Brightblue Consulting

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m an insight manager at The Co-op Group. We’re a large food retailer and I work in that space. We are the market leading funeral provider in the country and we also operate businesses in the insurance, electrical retail and legal services sectors.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Brightblue Consulting?

We needed a firm to understand and optimize the financial performance of our marketing spend to deliver a better ROI.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They provide econometric modeling services that track our food sales in relation to different variables. Relevant factors can include weather events, advertising initiatives, and anything that could potentially drive sales. We update the model quarterly with the latest data. Brightblue presents the updated model and illustrates how our advertising efforts have performed regarding ROI. They also suggest why the ROI might’ve changed compared to other periods and recommend media decisions that will further optimize profits.

In addition to our internal sales-based data, they utilize publicly available information and third-party data regarding the performance of the broader food market over a length of time. We’ve recently started testing an alternative modeling approach that's more data-intensive, but delivers a more detailed evaluation of potential media optimizations.

What is the team composition?

Depending on the needs of the project, 1–6 analysts work our models. However, our account director has been a constant resource by acting as our primary point of contact.

How did you come to work with Brightblue Consulting?

I don’t know how we initially came into contact with Brightblue because we already had a short list of prospects when I joined the project. We engaged a competitive vetting process to find the right firm. This required each candidate to provide a written response and then give a face-to-face presentation in front of stakeholders from across our divisions. We compared each vendor to a list of desirable factors and eventually selected Brightblue.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in June 2015 and the engagement is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

There’s sufficient evidence of our media plans becoming more efficient after working with Brightblue. Since the engagement began, we’ve concentrated on increasing media spend through promising channels based on their quarterly recommendations. As a result, we’ve seen our ROI increase.

How did Brightblue Consulting perform from a project management standpoint?

I have a weekly call with the account director and we discuss the project’s progress and any research methods I’m not already aware of. They always deliver on time, so I’m quite happy with the level of communication.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They're able to communicate a complex subject area in a simple and engaging way. This is a valuable attribute because it ensures we’re able to fully take advantage of their insights. Our previous service provider lacked proficiency in this area and that necessitated the change.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I don’t have any particular suggestions.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

I’d advise future clients to be open and cooperative. That’s Brightblue’s approach and it’s helped us get the most out of the relationship.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the communications planner for a government-funded program that seeks to empower teens to gain life skills and face their future with confidence. On a wider level, we aim to enhance social mobility and social cohesion. Our summer program offers a camp experience with canoeing, rock climbing, and other activities to push the participants out of their comfort zone, in addition to opportunities for teens to run a social action project in their local area. I oversee our integrated campaign planning, paid media strategy, communications data measurement, and government reporting.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Brightblue Consulting?

We used a quantitative research basis to judge marketing success by shifts in key brand metrics, awareness, affinity, advocacy, and consideration. Although those factors were important to track, we lacked information that would give us a definitive view on our marketing activities’ ROI.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

On the first level, we hired them to run an econometrics project. Standard marketing reporting could only attribute on a last click basis, but this approach would give a more accurate ROI breakdown of touchpoints throughout the customer journey.  Our communications channels include digital, TV, out of home, radio, sponsorship, and paid partnerships. Brightblue measured each channel’s cost per ROI by analyzing their impact on driving expressions of interest and sign-ups to the programme, which incur a £50 ($70 USD) fee.

Currently, they’re creating waterfall data visualizations using information from several in-house teams and our partner agencies; we work with media, social, and PR vendors. These visualizations demonstrate how individual channels impact brand health metrics and drive sign ups from a short and long-term perspective.  Specifically, we’re interested in how awareness and affinity convert to increased participation rates. 

What is the team composition?

The director is our main contact; she serves as a project and account manager. Three people support her, but resources doe shift on a project-by-project basis.

How did you come to work with Brightblue Consulting?

Since we’re government-funded, we had to follow strict procurement rules. However, we conducted some market research, and eventually considered six agencies. We submitted a brief to Brightblue before they pitched to us. 

Their pitch included sample waterfall visualizations. The graphics were among the best I’ve seen; they brought the data to life.

How much have you invested with them?

We spend $100,000 per year.

What is the status of this engagement?

Work started in January 2017 and is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Our government reports now include more detailed analysis and ROI for individual channels and how they work in combination with other channels. As a result, we can assess our overall marketing strategy’s effectiveness more definitively. That insight allows us to use bi-channel marketing approaches to meet new business and investment targets.

