Ars X Machina (formerly Media Matters Worldwide)

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the VP of retail marketing at a lighting company. We provide innovative lighting and home automation products, helping consumers create perfectly lit, connected environments for living, working, and entertaining.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Ars X Machina (formerly Media Matters Worldwide)?

We tasked Ars X Machina (formerly Media Matters Worldwide) to drive traffic to our first direct-to-consumer store.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Ars X Machina (formerly Media Matters Worldwide) manages our digital media and search, including strategy, planning, and campaign execution on the front end, along with analytics and optimizations along the way. They’ve also taken on advertising in the Apple App Store, helping us create a custom campaign designed to appear in app download searches. Moreover, they modeled our sales lift prior to launch, which helped us level-set expectations and inventory levels. The team's analytical approach and dashboard help us optimize our marketing platforms, creative and promotional campaigns.

What is the team composition?

We work with a cross functional team that includes social media, digital and search experts as well as analytics to maximize our effectiveness and find new opportunities to reach our target audience.

How did you come to work with Ars X Machina (formerly Media Matters Worldwide)?

They were referred to me. I chose them over other options because of their high ratings and impressive combination of analytics, utilization of new media platforms and inquisitive, passionate people.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in May 2023, and the engagement is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Ars X Machina (formerly Media Matters Worldwide) has successfully launched our direct-to-consumer site with increasing traffic and sales. Since our site launched, we’ve seen steady month-over-month (MoM) and year-over-year (YoY) increases in site traffic, sales, and ROAS. In fact, we’ve seen over a 10x ROAS improvement since the site launched. We’ve successfully navigated the new media landscape, seeing positive ROIs on social media and paid search while reaching our core audience that Ars X Machina (formerly Media Matters Worldwide) has helped us identify. Our revenue growth has outpaced our media spend, improving our efficiency and acquisition cost. Year-to-date sales are up over 50% on advertising spend increases of 15%.

How did Ars X Machina (formerly Media Matters Worldwide) perform from a project management standpoint?

Ars X Machina (formerly Media Matters Worldwide)’s people are outstanding: passionate, engaged, analytical, and process-oriented. Their process flow makes it easy for me to keep tabs on what’s needed and when. Nimble and flexible are two great words to describe them. As our business needs have changed due to the dynamic environment we’re in, the team has modified strategy and tactics for us to stay ahead of the curve. Despite these challenges, our campaigns launch on time and effectively.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Ars X Machina (formerly Media Matters Worldwide)’s people separate this agency from others. They’re thoughtfully engaged in our business and able to parse through data and analytics to find the opportunities to drive our business forward.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Like all of our agency partners, we'd love to get the same impact at a lower cost.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the digital marketing director.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Media Matters Worldwide, and what were your goals?

Media Matters has been a partner to us in media planning and strategy. We have very specific objectives in reaching our target audience and in achieving business outcomes.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

We conducted an RFP and met with a series of agencies. We found Media Matters to share our vision in strategic clarity, an ever-present focus on business outcomes, and philosophies around team culture.

Describe the scope of their work in detail, including any steps and the final deliverables.

Media Matters has developed and implemented a series of digital marketing strategies on our behalf. The team has formulated a deep understanding of our brand, our target audience, and the ways in which we prefer to deploy and manage media. They have become a true extension of our team

How many people from the vendor's team worked with you, and what were their positions?

We have (2) day-to-day contacts leading the account. There are 1-2 people supporting us on Social. 1-2 people supporting on programmatic/display. 1-2 people supporting Analytics and measurement. Then there are others who serve project management / specialist type roles. We have access to leadership including the two founding/managing partners, Head of Media, Head of Social, Head of Analytics. All who are very approachable and make themselves available regardless of what the issue is. It sounds like a lot of people, truly communication is cohesive and everyone who joins meetings remains actively present

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

Media Matters has invested in really understanding our brand and what we're really trying to accomplish. They are very open to feedback and collaborative in their approach. Continually they have up-levelled reporting and structure of readouts to be tailored to meet our needs. We consider Media Matters as an extension of our own team. We have met or exceeded goal in each of our media plans, which is of paramount importance to our team.

