The Blue Agency

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the president of a company that manufactures tactical and ruggedized headsets to the military space. We’ve since expanded our market into the law enforcement and hardcore industrial segments.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with The Blue Agency?

We brought on The Blue Agency to direct photo and video sessions that highlight our products. At the time, we were trying to transition our niche product over to different markets. They were responsible for helping us accelerate our brand awareness and styling for both the law enforcement and hardcore industrial space.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement? 

I worked with Louis (Creative Director & Founder) to shoot authentic product promotions so that we could pivot our brand into the law enforcement and hardcore industries. The goal was to capture how subjects used and wore our equipment in their actual environments.

We did the law enforcement session with six SWAT team members in the Inland Empire region of Southern California. As an experienced director, Louis relied on his talent to coach these officers to act naturally in front of the cameras, paining out scenarios and asking them to react. 

It was the same process for the industrial side. We found a shutdown battery plant and filmed actual end users working in our suits and respirators.

What is the team composition? 

The team size depends on the project. For those photoshoots, there were three people on site, including Louis. It’s great working with him because he’s so accessible. Together, we come up with the strategy for the shoots, and he’s engaged throughout. 

How did you come to work with The Blue Agency?

I worked with and continue to work with Louis because of his personality. He’s a genuine person who keeps his clients’ best interests at heart. Louis tries to understand what we need so that he can deliver the best product. He’s the right balance between friendly, meticulous, and professional.

What is the status of this engagement?

We’ve worked together since May 2019. Because the project is ongoing, Louis has a vested interest in the partnership and is constantly assimilating to our needs, interest, and brand. His work just gets better with every month.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

When I assumed my position, I wanted to make sure that anything I did furthered the brand that we’d built to this point rather than flipping it over. That’s why it was important to me to partner with a company that understood what it meant to have images that spoke to the end user.

Louis understands that having authentic images rather than using models resonates more with our target customers. He’s creative, strategic, and good at what he does.

How did The Blue Agency perform from a project management standpoint?

They take a fairly traditional approach. We start off with a set of questions to determine our core objectives and budget. From there, Louis submits a proposal for approval before putting together a timeline. We have regular updates throughout the project. If we’re distracted, Louis keeps us on track so that we can meet our timelines.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Louis is not afraid to roll up his sleeves. He’s a strong copywriter and good at his craft.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, there’s nothing to improve on as far as I’m concerned. We’ve gotten everything that we’ve wanted.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I ran the global customer briefing center for a major technology corporation in Melbourne. We manufacture and sell GPS and radio systems and other tactical equipment for primarily military air, land, and space missions.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with The Blue Agency?

I was tasked with rebuilding the physical location for the center, and in that capacity worked with both my VP and CEO to get approval on designs provided by Blue Agency for a showcase area demonstrating the wide range of capabilities that our company has.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

The Blue Agency team worked on the designs and planning for all aspects of a company showcase that demonstrated all of the different sectors and technologies that our company works in. They helped cast and script informational short films and create character holograms representing different industries.

A big part of that role included translating incredibly technical information into something that people who were aware of the technology but not engineers could understand. They needed to show to consumers in markets we were trying to expand to that we had a deep experience in the technology without giving the impression that we were too all over the place.

What is the team composition?

We worked directly with Louis on all of the work.

What is the status of this engagement?

The project ran from around January–July 2016.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We had two and three start generals coming up to us at the end of the exhibition saying that these were the best videos of this kind that they had ever seen. As someone immersed in the technology, I had no idea how anyone could take it and make it creative enough that people would pay attention to it, and they hit the nail on the head with everything they did. It was fascinating just to watch their process at work.

How did The Blue Agency perform from a project management standpoint?

I was really impressed by their ability to maintain our incredibly tight schedule, despite having to figure out pretty much everything on the fly. Louis asked incredibly intelligent questions throughout the project and did a good job of keeping us focused on our main goals during the process.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They had very little experience in the industry when we started working with them, but their team put in a lot of work researching specific areas so that they could ask smart, relevant questions and make sure they were getting our requests right.

Are there any areas they could improve?

There were occasional hiccups throughout the project, but absolutely none of those were attributable to Louis.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the creative director for a contracting company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with The Blue Agency?

We’ve worked with them on creative writing, video storyboarding, and project management for shooting various creative projects.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Their team serves essentially as an outsourced creative agency, handling the full scope of the processes that we hire them for. We start by briefing them on the desired result of the project, and then he drafts a concept of the solution.

What is the team composition?

Louis (Owner) is our main point of contact for everything but he hires on any staff that he needs for the projects, from photographers to writers and other roles that need to be supplemented to achieve the final product.

How did you come to work with The Blue Agency?

Louis previously worked for the creative content company that we worked with. When that company folded, we asked if he would stick around and continue partnering with us, so he did.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together around August 2017 and have continued partnering together ever since.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

At this point, we see him as an extension of our own team. He knows our brand guidelines and what we need out of every project, so the relationship is almost completely seamless at this point.

How did The Blue Agency perform from a project management standpoint?

We talk very regularly about what we need to take care of next, so we are always on the same page with them about deadlines and things of that nature. They communicate over phone, email, or text, depending on the urgency and what is most convenient. We’ve never had any trouble contacting them or getting a response.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Louis makes everybody that he works with feel comfortable, and that is a huge asset when you’re talking about a set where people are not necessarily skilled or even experienced at being on camera.

He is even able to put our executive team at ease and is able to get great material out of just a regular conversation with a person. I’ve gotten an incredible number of compliments from people who love working with him.

Are there any areas they could improve?

We sometimes joke that he overcommunicates, but in reality, we wouldn’t have it any other way. He keeps us up to date on absolutely everything which is extremely important to us, so I honestly don’t have any negatives for him at all.