CUT THRU Branding Agency

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am a Director of Ringcommend

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

We help customers find their perfect engagement ring at a fraction of its retail price and in less time than it takes to make a coffee

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire CUT THRU to accomplish?

• Define a brand that had appeal to our target customers

SOLUTION

How did you find CUT THRU?

Referral

Why did you select CUT THRU over others?

• Great culture fit
• Good value for cost
• Referred to me
• Company values aligned

How many teammates from CUT THRU were assigned to this project?

1 Employee

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

CUT THRU helped us define our target customer across core demographic, psychographic and buying habits. Once defined, a brand guide was developed that was to filter through all core business assets. These included the website, emails, social media content as well as product design and packaging. All of the above-mentioned deliverables were created according to these brand guidelines.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The measurable outcomes include: website traffic numbers, enquiries sent, products purchased, time on site, bounce rate, customer acquisition costs and referral numbers from existing customers. Other measurable outcomes that are secondary to these are the number of marketing channels and customer touchpoints, as well as respective impression and click thru rate numbers.

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

I was very impressed at all times. There was a clear project plan from the get-go that adhered to a traditional 'waterfall' / gantt style structure, however the project lead operated with a dynamic agile mindset. As original requirements were further crystalised or refined, the project lead dynamically updated the plan in an impressive and problem-free fashion. 

Despite the project growing in scope, costs were managed and contained impeccably, with only negligible cost increase. In fact, I feel bad for all of the additional value I received at almost no additional cost.

What was your primary form of communication with CUT THRU?

In-Person Meeting

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

I was most impressed by their myopic results-oriented attitude. They were laser-focussed from the get-go on what the flag on the hill ultimately was, and everything was driven by that objective. By starting with the end in mind, everything worked backwards to create a strategic plan that connected where we were to where we needed to go in the most direct and purposeful manner.

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

Nothing comes to mind. I was thoroughly impressed by all aspects of the entire engagement.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am a Manager of Quillette

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

We publish long form essays in a digital magazine.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire CUT THRU to accomplish?

• Help attract new clients
• Convert free subscribers into paid subscribers

SOLUTION

How did you find CUT THRU?

• Referral
• Clutch Site

Why did you select CUT THRU over others?

• High ratings
• Close to my geographic location
• Pricing fit our budget
• Great culture fit
• Good value for cost
• Referred to me
• Company values aligned

What was the size of CUT THRU’s team?

2-5 Employees

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

CUT THRU totally rocked it when it came to media branding for a media outlet like ours. They kicked off with some in-depth market analysis and scoped out the competition to find the perfect way to make Quillette stand out. They chatted with readers and employees to get the lowdown on what made Quillette unique, along with its strengths and weaknesses.

With all that intel, they moved on to crafting a killer Brand Strategy. They nailed down Quillette's core values, mission, and vision, making sure their message hit home with the target audience. Thanks to CUT THRU's savvy approach, Quillette became a no-brainer choice for readers, standing head and shoulders above the competition.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

• Undoubtedly, collaborating with CUT THRU was a highly advantageous decision for our branding and marketing efforts. Their astute strategies and creative expertise elevated our performance, making our brand message highly appealing to our target audience. The improvements led to a cascading effect, resulting in increased open rates, click-through rates, and conversions for our brand.

What was your primary form of communication with CUT THRU?

Virtual Meeting

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

Cut Thru was highly effective in delivering items on time. They had a clear understanding of my project goals, established timelines, and communicated regularly with me. They were highly responsive to our needs and concerns, addressing any issues promptly and proactively.

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

The most impressive aspect of this company was their ability to recognize and address the unique difficulties related to producing long-form journalism on contentious matters. They showcased a profound grasp of our target audience's expectations and tailored a brand strategy that conveyed our core values and mission effectively. As a result, their branding efforts not only preserved our editorial integrity but also boosted audience engagement and reach.

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

While our overall experience with the company was highly positive, there is always room for growth and improvement. One possible area for enhancement could be providing more frequent check-ins during the project to ensure even greater alignment between both teams.

However, it is important to note that their communication was still effective and the final outcome exceeded our expectations. Their dedication to delivering high-quality work and their willingness to adapt and learn make them an exceptional partner.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Co-founder & Executive Director of Comestri

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Comestri has developed a platform and solutions that enables commerce for retailers and merchants

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire CUT THRU to accomplish?

• To determine what is Comestri's Positioning statement & Elevator Pitch

SOLUTION

How did you find CUT THRU?

