When the sun cuts the clouds and the flames hit the grill grates each spring, we start craving that first bite of sweet corn. And we don’t settle for anything less than the very best from the land where the sun shines eternally. We want the First Cut of Corn, fresh from Florida.
The First Cut Corn message needed to stand out in an established industry with tried-and- true tactics. Newspaper inserts, coupons, aisle endcaps – almost every promotion had been tried. Padilla saw it as the perfect opportunity to break all rules and try something radically new in the space: FirstCutCorn.com, a site designed specifically to make stomachs grumble with hunger.
Awards
Padilla was recognized by the Academy of Interactive & Visual Arts with two 2021 Gold w3 Awards, which honors outstanding websites, marketing, video, mobile, social, and podcasts across the country.
- Website Features – Best User Experience
- Website Features – Best Visual Appeal – Experience
After 130 years, the healthcare entity known as HCMC — Hennepin County Medical Center — was constrained by its name. Many Minnesotans pictured an urban trauma hospital, not the multifaceted medical system it had become. Together with Padilla, “Hennepin Healthcare” was born. Along with a new brand identity, the name befitted today’s dynamic medical enterprise, which brings comprehensive care, education, research and innovation to every corner of the state. Based on research and insights into key stakeholders, our team created a brand position and tagline – “We’re Here for Life” – that reflects the collaboration and quality of care throughout the Hennepin Healthcare system, every minute of every day. The new brand manifested in all manner of media, part of a highly visible cross-platform campaign launch.
In Italy, children are practically born with a slice of prosciutto in their mouths, but in the U.S., people often discover it later in life. Educating people on how to serve and enjoy it is paramount to a great consumer experience. This is why Prosciutto di Parma, Italy’s most celebrated and recognized cured ham, wanted to ensure that the years of dedication and pride that go into every leg are not wasted when it arrives to the plate.
Prosciutto di Parma’s training website, TheWholeLeg.com, is a resource for showing chefs and retailers how to use every piece of a leg of Prosciutto di Parma. Videos are a powerful training tool, so Padilla created a series to train chefs on how to cut the perfect slice and how to utilize every piece of the leg to minimize waste and maximize value. From recipes to necessary tools, TheWholeLeg.com demonstrates how Prosciutto di Parma offers so much more than slices on a charcuterie board or draped over melon.
Not sure how to cook sweet potatoes? You’re not alone. While 41 percent of U.S. adults eat sweet potatoes at least once a month or more,1 24 percent of adults aren’t quite sure how to cook them.2 The North Carolina Sweet Potato Commission asked themselves, “What will drive consumption?”
To reach the consumer directly, Padilla’s Research + Insights group used the culinary studio to facilitate focus group sessions to chat sweet taters and hear feedback first-hand. Guided by the findings, Padilla captured beautiful photography of sweet potatoes, cut and showcased in simple and versatile preparations, becoming the go-to resource for helping consumers conquer the kitchen and learn the easy tricks of cooking sweet potatoes.
With kale’s rise in popularity over the past 10 years, everyone has been wondering what the next new green on the scene will be. B&W Quality Growers – the largest growers of watercress – wanted to be just that, posing the question, “How do you introduce your product to mainstream consumers by highlighting its versatility in simple recipe applications?”
Our team experimented with watercress substitutions as a way of swapping out greens traditionally used in dips and sauces that are often perceived by some as unpleasant tasting, such as cilantro. These concepts evolved into a video series which delivered the recipes in a demonstrative way to be pushed out on social channels to increase followings, boost engagement and enhance B&W’s social media channels.
Just see for yourself…
How do you get consumers excited for another summer with blueberries? It starts with understanding how they’re already using them and social listening around trending recipes they will be hungry to try!
To set the stage for our “Blueberry Life” campaign, we uncovered trending recipe concepts from grab ‘n’ go to easy no-bake and gluten-free desserts to mason jar salads. From there, we developed a list of recipe concepts and brought them to life by developing and testing them in our culinary studio until they met the discerning palates of our team of culinary professionals. These recipes were then brought to life and rolled out across partner sites like Food52, picked up by media and served up to thousands of consumers.
