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DBD International helps companies refine their image — and the results can be dramatic
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| David Brier of DBD International stands over a number of items he has helped create for businesses. Briar helps redefine company images with higher quality marketing and attention-grabbing illustrations.
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By Kay Kruse-Stanton
Hold on to your hair.
David Brier may start out a conversation in a mild manner. But the more he talks about the services his company offers — and the many successes his company has enjoyed — the more animated he becomes.
“We’re kind of like the secret weapon,” he says, hands chopping the air, his voice bouncing off the walls of his Menomonie offices. “There are some companies that believe they have to go someplace big to get this kind of service, (like) the Twin Cities. Well, that’s fine; but we’re a V-8, 350-horse, and we have the history and the proven track record with clients.”
His company is DBD International, Ltd., and to say that it offers graphic arts services is a little like saying that Wal-Mart sells gum. DBD International is in the business of branding — creating an image for a business and using that image to increase the client’s share of the marketplace. It’s an “award-winning design and marketing firm specializing in corporate and brand identity,” to quote company literature.
The Coffee Grounds in Eau Claire is one of Brier’s success stories, and a good example of how he analyzes a company from the customer’s point of view. The Coffee Grounds is the Chippewa Valley’s only coffee roaster, offering more than 40 varieties of beans.
A coffee-lover’s heaven?
One of the examples of DBD's work is the graphics used by 24/7 Telcom in Menomonie.
Not quite.
“People were standing there looking at the coffee selection, seven to 10 minutes, and it’s not because they were mesmerized by sheer joy,” Brier said. “It’s because they actually could not make a decision.”
People buy more than a product; they buy an experience, he said. In the case of coffee, the act of purchasing the beans should be a good experience, not an intimidating one. The Coffee Grounds tried to help customers understand the various beans and blends by telling the country of origin and offering descriptions of body and acidity.
“And nobody can really define body and acidity,” Brier said.
He and his creative team developed a “quiz” that customers can take to determine which of four coffee types they will probably most enjoy, from mild to full-flavored and dark. The quiz includes questions customers can easily, quickly answer, such as how they prefer to have their steaks cooked or what type of chocolate they like.
Using a “Matchmakers” chart, they can then begin to form a relationship with the type of coffee they will most likely prefer. Instead of browsing through 40-plus varieties, they turn to “their” type of coffee, and select from perhaps a dozen varieties.
“Literally, people would answer the questions and then say, ‘I’m a mild!’ or, ‘I’m a rich!’ ” Brier said, gesturing triumphantly first with one hand and then the other. “They were thrilled!”
And so were the folks at The Coffee Grounds.
“In 30 days, sales went up 20 percent,” Brier said. “And it opened up a dialogue where people would talk to them, rather than act like buying coffee was this big mysterious thing.”
The results were better than what owner Eric Nelson had expected.
“David had a vision of what he thought could help our store, and he was right,” Nelson said.
And understand, it took Nelson a while to be ready to hear that message. The Coffee Grounds has been in Eau Claire for 11 years and has done quite well. It’s not natural for a successful independent business owner to turn over even a small part of control to someone from the outside.
“But he was very persistent,” Nelson said. “David believed in our store. He talked to me for probably a year, and then I grasped what he was saying.”
Nelson now envisions a continuing relationship with DBD International, as the two firms work together to update The Coffee Grounds’ marketing efforts as needed.
“He really understands who we are, and what we’re doing,” Nelson said.
The companies that turn to DBD International may not appear, from the public’s eye, to have problems. They may appear to be successful. But the managers or owners sense they need help getting the company to go where they want it to.
“They recognize a problem; they’re not where they should be. They could be larger. They could grow faster. They could have greater market penetration. Those are the issues,” Brier said. “We take that and we convert it into a compelling message.”
The process begins with an in-depth interview and discussion. Brier gathers information about the company, from its history to its long-range goals. He also gathers much the same information about the client’s competitors — and not to copy the competitors’ approach.
CTC Telcom is based in rural Dallas, Wis., and was created by Chibardun Telephone in response to the deregulation of the communications industry in the 1990s. Although CTC Telcom had the same quality technical resources offered by nationally-recognized companies, it had a “small town, small company” image, according to Lori Roemhild, Chibardun’s commercial manager.
Enter DBD International. Rather than positioning CTC Telcom as an ATT-wannabe, Brier and his team of associates emphasized the company’s competitive edge. All materials associated with CTC Telcom, from signage on trucks to stationery, promoted the company as a local, high-tech firm that could provide more customer benefit than the larger firms.
The result? In four years, Chibardun increased from 4,500 subscribers to more than 14,000, Brier said. He tapped one hand on the table, using the rhythm to emphasize the words: “The only difference was how they presented themselves.”
With each project, Brier draws on what he learned at the School of Visual Arts, New York, and through more than 20 years’ experience — the last eight years in Menomonie. The company has clients from coast to coast.
“We deal with small companies as well as medium-sized and large companies,” Brier said. “The size of the company is not a prerequisite. It’s the future of the company that’s a prerequisite. What do they want to do in the future?”
Brier estimates that more than 15 disciplines come together when DBD International creates a new image for a company: photography, graphic design, art, writing, and market analysis, to name a few. He brings in freelance professionals on projects as needed, helping to keep costs down and ideas fresh.
About those costs. There are graphic design firms that will charge less to create a logo and accompanying printed materials, but Brier believes that in the long run, DBD International is a more cost-effective route.
“You get a return on your investment,” he said, and his clients’ reports of increased sales or share of marketplace substantiate his claim.
Stand back. Brier is fully involved now, engaged in the energy of helping businesses grow. His voice booms; his hand motions have grown to involve his whole body.
“I love it,” he said, opening his arms wide to take in the full room. He leans forward and channels the words with his hands: “You’re taking potential and moving it up to where it should be. That’s exciting.”
Kay Kruse-Stanton is a freelance writer from Menomonie. Contact the Chippewa Valley Business Report at (715) 723-5515,
or through www.chippewavalleybusinessreport.com.
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