Chello

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Digital Marketing Manager & eCommerce of a furniture supplier

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Australia’s leading hospitality and commercial furniture supplier

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Chello to accomplish?

• Develop our Brand Name
• Develop our Brand Position
• Develop our Brand Story, Look and Guidelines
• Design our Website
• Manage the Development of Website

SOLUTION

How did you find Chello?

Online Search

Why did you select Chello over others?

• Great culture fit
• Company values aligned

How many teammates from Chello were assigned to this project?

6-10 Employees

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

Having had success in the Wholesale and B2B Furniture Markets, we wanted to expand our offering into the Retail sector. With no established brand for our target audience, Chello were engaged to comeup with a new brand name and develop all of the brand identity around this. Deliverables included the brand name, logo, story and guidelines. 

Upon completion of this, it was time to move onto stage 2 which is the implementation of the brand as a new eCommerce Website. Chello was engaged to complete the UI/UX design for this as well as work with their industry partners to take the design and turn it into an eCommerce Website.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

1. Research and Positioning Findings Report 
2. Customer Research Findings Report 
3. Brand narrative, proposition & framework Report 
4. Brand Naming 
5. Visual Expression Report
6. Verbal Expression Report 
7. Messaging Framework 
8. Examples of practical application
9. Brand Guidelines 
10. Website Scoping Report 
11. Website UI/UX Design 
12. Website Copywriting 
13. eCommerce Delivery

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

Everything is delivered on time and within budget. If we made requests that were going to create delays and incur additional costs, these were advised upfront, which has allowed the project to run smoothly.

What was your primary form of communication with Chello?

Virtual Meeting

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

This is a hard one to answer. When we had our first meeting everything clicked. We spoke with several agencies before engaging Chello and the offering was similar from all. Chello was the most expensive of the lot, but they were also the most professional and provided the greatest level of confidence they would deliver the outcomes we desired.

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

The only bug bear would be flexibility. Every little request we have gets billed, and billed heavily. As a result we have worked with other agencies to deliver material which we would have preferred to run through Chello. If we had of seen value for money on these we would have kept all of our work with Chello. 

Additionally some elements you would expect to be included as part of scope, are not. Having said this, we will continue to use Chello for our major brand work, and leave the smaller work to internal or more favourably priced agencies.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m a director at a public health NGO focusing on community health for the LGBTQ community. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Chello?

With Chello, we wanted to develop a rapid-response campaign centered on the monkeypox outbreak. 

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Chello has been in charge of the entire campaign development process. At the start of the project, we gave them a creative brief. We needed the videos for the campaign to work in a 15-second format. They used that to develop two concepts on which we provided feedback. We solidified one of the concepts and refined it further. 

Then, Chello developed the messaging and creative aspects. Their team moved the entire campaign into production and finalization. Production included filming, photography, voiceovers, and script writing. The videos were live-action but with some animated features. 

There were a lot of meetings focused on our messaging language and representation because of our NGO status. We had to ensure the script and talent were perfect. We needed the right look and setting — it was up to us to secure venues to film at and the talent. Once the videos were produced and edited, we provided final approval. 

Most recently, Chello has helped us draft press releases for the campaign. 

What is the team composition?

The core team is made up of 5-6 teammates, including Drou (Account Director), Jesse (Senior Account Manager), Shea (Director of Video), Jenny (Associate Creative Director), and Lauren (Junior Producer). Additional people have been brought on to assist with production. 

How did you come to work with Chello?

We interviewed Chello for another campaign; they were the second runner-up for that project. Since the timeline for this project was so tight, we went back to the other campaign’s list and reached out to Chello. We asked them if they could deliver on our timeline, and they could. 

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve invested around $80,000 AUD (approximately $52,000 USD). 

What is the status of this engagement?

Our ongoing partnership began in August 2022. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Chello has delivered six 15-second videos, six static posters, and a range of digital assets for our social accounts, including TikTok, and digital apps. The entire project has been very collaborative. 

We’re now waiting to launch the finalized campaign, after which we’ll have concrete success metrics. Overall, I am impressed by the quality of work Chello delivered. They’ve paid attention to detail, and the products they’ve produced have aligned with what they initially provided as a concept. None of the copy they’ve provided has had typos or other errors. 

