Activate Media

BACKGROUND

Please describe your organization.

We are a foundation based in the Netherlands. We are involved in promoting farmer entrepreneurship in low- and middle-income countries mostly in Africa.

What is your position?

I am a marketing and communications manager.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

Could you describe the business challenge that you were trying to address with Activate Media?

Before we started working with Activate Media, we had several different websites for all of our different country networks. We decided that we wanted to consolidate all these various platforms and websites into a single, unified site, so that all our countries and people can interact with each other. We didn't have the capabilities or experience doing this, so we went in search of a partner that could support our effort.

SOLUTION

Could you describe the scope of their involvement in detail?

Activate Media translated our corporate design into a design for the platform, and they did the technical part of the implementation. We provided them with our corporate branding, and they made the wireframes and template designs. Previously, we were with another IT [information technology] provider, but we ended the contract with them and moved our domain names. Activate Media now handles our hosting.

How did you come to work with Activate Media?

We looked at different options. We hired external consultants to help us in the search project, and I think the consultant had done business with them before. Eventually, Activate Media was the option we had most confidence in to complete this project.

Can you give a sense of the size of the initiative in financial terms?

It's been a year now, and I think it's around €80,000 [approximately $91,000].

What is the status of this engagement?

We are still working with them. We launched the platform last year in November [2014], and we are now developing it further, installing new features. So, the foundation is there, but we are now expanding the scope and incorporating new features and fixes.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any statistics, metrics or user feedback from this engagement?

Regarding stats and metrics from Google Analytics, I can't compare it to the previous situation because we went from all these little sites to having one big website. Some of our smaller websites were very big in certain countries and had a lot of monthly visitors. Visitors dropped a little because we moved to a new platform and they were forced to register a username all over again. We saw a fairly large decrease in users, and we're now working on marketing and content optimization to get those user levels back up.

I'm very satisfied with the degree of responsiveness and Activate Media's ability to deliver work on time and within budget. We clearly specified our annual budget and, last year, we didn't cross any budget line, so that was great.

I am the project manager from our side, and I communicate directly with the project manager from Activate Media. I also interact directly with the designers and developers working on our project, and that interaction has always gone very well.

When working with Activate Media, is there anything that you'd consider unique about their practice?

It's the first time I've worked with a foreign company. I've mainly worked with Dutch partners. I've really appreciated the low threshold barriers when using GitHub, or talking to Activate Media directly. GitHub was a very easy and a very clear way of communicating, having all the right responsibilities, and deciding on milestones. It was all very clear, and there couldn't be any misunderstandings. It didn't give me a lot of stress as a client because I knew exactly what to expect.

In hindsight, are there areas in which they could improve, or certain things you'd do differently as the client?

Normally, we work with milestones, and they are very well managed, but there was a time when we tended to go off schedule. For me, as a project manager, there were times that I had to be stricter on catching those deadlines. Recently, that has been improved. I think it's important to take into account scheduling when working with these kinds of projects. Things can get very complex, and what you thought was possible originally might not end up that way as you continue working toward that objective.

What advice, if any, would you give a future client of theirs?

I think it's good to know what you want, as a client, because you can do anything you want. Everything is technically possible at a price. It's good to know what to expect with the kind of budget you have available.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company.

We are a collectible magazine publishing company based in London. We're part of the De Agostini Group, which is Italian-owned. We've been in business in the U.K. for the last 40 years. We differ from normal magazines in that our products have a finite number of issues to a series.

What is your position?

I'm the marketing manager.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

Could you describe the business challenge that you were trying to address with Activate Media?

We've been working with them for at least three or four years now. We didn't have an in-house digital or Web design team at all, so we've outsourced everything to various agencies. They're definitely the best website design company that I've used for a long time, however.

SOLUTION

Could you describe the scope of their involvement in greater detail?

They've worked on a number of websites for us, some very simple ones for testing our products, very basic and used mainly to obtain subscribers. We've also had two projects where we worked with them on a more complex platform, which involved a much more interactive approach. We always get Activate Media to design our websites because they can be really imaginative and inventive, but still within the licensor's guidelines to create a good website.

I don't know what technologies they utilized but, for me, that was the beauty of working with them – that they knew everything. They could do the design and development – absolutely everything. They are very proactive in terms of very good scheduling, too. Not only are they efficient, they're also really flexible with their clients. Our business is last minute, and they've been able to adapt to changes in requirements. I've really appreciated that aspect of their service approach.

