Bear Icebox Communications

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I’m the head designer and creative director for Xced Design Build, a reputable design/construction company in Chicago. After being around for 20 years, we’ve re-launched ourselves in a new light with Bear Ice Communication's help.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Bear Icebox Communications?

We needed help promoting the opening of our new design studio space in October 2018. 

What were your goals for this project?

We wanted to inform the public about a number of projects in our wheelhouse. While we’ve historically been known as a referral-based luxury company, this project leads us into further marketing and development strategies for our company.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

Bob (president, Bear Icebox Communications) was pleasant, humble and seemed hungry for the project. He and his business partner came across very professional and with lots of depth and caring for the production of this project.

Describe the scope of their work in detail.

Bear Icebox Communications worked with us for three months to assist with the launch of our grand opening. They also drove PR for our company and made journalistic edits for other in-house work.

What was the team composition?

Bob lead the team and worked directly with our creative staff.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Bear Icebox Communications had a clear trajectory of what they wanted to accomplish during our time together. They did a good job accomplishing that, including getting 4–5 articles published to help our branding

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

The workflow was quite good. Bear Icebox Communications held meetings with intention, and they were clear regarding the project scope.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Bear Icebox Communications was small but mighty.

Are there any areas for improvement?

The biggest area of improvement would be a sense of vision and purpose. They primarily focused on logistics and tasks during each meeting. A further sense of vision would have allowed for more interaction within the project.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the president and CEO of HouseMaster, a national home inspection franchise with 315 locations in North America. I’m also the CEO of PatchMaster, a small drywall repair franchise with 50 locations across the US and Canada.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Bear Icebox Communications?

We hired Bear Icebox Communications to help support our public relations approach. We needed help effectively conveying our messaging to our market and educate consumers about our brand.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Every week, we have meetings with Bear Icebox Communications to update them on news within our company. We inform them about any new franchisees that we onboard and regular activities. Together, we come up with topics that are relevant to our audience. They create all the initial drafts for the content, and both teams work to fact-check the information before we post it online and on social media.

What is the team composition?

My main point of contact is Bob (Co-Founder, Bear Icebox Communications).

How did you come to work with Bear Icebox Communications?

I was looking for a company with experience in the franchising space with a public relations background. When I got in contact with Bob after speaking to several companies, I liked his entrepreneurial spirit and expertise in our field.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent a little over $40,000 so far.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in May 2017 and the relationship is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We’re not tracking actual metrics from their services, but we can tell our company’s reach is significantly broader since starting the work with Bear Icebox Communications. Our exposure with our core audience has improved—we’ve gotten meaningful hits and placements on relevant news sites, including realtor.com. Every platform we’ve tried to receive coverage from has been a success because of Bear Icebox Communications’ support.

How did Bear Icebox Communications perform from a project management standpoint?

Their team was highly organized with their approach. Our company has a lot of different projects happening at once, and they’re able to keep us on track and provide useful updates. They allow me to be as involved as I want to be and I don’t have to manage them, which is great. We have regular meetings and their team creates an agenda that is always abided by.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their high level of organization makes them easy to work with. They’re open-minded and see opportunities we don’t, so we appreciate their insight. Cooperation and flexibility are things we really wanted from a vendor and they fulfill those expectations fully.

Are there any areas they could improve?

There’s no area for improvement. Whenever we need them to do something differently, they quickly adjust.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I’m the VP of Sensofusion, a company specializing in cybersecurity and specifically, counter-UAS. We’ve developed a high-end hardware and software system that is used to protect critical infrastructure and personnel from drone attacks and incursions. 

We typically sell to governments and militaries around the world, but also private sector industries such as prisons, oil and gas, high-tech companies, corporate data centers, and outdoor events.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Bear Icebox Communications?

We needed a resource to write and push out press releases defined by our company regarding major events, our product, and customer relations.

What were your goals for this project?

To continue building our high-end brand regarding all things related to counter-UAS, and to reach the largest audience possible.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

They are a hungry startup and we liked that. They use guerrilla tactics in order to make sure their clients are successful and are also reasonable in cost.