How did Brightblue Consulting perform from a project management standpoint?

They communicate every day about status updates and outstanding deliverables. Given the number of stakeholders and teams involved on both sides, some delays occur when data is not at an adequate level. However, they’re quick to explain the delay’s context and impact on the timeline. The director manages these challenges well; she runs the team in an effective manner.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their advanced and holistic approach is at the forefront of innovation. They constantly try to make the econometrics project more useful for us by seeking ways in which it can be enhanced via the addition of new measurement angles - for example, digital attribution or detailed brand health driver analysis.

Their robust analysis of our marketing activities, always presented in an easy-to-digest way, has been a game-changer for us in our reporting to government on the effectiveness of our activities.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They’re a small team with large clients. Although Brightblue manages projects well, they’ll have to upscale resources soon to maintain the current level of service.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the revenue management lead for Kerry Foods. We focus on grocery meat, grocery dairy, snacking, and meal solutions.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Brightblue Consulting?

We were looking for an econometrics partner to help us assess media efficiency.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Brightblue currently runs econometric models on our largest brands. The primary objective is to compare our TV media expenses with their effectiveness and establish the ROI. Over time, the full scope of this effort has extended to include other expenses and their effects on sales. The models include byproducts of media assessment like price elasticity and other revenue management metrics that help us develop pricing and promotional strategy. They use our internal financial data and garner external data via Nielsen to present information down to a gross margin. They’ve also used direct retailer response systems and Kantar.

Upon the initial engagement, Brightblue worked with us on different levels to deliver an output that tailors to our business and audience. The data models are built with tools they’ve developed in-house. We designed a standard deck with them that effectively visualizes the insights we needed regarding our brands. The final product changes slightly depending on the results of the findings, but the uniform approach makes the information easily understandable.

What is the team composition?

We have a project manager that functions as our main ongoing contact. Beyond that, the team we work with changes depending on the project.

How did you come to work with Brightblue Consulting?

One of our marketing partners had previously heard of Brightblue. We contacted them and offered a test project. The relationship grew from there.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent over $1 million thus far.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in February 2012 and the engagement is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Brightblue increased the effectiveness of media spending by over 50% in terms of ROI. This has allowed us to generate an equal amount of return while spending significantly less than we have in previous years. Additionally, they have a strong background in media planning and have given us insight into better media drivers that effectively target audiences.

How did Brightblue Consulting perform from a project management standpoint?

I’ve worked directly with them for over six years, so we have a very close business relationship and open communication. In that time, they’ve always worked efficiently, hit deadlines, and been open regarding how a project is processing. They bring people into our regular project meetings to address any questions we might have. If we need something delivered faster than originally agreed upon, they’re flexible and assign more resources to the project. Overall, they’re really easy to work with.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their transparency regarding how they get information and build models is what originally sold us on partnering with them. To solidify our relationship, they performed presentations to skeptical members of our company. They’re great at engaging with management and the effort they put into that is fantastic. Additionally, they’ll find any data relative to the project and validate it. Finally, they take the science and make it real and actionable. That’s a notable strength because other firms do lots of analysis but often can’t tell you what it all means.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They should build on analytics outside of media like pricing and category modeling. They should also consider how to further commercialize analysis. That’s an area of opportunity for them and I’ve spoken to our project manager about it.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m a senior planning and performance manager in the UK marketing department of Hiscox Insurance. We provide high net worth home insurance and international business insurance.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Brightblue Consulting?

We wanted to get a more scientific analysis of the effectiveness of our marketing and media.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They've produced an econometric model to analyze our direct-to-consumer small business insurance quotes and sales conversions. They look at customers coming through by phone and online to break down all the factors that impact the volume of quotes we get from customers in the UK. They run the model for 6 months at a time and then update it; they’re currently on the fourth version of the model.

Every six months they do a sustained period of preparation. They'll spend a couple of weeks getting the data, during which time they'll check in regularly so we can discuss things to look out for. They then go away and do their work in the background before coming back to present the findings. I stay in discussion with them while they're preparing the model to discuss any issues or help them with the data. They'll come back in and do two rounds of presentation to take people through the model, get feedback, and produce the final analysis we share within the business.

What is the team composition?