Referral

Why did you select CUT THRU over others?

• Great culture fit
• Good value for cost
• Referred to me

What was the size of CUT THRU’s team?

6-10 Employees

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

To help define the Comestri Positioning Statement and Elevator Pitch, Cut Thru was engaged to deliver the following:

1. Brand Diagnosis which encompassed Competitor Messaging, Stakeholder Interviews & Insights Summary
2. Brand Strategy
3. Visual Identity
4. Brand Messaging & Value Proposition

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

• Clearly defined and understandable Positioning Statement and Elevator Pitch

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

Cut Thru followed a defined process which led to the project being delivered on time. Cut Thru also worked around the busy schedule of Stakeholders but still delivered the project on time. Cut Thru was also very receptive to feedback and ideas which resulted in a great outcome

What was your primary form of communication with CUT THRU?

Virtual Meeting

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

CUT THRU was able to quickly grasp and understand our product. Jonathan and the team was able to literally "cut thru" the jargon and complexity of used in the eCommerce industry and delivera Positioning Statement and Elevator Pitch that was defined, succinct and understandable.

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

There are no areas of improvement that I can suggest based on the project that Cut Thru was engaged to deliver.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Director of The Nanny Experts Limited

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Our company is a private staffing agency that specialises in helping professional and high net-worth families find qualified support for their homes, such as nannies, tutors, and bodyguards.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire CUT THRU to accomplish?

• Research
• Strategy
• Branding

SOLUTION

How did you find CUT THRU?

Referral

Why did you select CUT THRU over others?

• High ratings
• Great culture fit
• Good value for cost
• Company values aligned

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

1. Conducted market research to identify trends and opportunities in our industry
2. Developed a comprehensive marketing strategy to promote our services
3. Created a marketing campaign that includes targeted advertisements, email marketing, and social media outreach
4. Designed marketing materials such as brochures, flyers, and digital content
5. Conducted analysis of campaign performance and adjusting tactics as needed

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

• Reduced costs: One of the most significant measurable outcomes was a reduction in costs associated with marketing. Before engaging with CUT THRU, our marketing efforts were scattered across a variety of channels with no clear strategy or plan in place. This resulted in a lot of wasted resources and inefficient campaigns that failed to produce meaningful results.
  By focusing on the most promising channels and tactics, we generated more revenue while spending less on marketing. This resulted in a significant increase in the ROI of our marketing activities.
• Increased brand recognition: By developing a strong brand identity that was consistent across all marketing materials, we were able to increase awareness of our brand among our target audience. This was reflected in surveys and focus groups, which showed that our brand was more recognisable and memorable after the project was implemented.
• Improved sales: By tracking sales data before and after the project was implemented, we were able to see a significant increase in revenue.

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

The project management from the team was excellent. They were very communicative and kept us informed throughout the project, which helped us stay on track and meet our deadlines. They consistently delivered items on time, and we were impressed with their ability to respond to our needs and feedback in a timely and efficient manner.

What was your primary form of communication with CUT THRU?

• In-Person Meeting
• Virtual Meeting

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

We found this CUT THRU's expertise in brand positioning to be particularly impressive and unique. Their in-depth knowledge of how to create a strong and memorable brand identity helped us stand out in a competitive market and resonate with our target audience. They were able to distill our core values and messaging into a clear and concise brand identity that accurately represents who we are as a company.

In addition to their brand positioning expertise, we were also impressed with the depth of their research and the valuable insights they provided. They took the time to truly understand our company and target audience, and provided us with recommendations and strategies that were tailored to our specific needs and goals. Their awareness of the latest industry trends and best practices also helped us stay ahead of the curve and maximise our efforts.

Overall, it was their combination of brand positioning expertise, research depth, and industry awareness set them apart from other branding agencies, and we would highly recommend their services to any organisation looking to develop a strong and effective brand identity.

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

While there may always be areas for improvement in any project or engagement, we were extremely impressed with the work of CUT THRU. Their expertise, responsiveness, and attention to detail were all exceptional, and we felt that they truly went above and beyond to deliver a high-quality outcome.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I work at Bineth and Group and I am the Chief Operating Officer there. We are a development firm who oversees multiple different types of companies. I handle the operation for these companies and ensure they are running smoothly.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

Our business hired CUT THRU to conduct a branding and growth hacking workshop for Talent Recap. Our goals were to have a better understanding of the company goals, mission, and direction.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

We had previously used CUT THRU for another company.