Everything Chello has delivered has been ready for us to present — we’ve presented the campaign to donors. Their team has been incredibly polite and professional. 

How did Chello perform from a project management standpoint?

We initially thought our timeline was unrealistic, but Chello met our tight timelines, delivering everything within a month. Their team actually delivered ahead of the deadline. 

We went through several rounds of feedback, after which Chello’s team applied our changes to each asset. We had some last-minute changes, but the team was very ​​flexible and accommodating. 

Most of our communication now is through emails, text messages, and meetings. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

I really like the fresh creatives Chello brings to the table and how they work with us. They really paid attention to our briefs and the ideas we presented during our initial meetings, which helped them deliver strong campaign concepts. They brought a great perspective to our project.  

We’d definitely be happy to work with ​Chello again, giving them a little more leeway when it comes to delivering concepts. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, I’ve been pretty happy with them. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

It is always hard to start working with a new creative agency because you don’t know how much you can trust them. In those instances, I’ve found it best to over-communicate to ensure everything is being completed. 

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the head of marketing at Caleb & Brown, a cryptocurrency brokerage. We help our clients buy, sell, and trade cryptocurrencies through a personal broker service.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Chello?

We needed to modernize our brand and website. Additionally, we wanted to make creative for our first-ever marketing and advertising campaign.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Chello provides branding, brand and communication strategy, and campaign creatives design. They’ve refreshed our brand. First, they took time to understand what our brand stands for and what it should look like in the eyes of our existing and future clients. As a part of their strategy, they conducted interviews with stakeholders, did quantitative research on our current clients, and organized qualitative round-table focus groups with target clients.

They focused on modernizing the client-facing side of our business and making it more attractive to new clients. The team has helped define our core value proposition. They’ve designed our logo and helped us define our brand guidelines and messaging. Chello has also redesigned our website’s UI/UX from scratch while our developers built the site. Our requirements for the website were easy navigation. The site needed to explain our core value proposition — personalized service — and how we’re different from competitors and feature our team. 

The team has also helped with copywriting, photography, and product design. They’ve also produced creatives for a campaign to build brand recognition with our target market. The mediums they’ve created content for are video on demand, TV, digital display pre-roll, and social media.

What is the team composition?

We’ve worked with a strategy director, a creative director, a design director, an account director, a producer, and a copywriter from Chello.

How did you come to work with Chello?

We opened our project for several creative agencies to pitch for the job. Chello had the best mix of value add, creativity, and value for money. 

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent about $200,000–$300,000 AUD (approximately $139,000–$209,000 USD). 

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them in December 2021, and the engagement is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Chello delivers excellent-quality work. They've nailed everything from the brand refresh to the website to the campaign creatives. Our new site's navigation is; people land on our page more and visit more pages than they used to. Users' dwell time on the website has improved as well. Since the campaign has only launched, we don't have any metrics for them yet. 

How did Chello perform from a project management standpoint?

They've delivered on time. Although sometimes we go over budget, they communicate when the outputs we want will exceed the budget; we've had no surprises. The team is fantastic at explaining how our requirements will change the budget and timeline, and they stick to that. We typically communicate via email and phone calls and use Google Docs to share information. Our account manager is terrific; we're in touch daily, which is all I need. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

I'm most impressed with Chello's communication skills. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, they do a really good job. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Make your briefs great! 

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm the Chief Marketing Officer of an HR Tech business that uses AI/ML to remove bias through volume hiring.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Chello?

Our business had a naming convention and brand that was no longer aligned to our horizon product strategy. We needed Chello to rapidly develop a thorough understanding of our business, interrogate our offering and develop a new naming convention, and marketplace brand.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

Through various contacts we sourced a range of partners, and had initial discussions - given Chello's background, industry experience, and culture, they were the perfect fit. We went through a credentials presentation, and chose them.

Describe the scope of their work in detail.

After the initial discovery meeting, we collectively developed brief for the task, while simultaneously arranging deep dive 1:1 meetings for the agency to meet key executives for a well rounded view. A range of workshops were held with cross section of attendees across both businesses, where solid, robust discussion was held to truly uncover the details of our business - this was vital, the approach to truly challenge our offering, and understand how we are different in the market. A strategic brand framework was developed to provide the guiding direction for naming conventions, and upon agreement moved into the next phase.

