signing on with two things: part consultation firm, part creative agency. The two must exist together. You need to have a perspective, and a way to put that perspective to use. Hence OVRFLO.
In general, our signature process unfolds over the course of a few weeks. We connect with you and your team to take an in-depth look at your business, what’s working, and what’s not working. Then, we start at the beginning. Let’s break down the OVRFLO process in three steps.
Clarify Your Purpose
In order to make any progress, we need to take an intentional moment to hit pause. Our Discovery Sessions with you and your team last about two days, and in them, we work with you as the business owner to uncover your purpose for the business. Why do you do what you do? Who are you impacting?
From there, we bring in your team to uncover the company’s purpose and define how it applies to their work. It’s extremely important to get active buy-in from your team during this stage, so they feel that they have ownership of the purpose you have for the company. During the following stages, we’ll dig into your culture, history, strengths, and weaknesses to make sure everyone is on the same page and ready to move forward in the same direction.
Align Your Brand
The next phase is where our team can help bring your purpose to life. It’s where our hybrid model of consultation and creative really shines, incorporating your purpose into the brand—everything from the tagline and key messaging to logo and website. We’ll then present it to you in a shiny new package, including brand guidelines, strategy, and more.
By doing this, you’ll have a complete business, a business that’s driven by its purpose at every single level. It’ll look the part, and everyone on your team will know why. Ultimately, customers will see a company that understands what it truly is, and how it can deliver value to them—ultimately improving their lives.
Align Your Culture
Our OVRFLO process is about more than just a pretty look. It will provide a sustainable foundation for you and your business moving forward. A big part of this is defined by your culture. Following all of this internal work, you’ll have clear messaging for your current and future team members.
This is extremely important for your hiring process. At some point, you can’t personally communicate the vision and purpose to every new hire as they come in, and that’s why it’s essential to document it and get your team trained to communicate it clearly. By participating in OVRFLO, you’ll have the tools necessary to keep everyone on the same page. These tools are the real deal and they will surround your culture with what you stand for and what is essential to success in your organization.
Of course, there’s a lot more to OVRFLO than what I’m outlining here, but this should give you a general idea of what the process looks like. And, if you’re afraid this process will be difficult, don’t be. It’s our entire job to make this seem as seamless and natural as possible. We simply need to bring clarity to what you already know and believe about your own business. Then, we’ll build a focused, easily articulated brand foundation upon it. Our outside perspective helps find the treasures that make your company unique and, through OVRFLO, we help everyone see it clearly—starting with you.
The hardest part about OVRFLO is wondering why you haven’t asked these questions earlier. Because once you have, there’s no looking back.