Disruptive Advertising

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the digital marketing manager at Colonial Van Lines, a long-distance moving company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Disruptive Advertising?

We’d previously worked with a company that had tried some strategies that went really south. When Disruptive inherited our Google Ads account, we were at a high cost per lead (CPL), and we weren’t getting the type of volume that we were looking for.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Disruptive Advertising helps us with our Google Ads campaign. They’re responsible for our PPC strategy. They referred us to a partner agency for SEO.

What is the team composition?

Our primary contact is Tim (Marketing Consultant). Then, our account manager is Chad (Marketing Consultant Director). We occasionally work with Taylor (Data Insights Consultant), who works with the optimization and on-site conversion metrics. He’s been really integral in helping connect the data to optimize our campaign.

How did you come to work with Disruptive Advertising?

I did a lot of research and read reviews about the best PPC companies across the US. I talked to 10 companies and really got a strategy from five of them. Then, my direct boss talked to three more companies.

Disruptive came up on several sites. I wanted to work with a company that had a sound, logical strategy from the beginning; I didn’t want them to just say they’d fix it. They took a look at our account and told us tangible things that they could do to improve it. The team laid out the path they’d take to make those changes.

Additionally, I didn’t want to work with a company that works with everybody else out there. I understand that some businesses that are just trying to make a profit will work with anybody, even if they don’t think that they’ll be able to achieve the client’s goals. Disruptive was very transparent about what they thought they could do for us. They let us know that they wouldn’t have agreed to the project if they didn’t think it was something they could handle.

What is the status of this engagement?

We began working with Disruptive in October 2019, and the partnership is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

At one time, we’d been able to achieve a much lower CPL, at a higher volume. That was clearly a very large difference from what Disruptive inherited. Their challenge was to get our CPL down to that much lower amount. By July 2020, when we were in-season, they achieved that goal. They continued to achieve that goal for a couple of months.

They work very hard for us. Although we sometimes go beyond our CPL goal, we do everything we can to keep it within an acceptable level, and they’ve been very responsive to that. I think it’s going really well.

All of the metrics that matter to us have improved since we started working with Disruptive, including the quality of the leads, the number of leads, and the CPL. They’re amazing. They guide us in determining the best strategy to get us to the next level, and they consistently come through.

How did Disruptive Advertising perform from a project management standpoint?

They’re very organized and use different tools. They send us a monthly PDF that lays out our 30-day strategy as well as everything from the month before. We have access to an analytics dashboard.

I have phone calls with them once a week that last at least an hour, and they continue to walk me through this process. I ask them a lot of questions, but they’ve been so patient and responsive. Besides the weekly call, we also email back-and-forth. If we need them, they make time.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Disruptive’s dedication distinguishes them from other providers. They’re always on top of it, and that’s hard to find. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

I don’t think so.

Any advice for potential customers?

Be interactive with your campaign and understand what’s going on. They’re very responsive and are a great resource, so be involved.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the owner of Escapes in Time, live adventure escape room. We have about 15 employees and market to the local area.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Disruptive Advertising?

We wanted help with attracting the local community to find and try our escape room.

What were your goals for this project?

Increase bookings and sales revenue.

SOLUTION

How did you select Disruptive Advertising?

Referral from prior marketing manager

Describe the scope of their work in detail.

Manage Google ads, remarking and digital presence

What was the team composition?

We have an account manager who handles our account. He has a Director who is also involved in oversight. Initial setup involved a couple of others, but now that we are ongoing, strategy changes, performance, etc is reviewed and adjusted with account manager

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We have had great success with increased sales. They set up a call tracking system through Google ads and we have been able to track ad calls that result in bookings. They have been willing to work with our limited budget to achieve optimal results. Have also shown our placement in search results compared to our competitors which is helpful to know.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

We have a monthly strategy call to review goals and performance. Communication and response is excellent.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Support from upper management. Excellent communication

Are there any areas for improvement?