The naming process included workshops to build strong understanding of focus areas - a presentation session was held where the strategy and creative team walked through the process, explaining the thinking and justification for the concepts, with one naming convention the clear favourite. From there, a similar process was conducted for the brand visual expression, workshops, ideation sessions, presentation of several directions, for final approval. Extensions to product level, and into final brand guidelines.

What was the team composition?

The team at Chello was a triad - account lead, creative lead and strategy lead. Each of the team members took a very commercial lense to the problem, to ensure the outcomes were aligned to our strategy. On the business side, Founder/CEO, CMO, and Head of Brand were key members, plus the Leadership team at key points.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The program is shortly launching, so too early to provide hard metrics. However soft metrics around stakeholder approval should be leading indicators to how we believe it will perform in market. Executive Leadership, Board Directors, Investors, and broader business all provided unanimous positive feedback at all stages - this is a critical metric for our business, as we see this being led from the inside out.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Workflow was clear and structure. Project workflow documents produced with weekly check ins. Should any key dates need movement, open discussion about the possible impacts of this were held, and revised dates agreed. The team delivered every stage of the project either on or before agreed deadlines.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

As a collective team from account management, to strategy to creative, the Chello team were exceptional. Every step along the way they have challenged us, they’ve interrogated our business, they’ve gotten to know our leaders, and have genuinely worked out what makes us tick. When I put to our founder/CEO early on that I wanted to invest in Chello and drive our brand in a whole new direction, I’d suggest she had a level of trepidation - and its fair to say, that has completely gone.

She as a founder and CEO is 100% supportive of the work the team have done, in fact she loves it. The team have a way of communicating their process like no other agency. They involve and take us on a journey, so there are no surprises, and everyone feels engaged and excited.

Is there any area for improvement or anything that could have been done differently?

I have no constructive feedback around how the team could have operated differently. In a COVID environment, with stakeholders around the world, the Chello team have done an exceptional job.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the communications manager for the UTS Centre for Social Justice & Inclusion. The centre is a gateway for partners and communities to engage with the university's resources and expertise to maximise social impact.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Chello, and what were your goals?

The centre was an amalgamation of pre-existing units and departments of UTS; we needed a cohesive brand to express our new identity that worked with the UTS master brand and clearly identified us with the university, while capturing our unique footprint and expression our new cohesion.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

Chello came recommended from other areas of the university, and their pitch demonstrated their creativity and understanding of our core issues.

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

They ran a series of explorative workshops to drill down our priorities for messaging and visual branding, and developed two concepts for a new, cohesive brand. After selecting and refining one concept, they applied it to a wide variety of deliverables, producing a comprehensive set of branded assets and a tone of voice guide for the centre. It was a huge shift and step up from where we had been at previously.

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

At the initial project consultation, several members of the Chello team were involved including their Creative Director. Following the initial sessions, I liaised with the Account Manager, who drew in their graphic designer and copywriter for specific elements of the project.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The UTS Centre for Social Justice & Inclusion now has a cohesive brand identity, one that works with the UTS master brand and achieves everything we wanted it to - establishing who we are, our character, and making it easy to apply the brand to various visual and written media.

The brand is flexible enough to work with a wide range of stakeholders and contexts. Since the rebrand, we have seen an increase in coverage of our projects within the university, and several times people have commented on how strong our representation is.

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

Chello have been excellent at keeping track of projects, keeping us on track, and making sure all deliverables are finalised and to a high standard. They've been extremely flexible with deadlines when we've required it, helpful and collegiate to work with at every stage.

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

Both their copywriting and their visual design have demonstrated flair and subtlety. The output they produce is just a fantastic standard.

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

No, working with Chello has been great.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

Advertising & Communications Manager, Qudos Bank

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Chello?

Chello is our main day to day creative and design agency.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

Chello took over our account following the acquisition of our previous agency Digilante.

Describe the scope of their work in detail.

Chello (and formerly Digilante) is a longstanding partner who has been key in re-freshing our brand guidelines and direction following an in-depth brand review and customer research. They helped us streamline our brand visuals, tone of voice and personality.

What was the team composition?