How did you come to work with Activate Media?

Activate Media was referred to us by a colleague of a friend, so we gave them some jobs to tender for on our Web design side of the business, and we're really pleased with the results.

Can you give a sense of the size of the initiative in financial terms?

In total, it's probably between £100,000 and £150,000 [approximately $158,000 and $238,000].

What is the status of this engagement?

They've completed numerous projects for us, and we maintain an ongoing relationship with them. We have an in-house design arm, but they get overloaded sometimes. So, anything complex or extra sexy that we need, or anything we can't get done in a normal way, my first call is to Activate Media.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any statistics, metrics or user feedback from this project?

I don't have any statistics to share, but the feedback that we've received has always been positive. Most of the commentary that we've gotten back from our end users has been related to the new design and ease of navigation. We've been very satisfied with that because their user interface and user experience [UI/UX] knowledge was one of the key drivers behind choosing them. Internally, we've also gotten a lot of positive feedback. They've always been able to deliver assigned work on time and within our specified budget, which is fantastic. There have been a few separate occasions when we've discovered some bugs or malfunctions and they've always been able to fix them within a reasonable timeframe. There's always been a sense of urgency with their work. I'm personally very impressed with the level of ownership they take on their projects.

When working with Activate Media, is there anything that you'd consider unique about their practice?

They seem to know what I want even when I'm not quite sure myself, which is great. They've worked very closely with us on a number of licenses. Activate Media is just really very good at putting something together for licensor approval. We've had great responses from our clients like Lucasfilm and "Star Wars" concerning their work. They get right inside what the customer wants without us having to give them a detailed brief. We can keep it quite loose, and they always come back with something that is just right.

I think they're cost effective, too. We get solid sites without paying an absolute fortune, so you want to go back to them again. You know you're going to get a good site that works exactly how you want it for a very reasonable cost.

They're very easy to work with – very flexible, upfront, and transparent. If we give them a brief, and we have a limited budget, they'll describe specifically what can or cannot be done within that budget. We always get high-quality service from them. They always come back to us straightaway. If anything, they chase me for things, and I very rarely have to chase them for anything. They're one of my favorite suppliers because I get what I want.

In retrospect, are there areas in which you think they could improve?

No. They're efficient, innovative, flexible, and good at delivering on budget. If there are any issues whatsoever, they let me know about it. I can't really ask for any more, to be honest.

What advice, if any, would you give to a future client of theirs?

I think you can't go wrong with a good, clear, and strong brief and timelines. If you have flexibility in the deadline, it's always useful to be upfront about that. They will not abuse it. They will work within your timelines, but give you breathing space if you need it. They do exactly what you need an agency to do.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your organization.

When I worked with [the company], I did that as a representative of [an armed forces organization]. I'm not employed by [that organization] anymore, so I cannot speak on behalf of the organization. This is my own personal experience collaborating with Activate.

What was your role at this previous organization?

I was a project officer there.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

Could you describe the business challenge that you were trying to address with Activate Media?

We were looking into creating or developing an informational website, a collection of information relating to security sector reform and governance in our field of operations, which was the Middle East and North Africa region. We had a few initiatives that we had been working on with different suppliers, but we were not quite satisfied with their level of technical and graphical delivery. So, in order for us to create a more appealing product, and to make the product work both for the user and in terms of the back-end functionalities, we approached Activate Media to help us develop a whole new conceptualization and management of the tool.

SOLUTION

Could you describe the actual scope of their involvement in detail?

We started out by giving them a quite narrow mandate in terms of updating an existing website and associated technical tools. We gave them a quite narrow mandate in terms of adapting the layout, which we already had mock-ups for. So, they only had to implement the mandate and a few very specific technical updates, together with a few additional details that they recommended to us.

We were very happy with their work, so in subsequent projects we gave them the mandate to develop the layout of different websites and solve different technical problems with a bit more creative freedom. We didn't feel like we had to box them in as much as we did in the very beginning because we felt like we could trust them to solve problems as they emerged.

What technologies were being used most frequently?

We worked mostly with WordPress and different plug-ins for it. We worked with a content aggregation system, which, as far as I know, Activate Media developed themselves. After a while, we started working with them in Drupal. They did something in Java development as well.

How did you come to work with Activate Media?