We work with Mike (founding director, Brightblue Consulting). He oversees the client relationship and did the original project set up. We have an account director who does the presentations and is responsible for the delivery of the project. There are 3–5 more junior level people on the project as well.

How did you come to work with Brightblue Consulting?

Our media agency recommended them as they’re able to do marketing mix modelling, review results, and provide recommendations. Since Brightblue is an independent partner, they’re less expensive and more impartial than some of the bigger offerings in the market.

How much have you invested with them?

I believe we’ve spent around £200,000 ($282,800 USD).

What is the status of this engagement?

We've been working with them for just over two years.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We’ve continued to grow the direct-to-customer commercial insurance side of our business year on year. We’ve gotten more out of our media spend in terms of attributed quotes since they started providing recommendations. They’ve run a validation with their model and made predictions with various caveats and were within 3% of the final actual quote number. They also produced a forecasting tool that has given us some degree of direction for planning future media spend.

How did Brightblue Consulting perform from a project management standpoint?

I wouldn't say project management is their greatest strength but they always deliver what we need. They respond very quickly, and generally things are done efficiently in terms of us getting what we want. The whole team has been very helpful and responsive.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They're very personal and down to earth. They take the time to understand our business upfront and ask the right questions. That’s important so that they have the right context when building the model. We feel the model is relatively accurate and useful because they've done good groundwork and it’s not missing anything important.

Are there any areas they could improve?

In some instances, I had to direct them how to better summarize the story and the narrative that's coming out of the model in terms of which insights are relevant and what's not. If they improve on that, they’ll have increased credibility and be better at presenting relevant information to the audience for each presentation.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Brightblue Consulting?

Our business model historically focused on allocating media spend to acquire sign-ups through TV and digital activities, while we saw CRM as our main revenue driver. However, we always question where our revenue comes from and what the revenue driving channels are. We have a large TV media budget we couldn’t track well, so we needed a partner to identify what our TV spend was accomplishing in terms of driving revenue and new member signups.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Brightblue ran the econometric services for our German market. The model they created for us looks at the correlation between media channel spend and performance (TV and digital), our signup numbers and bookings. Their nested approach further shows the synergies between channels, spend and considers internal factors as well.

Using this model, we’re able to see how our overall spend is actually working. We also had some other tasks, which included looking at out-of-home advertising and if our 24-hour super sales were generating incremental returns. Currently, we’re working on our fourth model update. We use these updates to better understand our peak times, inform our TV planning and make adjustments based on their recommendation, e.g. budget distribution, station or creative mix. Brightblue uses the results of each model updates to build spend scenarios and provides recommendations for our budgets.

What is the team composition?

We have a dedicated point of contact and a consistent team.

How did you come to work with Brightblue Consulting?

My colleague ran an RFP process, and Brightblue was recommended. We liked their nested approach, which was different to other vendors and we felt there was a good fit with our business, so we hired them.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent £200,000–£250,000 ($280,088–$350,110 USD).

What is the status of this engagement?

We started with them in October 2016, and the work is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The first model was the most impressive. We weren’t familiar with the outcome we’d get from econometrics, but we followed Brightblue’s recommendations, and we haven’t regretted it since. We were a bit skeptical at first, and we had to compromise between their suggestions and our budget, but it worked out well.

How did Brightblue Consulting perform from a project management standpoint?

We communicate mainly via email. For faster confirmation or easier clarification, we talk on the phone. Before we kick off a new update, we have a face-to-face refresher meeting to go through all the changes that have happened in the past months, current expectations, questions we want answered, etc. We’ll then have at least two more in-person meetings: a small debrief for the specific team or clients to see the initial outcomes, and a larger debrief for the wider team.We’ve been happy with their communication. Everything is fast, and problems are solved within 24 hours. Sometimes it’s within one hour of getting in touch with them.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They have in-depth digital knowledge and are dedicated to our account. We’re able to provide and receive positive feedback. They provide a good balance between TV and digital approaches and understanding. They show well rounded digital and offline knowledge, while other vendors we work with tend to lean more into one or the other area.

Are there any areas they could improve?

We felt that more business insights were beneficial for the interpretation of model data and we told them we wanted them to better understand the way our business works. This perception was mutual and they recommended ongoing working sessions with one of the account team members in our office to understand our problems better. They’re good at taking criticism and welcome feedback.