Janelle Erickson

When retailer Stock + Field was launching its own line of animal feed, we knew we needed an eye-catching design and relatable story to appeal to price-conscious families with a personal connection to their animals.

We tapped into the values, culture and legacy of family farming to create the Farm Bell brand of feed. Our logo was inspired by classic farm and feed brands of the past. We used illustration rather than photography to evoke the human touch necessary on family farms. And the name, “Farm Bell,” reflected the day’s first chore for any farmer—feeding the animals.

Texaco has been inspiring Americans to hit the open road for over 120 years. To remind people that the best adventures start at Texaco, we reimagined Texaco’s classic “You Can Trust Your Car to the Man Who Wears The Star” jingle. The campaign included TVCs, digital audio, digital display outdoor and sports sponsorships.

To commemorate the 78th anniversary of the Battle of Iwo Jima, the United States Marine Corps wanted to remind citizens and Veterans alike of one of the most decisive victories in American history.

A snapchat lens experience allowed users to view the Marine Corps War Memorial up close, and directed to a video where Veterans shared what being a Marine means to them.

Americans are all about wellness; yet the majority are stressed about money. TCF Bank wanted to tell people about the products and services they offer to help customers feel better and more secure about their wealth journey. Because financial health is still health.

American Standard has always been an innovator in bathroom and kitchen products and fixtures—now it was time for them to embrace it. Introducing “Porcelain Valley,” the home of American Standard and the hub for the latest in all things plumbing.

The platform positioned American Standard as an tech-forward leader in the category and gave them a way to appeal to younger customers and first-time home buyers. The campaign expanded beyond the initial VorMax Plus TVC to include a platform manifesto, social videos, print and a spoof demo video.

Cascadian Farm, an organic food brand dependent on bees, wanted to raise awareness of their importance. Because without bees and other pollinators, our food supply is in trouble. The campaign was covered by The New York Times, CNN, Creativity, Upworthy and many other outlets.

We helped Cascadian Farm kick off their CSR campaign entitled "Bee Friendlier," which was meant to both raise awareness of the issue and encourage Americans to plant a wildflower in support of bees. (Wildflowers provide essential food for pollinators.)

We started by flower bombing a field with over a million wildflower seeds. We then built a website to educate and inspire consumers. And finally, we gave away thousands of wildflower seed packets, courtesy of Cascadian Farm.

What started as a simple shopper marketing campaign turned into something much bigger. 

In the Middle East, for reasons still unknown, women get breast cancer almost 10 years earlier than women in the West. P&G wanted to encourage more young women to get screened. Women weren't listening to traditional awareness campaigns, so we decided to target someone they would listen to—their loved ones.

Awarded at Dubai Lynx and Adfest.

American Standard is well known for its porcelain products. But it is less known for innovating and designing beautiful fixtures that complement any kitchen or bathroom. To spread the word, we celebrated the design and quality of American Standard fixtures and the beauty in everyday life.

We showed the people of Oman that Nawras has the best wi-fi in the country...by helping them steal it.

The Ivey Awards is a nonprofit annual awards show celebrating the Twin Cities' vibrant theater scene. For the 2015 gala, Solve was tasked with using the previous year's winners to create a campaign that would lead to a sell-out crowd. 

We created a visual campaign that encouraged people to both find and lose themselves in all aspects of theater craft, including playwriting, makeup and costume design, lighting and set design, dramatic performance and musical theater. 

The 2015 Ivey Awards sold out. 

True Value Hardware understands that your DIY projects mean more than just crossing something off your list - they give you the satisfaction of a job well done, they help create memories, and they instill a sense of pride. 

To continue the new brand positioning of "Behind Every Project is a True Value," we created TV spots that highlight those moments your DIY projects make possible. 

In the crowded nonprofit world it's hard to make a single cause stand out. And that job is even more difficult when that cause involves a misunderstood, stigmatized symptom like seizures. 

The Epilepsy Foundation of Minnesota partnered with us to create an awareness campaign that illustrated the prevalence of seizures and inspired people to want to learn seizure first aid.

We decided to concentrate on statistics. Instances of common occurrences that, when broken down, are actually less common than seizures. To bring some energy and optimism to a serious topic, we created custom illustrations to accompany the headlines. In doing so, we were able to capture the personality and joy that the Epilepsy Foundation of Minnesota brings to all those they impact. We were also able to save on a photography budget, allowing the Epilepsy Foundation to advertising in the outdoor space for the first time in their history.

EFMN recorded a record number of website visits and increased engagement about seizure first aid. 

A toilet that cleans itself? Yes, please. For the launch of the revolutionary ActiClean toilet from American Standard, we showed consumers that no matter who showed up at their front door, their toilet could be company-ready in just 60 seconds.

"Make a funny snapchat." 
"Tell us your spirit animal." 
"Take a funny photo." 

A lot of ad agencies like to make their internship applications entertaining. But at Solve, we wanted to do something a little different. We wanted to really get to know our applicants and see how they would truly perform if they joined us for the summer.

So we created the 5-Minute Internship. We built a mini version of our agency and visited universities, where applicants got the chance to be an actual Solve intern (complete with real client assignments). But only for 5 minutes at a time. 

Our application process led to a record number of applicants, a great intern class and even a full-time hire. 

In 2009, we created a campaign for SIFF encouraging people to find something new in independent cinema. We used a silhouette visual style and carried it across all media - including the trailer, which featured audio clips from previous SIFF films. The campaign helped SIFF enjoy its most successful year yet, breaking a pattern of slowing ticket sales.