Describe their project management style, including communication tools and timeliness.

We receive timelines initially in a deck form. Then with more granular details in a supplementary spreadsheet to support. We also share an instance of Slack, which has proved to be very effective for real-time communication. MMW is very responsive to our communication.

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

Media Matters has demonstrated their commitment to details. Recognizing there are many nuances in managing media, they leave no stone unturned and have been extremely transparent about all aspects of campaign management, expectations, and outcomes. Their responsiveness and ability to make themselves available at all levels has also made a tremendous impact on our team's ability to move projects forward and achieve results.

Are there any areas for improvement or something they could have done differently?

Whenever we have identified an area of improvement for our account, we have brought it directly to Media Matters. They have responded directly with a plan to adjust or with feedback causing us to reconsider. They have proven to be very flexible and advisory in that way. As a client, we likewise remain open to feedback as to how we can be sure we are contributing to a mutually productive relationship with the common goal of achieving our results.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m a manager at a SaaS technology company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Media Matters Worldwide?

We hired them to help us with media strategy and implementation.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Media Matters Worldwide provides media planning, strategy, and implementation services. First, we had a discovery phase where we looked at our performance with current vendors and audiences and reviewed the data. The team also reviewed our content as part of an audit. From there, they built us a custom dashboard that pulls our data.

Currently, the team helps us with content syndication, demand-based display, display retargeting, and LinkedIn advertising. They also help us with third-party association events or webinars. 

What is the team composition?

I estimate about 15 people from Media Matters Worldwide are on our team, including an account manager and individual channel experts for each campaign. We also have an account director who oversees the strategy globally and is a resource.

How did you come to work with Media Matters Worldwide?

We found them through a formal RFP. 

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in June 2019, and the engagement is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We have an ROI of over 300% quarterly with the effort we put in across all channels.

How did Media Matters Worldwide perform from a project management standpoint?

They're very focused on project management. The team has developed processes we can use across markets, which helps us when we need to add a new market. This way, our approach is more consistent versus trying to reinvent ourselves; it's been a big benefit of working with the team. 

They perform well when it comes to meeting deadlines and staying on budget. As for tools, we use Smartsheet. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

Media Matters Worldwide has a single team managing our global campaign. The team is also consistent across all of our markets, which is rare and a huge advantage. We also appreciate that they're a women-owned and women-operated company, another unique aspect of their business.

Moreover, they've been fully remote since before the COVID-19 pandemic. Due to their experience working remotely across different locations, we didn't miss a beat when businesses had to go remote. Media Matters Worldwide has expertise in building brand awareness and demand generation so they can think full funnel about our campaigns. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

We have room to grow with our third-party associations and narrow down the partners that best fit our audiences.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Communication is key. Media Matters Worldwide is very responsive, so you have to be responsive, not just hope they'll reach out to you — it's a partnership. I'd also advise you to set KPI expectations. They're very data-driven, so it's important that you be very upfront about your definition of success for a campaign before you strategize and implement it. 

Moreover, you should understand each team member's role and your own role in the project because you can't be completely hands-off. Be organized and give them the budgets well in advance so that they can explore the most available options to reach your goals.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m an executive at a cloud software company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Media Matters Worldwide?

We had disparate media buying across our global offices, so we needed a strategic and streamlined plan for it.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Media Matters Worldwide is helping us plan our digital media and paid advertising buying. They started by having meetings with us to understand our challenges. Based on that, they made recommendations, met with the stakeholders, and reviewed and adjusted recommendations for best practices and optimal outcomes. Once we all agreed with their approach, they started to execute. 

In addition to that, they also do reporting and analytics for the program, so it’s an end-to-end project.

What is the team composition?

We’ve been working with around ten members from their team, including various experts that involve themselves depending on the project’s needs.

How did you come to work with Media Matters Worldwide?

I met their owners throughout the various companies I’ve worked for in my career, so I chose them for this project too.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in March 2021, and the engagement is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Our engagement and leads have gone up thanks to their work. They also continue to adjust our programs to get the best engagement and click-through rates.

How did Media Matters Worldwide perform from a project management standpoint?

