Adams & Knight

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the SVP, Culture and Team Member Wellbeing of Hackensack Meridian Health

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Hackensack Meridian Health is a leading not-for-profit health care organization that is the largest, most comprehensive and truly integrated health care network in New Jersey, offering a complete range of medical services, innovative research and life-enhancing care. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Adams & Knight to accomplish?

• Package Wellbeing Resources to Increase Team Member Awareness and Utilization

SOLUTION

How did you find Adams & Knight?

Referral

Why did you select Adams & Knight over others?

• Great culture fit
• Referred to me
• Company values aligned

How many teammates from Adams & Knight were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

Describe the scope of work in detail. Please include a summary of key deliverables.

Adams & Knight worked with our team to ideate, create and implement a campaign that drove increased utilization of our wellbeing resources and benefits. 

They designed a strategy that supported this goal.

They created a consumer friendly web approach to meet our team members where they are.

They developed a key initiative for an HMH Super Fan (a la Flo from Progressive) to put a face to our resources and help team members see themselves in our resources. This super fan was also bi-lingual, which increased connection and utilization. 

They packaged video, direct mail and other elements to support this strategy and campaign.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What were the measurable outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

Web Traffic for New External Site

Increased Traffic for Wellbeing Page on Intranet

Increased Utlization of Wellbeing Resources

Describe their project management. Did they deliver items on time? How did they respond to your needs?

They were true partners. They helped us meet our timeline and kept us on track. They offered more than just the nuts and bolts — they helped bring ideas to life.

What was your primary form of communication with Adams & Knight?

Virtual Meeting

What did you find most impressive or unique about this company?

There are vendors and then there are partners. Adams and Knight works in step with our team and they show up as true partners. You feel that they are "in it" with you and that your goals are their goals.

Are there any areas for improvement or something Adams & Knight could have done differently?

No

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.
I'm the former director of the Office of Tourism of the State of Connecticut. I retired about a year and a half ago.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Adams & Knight?
We needed support from a full-service agency to create a solid branding and marketing program, including advertising and doing creative assets.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We're a department of state and market the entire state of Connecticut. Adams & Knight is responsible for our office's advertising and marketing. The team has done research, created strategy, planned marketing, and created our branding identity. Adams & Knight has also been responsible for creative development and social media marketing. Adams & Knight has done TV advertising and produced the necessary creative assets. 

The team has also created print advertising. Adams & Knight has developed our website and offered maintenance, which has been a big part of our project. The team updates the site and manages changes when necessary, which is pretty much on a daily basis. Our internal teammate manages some web updates, but Adams & Knight offers support when required. The team manages our PR, and we directly work with two teammates on this. 

PR includes national, regional, and local media. Since we're located in Connecticut, a great deal of our PR and advertising work is targeted to the New York City and Boston areas. Adams & Knight conducts research, too. 

What is the team composition?

We've worked with around 35 teammates from Adams & Knight at any given time, including an account manager, an account executive, and the CEO.

How did you come to work with Adams & Knight?

Service providers must be on a list approved by the state to provide services for the State of Connecticut. That is how we found Adams & Knight since they're a large agency located in the metropolitan area of Hartford with a presence all over the country. We went through an RFP and bidding process and selected the team as our agency of record. The team underwent a strenuous review process involving a review committee that evaluated them.

During the process, we evaluated other agencies from New York and Texas. The state requires us to advertise the bid in different channels, and we narrowed the process down to 4–5 companies. Adams & Knight's presentation blew us away because of their abilities and creative work.

How much have you invested with them?
Our annual budget has varied from $1 million–$3.5 million.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with Adams & Knight in January 2014, and the team has been retained since then but is required to go through a periodic review process. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?

Adams & Knight's work is amazing and has had a significant impact on our organization. We measure everything and have researched advertising and ROI, showing the advertising impact. We've also analyzed our branding and people's knowledge of our organization before and after we launched our ads. Every project Adams & Knight has worked on has led to an ROI. 

How did Adams & Knight perform from a project management standpoint?
We have weekly in-person meetings since their office is close to ours. We meet with our account manager and the teammates working on our project at that time. During the COVID-19 pandemic, we had Zoom meetings. Adams & Knight delivers work on time and offers follow-up on every project in person. We have regular meetings and sessions, and the team has found a way to do all the work we need, which is spot on.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Adams & Knight has conducted research and used it to gain unique knowledge in their area. The team comes with research to back up the work they present. Adams & Knight presents actionable items that are spot on and meet expectations. I've worked with many marketing agencies over the years and know what we need to do to be successful, and Adams & Knight is the best agency I've worked with. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

I can't think of anything the team can do better. 

Do you have any advice for future clients of theirs?
I suggest ensuring the right teammates are assigned to your account. I also recommend ensuring the agency's owners are committed to your project because many agencies only engage with you through an account manager. In the case of Adams & Knight, all the team is engaged with what we need to do, including the CEO. 

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Director of Marketing of Saybrook Point Resort & Marina

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Saybrook Point Resort & Marina is a luxury seaside resort property located on the shoreline.  

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Adams & Knight to accomplish?

• Increase Brand Awareness
• Increase in digital media to drive revenue growth

SOLUTION

How did you find Adams & Knight?

Previosuly worked with them

Why did you select Adams & Knight over others?

• High ratings
• Close to my geographic location

How many teammates from Adams & Knight were assigned to this project?

6-10 Employees

Describe the scope of work in detail. Please include a summary of key deliverables.

We engaged with Adams & Knight as a marketing partner to help increase our digital marketing efforts, which included:

• A renaming and rebranding of the hotel from an Inn to a Resort
• New logos
• Rebranding of our website
• Lifestyle video shoots
• Logo development
• Digital ad creation
• A variety of digital marketing campaigns

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What were the measurable outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

• We noticed an increase in engagement with our brand through our digital ads and social media campaigns.
• An increase in our online bookings. 

Describe their project management. Did they deliver items on time? How did they respond to your needs?

Excellent project management with on-time and on-budget deliverables.

What was your primary form of communication with Adams & Knight?

• In-Person Meeting
• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

What did you find most impressive or unique about this company?

Adams & Knight has a great team who seem happy to work at the agency. Our account team is top-notch!

Are there any areas for improvement or something Adams & Knight could have done differently?

Very pleased with them as our partner.