LGE Community Credit Union: Behind the Scenes

Agency: Daniel Brian Advertising (DBA)
Client: LGE Credit Union

Here at Southend our mission is always to deliver the best possible results partnered with an exceptional client (and agency) experience. Our recent project with LGE Credit Union presented an interesting opportunity with the Daniel Bryan Advertising agency (DBA). Together, we worked to bridge the gap between 3 parties (client – agency – production).

As a long time client, LGE knew what to expect from us…DBA on the other hand, had no idea what working with Southend would entail. It’s no secret egos can get in the way of productions and agencies, but instead of going down that ugly road, both teams took an all hands on deck approach.

The first goal? Building trust. When it came to the creative vision, Southend Creative Director Joey Thompson knew it was critical to over communicate his understanding of the agency’s vision for the project. Joe recaps, “with any new partner there’s a component involved in building comfort and trust with someone who hasn’t worked with us before.” 

“We had to prove we cared about their concepts,” says Southend producer Mandy Wright. “It’s almost like we cared too much – we had to be confident in DBA’s goals and visions for LGE…”

We also knew the importance of sharing the details of our systems and processes…don’t discount the organization of this Creatively Brave team! 

We had extensive task management in place as well as a team to execute on the back end. By sharing our best practices with DBA they had visibility into what was happening behind the scenes.

As with any partnership, the building of trust took time and effort on both sides. This process involved asking lots of questions, sharing transparent feedback, and a commitment to open communication. Over the course of 45 days, it became clear everyone was working towards a unified goal and vision: delivering the best possible results  for LGE.

During our debrief call with DBA (a best practice we implemented years ago), feedback from the agency was overwhelmingly positive. 

“Southend’s attention to detail, while keeping their eye on the prize as far as the overall campaign was second to none.We couldn’t have asked for a better partner in production on what was a challenging project yet it went off without a hitch.”

Set culture is extremely important to us, and while the final product is always a focus we never want to forget how the experience on a set should feel.  As a remote team, we were able to assemble a stellar crew for this project, ultimately exceeding the expectations of our client while also staying within the agency budget. 

We were also able to help with the strategic selection and scheduling of talent (for example booking for half days vs. full days). This process provided the team with the necessary talent along with usage required while also staying within budget. Win/win!

Overall, our experience with this project goes deeper than the end result of a beautiful production – it speaks into our core value of developing strong relationships with the people we work with. From agency directors to the PA getting coffee on set…we value personal connection, building trust, and collaboration for the greater good. 

Creative Director Joe said it best… “The weight that the Southend producers take off of agency producers is huge…there’s a level of heaviness that comes with the producer role- it can be overwhelming. We are here to lighten the load and make everyone’s job easier.”