Activate Media was recommended to us. We contacted them and we had an initial meeting with them. We subsequently asked them to provide us with a few estimates. We compared said estimates to those of other suppliers, and we came to the conclusion that we wanted to try Activate Media first for one discrete project. Based on that experience, we extensively expanded our cooperation with them because we were very satisfied with the delivery of the first product. 

Could you provide a general cost estimate for this engagement?

During the course of one to one and a half years, I would say we spent somewhere around €50,000 [approximately $44,000] working with Activate Media.

Do you recall when their last project was completed before you left?

That project is still ongoing. One of the projects we finished before I left was completed maybe a month ago.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Do you have any statistics or metrics on the project?

In terms of testing for problems in coding, we didn't do that. We launched the website and got nice anecdotal feedback, both in terms of layout and functionalities. In terms of metrics, the websites that they worked on saw a very significant increase in new and returning visitors. So, that's quite clear proof of the quality of their work, for me at least. Engagement levels definitely went up, too. Users were able to perform their desired tasks easily and rarely submitted support tickets. All involved stakeholders were impressed. 

Do you remain satisfied from project management perspective?

I was very happy with the fact that they were extremely responsive and always reachable. As soon as anything came up, I could easily make a Skype call or send an email and get a response quickly. The type of projects that we did also included quite a lot of adjustments to the scope as we went along, so in some cases our projects did not finish on the originally agreed upon deadline. This is in large part because of those changes, which is a result of our own preference. You can plan for something but, in any case, it never goes as planned. But, that's not the fault of Activate Media. It's just because we changed the specifications on what we needed. They handled that very well and were very patient with us as we changed different parts of the work. They always accommodated our wishes, so that was very satisfying.

Is there anything that you'd consider unique about their practice?

From the experiences I've had, I really feel like their client service is a lot better than the competition. I've worked with a few technical companies, but we really tried to send a lot of jobs to Activate Media because we felt like they were the most responsive, most service-minded and most cost-effective solution we could find. On top of that, they did an extremely good job of explaining difficult technical processes to nontechnical people. I was the point of contact, and I had a fair technical understanding, but I'm by no means a professional. They managed to make sure that we were all on the same page all the time. In the cases where I felt like I needed some sort of translation from the technical jargon, they provided that in very simple terms so that everyone could understand what was happening.

Based on your experience, are there any areas in which they could improve?

I think they could more firmly follow up on open issues that needed closure. Sometimes, we had up to 30 or 40 open tickets with them in terms of amending different functionalities, and they could do a better job in making sure to communicate the timeframe they're looking at to amend those tickets. That could be an area of improvement.

What advice, if any, would you give a future client of theirs?

Specifically for working with them, I'm not sure. It really depends on the type of project a client would order from them. Personally, I had one point of contact within their company, but also worked with a range of their different programmers and staff. We worked on a lot of projects over an extended period of time, so I got to know a lot of the people in the company. Otherwise, I would suggest probably going for a single point of contact, but that's more a general idea than something specific to Activate Media. I can't think of anything specifically in terms of Activate Media that would make life easier. It depends on the project, structure, format, timeframe and so forth.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your organization.

We're a publisher of funds magazines for Europe, Asia, the Middle East, and Latin America. As a publisher, we also have the standard range of add-on activities, particularly Web and email, along with events, awards, and roundtables. We are very much a small media company, with a very narrow focus in the investment funds industry.

What is your position?

I am the founder and owner.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

Could you describe the business challenge that you were trying to address with Activate Media?

When we initially hired Activate, Web publishing was much more about having a presence on the Web rather than being particularly productive. This has obviously changed in the 15 years we've been around. Now, it's very much about providing targeted content and using the Web for targeted emails, newsletters, and other electronic mailings. Our website is now used very much for engagement with the industry as well as a means for communication.

SOLUTION

Could you describe the scope of their involvement in detail?

Their primary role has been in website development and the creation of a customized newsletter system. That's become much more sophisticated, particularly on the advertising side. Most of the companies that we've deal with go through media agencies, which involve customized projects and the tracking of information for compliance purposes.

In terms of the newsletters, that involves a combination of a CMS [content management system] along with database management. The newsletter system must integrate with subscriber and Web registrations and comply with opt-out regulations in the U.K. So, it's very much about having integrated solutions across the whole range of online activities.

How did you come to choose Activate Media?