We have weekly meetings to answer any questions and keep our team updated. We also have a dashboard for metrics, so we can always check reports to see how things are going — we’re not shot in information by any means! 

What did you find most impressive about them? 

Their client services and support team are excellent; they commit to understanding our business, are very collaborative, and their strategic approach to media is top-notch.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I don’t think there’s anything they can improve on — they’re our go-to partner, and we recommend them every time. 

Any advice for potential customers?

Be clear about your business objectives; give them the background of your requirements, and they’ll come back with a plan for you.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the Media Manager of the third-largest national craft beer brand in the US.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Media Matters Worldwide?

We engaged with Media Matters Worldwide as our primary media agency.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They work side by side with myself and the communications team to develop the appropriate budget and channel strategy to meet our broader marketing needs. This includes sales lists and brand lift. They ingest data from our organization, such as sales reports and consumer insights, and work with us to optimize media campaigns to meet our holistic media goals.

What is the team composition?

There are 12 people who work directly on our account. Becky (Senior Media Strategist) is our primary media strategist and she oversees everything, assisted by Wendy (Media Strategist), Emilie (Senior Director of Analytics & Business Intelligence), Warren (Social Media Lead), Rachael (Programmatic Media Lead).

How did you come to work with Media Matters Worldwide?

Someone on our leadership team worked with Media Matters Worldwide when they worked at a previous brand. Through their recommendation, we sent them an RFP. We decided to use their services because of their layered approach to media strategy and their ability to assess our strategy across our entire marketing department.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them in March 2020 and we continue to work with them.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

They helped us identify a media attribution partner. Part of our success with them is working with that partner to optimize our campaign based on our return on ad spend. We’ve been able to improve and learn campaign over campaign.

This year, we have a micro campaign structure because of the unique COVID-19 issues we’ve experienced. We were able to establish a foundation of key learnings to help us going into 2021.

They’ve also conducted brandless studies that they’ve helped negotiate with other campaign partners. We use at those to look at brand metrics that we don’t get through attribution modeling.  

How did Media Matters Worldwide perform from a project management standpoint?

They went above and beyond in terms of their project management and ability to meet deadlines. They exceed our expectations in terms of delivery. They’ve been super flexible. Due to COVID-19, we’re not in an ideal buying climate, so we’re facing challenges across the ball.

We’ve identified ways to strategize, communicate, and get budgets approved. They also help us identify unique partners and negotiate innovative strategies. For example, they were able to negotiate a comprehensive advertising campaign with Spotify. They pulled that together quickly and have that multilayered, both DMA target and national campaign.

We’ve had a lot of success with that and we’re excited to continue working with them as things go back to normal.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their teamwork is very impressive. There are at least a dozen people working on our account, and they’re able to provide best-in-class service to us. They’re super responsive and the quality of the information we get from them is exceptional.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Off the top of my head, we don’t have any issues with them in any area.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

This is true with any vendor you work with—the briefing process is super important. Clients should really think about their media briefs. Putting a lot of thought into those questions will help them provide you with a top of the line campaign that will meet your objectives. They’re very attentive to the details there.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m currently a marketing consultant. Prior to this role, I worked in B2B marketing in the tech space.  

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Media Matters Worldwide?

I’ve worked with Media Matters Worldwide for more than twenty years, but I did a substantial amount of work with them when I was the director of demand generation at an enterprise-grade identity management company. We needed help with lead generation, market awareness, and campaigns.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Media Matters Worldwide provided content communication and digital marketing services. They helped me manage different lead generation initiatives, the larger of which were content syndication media programs. They negotiated great rates for media and white paper programs, lead generation, and webinars.

The team also oversaw search engine marketing (SEM), including as Google Ads, and social media marketing (SMM), such as campaigns on Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter. They helped create and lead in-person campaigns, one of which was an event. They procured all of the different pieces that were necessary to execute these campaigns.

What is the team composition?

I worked with various team members on different projects over the years. I most consistently engaged with Taji and Josy (Co-Founders & Managing Partners, Media Matters Worldwide). I also had contact with Melanie (Media Director, Media Matters Worldwide) and Maxine (Media Director & Client Partner, Media Matters Worldwide).

