Because goodness and competence matter
Marketing to
rise above
A San Diego agency for local and enterprise brands. Branding and performance marketing, from discovery to results, by a team our partners describe as above and beyond.
Partners we have risen with
San Diego roots · partners worldwide
Selected work
Seen, not described
Photography · CARVE EyewearLifestyle campaign on the San Diego coast
Style guide · SupconnectThe style guide behind the publication
Case study · LitraFrom one flagship product to a global brand, acquired by Logitech
Packaging · Avocado Growers of CaliforniaIdentity and packaging
Photography · SIC MauiTeam riders, races and events
Web and email · TascoProduct launch, web and email
Case study · LumenlabsA biotech brand built from nothing, acquired by R-Zero
Tradeshow · CARVE EyewearTradeshow roll-ups
Case study · SurftechMedia buying and creative production, working as one
Website concept · Balboa ParkA fresh, modern online home for 16 museums, gardens and the San Diego Zoo
From local to global, small to enterprise
Local & enterprise
marketing services
Since 2011 we have worked with family-owned local businesses and globally renowned companies alike. Our experience ranges from agency of record for small and mid-sized businesses to a complementary team inside the enterprise.
Agency of record
The full bench of a marketing team, integrated across every channel. One agency owns the marketing operation, from strategy to execution, without the cost of building that team in-house.
A single service, done properly
One specific service: ad management, SEO and answer-engine optimization, email, social media or branding. On a retainer or as a project, it fills one operational gap alongside your team.
What we do
Strategy & performance
The work starts before the work. Every engagement begins with a competitive analysis of your market and your marketing: it uncovers the gaps and your differential advantage, and shapes everything we build after it.
- 01
Branding
The full gamut of design, from logo and typography to the digital and physical assets a brand lives in: websites, flyers, tradeshow booths and beyond. A brand system that your team, and ours, can build on for years.
Branding - 02
Performance marketing
Advertising, e-commerce, email, SMS, social and website management, run against clear objectives. We assess results on a schedule, identify optimization opportunities and act on them. Our preferred indicator is net sales growth on lower discount rates and smaller advertising budgets.
Performance - 03
Websites & e-commerce
Design and development on the platform that fits the business, built to convert and to be found. Storefronts, subscriptions and the integrations behind them, with the search and analytics foundations laid before launch rather than after.
Websites - 04
Media production
Every shoot starts with the end in mind: the campaign, the audience and the result it must drive. We work back through your positioning and style guide to the product, talent, setting and shot list.
Production
San Diego, California · since 2011
Rooted in Southern California surf and lifestyle culture
Selected work
Competence,
demonstrated through results
- LitraFrom one flagship product to a global brand, acquired by LogitechFive years as agency of record: e-commerce, advertising, social, email, media and brand, from a broken website and 700 Facebook followers to an acquisition by Logitech.
- LumenlabsA biotech brand built from nothing, acquired by R-Zero in a little over a yearNo logo, no website, no accounts. A brand with the gravitas of the top biotech companies, a website in two weeks, multi-regional marketing under strict compliance, and an acquisition.
Results
Measured from where we started
Every figure carries its period and its baseline. A number without the context that makes it honest does not appear here.
- Rusty Surfboards90%Of brand revenue onlineAfter a little over a decade · From 0%Before0%After90%
- Surftech7.6xBlended return on ad spendFirst year of management · From 4.57x, on 37.6% less spendBefore4.57xAfter7.6x
- CARVE Eyewear91%E-commerce growth, year over yearFirst year · From flat sales, on a smaller ad budgetBefore100After191
- AAAA Auto Storage15xWebsite trafficOver the engagement · Against the pre-engagement siteBefore1xAfter15x
How we work
Build, activate,
optimize
Goal-oriented, high-intensity and fast-paced, with a no-ego commitment to do what it takes, learn from the rights and wrongs, and iterate until it is right.
The plan starts with an IACRA map of your customer journey; build, activate and optimize then deliver it, stage by stage.
The IACRA map- 01 · Build
Where to start?
Discovery first: your market, your competitors and your customer's journey, then a strategy sized to a cost-effective plan.
- 01Competitive analysis
- 02Positioning
- 03Strategy and plan
- 04Brand identity
- 05Advertising
- 02 · Activate
How to launch?
Rebrands, product releases, campaigns and tradeshows, launched with the right expertise, timeline and quality controls.
- 01Trade shows and events
- 02Print and direct mail
- 03Newsletters
- 04Graphics and icons
- 05Recalibrations
- 03 · Optimize
How to improve?
Clear goals, measurable KPIs and regular retrospectives, with the humility to see what is not working and the courage to change it.
- 01Defined goals
- 02Measurable KPIs
- 03Retrospectives
- 04Client reports
- 05Tech improvements
Strategy, then content
Behind the camera
The team that writes the strategy also produces the content it calls for. We plan, direct and shoot for partners in technology, biotech, action sports and lifestyle, so every asset is made for the channel and the stage it will serve.
Salt Lake City, UtahLitraProduct photography, lifestyle photos and brand video for a global brand, up to its acquisition by Logitech. For one shoot we partnered with San Diego photographer Jason Bump to produce imagery used in global campaigns.
San Diego, CaliforniaLumenlabsA novel biosafety technology is hard to photograph. We wrote the scripts, sourced photographers and videographers, and ran pre-production to post across several venues, producing the building blocks of the brand for global distribution.
San Diego, CaliforniaCARVE EyewearNew products and little media to show them. Our team ran pre-production, sourced talent, locations, wardrobe and props, directed the photography and colour-graded every frame to the brand.
What our partners say
They work very hard while working smart. They played a major role in making Litra a global brand.
- Exceptional
- Above and beyond
- Next level
The three phrases our partners use most, across every area of our work.
Certified where it counts
Partnerships and platforms
Senior leadership, direct access
The people you work with
The people you meet are the people who lead the work. Founder Andre Niemeyer built My Local Lineup in 2007 into the second-largest surf publication in the world, and businesses asked him to do the same for them. Today our senior team leads every engagement directly, with a core team of eight and a bench of specialists behind it.
Meet the teamRead our story
Andre Niemeyer
Founder & CEO. A tech and marketing visionary with a track record of business success.
Allie Beucler
Marketing Operations Manager. A media expert with deep storytelling and digital strategy expertise.
Great people & causes
Giving back
Community impact is more than a slogan for us, so rather than tell you about it, we show the work: brand identities, websites, apps and campaigns, given to causes we believe in, by the same team and to the same standard our partners get, for as long as they need us.
2,117 hours
Pro-bono work logged, four causes and one industry association, 2013 to 2026
Start a partnership
Let's rise above
Tell us where you are and where you want to be. We respond within 24 hours. No long waits, no hassle.