The popularity and publicity for last summer's Gay Games in Chicago are largely attributed to McKnight Kurland Baccelli ( MKB ) , the locally based branding/marketing company that spearheaded the Games' aggressive and compelling advertising, print, outdoor and transit campaign strategy.
MKB directed the Games' early registration and awareness themes; sponsorship opportunity program materials; team participation events; and pushes for spectator ticket sales, and volunteered during its two-year partnership as a Global Games Sponsor and exclusive creative source.
'The Gay Games were a lot of fun, an exciting time, a good experience,' said Frank Kurland, the K in MKB—one of three partners, along with founding partner Morris McKnight and Michael Baccelli. 'We enjoy donating to the community. We think it's a community that takes care of its own and gives back.'
Kurland doesn't just work within the LGBT community; he is gay. In fact, three of the eight MKB employees are gay, including two of the three partners. 'We've always had a good mix of gay and straight in our employee and client bases,' he said.
'We really enjoyed the opportunity to do some very interesting work last summer with the Games; it was out-of-the-ordinary work for us. Most different from our norm, which is business services. Plus, it was just fun people to work with. We enjoyed the work that we did; it certainly was fulfilling.' MKB donated $250,000 worth of work to the Games over a two-year span.
MKB is a design firm focused on strategic communications programs, reaching marketing objectives through brand expertise. MKB, on its Web site ( www.mkb363.com ) , boasts that it develops communications that deliver impact and optimize opportunity through integrated print and web programs.
For instance, there was the one-night-only performance at Roosevelt University's Chicago College of Performing Arts, which thrilled the Auditorium Theatre capacity crowd and received multiple standing ovations. The second concert in the newly-coined 'Vivid' series relied heavily on promotion and advertising donated by MKB, and drew a record audience.
In addition, the Arthroscopy Association of North America ( AANA ) recently hired MKB to re-design its Web site with the dual purpose of promoting anesthesia safety and serving the information needs of its 35,000-member base better. The site now offers easier access, better search capabilities and more logical organization and navigation—and it recently won the 'Best Association Site' award.
MKB was founded in 1982 'and we've always been attentive to the LGBT community,' said Kurland. The company previously has worked with the AIDS Walk and Howard Brown Health Center ( even before it was formally known as the Howard Brown Health Center ) .
Plus, MKB previously has worked with the Windy City Gay Chorus and the Chicago Gay Men's Chorus.
MKB operates about 80 percent of its annual business in the business-to-business environment, and the other 20 percent in the business-to-consumer field. It primarily works with small and mid-sized businesses.
'Our strengths are graphic design and marketing strategies, working with print, digital and experiential media,' Kurland said. 'We really try to help companies move forward—to understand where some gaps may be in their organizations. We try to help them fill those gaps. We try to come up with some real innovative ways to reach markets, engage them and just create messaging that resonates.
'Branding is all about reaching your markets and creating something actionable with them. It's all about positioning yourself in the mind of your market.
Kurland also reflected on the reason for his company's client retention rate: 'We work with clients, not just for clients—and I think that's one of the reasons we keep clients. We keep them happy and do a lot of creative, innovative things for them. We enjoy what we do and it seems like clients enjoy working with us.'
See www.mkb363.com .