How did you come to work with Media Matters Worldwide?

I met them a long time ago. I have continued to re-engage them at four different organizations because their services are so great. They get excellent results.

How much have you invested with them?

The enterprise-grade identity management company spent about $50,000–$100,000 per quarter, with overall costs ranging from $200,000–800,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

I initially worked with Media Matters Worldwide in 2008. Their work for the enterprise-grade identity management company spanned 2015–2017, but I also worked with them in 2010, 2012–2014, and 2014­–2016. I haven’t yet worked with them in my current role.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

At the highest level, their recommendations were always really solid. The value that they provide as an agency lies in their ability to negotiate amazing rates.

How did Media Matters Worldwide perform from a project management standpoint?

They were very reliable. We communicated via email.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Something that stood out to me was the consistency that they brought to the partnership.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, I can’t think of anything.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m a senior digital marketing and media manager at a B2B communications company. We sell smart endpoint solutions, such as headsets, desk and conference phones, and video collaboration solutions.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Media Matters Worldwide?

My company acquired another communications company about two years ago. As part of that integration, we needed to launch a new brand.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Media Matters Worldwide launched our brand activation campaign to announce that these two companies were coming together as one brand. They began the campaign with a two-week saturation period, during which we did a lot of paid digital media and digital out-of-home advertising. After that, they led us into a sustaining period and used paid search, paid social, and programmatic display as our primary vehicles.

They continue to manage our brand activation campaign. We’re also running an additional global dimension program with them.

What is the team composition?

We work with 6–7 Media Matters Worldwide team members. Our primary contacts are Jennifer (Media Director and Client Partner, Media Matters Worldwide) and Jill (Project Management Lead, Media Matters Worldwide).

We also work with Lisa (Strategic Digital Account Director, Media Matters Worldwide) on analytics and Cheryl (Social Media Director, Media Matters Worldwide) on paid social. Although we may not be interfacing with them on a daily basis, various people work on the campaign in the background. They often join our weekly check-in calls.

How did you come to work with Media Matters Worldwide?

We went through a robust RFP process and looked at 7­–8 brand-first agencies. Media Matters Worldwide won our vote based on their expertise, the previous work they shared with us, their metrics-driven approach, and the nice dashboarding that they offer.

What is the status of this engagement?

We began working with Media Matters Worldwide in January 2019, and our work together is ongoing. The brand activation campaign began in mid-March, and it will run through the end of August.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Our primary KPIs have been met and even exceeded. We surpassed our website traffic goals tenfold. We also beat our efficiency goals, measured by cost-per-engagement, by 6–8 times. The quality of their work exceeds that of any other agency I’ve worked with.

How did Media Matters Worldwide perform from a project management standpoint?

I can’t say enough about them in this respect. Media Matters Worldwide has been awesome to work with. They have many team members representing various areas of expertise.

As a company that’s still integrating, we experience a lot of unexpected things and last-minute changes. Media Matters Worldwide has been very responsive and adaptive. They’ve knocked it out of the park as far as being a good partner.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their adaptability and flexibility stand out. Other agencies I’ve worked with pushed back when I made last-minute change requests, whereas Media Matters Worldwide has been understanding and accommodating of the complex integration process we’re going through. As issues have come up, they’ve risen to the challenge and helped meet our needs without ever complaining. They handle pop-up requests with grace.

Media Matters Worldwide delivers concrete plans and ensures that we understand them and are in agreement. They make sure to understand our primary KPIs, expectations, and what we’re trying to achieve with paid media, so that the plan is informed by all of that.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I’d say everybody has room for improvement, but compared to other agencies I’ve worked with, Media Matters Worldwide are rock stars.

Any advice for potential customers?

Hire them if you’re looking for a responsive, detail-oriented agency with a proven track record. They can handle any digital marketing challenges.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the director of marketing and media for Visit Mendocino County, a destination marketing organization.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Media Matters Worldwide?

We needed to get our branding and marketing messages out to our target markets.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Media Matters Worldwide delivered a media plan, which included a budget, goals, and expectations. Media Matters Worldwide also conducted a Nielsen survey to determine the effectiveness of our marketing efforts with the general public.

