Art & Science

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the co-founder and EVP [Executive Vice President] of one of the leading real estate CRM solutions. I’m responsible for sales, marketing, and business development.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Art & Science?

We needed to migrate our complex legacy website from .NET to WordPress. It was imperative during the process that we minimize business interruptions and impact to our online marketing and client registration.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They rebuilt our consumer-facing website on WordPress.

What is the team dynamic?

I mainly communicated with a project manager, but also interacted with their CEO and chief designer/artistic director. I’m unsure how many of their team members were involved.

How did you come to work with Art & Science?

We’d already worked on a project with Art & Science in developing a real estate agent platform, which was extremely successful. They were a logical partner for the redevelopment of our public website.  

How much have you invested with them?

We spent between $50,000–$200,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked with them from May 2015–August 2015.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Our website traffic has increased by 40% since going live, and conversions continue to increase. The website is unwavering, and we receive a lot of compliments on it. There were many complex integrations involved which they did a great job with. The website has been very smooth in regard to bugs.

How did Art & Science perform from a project management standpoint?

The project was well managed, delivered on time, and finished under budget.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Art & Science was simply fantastic. They listened well, and really comprehended the project unlike other developers we'd worked with who required much more effort. They dealt with every technical challenge with perseverance, understanding, and an open mind. Their design skills are excellent, and there wasn’t a issue they weren’t able to overcome. Their deliverables were extremely close to the final product.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We're a global entertainment design company. We create theme parks, water parks, visitor attractions, mixed-use and entertainment spaces, and resorts. We are a company of designers, architects, landscape architects, interior designers, graphic artists, and creative people.

I'm the marketing director.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Art & Science?

We had a website that was more than 10 years old and gravely in need of an overhaul, both from a technological, user experience, and content point of view. The company has evolved quite a bit from how it was 10 years ago and it was a question of how to frame the business as it is today, using the best possible website design, SEO, and user experience.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They did the strategic framework, the development, and the SEO. They met with us through a variety of discovery meetings to interpret marketing goals and they played a key role in identifying how best to represent our company’s work.

We wanted a website that we could update ourselves. Art & Science built a CMS on the back of a WordPress site, which made it accessible to us, but they customized it so that it wasn't a completely off-the-shelf plug and play that anybody would have. We also had to make sure this website worked in China, due to their firewall issues: Art & Science gave valuable consultation and advice. They also worked to assess the best way to show our projects on the website. There are more than 60 projects on this website and we didn't want to show all of them at the same time, so Art & Science created a user-driven access database to tease people into learning more about our work beyond what the site revealed.

We were looking for traffic, but also to garner more leads, and we’ve had really good results in the two years the website has been in place.

How did you come to work with Art & Science?

We tendered out the project to five firms and Art & Science was superior to the rest.

Their ability to listen was impressive. They didn't come in telling us what they thought. Art & Science spent an enormous amount of time doing discovery with our leadership and teams to better understand our business. They probably know more about us than we know about ourselves. That’s the reason we keep going back. They invested time in understanding and listening to us and that has made them an ongoing partner as we evolve the website.

What is the status of this engagement?

The engagement began around January, 2015 and we just hired them to do new work for us. We're expanding the functionality and scope of the website to meet other marketing targets.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Art & Science helped streamline a process of self-analysis to understand our company. One of the strongest things they brought to the table was being equally invested in finding a way to keep our business evolving. Another success factor is that the website is very easy to work with. We definitely wouldn't have said that of our previous website, which was HTML and hard to add content to. The website is really easy to use, which was a requirement to ease the load on our marketing team. I didn't want to send the updates out to a developer every time I wanted to update the site.

How did Art & Science perform from a project management standpoint?

They have a dedicated project manager who has been terrific to work with - always available, always ready for solutions. We delivered the material in a really tight time frame, our content had to be ready in a six week period and at their end they coded as we delivered. It was well-planned, but it was also a real partnership to get the work done, which is why I consider them an outstanding company.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They're great; I can't think of anything. Their company has grown in size, but I don't notice an impact on the service they provide me. They are still readily accessible.

Advice for potential customers?

Respect their insight and don't make a lot of decisions about what you need upfront - bring them in. Present your challenge and let them do their magic, because they are really quite good at understanding and coming up with solutions.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

Danier Leather sold apparel leather goods and other products. I was the head of marketing for the company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Art & Science?

The biggest issue for us was awareness. Regular customers of the store had stopped shopping there, so we needed to get them to think about our business again and re-explore what we had to offer.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Art & Science was our digital agency. They managed all of our display and search advertising, working with us during our "winter warmth" campaign. The object was to make people associate Danier with warm winter coats since we had traditionally been known for leather jackets.

Art & Science focused on SEO [search engine optimization], ensuring Danier appeared prominently in all searches for winter coats. Art & Science's recommendations were around completing the path to purchase for someone going online in the morning and getting the idea to buy a new coat. We wanted to keep our business top of mind and make people consider coming to our store.

How did you come to work with Art & Science?

One of the people working on our digital team had known Art & Science from a previous job. It was very much a positive referral. Art & Science also presented their services along with a few other agencies. We felt that they had the best vision for what we were looking for, plus we preferred working with a smaller agency. That would bring more investment in our own business, as we weren't such a big company ourselves.

How much have you invested with Art & Science?