We are very happy. We do not have the expertise within the company to do this digital marketing. They have been fantastic and provide a great service to a small company!

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the director of marketing and PR at a company that does automated window coverings.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Disruptive Advertising?

I work closely with Disruptive to make sure our organic and paid social is cohesive.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Disruptive handles our Facebook, YouTube, and Google Ads. They do everything from design to execution. We have an in-house photographer and videographer, but they will at times put together videos from our raw footage and static ads from our photos. 

What is the team composition?

We’re currently working with three people. 

How did you come to work with Disruptive Advertising?

Our former CEO found them through their CEO and brought them on board.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent around $250,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We’ve been working together since September 2019.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Since partnering with Disruptive, our return on ad spend is pretty consistently 1.3x month over month. We also consistently see a 3–4x return on our ads. 

Anecdotally, something I really like about the Disruptive team is that any time there’s a challenge, they come back with a creative solution. I appreciate that.

How did Disruptive Advertising perform from a project management standpoint?

They’re great. We work closely with both Caitlin (Marketing Consultant) and Jacob (Founder & CEO), collaborating on a weekly basis. We have a project management board and give them tasks, and they work in lockstep with our in-house team to complete them. We like that Disruptive is like an extension of our team.

What did you find most impressive about them?

We’re most impressed with their ability to adapt. We had some concerns early on about the rate of growth, and Disruptive was able to reset and bring in someone else to figure out what wasn’t working. After that, we saw a change really quickly. It was great.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

I would recommend working with Caitlin for Facebook; she’s been a great help to our company. Other than that, hop in feet first with them and let them take the reins. We’ve seen our ads really grow from letting Disruptive take over.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the president of a company involved in the outdoor power equipment industry. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Disruptive Advertising?

We hired them to stabilize our digital advertising platforms and generate growth through advertising.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We started working with them with a thorough review and audit of our online portfolio. After they reviewed our digital presence, they provided directional guidance and execution of our digital advertising platform. They’re specifically focused on paid search and social media, creating and strategizing around our content.  

What is the team composition?

There are four main participants on their end: one account manager, two advertising specialists, and one technical specialist.  

How did you come to work with Disruptive Advertising?

We did a thorough review of available organizations out there and went through a proposal process with their firm and two others. Ultimately, we selected them. 

What is the status of this engagement?

We’ve been working with them since February 2019.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We’re evaluating the performance of their deliverables on a weekly basis, looking at our business performance as well as digital marketing metrics. We’re happy with everything from site visits, bounce rate, and other engagement metrics. 

How did Disruptive Advertising perform from a project management standpoint?

We couldn’t be happier with their communication. Our weekly call helps us cover a number of issues on a regular basis. We’ve also engaged them in off-cycle communications, and they’ve been incredibly responsive to our needs. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their communication is excellent, and we’re very happy with how they’ve delivered against our performance metrics. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

There’s always room for improvement, but we’ve been incredibly happy with what they’ve done for us.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

I’m a fan of their proposal process because they take a thoughtful, deep approach to try to understand the business. Their process has worked exceedingly well in our situation.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the owner of MegaChess. We make and distribute giant chess sets.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Disruptive Advertising?

We hired them to support us with our PPC campaigns, specifically on Google.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Disruptive provided us with PPC advice. They also helped us set up some shopping campaigns.

What is the team composition?

I worked with two people, Jenae (Marketing Consultant) and Court (Tam Lead).

How did you come to work with Disruptive Advertising?

I had evaluated a couple of different organizations for PPC. I interviewed two other firms along with Disruptive, and ended up selecting them.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent about $15,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We’ve been working together since March 2020.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

They’ve been excellent.  There’s a lot of people out there in this industry, and it can be difficult to know who really knows what they’re talking about. Disruptive has a great team, and they’ve been able to make suggestions along the way. I like the fact that they’re on top of what we need. 

How did Disruptive Advertising perform from a project management standpoint?