My company provided the deliverables, and they purchased advertising programmatically across various media channels. For instance, they purchased media web page takeovers in a programmatic fashion. Other channels included Spotify and Pandora, which we did A/B testing on. They serviced all of our social media channels.

What is the team composition?

We had regular contact with six team members, including Jennifer (Media Director, Client Partner, Media Matters Worldwide), Lisa (Account Director, Media Matters Worldwide), Emilie (Director of Analytics, Media Matters Worldwide), and Cheryl (Social Media Director, Media Matters Worldwide).

How did you come to work with Media Matters Worldwide?

Our marketing consultant referred Media Matters Worldwide, and we were impressed by their credentials. They presented to our marketing committee, who then recommended to our board that we retain them.

How much have you invested with them?

My company spent $300,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

Our work together spanned December 2018–June 2019.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Media Matters Worldwide more than fulfilled all of the goals and expectations within the media plan. Over six months, our campaign drew 35 million impressions. We’ve achieved an above-average click-through rate and have increased web traffic by 150%. We’re extremely pleased with Media Matters Worldwide’s performance.

How did Media Matters Worldwide perform from a project management standpoint?

From a project management standpoint, they did excellent. Once we handed the deliverables off to them, they reported on their performance during the weekly reporting calls.  We also emailed back and forth depending on where we were in a particular project, but emails were generally limited to confirming the deliverables, messaging, and checking up on invoicing and payment. Media Matters Worldwide was very prompt, and they were communicative in their calls.

What did you find most impressive about them?

My company doesn’t have a lot of experience in this type of advertising; in the past, we’ve just done more traditional advertising, like print. We found Media Matters Worldwide extremely easy to work with. They were clear in their communication, and they provided us with a set of goals that they were able to reach and even surpass. They were right on with their results.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, there aren’t any I can think of. If anything, my organization learned a lot about where engagement lies and how to market our business and county. We’ll take these lessons into our next contract with Media Matters Worldwide.  

Any advice for potential customers?

Be clear about your internal goals, so that Media Matters Worldwide can devise a media plan that will accomplish these goals.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the former VP of marketing for one of California’s largest credit unions. I was responsible for all facets of marketing, advertising, communications, and PR.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Media Matters Worldwide?

It was clear that we needed to elevate our digital presence so we were looking for a partner to help us with that.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Media Matters Worldwide was a strategic partner supporting our entry into the digital media space. Their team tested a relatively small budget on ad retargeting and display ads. As this was proven successful, we shifted more of our traditional advertising budget to digital and their role expanded.

They offered insights into prospect search behavior and helped us pinpoint ways to grow our client base. hey provided us with creative resources we needed to supplement our lean team and enabled us to produce a higher volume of content.

What is the team composition?

We worked with several members of the Media Matters Worldwide team, including Taji (Co-Founder & Managing Partner, Media Matters Worldwide), a reporting analyst, and media buyers.

How did you come to work with Media Matters Worldwide?

I found Media Matters Worldwide through an online search. It was important that they were local and accessible, but I also appreciated that it was a team led by women. I knew that they would give our team the attention we needed.

They were a growing company with tremendous individual expertise and an entrepreneurial spirit. On a personal level, they were great people to work with and they provided us with the expertise and intelligence we needed. And they continue to be a great professional and industry resource.

How much have you invested with them?

We invested in the range of $200,000–$500,000 a year.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We continued to expand our digital advertising budget because it was working for us. It was clear that the influx of traffic was coming from digital advertising and that Media Matters Worldwide’s efforts brought new customers and site visitors. The service, reporting, and expertise they gave us were invaluable to our team.

How did Media Matters Worldwide perform from a project management standpoint?

Their project management was excellent. Our teams held weekly meetings in which we went over detailed metrics and trends, collaborating to shift our strategy as necessary. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their energy, industry knowledge and creative approach to problem-solving along with their service quality were very impressive. I’d hire them again if I were in a position to do so.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Because I was new to digital media, I was focused on learning as much as I could from them. It’s hard to say if there’s anything they could improve upon.