I had worked with them at a previous business in a different industry. Activate Media was the Web design shop we used back then. Because I had experience with them, I chose them again for this work. I didn't look at any other vendors. I felt this was the right solution for us in terms of company size and cost.

Can you give a sense of the size of the initiative?

We spend around $40,000 to $50,000 annually working with Activate Media.

Is the relationship ongoing?

Yes, it's an ongoing relationship. Each year, we do some customized projects. In the past, a website could last three or four years, but now you're lucky if it lasts two years before needing to be updated. So, what was an occasional expense has now become much more a proposition for annual investment.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any statistics, metrics or user feedback that would demonstrate the quality of their performance?

We've seen a fourfold increase in our Web traffic during the past three years. This is partly a trend of the industry, but it's also evidence of our investment in that area and the success of developing a good online presence through our website, newsletters, and broadcasts. A lot of our traffic originates from the news stories that we put out, so the website is much more a receptacle of news rather than a source of knowledge. We find that the stories we publish in our newsletter drive traffic more effectively than the site itself.

When working with Activate Media, is there anything that you'd consider unique about their practice?

I don't have sufficient experience dealing with other vendors to comment on how unique they are. I know they have a broad range of experience, which is good because you need that these days. They're great at providing recommendations and posing different options based on situational circumstances.

In retrospect, are there areas in which you think they could improve, or are there certain things you'd do differently as the client?

From a project management perspective, we have had problems that needed to be resolved, but I can't really blame Activate Media. We had technical issues with a component of the website, and they worked just as hard as we did to resolve the situation. They've come up with a solution that's going to mean putting in a new system because the old system was slightly unstable. They stepped up to the plate, looked at solutions, and came up with a plan, which we're now implementing. They're working with us and operating in a mature way to solve the problem to everyone's satisfaction. When you have problems, and you see how they get resolved, that's when you find out whether people are good or not.

What advice, if any, would you give a future client of theirs?

This isn't specific to Activate Media, but the difficulty with doing any project that's Web-oriented is understanding what you're trying to do. As a client, you must have a clear plan in your mind because at the end of the day, they're trying to create what you told them you want. Therefore, the more you've thought out the project, the clearer you are in your ideas and the functionality, the greater chance of success you'll have during the implementation.

So, you need to set priorities clearly. When you're starting to redo websites, people go in with a huge shopping list, but you've got to really focus on what is core and what is important. Don't get sidetracked by what is nice and pretty.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your organization.

I work for the International Cocoa Initiative. We are a nonprofit organization working in West African cocoa growing communities. We promote child protection in these areas, so that ultimately there will be no child labor in cocoa.

What is your position?

I am the head of communications.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

Could you describe the business challenge that you were trying to address with Activate Media?

The organization contracted with them before I arrived, so I can't speak to that. Activate Media has been our Web provider for the last 10 years or so. Their role has changed and definitely expanded during the course of the relationship.

SOLUTION

Could you describe the scope of their involvement in greater detail?

When I joined the company, I did not have a communications team, so they acted as our consultants. They're very knowledgeable in the areas of communications and Web promotions and strategies. They've worked on our website, and they customized a content management system for us. We have plans to incorporate social media into the website in the near future and they've definitely be helping with that.

They've also redesigned our website to look more modern. It was pretty outdated before. They've helped with advice on how to optimize the promotion of our content. They really serve as an external advisor in a lot of cases.

Can you give a sense of the size of the initiative?

We've spent around $10,000 to $12,000 working with Activate Media.

Is the relationship ongoing?

Yes.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any statistics or metrics that would demonstrate the quality of their performance?

After the new website was launched, our number of users increased by 40 to 50 percent during the previous year. They brought our outdated site into the 21st century in terms of the visual presentation. They were also quite quick in delivery. They had the redesign completed in about two months. We never had any issues with delayed work. They go beyond what they're supposed to do, and they give us some very valuable advice. My main contact there is always very responsive and available.

When working with Activate Media, is there anything that you'd consider unique about their practice?

I can't really compare as this is the first time I've actually dealt with a long-distance vendor.

In hindsight, are there areas in which you think they could improve as a service provider?

I find it sometimes difficult to communicate with their Web developer. Sometimes, I have to call his boss and have him translate what needs to be done. Other than that, they provide a good and timely service. 

What advice, if any, would you give a future client of theirs?

I would recommend sitting down with them and really going through a thorough review of what's needed. That really can't be stressed enough. The discovery and requirements gathering stages are critical to the development process.