We have conference calls every other week, where we get a summary of what they’ve done, what the effect of their actions were, and what the new plan is for the subsequent two weeks. Disruptive has been excellent with scheduling and deadlines. In seven months, we’ve only ever canceled one meeting. We use Google Calendar to schedule. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

Disruptive produces results.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Not really. We’re not an easy account to understand. Our primary customers aren’t chess players, but resorts, campgrounds, elderly care facilities, and shopping malls, who use our product for customer engagement. It took a while to get into that mindset, and along with the pandemic, it took some time to start up. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Hire Disruptive. They’re good at what they do. 

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the VP of marketing for a national healthcare services company with 1,400 employees. Our marketing organization is primarily engaged in b2b marketing supporting our organization's growth and business development efforts.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Disruptive Advertising?

We hired Disruptive to manage our paid digital marketing efforts, specifically PPC (Google and Bing), social media advertising (LinkedIn and Facebook), and display/retargeting. Additionally, we engaged Disruptive in a consulting contract to help us work through some marketing ecosystem optimizations including documenting our customer journey and marketing to sales transition processes.

What were your goals for this project?

We wanted to develop and manage a lead generation engine that would deliver a sustainable and predictable sales pipeline.

SOLUTION

How did you select Disruptive Advertising?

We did an online search of agencies specializing in PPC and then conducted interviews with our top selections. We considered a half-dozen agencies and interviewed a small subset of that group, eventually selecting Disruptive.

Describe the scope of their work in detail.

See SOW and previous comments

What was the team composition?

We have worked directly with Jake, Disruptive's founder and CEO, as well as a talented team of digital specialist. We initially started with a smaller team and as the project grew so did the team.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We have greatly improved all metrics as well as the transparency into those metrics-- most importantly number of leads per month, the cost per lead and the lead quality scores.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

We established a cadence of weekly status meetings to review key metrics and progress on assignments. We used monday.com to track and manage our projects, which was hugely helpful.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Their willingness to learn about our industry and process as well as their flexibility as things changed impressed us

Are there any areas for improvement?

Like all relationships, there is always room for both parties to improve. It took us a while to got our team dynamics and our account in the right group, but once we sorted that out things vastly improved.

Beyond that, the team did not always have the level of urgency and accountability I am accustomed to, but like everything else, we were always able to work through any of those challenges.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

My role is VP of marketing at SAE Institute. SAE Institute is a creative media school. We have six campuses throughout the US and have been around since the 19070s. We mostly focus on audio production courses, but we also offer digital film, game development, and entertainment business courses.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Disruptive Advertising?

We were looking to find a new agency to generate leads for our programs. The agency that we previously worked with was no longer providing the results that we needed. We were struggling with lead flow at our six campuses. Another struggle was that costs were rising, and we couldn’t increase our budget to accommodate that. I was being told to do more with less, but the old agency wasn’t really able to do that.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We hired Disruptive Advertising to rebuild our lead generation campaigns. The campaigns are on Google, Facebook, and Instagram, as well as a little bit of Bing and Yahoo. We found the most success with our lead generation from Google, Facebook, and Instagram. Disruptive does all of our paid digital.

They also help us with landing page design. They work more on the testing side.

What is the team composition?

We work with media buyers and strategists. We met with their owner and founder. A few times It was great that the owner of this large agency flew out to meet with us. I thought that said a lot about the integrity of the company. 

There might be an account director leading the strategy, and then there are account managers for Google and social. We also work with a creative strategist who works hand-in-hand with our creative teams to develop the ads.

How did you come to work with Disruptive Advertising?

We shopped around and found Disruptive through another technical college. They had worked with Disruptive in the past, so they recommended that we have a chat with them. We gave them the parameters of what we were looking for as far as our budget and what we were looking for from a cost-per-lead efficiency. We went from there.

What is the status of this engagement?

We tried to coincide it with the way that our financial year runs, which is from July 1st to June 30th. That’s how we run most of our vendor contracts, since it makes it easy for budgeting. 