Most of the Chello team has touched our brand and contributed in their own ways, from design, copy and strategy recommendations.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We now have a cohesive set of brand guidelines and principles our business can follow. A refined, grown-up brand that still retains a personality.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

We've had 3 account managers during our partnership with Chello and they have all been incredibly efficient, approachable and easy to work with.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

It's people. Lindsay, Selina, Sophie, Rosie, Becky, Ceri and more recently Natalia and David. A great bunch of people to work with.

Is there any area for improvement or anything that could have been done differently?

It's been a challenging time during COVID, keeping campaigns and design work rolling has been a strength for Chello. The stewardship of our brand strategy has become an area of improvement in recent times.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm the Executive Operations & Event Manager of a global company with a small local footprint that has moved from an importer to a local subsidiary model

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Chello?

We were looking for help with relaunching our brand locally and more specifically aligning our messaging to the local market and our niche customers. Chello are assisting us with brand and marketing strategy and content production to align with the findings from an in-depth research project they conducted on our behalf.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

We had been in talks with another agency who weren't hitting the mark during the early conversations. Chello were a company I had worked with in my previous role and I asked if they would be interested in presenting their abilities to our MD and Marketing Manager. We haven't looked back since.

Describe the scope of their work in detail.

After beginning with a series of discovery meetings including several rountable sessions with internals, key business partners and customers, Chello were tasked with helping us to create and deliver a brand & marketing strategy to help deliver business and customer growth. This includes TVC, OOH, digital and social.

What was the team composition?

Chello provided an account manager who is able to act as the one point of contact to ensure information is passed seamlessly. We have the Creative Director plus a team of 3 from his team that are working through this. As we progress additional members will be brought in for the specialist factors

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Aside from now understanding our customers needs more, we have hit all timelines thus far. We are not at a stage to be able to measure ROI just yet.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

We put a key contact in place which has created a seamless interaction with the team at Chello. Rather than them receiving emails from our team of 3, it is from 1 and makes it easier to track. Any doc sharing is done through Google docs making it easy for both sides to update and track.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Chello has an amazing team of talented people working with them to help bring their customers visions to life. They are open to all feedback and constantly bring options to the table for consideration. They get excited about the brands they work with which shows through in their work.

Is there any area for improvement or anything that could have been done differently?

We are happy with how the project is progressing and wouldn't change a thing.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the Technical Lead for a Brokerage company based in Australia.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Chello?

We'd started conversations with Chello when looking for Agencies to help us with the strategy & design for our new Platform. We wanted to build a Modern but friendly application our customers would want to visit every day.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

We built a list of agencies we found on Google and initiated conversations with them all, it was clear after initial talks that we was best suited to Chello and their team. This choice was influenced by their passion around design and approaching interesting projects as well as their past experience with Web Platforms.

Describe the project in detail and walk through the stages of the project.

Initially after scoping of the project we did workshops involving stakeholders and conducted interviews with members of our company to get a strong understanding of the product and also the key reasons behind building the platform. After the strategy was complete Chello dove into building a prototype for both Mobile & Desktop. Once Approved we began a structured design process working through each part of the platform and having regular review sessions once design components was finished.

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

Worked directly with the UX/UI Designer and Account Manager at Chello!

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We are very happy with the project with Chello and how the platform has turned out. They took the time to understand our product and customers and we couldn't have asked for a better outcome!

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Drou was great to communicate with, any amendments or requests was quickly followed up. There was a very open dialogue between our teams allowing for no blockers on the project timeline.

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

Both their UI/UX Skills, Project management and also ability to understand the needs of a niche customer base in a modern ecosystem. They have blown us away with their communication and professional attitude toward this project!

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

Nothing is coming to mind.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the President of the Sydney Chapter of Entrepreneurs Organisation, which is a global not for profit that fosters connection and growth between entrepreneurs.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Chello?

We engaged Chello to create Sydney-specific assets, specifically branding, logo and a partner video.

What were your goals for this project?

To connect with local prospects, to update our brand styling in order to present the organisation in a more modern & dynamic light, and to produce an animated video to showcase to our members the benefits available to them from our sponsors.

SOLUTION

How did you select Chello?

We ran a small tender and Chello's pricing was competitive. We had absolute faith in the quality of their design & creative concepts.

