Octo Design Group

Seagrass hosted the Philadelphia Deloitte team and their clients for a fun night of connecting in a completely different way.

They DOVE in. DEEP.

Tactical and practical, it was all about the numbers meeting creative, with thoughtfulness and empathy part of the equation.

Thank you for spending the evening with us. We’re so happy you were Seagrassed.

The City’s Office of Emergency Management knew that English ads for their emergency text alert service weren’t getting through to enough residents. So they brought us in for a campaign about ReadyPhiladelphia! that would reach more people and do it more effectively.

Through research and comprehensive data analysis, Octo identified neighborhoods with multilingual residents and the zip codes where 11 key languages are most common.

That laid the foundation for everything that followed—audience segmentation, translated ads, geo-targeting and dynamic QR codes to identify which placements were most effective in getting subscribers for ReadyPhiladelphia! alerts.

Research, strategy, creative, media, measurement, and a lot of attention to the details in between.

That’s how Octo approaches every campaign. Because listening first is the foundation of effective communications.

Thank you to the Office of Emergency Management for engaging Octo to help get the word out to fellow Philadelphians about ReadyPhiladelphia! which texts residents about emergencies, shelter in place notices, alerts from the PPD, weather events, travel advisories, road closures and so much more!

To lay the groundwork for its next recycling campaign, the Philadelphia Department of Sanitation wanted to hear DIRECTLY from Philadelphians. So, Octo visited community gathering places across the city—from recreation centers to libraries. One of our favorite stops? Summer camps, where we talked with some very thoughtful young people!

We learned what people know (and don't know) about recycling, their perceptions, where and how they want to receive information, and what they need to hear to encourage more recycling.

Creating well-informed marketing strategies starts with listening. In our book, that's our City “doing the work.”

Thank you to the Resident Engagement Fund, which made this market research possible. The fund supports meaningful community outreach and compensates participants for helping improve local government services.

Want to recycle right? Download the Recycle Guide.https://www.phila.gov/media/20221223123047/28642-PRO-Recycling-Guide-85x11-Updated-202109.pdf

Here's where we met with residents across Philadelphia:
Germantown, Mt. Airy & Chestnut Hill: Joseph E. Coleman Northwest Regional Library
Logan, Olney & Nicetown: Belfield Recreation Center
Kensington: City of Philadelphia Streets Training Center
South Philadelphia: District 1 Mayor Community Action Center
Southwest Philadelphia: District 3 Mayor Community Action Center
North Philadelphia: Martin Luther King Recreation Center
Northwest Philadelphia: Finley Recreation Center
Northeast Philadelphia: Jardel Recreation Center

Isn’t it great when two organizations’ missions align?

Wendy Verna recently had the opportunity to present Seagrass to the Campus Philly community, and we left feeling inspired by the work happening across Philadelphia to create stronger connections between students, higher education, employers, and the city itself.

There is so much opportunity to rethink what the student experience can look like, and to create more meaningful ways for students to connect what they’re learning with where they’re going.

That’s a conversation we’re excited to be part of.

We’re excited to be part of a community that is asking bigger questions about how we prepare students for what comes next, how we create opportunities for them to explore their potential, and how we can make the transition from education to the workforce more meaningful.

Huge thank you to Campus Philly for welcoming Wendy and giving us the opportunity to share our vision.

Want to see more of what Campus Philly is doing for students and the Philadelphia community? Visit campusphilly.org.

If you work with students and are looking for new ways to create meaningful workforce-readiness experiences, reach out to Wendy at [email protected].

Octo is proud to call Philadelphia home and even prouder to play a part in helping make our City safer and stronger.

When we were chosen to help the Philadelphia Police Department with their 2025-2026 recruitment campaign, we had no idea about the depth of policing.

The PPD took us "behind the curtain" to see what it really means to be an officer here in Philadelphia. We were introduced to recruits and heard why they want to serve. We met newly appointed officers and the veterans who have devoted their lives and careers to the force. In order to attract more recruits AND the best people - diverse, empathetic, fair, calm under pressure, and dedicated - we needed to understand how Philadelphians view PPD and policing in general.

Through focus groups, marketing audits and deep research Octo gained the understanding to build a strategy that humanizes police officers. That led to messaging like, “If a badge means power to you, no need to apply.”

We are thrilled to support PPD in garnering the highest recruitment year in the 21st century throughout 2025!

It is an honor to partner with the brave people who keep our city safe and to help them shape the future of policing in Philadelphia.

What if the best way to become a better entrepreneur...was to stop pitching your own idea?

It sounds counterintuitive.

After all, entrepreneurs spend countless hours refining their ideas, perfecting their pitch decks, and preparing for investor presentations.

But when you're deeply invested in youAPPROVEDr own idea, it's easy to focus on what you're pitching instead of how you're pitching it.

That's where one of our Seagrass REALMs takes a different approach.

Rather than pitching their own venture, participants are challenged to pitch an unfamiliar idea. By removing the emotional investment, they're free to focus on the skills behind every successful pitch - communicating with clarity, thinking on their feet, responding to questions, and connecting with their audience.

Because whether you're speaking to investors, customers, colleagues, or community leaders, those skills often determine whether an idea resonates.

After experiencing this REALM, entrepreneur, professor, and podcast host John H. Wilson, PhD shared:

"It was energizing to see it all coming to life. I think you have a truly unique and valuable concept."

Thank you, John, for your thoughtful encouragement and for experiencing Seagrass firsthand.

We believe that great entrepreneurs aren't defined by great ideas alone. They're defined by their ability to communicate those ideas with confidence, clarity, and purpose.

Looking for something completely different to build teamwork at your organization? How about a memorable, immersive experience for your next company party, networking event, conference, or retreat? That's Seagrass--a soft-skills development, live-fire, and fun experience that participants won't forget. Learn more about Seagrass by signing up for our newsletter and following us on Instagram here:

https://mailchi.mp/octodesign.com/seagrass-newsletter

Most people assume that once an experience is over, the learning is too.

But that's not how lasting change happens.

One concept we often explore during our REALM debriefs is the Transfer Bridge, a framework introduced to participants by Matt Hendricks.

On one side is the old way of thinking and behaving.

On the other is meaningful behavior change.

What connects the two isn't the experience alone.

The experience creates awareness.

Reflection helps participants make meaning of what happened.

Reinforcement is what transforms those insights into actions they can carry into their work, relationships, and everyday decisions.

And that's when behavior change becomes possible.

Without that bridge, even a powerful experience can remain just that - a memorable experience.

With it, the experience becomes a catalyst for lasting growth.

That's why every Seagrass REALM includes intentional reflection and debrief. Our goal isn't simply to create an engaging experience. It's to help participants leave with insights they can apply long after the REALM is over.

Because the true value of an experience isn't measured by what happens during it.

It's measured by what happens next.

As markerters, we know that when our clients think about ROI, they often think about numbers.

At Seagrass, we think about people.

The return on a REALM isn’t measured by what happens during the experience, it’s measured by what participants take back with them.

They return with stronger communication, deeper collaboration, greater self-awareness, and a better understanding of how they show up under pressure. Those are the skills that strengthen teams, improve leadership, and create lasting impact long after the REALM is over.

As Savannah shared, the experience is engaging, but it’s the reflection and application afterward that make it meaningful.

That’s why every REALM is intentionally designed to connect the experience to real-world challenges through thoughtful debrief and actionable insights.

Because the goal isn’t simply to create a fun, memorable experience.

It’s to create meaningful change.

Want to learn more? Email [email protected] to schedule a call.