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
Since 2011 · local to enterprise
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, from strategy to execution, without the cost of building it in-house. One partner accountable for the whole picture.
A single service, done properly
A website build, a brand system, a campaign. One clearly scoped engagement that fills an operational gap and stands on its own.
What we do
Branding & performance
Every engagement starts with a market competitive analysis. The discovery informs all downstream work and gives you an edge over your competitors.
- 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
Product photography, lifestyle shoots and brand video, produced with the campaign they will live in already in mind. Our roots are in action sports media, and it shows in how the work moves.
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
Design work
Seen, not described
Identities, packaging, websites and campaigns, from the brand books behind our partnerships.
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.
- 01 · Build
Where to start?
We begin with discovery, learning about you and your market, designing a strategy nuanced to your needs and sensitive to a cost-effective solution. That initial thoughtfulness pays enormous dividends over time, deploying resources efficiently to build forward.
- 01Competitive analysis
- 02Business positioning
- 03Strategy and execution plan
- 04Logos, colours, typography
- 05Advertising
- 02 · Activate
How to launch?
Experience helps us deliver, whether for rebranding and product releases or tradeshows and more. Set goals, plan, and allocate resources, positioning you to execute with the proper expertise, timeline and quality controls. Takeoff is set by the days leading to it.
- 01Trade shows and event marketing
- 02Flyers, direct mailers, printing
- 03Newsletters
- 04Graphical elements, iconography
- 05Recalibrations
- 03 · Optimize
How to improve?
Before any business optimization tool, it begins with character: humility and courage. This goes back to our 'no ego' approach. It is important to acknowledge the incredible efforts of the team, but acknowledgement does not mean complacence.
- 01Well-defined goals
- 02Measurable KPIs
- 03Regular retrospectives
- 04Client reports and updates
- 05Technological improvements
Media production
Behind the camera
Planning, directing and shooting for partners in tech, action sports, lifestyle and local business, with the same attention to detail as the rest of the work.
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.
Maui, HawaiiCARVE EyewearNew products and little media to show them. Our team ran pre-production, sourced talent, locations, wardrobe and props, shot 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
Meet the team that adds meaning to marketing
Above & beyond
i9media was born from client demand. 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. A core team of five, with a bench of specialists, has been doing exactly that since.
Read 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.
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.