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

To begin they interviewed some of the staff, users, and Talent Recap fans where they gathered information to better understand how people view the brand and what it is to them. From there they held workshops with the team where we discussed our goals, and what we are are trying to do/accomplish with the work we produce. The next step was to discover any growth opportunities for the brand. Lastly they delivered a final brand strategy and brand recommendations.

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

I worked directly with the brand strategist.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Because of this project we have a cohesive brand image, goal and mission. By clearing the path and setting defined goals, it has created a smoother workflow and a clearer vision for what is next.

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

We held all day workshops where the team was fully focused on fleshing out what our brand really is and how we can improve it.

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

Their enthusiasm and openness to understanding and helping our business grow and be its best. The biggest thing that impressed me was the ability to take the UX process and adhere to a brand strategy. I think watching that work out the way it did was very impressive.

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

I think it worked well for what we needed. I would maybe suggest time-boxing some of the areas in the workshop, just to have it flow faster and keep focus.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CEO and owner of Dance It Out, a dance fitness company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenges were you trying to address with CUT THRU?

I needed help with branding and marketing work for my business.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

CUT THRU provided branding and SMM (social media marketing for us); the branding portion included logo, messaging, and brand guidelines. For the SMM part, they taught us how to build our TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter accounts.

What was the team composition? 

We only worked with Jonathan (Owner).

How did you come to work with CUT THRU?

Another company that I worked with referred them to us.

How much have you invested in them?

We invested $35,000 with them.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked together from November–December 2022.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Thanks to their work, we noticed more brand awareness. In addition, CUT THRU’s involvement has given us valuable, helpful ideas for our team.

How did CUT THRU perform from a project management standpoint?

They met deadlines and stayed within budget. In terms of tools and communication, we used email, Slack, Asana, and WhatsApp.

What did you find most impressive about them?

CUT THRU’s knowledge has been outstanding among all of the branding agencies I’ve worked with; they had everyone on our team working and being involved throughout the process.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I would’ve liked it if they could’ve done the work faster, but it was worth it. I didn’t think there was anything they could improve on.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Ensure to have a rested, open, willing, and engaged team to work with CUT THRU.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

[COO/CMO] of LifeHack.org, one of the world’s largest self-development and wellness sites attracting over 12 million people to our site per month.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

To refresh our company branding, messaging and strategic positioning to show our uniqueness in an increasingly crowded and noisy market.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

We went through a long process meeting with other branding agencies and decided to choose CUT THRU because they really understood what we were looking for. They had a strategic, research based, data driven approach to branding and conversion centred design rather than just aethestics and fluff.

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

The LifeHack brand has evolved over time since its inception nearly 15 years ago. People in and outside of the business needed more clarity and definition on what we do, what we don’t do and how to redefine the brand to have a better product market fit with our customers today.

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

Our point of contact wasn’t an account person or anything like that, it was their Brand Strategist primarily.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We have a much better grasp of our brand's key message and positioning. We have a clearer idea of who we should be talking to and how to talk to them. We feel our brand has more personality and looks more polished. We feel the new iteration of the brand and its strategy helps us organise our products in a way that we can sell more effectively across a two sided market place. We were also given a plan with tactics for growing and applying our new brand to every touchpoint.

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

We definitely had some passionate debates but always with a smile, knowing that that passion is evidence of care-factor. Even after the project finished, we know CUT THRU was always there for us if we have a question or want to discuss something.

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

They had a strong track record in the online self-help space but most importantly, they’re “hackers” in their mindset. We may be life hackers, they’re growth hackers - the mentality is the same and we really were culturally aligned.

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

We asked CUT THRU to give us a bit more of an education on how to apply our new visual identity to our brand (as we don’t have an in-house designer). They added to the documents they gave us on our request to better define how some of this applications come to life and I now believe that’s something they have incorporated permanently into their processes.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the founder of a SaaS business. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with CUT THRU?

CUT THRU helped me create a brand strategy. 

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

The CUT THRU team did market, customer, and competitor research for us. They also identified strategic content, mission, values, visual identity, and messaging. 

What is the team composition?

I directly worked with Jonathan (Brand Strategist), and he engaged a bigger team behind the scenes. 

How did you come to work with CUT THRU?

I found CUT THRU through Clutch, and I was fascinated by their positioning around conversion-centered designs. 

What is the status of this engagement?

Our engagement lasted from October 2021–April 2022. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

I truly enjoyed CUT THRU’s process because it was incredibly collaborative and positively challenging. It was based on research and engagement with the industry, competitors, and potential customers. The team established detailed and solid frameworks. 

