The KWA story is really a story about Ben, the account director. Ben was invited by KWA to participate in the RFP process for their new-build for SHOT show. As part of the process, Ben was instrumental in forging a very good relationship with the client, and also in obtaining very useful information about the brand and product. Ben and the internal designer at Ben's agency worked hard to deep dive into the product, but after all the work they put in, something was still missing.

Throughout the process the client was hesitant to sign off. Good work was being done, but the client was still not comfortable with the overall brand experience. The situation was becoming critical because the sign off had to happen the following Monday. At that point, a competing RFP response was the one they were going to choose.

Finally, with the very project itself in the balance, Ben contacted me on a Wednesday, with the decision to be made that following Monday. We talked over lunch and he relayed to me all the information about the client and process so far. He asked if I could help him. I agreed to help and began the project the following day.  By Saturday evening, we had the concepts renderings you see here.

The internal creative that Ben had been using was good, but we made some key changes that helped Ben win the project. KWA told Ben that they wanted people to dry-fire the weapons. That was our engagement, right there. Everything had to be focused around that. So, we brought the engagement to the middle of the space, and enclosed it in glass to keep it soundproof but still open visually. The rest of the space became a bright white canvas to show off the product in a simple, clean way.

That Monday, KWA executives changed their mind, and chose Ben and his agency to produce their new-build. Ben combined strong relationships, solid information, and a resourceful attitude to become the hero for his client. For Ben, what mattered most was delivering for his client, even if that meant hiring outside talent to get it done.