Case Study
The Cobbler's New Shoes
Deksia
NEED STATEMENT
Client: Deksia
Industry: Full-Service Marketing Agency
Location: Grand Rapids, MI and Des Moines, IA
Project Scope: Strategic facilitation, brand framework development, archetype evolution, manifesto, brand guidelines, and website rebuild.
Solution Provided: Deksia ran its own facilitation process on itself. Cross-functional working sessions with a representative cross-section of the team produced a new brand framework, updated guidelines, a manifesto, and a rebuilt website grounded in what was actually true about the organization.The Challenge
Deksia had been operating under a brand framework built for a company it no longer was.
Over 20 years of growth, acquisitions, and leadership change, the team had evolved in every meaningful way. The Magician archetype and a superpower defined by process methodology hadn't kept pace. The Magician carries a specific liability in the marketing category: in a space defined by agencies that overpromise and underdeliver, it signals exactly what skeptical buyers most fear. Describing Deksia's difference as a facilitation methodology missed what actually made the agency different, a culture of accountability, relentless improvement, and genuine investment in client outcomes.
The brand's own marketing reflected the gap. The website didn't represent the quality of the work. Messaging varied by who had written it and when. A three-year revenue goal of $5.5 million required a brand capable of doing its share of the work before any sales conversation started.
The Solution
Strategic Facilitation: Deksia assembled a cross-section of the organization, account management, strategy, administration, and creative, and ran the same participatory working sessions it runs with every client. Two sessions that craft an honest assessment of what the company does, who it serves, and what the marketing and sales picture actually looks like.
Brand Framework and Archetype: The new superpower named the culture rather than the methodology: a culture of strategy, innovation, and results, blending creativity with relentless improvement, accountability, and collaboration. The Magician archetype was retired. Deksia is the Compassionate Hero, earning trust through demonstrated mastery, with Sage and Caregiver qualities woven into how the team operates.
Manifesto and Brand Guidelines: The framework produced a manifesto built to align the team internally and communicate Deksia's philosophy externally, on client folders, as the script for a brand video, and as the foundation for community content. Brand guidelines codified voice standards, archetype documentation, and visual specifications across every touchpoint.
Website Rebuild: The site was rebuilt on HubSpot to match the quality of the work, with service pages built for depth, case studies built for specificity, and copy written to Deksia's documented voice throughout.The Results
Client retention crossed 100% after the changes were implemented. Existing clients expanded their engagements faster than any clients ended theirs. The correlation between the brand and culture work and the retention number was noted directly by the team.
Internally, account management and sales gained shared language for what makes Deksia different. New hires orient to the brand faster. The manifesto gave the whole team a consistent answer to a question they had previously answered differently depending on who you asked.
"I don't think it's a coincidence that our retention topped 100% after we started making these changes and genuinely implementing them."
— Adam Bird, Chief Experience Officer, Deksia
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