We contracted with Disruptive to start July 2019, and I think they actually started on June 1st just so that we had a transition period with the old agency. We are still working with them.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We set a goal back in June 2019 to achieve a 30% reduction in cost-per-lead, and they have been able to do that, which was huge for us. We had a year-over-year flat budget, yet costs were rising, so we needed to maximize our budget. A 30% reduction obviously allowed us to extend that budget further than we had in the prior year, which led to more cost-effective leads.

How did Disruptive Advertising perform from a project management standpoint?

They have performed very well. We have a weekly call between their team and mine. It is a great collaboration between our two organizations. We have had face-to-face meetings with them in different markets that we operate in, and we really appreciate them coming out. Communication has been fantastic. The deadlines are met, and attention to detail is great.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I have only worked with a couple of different providers in the higher education industry, so my frame of reference is small. I think what separates them from the rest just goes back to their attention to detail and the small team atmosphere that they bring. I have worked with larger agencies before, and I’ve found that you can get lost in the shuffle. 

When they saw us coming on, they actually verticalized their business units a little bit more. They do work with other industries, but I thought it was great that when they saw us coming on board as a decent-sized client, they verticalized and made some changes to their organization. I have a team now that is very dedicated to the higher-ed vertical. That really made them stand out from some of the other agencies.

Are there any areas they could improve?

We always want the cost-per-lead to continue dropping, but there isn’t really anything that I can think of. We have been really happy. I think it was initially a bit of trial-and-error for them to bring on a client of our size with six separate schools. However, we’re now pretty streamlined with them, and things are going really well. I really can’t think of anything that I can highlight that they need to do better. Of course, there will always be challenges at periods of time, but they are very understanding of our business. It has been a great experience.

I think consistency is the one thing that I go back to with them every week. If the leads flow up and down, I tell them that we really need a consistent lead delivery, because the campuses and the admissions teams rely on consistent lead flow. There are tons of market factors that dictate why that happens. For instance, there is a huge election coming up, and that is affecting our spend right now because the political ads are eating up inventory. We knew that was going to happen. It is very cyclical with the seasonality of the holidays as well.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Meet with them face-to-face. They are in Salt Lake City and I am in New York City, and they flew out and met with me and my team. We spent 2–3 days together. They flew to our school in Miami, and I met them there. We walked through the campus. 

They’ll offer to meet in person, and you should take advantage of it. They build it into the fee structure, and I didn’t get that attention from my last agency that was in Vancouver, British Columbia. It just wasn’t the same. You can do a ton on Zoom, but meeting face-to-face once or twice a year and getting more personalized has been fantastic. I would absolutely recommend that to anyone.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the president and general manager of a landscaping and pest control services company. We’ve been in business for about 25 years.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Disruptive Advertising?

We needed help making sure we were getting good spend and analytics on our PPC.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Disruptive Advertising provides PPC services. They work on landing pages, make sure that we’re getting the results we want, and track data. 

They spend a lot of time on keyword phrases. When we weren’t getting as many clicks, we ended up developing very specific campaigns for different services. Instead of using large nets like ‘pest control,’ we used very small nets to capture specific keywords. That was a brainstorming strategy that worked out very well and allowed us to get the most bang for our buck.

What is the team composition?

I’ve worked with the owner all the way down to different account managers. Over the last couple of years, I’ve worked with 4–5 different people.

How did you come to work with Disruptive Advertising?

They were actually referred to me by our SEO company, who felt like Disruptive would do a better job at PPC than they were doing. I also met with 2–3 other PPC/SEO companies over a period of time, and from the first meeting with Disruptive, I could tell they were the right fit and pick.

They definitely knew their stuff and wanted to strategize very well. Instead of just throwing stuff at the wall and seeing what stuck, they had a really good idea of what was happening.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent $75,000 between Disruptive’s services and ad spend.

What is the status of this engagement?

