Direction™ (evolved from The Brand Strategy)

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am an Executive of Rebuild

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Rebuild East Midlands provides long term holistic support to survviors of Modern Slavery 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire The Brand Strategy to accomplish?

• Design a brand style that brings the organisational objectives to life and are representitive of the organisation's future.

SOLUTION

How did you find The Brand Strategy?

Referral

Why did you select The Brand Strategy over others?

Referred to me

How many teammates from The Brand Strategy were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

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

• Brand Assets 
• Update Logo 
• Update branding
• Graphic templates with new logo 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

• New logo
• New branding guidlines
• Graphic assests and templates aligning with new branding 
• Social media assets 

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

Due to the summer holidays the branding project took longer than expected, however Aimee was great at keeping in contact and letting us know how things were progressing. We had regular virtual meetings where the team briefed us on the branding as it developed. 

What was your primary form of communication with The Brand Strategy?

Virtual Meeting

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

When we started the project we recognised that we were a particularly difficult cause to articulate visually. However, The Brand Strategy was able to demonstrate an understanding of who we are and interpreted that in creative concepts.

Are there any areas for improvement or something The Brand Strategy could have done differently?

There was confusion about colour references as the project came to an end due to the variety of shades used during the project, this could have been avoided by clearly labelling the different colour references on images as the project progressed. We were advised to use a specific font, however this required an annual license. As a small charity budget for these types of 'extras' can be challenging, this would be something that is worth considering in future. 

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am doing some voluntary consultancy work for a charity. I am also a Principal Lecturer and Business Adviser at Nottingham Business School (Nottingham Trent University).

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire The Brand Strategy?

We recruited Mark Smith to deliver an approach for mapping key members of the Charity and identifying member journeys/touchpoints to be aligned to the marketing plan.

What were your goals for this project?

To identify appropriate tools and methods that can be used to effectively reach out to key member groups. We wanted Mark and The Brand Strategy to provide a blueprint that the Board of Trustees could use moving forward.

SOLUTION

How did you select The Brand Strategy?

Mark is an Associate Lecturer at Nottingham Business School and a valued member of my course team. He is a very experienced colleague and kindly agreed to help us out on a voluntary basis.

Describe the scope of their work in detail.

Mark delivered a bespoke session for the Charity CEO and our Board of Trustees. We exchanged ideas and put together a series of touchpoints that helped us to draw out some of the challenges and issues facing key members of the organisation.

What was the team composition?

Mark's session was attended by the Charity CEO, members of the Board of Trustees and me (a Volunteer Management Consultant working on behalf of the Cranfield Trust).

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We now have a good blueprint moving forward and a more detailed action plan will be put in place soon.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Mark had a very good grasp of the Charity and what we were trying to achieve. There was some encouraging discussion amongst all attendees.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

The session is very well delivered and there is a close alignment to Charity's aims and aspirations.

Are there any areas for improvement?

The session certainly served its purpose and the Charity will use the content and methods used to fine-tune their marketing tactics.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the director of a new company. It’s a website that offers virtual challenges during COVID-19, and it’s set to launch in late October.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with The Brand Strategy?

I wanted to validate my decisions surrounding the branding and target audience that I’d created and identified, respectively. To tackle this, I engaged Mark (Brand Strategy & Customer Experience Director) from The Brand Strategy to conduct market research.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

I asked Mark to conduct a study of how people reacted to my product concept. He investigated which parts of the company were received well and which parts needed improvement. He also worked to discover whether the product was priced appropriately, whether people would pay more or less for the service I was offering. He created a video that would explain our product concept to the respondents he was soliciting opinions from.

Mark also provided insights into which challenges would be the most popular (and thus worth the investment.) He allowed us to whittle our challenges down to 10 for adults and 4 for children.

What is the team composition?

I only spoke to Mark. I’m not sure whether anybody else was involved.

How did you come to work with The Brand Strategy?

I asked my assistant to contact the first ten firms that came up on google upon searching for startup-focused market research firms. Mark was the first one to get back to me; rather than emailing, he called me and offered a relatively competitive price. He seemed to understand what we were trying to do, and I appreciated how hands-on he was.

How much have you invested with them?

The project ran between $5,000 – $10,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We began working with them in August 2020, and he presented me with results in early September of that year.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Mark gave us higher-quality feedback than we’d anticipated, which was a very pleasant surprise for what we paid. He created a great explainer video and was receptive to the minor changes I requested to it.

How did The Brand Strategy perform from a project management standpoint?

Mark’s turnaround was astoundingly quick. We communicated primarily through phone calls and emails.

What did you find most impressive about them?

He gave us all the answers we needed. I also appreciated that he was highly personable and demonstrated an in-depth understanding of my vision.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, I don’t think so. We’ve been very impressed by his work.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Give mark as much detail as possible. You’ll probably get the most bang for your buck that way.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

Head of Strategy

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire The Brand Strategy?

To pull together a new overarching brand proposition from a merged organisation.

What were your goals for this project?

Create a proposition which explained what our brand stood for.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

Track record and experience.

Describe the scope of their work in detail.

To pull together a proposition marketing and communication strategy based on conversations, interviews, workshops with colleagues across the business. To present proposals and recommendations to senior decision makers and gain agreement to proceed.

What was the team composition?

Mark Smith completed the work

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Mark was tasked with communicating the organisation strategically - the purpose and vision. This involved leading cross-functional working groups to define what the organisation stood for and how this was to be experienced across all areas of the business - brought together into the company’s ‘proposition document’. Working with Mark was a pleasure - his customer focus, energy and commitment shone through.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Very effective

What did you find most impressive about this company?

The quality of their work and our relationships, as well as the positivity of their approach, set them apart.

Are there any areas for improvement?

No

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Business Development Director of a waste management and recycling company. 

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Specialist Waste Management and Recycling

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire The Brand Strategy to accomplish?

• Management of Social Media Channels
• Creation of Brochure and Sales Collateral

SOLUTION

How did you find The Brand Strategy?

Business Function

Why did you select The Brand Strategy over others?

• Close to my geographic location
• Good value for cost
• Personable approach

How many teammates from The Brand Strategy were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

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

The Brand Startegy were used to increase our Social Media following in the B2B space with an ambition to drive additoinal traffic to our website and convert to new business sales.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

• Increase in followers on LinkedIn platform

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

Responses and actions were timely and inline with requirements.

What was your primary form of communication with The Brand Strategy?

• In-Person Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

Can-do attitude, personal approach. They’re knowledgeable and have an experienced management team.

Are there any areas for improvement or something The Brand Strategy could have done differently?

No - I think the service was good.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

Medical StartUp

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire The Brand Strategy?

Disruptive offering: we needed Primary Market Research to assess viability. We proceeded to a branding exercise.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

Google, followed by direct contact, and appraisal of response, attitude and cost.

Describe the scope of their work in detail.

3 rounds of Market Research with Qual and Quant surveys.

What was the team composition?

Owner ( MD), his in house team and associated providers.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Very successful outcome. Delivered on time and on budget with thankfully a very positive affirmation of interest in our offering.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Very effective.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Good response times, very positive attitude. The professionals from The Brand Strategy were good communicators and listeners. Competitive charges. Patient with a customer thinking on his feet about developing the spec during these first baby steps.

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

No.