How did CUT THRU perform from a project management standpoint?

They were incredibly flexible and always on time; they communicated with us frequently. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

They were highly engaged in creating something that they could be equally proud of — they were invested in the success of the brand we were trying to create. On top of that, the level of expertise that we accessed in terms of the wider team structures was truly impressive. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, there weren’t any. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Conduct a scoping session with CUT THRU. That way, both sides will fully understand what the project should look like and what you want to create. 

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

Strategic Content Strategist and co-founder.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

A brand strategy workshop inclusive of messaging and visual identity.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

We made a shortlist of the top 10 branding agencies in Australia. Had multiple meetings and chose CUT THRU because not only were they the only agency in Australia specialising in Conversion Centred Design but one of the only ones in the world that did it in a tasteful way.

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

CUT THRU conducted extensive research on the trends in our industry, spoke with our customers, our team and effectively infiltrated our competitors organisations in a whole variety of ways I can't mention here! Those insights helped direct our brand strategy which was done through a full day 6hr workshop with our team. It was amazing, a little like corporate therapy. Following on from that they transformed the workshop's outputs into a formalised Brand Bible complete with Tactical recommendations of how to apply our strategy across all aspects of Culture Shock. After that, they did our messaging and our visual identity.

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

• Jonathan - the Strategy Director
• Nadia - the junior Brand Strategist
• Jonti - the Copywriter
• Kate - their head designer
• William - their account manager

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

It help established our entire brand identity and impacted all client-facing touchpoints from website to proposals to even our "on-hold" phone messages and wifi names! More than anything we've saved us huge amounts of time in recruiting and onboarding new team members effectively and sped up all of our internal decision making processes once we knew what was and what wasn't on-brand.

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

CUT THRU were always on time, and consistently over promised and over delivered, often giving us far more than we bargained for in our scope of work because "they thought we needed it".

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

They found simple and elegant solutions to complex branding and marketing problems.

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

No they were great, much better than the other agencies we've worked with in the past 10 years.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am a founder of Paperform. Paperform is a SaaS business that creates software for small businesses to create their own solutions to their own problems. Our primary product is an online form creation tool.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

Our business has grown organically, and our brand has developed as a natural extension of our founders. As the team has grown, we found it harder to enforce consistency as others started representing our brand (not just the founders). Our primary goal in hiring CUT THRU was to consolidate and define in clear terms who Paperform is, what we do, how we speak to the market, and how we look and feel.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

We researched several branding agencies from the individual freelancer level up to established big players. We also asked for recommendations from our network, which is where we heard of CUT THRU. After reaching out to several agencies, CUT THRU gave us the most compelling proposal, and showed that they really understood our industry, business, and the problems that needed to be solved.

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

We went through a multi step process:

1. Research - CUT THRU conducted several internal and external interviews, as well as competitor analysis and wider market research. CUT THRU then surveyed over 800 of our customers to confirm their insights.
2. Strategy - from the insights gathered in the research a strategy was formulated and agreed on, including in person workshops with stakeholders.
3. Visual identity - From the strategy we then went through several iterations of a new visual identity.
4. Messaging - From the strategy CUT THRU put together Paperform's messaging guidelines, including values, mission and tone of voice guidelines.
5. Final deliverables were put together and iterated on (website design, social skins, ad designs, final visual assets etc).

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

We worked directly with the Brand Strategist for the majority of the project, with some support from their Graphic Designers, and Copywriters.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We launched the brand just under a week ago, so we're a long way off from being able to quantify the impact of this project. Qualitatively, we've been inundated with positive feedback from our customer base, which was quite surprising as the visual changes were significant, and historically customers have been resistant to change.

So far, our site metrics have also improved with greater retention on our blog, and increased number of conversions to our free trial. The website redesign has also garnered a lot of attention, we received a special kudos from CSS Design Awards for the new homepage: https://www.cssdesignawards.com/sites/paperform/40912

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

We communicated primarily over email, but had regular ad hoc calls through out the duration of the project. Timelines were very clearly presented at the beginning of the project, however they did slip, mostly due to our speed in response.

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

Their brand strategist is obsessive in the best way, he threw himself in the deep end to understand who Paperform is. We loved that the plan was strategic - there was a lot attention put into listening to our customers, understanding the wider market, and making sure there wasn't any disconnect between aspirations and reality. It gives us a lot of confidence in the long term success of the project.

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

Communications overall was really great - Slack Connect channels may be a way of having easier to follow comms though - as we end up with several email threads over time.