Our Process

Our process, by (and for) design, is one of the biggest inhibitors of growing into a 50 person agency. When we say it might be two months until your campaign is ready, sometimes there is shock, then confusion.

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"Do you not care about us? Are you lazy? How dare you?"

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No, we care about you deeply. That's why we're taking so long.

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So much has become instant. Who likes to wait? We don't. In an era where AI can generate a logo and brandbook on a prompt, we push back. Who really are you? What's your essence? We don't just want to make a logo or brand that feels good now. We want to create something that lasts and feels right 5 years from now. That takes time. If us taking a month for discovery feels long, switching agencies or a rebrand two years from now will feel even longer.

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AI can't interview your audience (yet). It can't analyze not just what you're saying, but what you aren't. It's motion sensors can't find a twinkle in your eye. It doesn't like to push back on things that don't make sense. We continue to believe that the best things stick out because they're different. Not as an amalgamation of inputs, but a reflection of you. After 5 years of trial and error, we've condensed down our process to 3 consistent, yet personalized steps. We become your team. We build the thing. We launch the thing. Easy as that. If you want a 12 step process, go to AA. A 12-step agency process may send you there anyway.

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Discovery

Your camino is long, and we want to hear not just where you want to go, but explore where you've been. Team interviews, focus groups, ICP development and much more make us the well informed partner able to do our best work.

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Strategy

Strategy is like salsa. You can go without it, but it’s so much better to have. We combine data-driven marketing with cultural insights to achieve what you're looking for. Complete campaign guides, brand strategy and media plans set the stage for launches and growth.

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Execution

Whether it’s ongoing social media management or your website being built, our execution phase is a personalized monthly timeline putting strategy in motion.

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If you want a logo or campaign tomorrow. Best of luck. Maybe someone will do it on Fiverr. How intentional can something feel if it's being done in one day? While our process isn't fast, we are quick. Our timeline is followed religiously. There's space for an R2 and R3. Our work is agile, but built to last.

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Here's where I start to get a little sappy about our process. Our branding process feels like therapy. The only other time 6 people will intensely try to figure you out is if you're going to be sent to an asylum. We're invested in your success because it feels less transactional and more like we're in it together. We understand how you work and we get to the why of what you're doing. We'll buy you dinner on your birthday.

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Calo exists from a deep belief in people and a duty to care for others by magnifying your good. Branding is caring. Sending you logos after a 1- hour meeting is like proposing on the first date.

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So as an 8 person agency- you're not listened to by our directors on the first call and then passed down to like a junior intern account manager that's someone's nephew once we have your trust. The team you start with is the one you finish with.

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If you're reading this (because who reads blogs anymore) maybe you think similar to how we do. We'd love to chat.

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-Wyatt S
Creative Strategist

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