When Coppertone selected Padilla in 2007, they asked us to help advance their reputation beyond simply being the suncare industry leader. They wanted recognition for their public health commitments beyond their annual sunscreen launches.
Our comprehensive effort focused on all elements of the PESO model, and helped put America’s original sunscreen maker on the national map. We tapped into thought leadership and crisis management, public health education, influencer (KOL and social media) engagement, celebrity partnerships, digital strategy and development, experiential media events and product media relations.
For more than 10 years Padilla helped the sunscreen leader regain its standing as a category innovator and insightful thought leader, committed to helping us all live a worry-free life under the sun.
A horse’s topline, the muscles along its back and rear, are critical to helping the horse look good, feel well and perform to the best of its abilities. But to many in the horse community, the condition of the topline is “just the way it is”– often chalked up to genetics or poor saddle fit.
We helped Cargill launch a successful campaign to educate horse owners and veterinarians about its research connecting nutrition, topline health and the role specific feed formulations play in improving a horses topline. The campaign increased demand for Topline Balance and continues to live under the Cargill brand today.
Children’s Hospital of Richmond at VCU was preparing for the opening of a new outpatient pavilion that would create a more welcoming environment and coordinated experience for kids, families and caregivers. To help parents navigate the new facility, Padilla created a digital tour. Available 24/7, ChorTour.org provided a simple and responsive guide to parking, physician offices, testing and treatment locations and other resources designed to reduce anxiety and ensure a positive first impression.
Awards
- Virginia PRSA Best In Show Award
In late 2015, Yanmar Tractors selected Padilla to launch a new line of tractors for a new generation of agri-lifers. For more than a century Yanmar has operated under the guiding mantra that “to preserve fuel is to serve mankind.” The new – and stunningly beautiful – YT Series was the latest embodiment of that mantra and was aimed at like-minded, environmentally conscious consumers.
In the first year, Padilla produced a full selection of print, digital and outdoor advertising, sales brochures, dealer recruitment programs and more, all featuring the new tractors and the hard-working people who rely on them to better serve their land.
For more than 50 years, organizations of all sizes have come to rely on Padilla for a deep bench of public relations expertise. But as we’ve grown and evolved with seven offices coast to coast, many here in Minnesota may not have noticed what we do is so much more than PR. So we took the time to outline our expanding capabilities in a hand-illustrated, custom printed book to share our story and open some eyes along the way. The response from CEOs and CMOs has been exceptional; and it most recently caught the eye of the judges at MN Ad Fed’s The Show, receiving a Silver award for Agency Self Promotion.
Children’s Hospital of Richmond at VCU (CHoR) wanted to differentiate itself from the competition. Research revealed something a little extra special about its specialists. Every day, they go above what they have to do because that’s just how they’re wired. And they go beyond their credentials because they want to make sure their patients still feel like kids. Padilla helped create and launch an integrated campaign demonstrating how CHoR’s patients inspire their specialists to go above and beyond.
In the spring of 2016, Joe Smith, Padilla’s brand strategy team, was approached with the opportunity to build a craft beer brand from scratch. While researching the history of the brewery’s location, we came across an elaborate legend of a hidden treasure that would inspire the entire experience – from naming and product architecture, to packaging, interior and experience design. Beale’s Beer turned the craft beer world upside-down in the summer of 2017.
We support Barnes & Noble College on a wide range of brand, message and media initiatives. This includes new brand architecture and communications for the many Barnes & Noble College programs and platforms, and a new brand campaign that champions the many ways Barnes & Noble College helps university staff, faculty and students succeed. When Barnes & Noble College was separated from Barnes & Noble Inc. and spun-off as part of Barnes & Noble Education, Padilla was there to make sure everything looked exceptional for their day in the Wall Street spotlight.