Describe the scope of their work in detail.

They focus on writing press releases and then identify the right journalist, journal publication, or other outlet related to our industry. They also manage any inbound requests for interviews or other similar requests.

What was the team composition?

We worked with two people who were responsible for writing and sourcing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The results have been very good. We continue to use them as our sole source for all things related to PR.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

It was very effective—I had no issues scheduling meetings and keeping our projects on task.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Their willingness to help our company succeed impressed me. They understood their role, and they always kept our interests in mind.

Are there any areas for improvement?

Keeping the creative flow at a high level is always a challenge, so I consider this an area of improvement for every business.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the president of Image One, a franchise janitorial company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Bear Icebox Communications?

We were looking for help in brand building, brand awareness, and public relations.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They do everything from press releases to blogs to getting articles published in trade publications. When we were unable to attend a franchise conference, they went on our behalf in order to gather information that would be useful for building our brand.

What is the team composition?

I work with Bob [President and Co-Founder, Bear Icebox Communications].

How did you come to work with Bear Icebox Communications?

I previously worked with Bob when he was with a much larger firm. I wasn't happy with the results we were getting so we parted ways. A year or so later, he reached out to let me know he’d started his own company. After sitting down to talk about the challenges I’d faced in working with the larger firm, it made sense to start a new relationship with him and Bear Icebox.

How much have you invested with them?

We spend an average of $1000 per month.

What is the status of this engagement?

The project began November 2016 and they’re on a quarterly retainer.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We’ve seen an increase in our presence in print and digital publications, which is fantastic. I can't point to anything they've done that generates specific revenue but it's really more about building the brand and brand awareness. It's clear to us that their efforts are very successful so far.

How did Bear Icebox Communications perform from a project management standpoint?

We occasionally meet in person and have regular contact via email and phone calls. They always talk to me about any upcoming press releases or articles that they're planning. Together we plan out what we want to do for the quarter at the end of the previous quarter. I really like that they check in to see if there's anything special that we want to talk about or highlight over the next three months. They’re very proactive in getting our message out.

What did you find most impressive about them?

We’re getting the service you’d expect of a big company with the one-on-one attention of a small company. It’s the best of both worlds and we have a very nice relationship.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Nothing comes to mind that I would change.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm a co-founder of an international marketing research agency. We have locations in the U.S. and in Russia.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Bear Icebox Communications?

We wanted to centralize management of our marketing and communication efforts, so we we were looking for a company to help us with that.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They help us develop a strategy for our social media channels, including  Facebook and Twitter, and create communication messages for our trade shows. They also train our team to present our services during the trade shows. With their support, we did trade shows in the U.S., Russia, and Germany. They guide us through the process of developing white papers and industry publications. We work with them to come up with the topics to be covered in white papers, and they oversee the whole process until the white papers are released. In addition, they manage our newsletter production and blog posts.

What is the team composition? 

We primarily work with one of their founders. 

How did you come to work with them?

They reached out to us. After we interviewed them, we decided they were a good fit. 

What is the status of this engagement? 

We started working with them in March 2017 and the relationship is ongoing. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The number of incoming requests for our services increased 35% nationwide over the past year. 

How did they perform from a project management standpoint? 

We're based in multiple time zones, so it took us a couple of months to find the best online platform that would allow us to update the entire team about the status of the project.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They're great at building relationships and everyone on our team enjoys working with them. They're always available, flexible, and responsible. They've kept all the commitments they've made to us.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No. If there are any issues (which is part of a normal work process), they deal with them right away. 

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

Brusoe Communications - Founder

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Bear Icebox Communications, and what were your goals?

I worked with Bear Icebox on public relations consulting services for the past two years.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

I have worked with many PR firms, but Bob is one of the most honest and genuine people. They provide their clients top-notch services.

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

I worked alongside the Bear Icebox team to secure media placements for a variety of clients.

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

Bob - CEO

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

I have always had immense success working with the Bear Icebox team. We've garnered national tier one placements.

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

Slack, email, etc.

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

They are completely fair-priced and honest in their work style. Bob is always kind and friendly in his approach.

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

NA