Walking Stick Communications Makes Big Changes in Little Time

March, 2003 (Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio): Walking Stick Communications (formerly Walking Stick Productions) has gone through quite a few changes over the last several months. The results of which are creating opportunities for the firm it never could have imagined.

It started late September last year when the decision was made between Walking Stick (Productions) and VERVE Strategic Advertising Concepts that joining forces would be the best thing for both entities. VERVE, a small advertising and marketing firm based in Cuyahoga Falls, had been in business for a little under one year. Walking Stick, now entering its sixth year, felt it was primed for growth. Walking Stick and VERVE had been working together for almost nine months when discussions of merging began between Dale Pease (Walking Stick President) and Matt White (VERVE President). Working under a mutual contractual agreement, both had bigger and better ideas for the future of their respective companies. And, the first week in October marked the beginning of that future for the “new” Walking Stick.

Part of this new and improved Walking Stick included re-branding itself to convey the newly expanded services the company now offered. The addition of White introduced strategic advertising and marketing elements to the expansive design capabilities Walking Stick already offered. So, the term “Productions” in Walking Stick Productions now limited the company to its previous service structure. While the Walking Stick team understood the challenges involved in renaming and re-branding a successful business, it felt strongly that in order to reach its goals of growth, something had to change. It had to position itself as a more full service agency, offering not only the highest quality design, but also a strong marketing foundation, based on years of experience in a variety of retail and business-to-business industries. The result: Walking Stick Communications. “We wanted to maintain the awareness we already had with the Walking Stick name,” explained Pease, “but we needed to let people know that we’re more than just ‘Productions.’ Walking Stick Communications better represents the total design/marketing/advertising solutions the firm now offers.”

In addition to the new name, Walking Stick re-introduced itself with a new attitude. “We’ve done more than just change our name,” says White. “We’ve reinvented ourselves; and we want people to know about it.” The company’s new position: Creative People. Original Ideas. Innovative Solutions. “These three simple statements say so much about who we are and what we do,” White noted. “We have an outstanding team of individuals with a wide range of talents; and the services we provide and products we offer set us apart from our competition in this market.” Walking Stick Communications’ services include brand identity, public relations, print design, illustration and animation, and a host of Web and e-commerce solutions.

And, to cap off the excitement of the last quarter of 2002, in January, Walking Stick moved into its new offices at 414 Portage Trail. Just two blocks up the street from its previous location, the new accommodations offer about twice the space, as well as many more windows – a beautiful sight after surviving in the basement of the Portage Warehouse for over five years! The new area has been totally updated to suit the needs of the existing team, as well as plenty of room to expand.

“We’re all excited about the potential with everything that’s happening right now,” said Pease. “We know our clients will benefit greatly from this change, and we expect many more will come to experience the complete services we now offer.”

Walking Stick Communications is a full service advertising, design and marketing firm based in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio. Established in 1997, Walking Stick has developed online and off-line solutions for such clients as Diebold, Tribute Software, Applied Industrial Technologies, Tri-Source Title Agency, MEDGroup, and Hinkley Lighting. Walking Stick is located at 414 Portage Trail, Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio 44221. For more information, visit www.walking-stick.com or call 330.923.7708 or 866.340.8179.