The yearly cost was between $600,000 and $700,000. We had a monthly retainer with Art & Science, which fluctuated depending on our focus at each point. The business was seasonal from a weather perspective, with peaks during specific times of the year.

What is the status of this engagement?

Art & Science worked with Danier for around three years. I was involved with them for a year of that period.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any evidence that would demonstrate the productivity, quality of work, or the impact of the engagement?

I don't remember our actual stats, but we definitely saw a lift while running our awareness campaigns for warm winter coats. Art & Science was very invested in the success of our business. I appreciated their ability to take action if we had a plan in place. If we weren't getting the results we had determined, they went back and rethought our strategy, determining which areas were working best and where we needed to shift our dollars. Art & Science was very reactive and understood the retail business. A bigger agency wouldn't have given us the same level of attention and care. They had an analytical ability to show us tangible results, making information clear for people who didn't understand the digital field very well. There were many people on the executive team who weren't as familiar with the metrics, but Art & Science did a great job of giving a base level for them.

How did Art & Science perform from a project management standpoint?

I've never worked with a better agency, from a project management capacity. We had weekly status calls, and Art & Science always kept to our timings. More than that, they were proactive in bringing solutions and suggestions to us, based on their work with other clients or their analysis of the business.

What did you find most impressive about Art & Science?

At the time, it was Art & Science's ability to analyze a business and provide proactive solutions while staying within budget. I know that Art & Science has expanded to include experiential marketing to their portfolio, but I still find that one of their biggest strengths is the ability to analyze a business and provide tangible solutions for driving sales and traffic to the website.

Are there any areas Art & Science could improve?

As a fashion retailer, it was important to have a global understanding of competitors in the fashion world. There was a bit of a learning curve in getting Art & Science up to speed with key fashion websites and brands, but they did a good job of learning who the leaders in the e-commerce space were once they immersed themselves in the business. 

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We are a producer of luxury goods and jewelry. The company is a family-owned business started over two centuries ago, and I am the e-commerce director of the company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Art & Science?

We needed to improve our traffic and conversions through search engine marketing [SEM].

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Art & Science is our agency of record for digital media work. They've also provided social aggregation and search engine marketing work. Art & Science has run an analysis of our SEM performance, providing recommendations as a component of that. This is a typical part of the process.

How did you come to work with Art & Science?

I have worked with Art & Science for three consecutive companies in total, the first one being a Canadian retailer for which I was the digital marketing manager. Followed by that was a company where I was the director of digital marketing. There was a request for proposal process for my first two employers, but not for the current one.

How much have you invested with Art & Science?

This is confidential. [The cost of Art & Science's work will be between $250,000 and $300,000 in 2017.]

What is the status of this engagement?

My current company started working with Art & Science six months ago. The relationship is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any evidence that would demonstrate the productivity, quality of work, or the impact of the engagement?

We have been very pleased with Art & Science's work. Since they took over, Art & Science has turned our paid marketing channel into the highest source of traffic for the website. Our conversions are up, and sales are healthy through that channel. We've grown substantially during the six months in which Art & Science has worked with us, and I attribute this to the attention they've paid to our account.

How did Art & Science perform from a project management standpoint?

Art & Science is always on time. They go above and beyond when we make requests for additional insights or analyses for a particular month.

What did you find most impressive about Art & Science?

Art & Science pays a lot of attention to the accounts, becoming invested in the business. This is the reason we continue to hire them. In addition, Art & Science's team is good at what they do. Previously, we've worked with larger agencies and became lost in the shuffle. For a company of our size, Art & Science is a fantastic option. They give us all the attention we need.

Are there any areas Art & Science could improve?

No. I've been pleased with what Art & Science has done. They're always proactive in suggesting new things that we can do to grow our business.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the VP Marketing of The Fertility Partners

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

The Fertility Partners owns and operates fertility and IVF clinics across Canada coast-to-coast plus the northeastern USA.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Art & Science to accomplish?

• Customer lifetime value
• Digital advertising strategy and execution
• New patient acquisition

SOLUTION

How did you find Art & Science?

Agency direct outreach

Why did you select Art & Science over others?

• Close to my geographic location
• Great culture fit
• Good value for cost
• Company values aligned

How many teammates from Art & Science were assigned to this project?

6-10 Employees

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

Management and optimization of digital performance campaigns - Google and Meta - for 8 Canadian fertility clinic brands including:

• campaign strategy development
• campaign set-up
• creative development
• performance monitoring and optimization
• reporting and analysis

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

• Lead volumes
• Lead value/conversion to customers/patients

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

Highly responsive

What was your primary form of communication with Art & Science?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

I appreciate their agility in continuously evolving smart digital campaigns that expertly target our audiences and deliver results even as competitive dynamics shift.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the owner of a wholesale distributor of home decor items in Ontario, Canada. My company services customers in the design trade. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what reason(s) did your company hire Art & Science Digital Experience Design Inc.?

At the time, our customers had to call to determine which items were in stock, and our old system made finding canceled SKUs difficult due to the big sample libraries and massive showrooms. 

SOLUTION

Describe the project in detail.

They created a mobile app in 3 months to allow our customers to access stock information, pricing, and current and canceled SKU information quickly. This gave our customers more confidence in quoting prices and suggesting products to their end customers and let us keep our libraries up to date.

What was the team composition?

The process was collaborative and seamless. They mostly managed the project, but our programmers did some of the API development. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The app has just launched on time and within budget, and we are pleased with the results so far.