Describe the scope of their work in detail.

The creation of local assets:

Project steps included a briefing, review of the competition, ideation, design & presentation.

Deliverables :

Logo to differentiate the Sydney organisation from the Global entity and a Sydney-specific website design to connect with local prospects and present the organisation in a more modern & dynamic light.

Video: 

Project steps included presentation of concept & costs, illustration, animation, voiceover recording & approvals.

Deliverables: 

An animated video to showcase our partners to our members : "Friends with benefits". Using Chello's in house illustration & animation team.

What was the team composition?

The team composition was Lindsay Rogers, MD, Sophie T., Design Director and one producer/account manager.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The website design for Sydney was so well received internally that our sister organisations across Australia & New Zealand all requested to use this design. The animation project was aimed to inform our members about our partner organisations and was well received.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

They have a very proactive approach to project management, reaching out to us for our inputs at each stage to ensure deadlines were met. Very effective.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Chello consistently surprise and delight with their creativity.

Are there any areas for improvement?

No. They delivered on time and on budget across 2 projects, and managed our feedback efficiently so that there were no delays.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the marketing manager for the ANZ region of Verizon Connect. We are a global company that provides fleet management solutions to help businesses reduce costs and improve operational efficiencies.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Chello?

Our company needed to find new ways to communicate with prospects who avoid sales calls that would catch their attention while also sharing relevant information about what it does. We also lacked current branded video content available to help share more about the company and how we help businesses.

We wanted to work with a local agency to get new videos with a unique and Australian feel that would be engaging and relevant for our local audience and continue to promote our brand.

What were your goals for this project?

We hoped to have relevant branded videos that our sales team could use in place of the outdated content they were previously sharing. We also wanted to use these videos on a larger scale to help promote our offerings and educate prospects about how we can help their business.

SOLUTION

How did you select Chello?

Our team searched online for local video agencies that had done work similar to what we were looking for. Once we had a short list of 6 agencies we reached out to them all for a quote.

Chello came back very quickly, offering the most comprehensive option that fit our budget and our idea for what we wanted these videos to become

Describe the video(s) and the process in detail.

After choosing and onboarding Chello as a vendor we sent them content and our brand guidelines to get an understanding of the feel of the video campaigns. We presented Chello with scripts which they gave edits to and touched up to fit the time limits required.

They then worked on storyboards to fit the scripts and presented them to us for review. This was especially useful for the animated video content we were creating. We were also involved in casting and helping provide the right tone for the talent to convey on the day of the shoots.

The creation process was great. We were sent drafts which we were able to easily provide feedback for, and when our international brand team had more edits to provide to what we thought was the final edit, Chello were able to make the changes and work merrily with us despite the scope change.

What was your vendors' project management or feedback process?

We worked primarily with one producer who championed the projects and really revived the work after COVID-19 had forced our original ideas onto the shelf. She was amazing and managing both the agencies and our expectations and worked hard to make sure we got the best possible result.

There was also an animator and a videographer we worked with as filming and production days got closer or if there were specific queries in the feedback.

We had multiple rounds of feedback available for each video and worked with them directly to ensure that the edits and suggestions were understood and actioned.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Our sales team who helped script the video are excited to have a new piece of content to share to prospects they can't reach. Knowing that the video will be far more engaging than any regular email they'd send.

It's given them a renewed passion and focus to engage and follow up prospects to convert more sales.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

The workflow between our team and Chello's was incredible. We were able to act quickly together to get the content produced after COVID-19 had made it very difficult. There was constant clear communication about what was required, what was to be expected and how the process was going to work.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Despite COVID-19, plans changing, ideas falling flat, a long turn-around to become a recognised vendor for Verizon Connect, a new team's expectations to meet after the production was complete and so many more issues, hiccups and delays, Chello never once gave up, or hesitated. They came with ideas and suggestions constantly.

They really pushed this project when it seemed stalled on our end and were able to get it going so that we could see exceptional results and have 3 great videos that will be the building blocks for a large part of our marketing activities for the coming years.

Our producer, Ceri, was always quick with a response and was incredibly helpful at guiding us through this process.

Chello's hard work, quality of work, and impeccable attitude are what I found most impressive.