Our work together began in July or August of 2017, and it’s ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We’re looking for the ROI on PPC. From the beginning, it was very important for me to make sure we got accurate weekly and monthly reports. It started out weekly as we were dialing into the campaigns, and as they got more manageable, we switched to monthly so that we knew what our spend was. What we were looking for was being able to make a profit off the advertising, and Disruptive is very good at furnishing and providing reports based on what we paid. Then, we compare that with our sales close rate, cross-sales, and leads generated.

How did Disruptive Advertising perform from a project management standpoint?

They’re excellent. As a business owner, I wear a lot of hats, and it’s been very nice to give this hat to them. Sometimes I’m busy and miss appointments or dates, but they’re very good at holding me accountable to make sure that we’re successful together. They’re very accommodating. It has been a very good experience.

I really like that communication is ongoing with each sales period. They're really good at listening to me and being able to dial in those clicks so that we aren't paying for useless clicks and are capturing the clicks that we want. It feels like Google will willingly take your money, and Disruptive is very good at getting the most bang for our buck.

What did you find most impressive about them?

One thing that I really like about Disruptive is that they’re very professional and seem to know the industry well. They have knowledgeable, experienced staff who are always optimistic and willing to try new things. They’re confident and competent in what they do.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They’re very good at communicating, and I’ve had several very good campaign managers. However, I did work with one who was less accommodating to scheduling. They were good at communicating with me, but if I needed to get ahold of them, it was a bit more difficult. Based on the way I like to operate, that manager wasn’t immediately available or within 5–10 minutes.

Any advice for potential customers?

I think I benefited most by merging my experience and knowledge with their expertise. My advice would be to know your market and what you’re going after, and try to be as precise as possible.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I work in marketing at Cinedeck, a hardware and software development company that primarily serves the media and entertainment space.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Disruptive Advertising?

We’re a small company, and we didn’t want to spend the resources to hire someone to do our ads. We wanted marketing help without having to invest in an employee.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Disruptive Advertising mainly does Google Ads work, which includes display ads. They also do email marketing for us. Both the PPC and marketing teams work collaboratively to make sure that the messaging between our email marketing and display ads is cohesive. 

In May, we adopted the HubSpot CRM, and because the team already had expertise in HubSpot, they were able to take everything that they were doing for us already and port it into the CRM.

What is the team composition?

We work with a total of three teammates directly, including two PPC specialists and one person who does email remarketing.

How did you come to work with Disruptive Advertising?

We were looking for a PPC partner, and Disruptive Advertising was recommended by another PPC agency. When they presented us with the proposal, it made sense. As soon as I had one or two calls with them, I felt comfortable because I knew that our money was going to be put to good use.

How much have you invested with them?

Over the year, it will be about $50,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We began working with them in February 2020, and our engagement is ongoing. I’m so happy with them that I’ve asked them to work on other product lines.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

They’ve held my hand in terms of display ads and marketing, which we weren’t doing before. We’ve seen an increase in new visitors and people signing up for our trial licenses. Disruptive Advertising has reached a group of potential users that we didn’t have access to before. 

We have a 22% click-through rate (CTR) for one of the branded ads that the team does and the CTR for our YouTube channel is nearly 1%. Out of every single ad that they’ve done for us, there’s not one that has a CTR below 0.3%, which is positive. 

They understand our product and our messaging, and they provide feedback on what people are responding to which allows us to churn out content that people will respond to. I rely on their expertise because they know what they’re doing and the results are there.

How did Disruptive Advertising perform from a project management standpoint?

Their customer service is amazing, and it feels like they’re teammates within our organization. Disruptive Advertising is very responsive, and their onboarding has been very thorough. The PPC teammates are excellent. 

They follow up with email suggestions. On the email side, I had problems engaging with the person they’d assigned to us, and I had a discussion with the manager and he assigned me a new person who has been amazing. 

Everyone I interact with on a daily basis and the management team are all concerned about how we’re doing and if we’re happy. The fact that an ad agency is checking in with me on that level reassures me that they care. I really do feel like they’re a part of our marketing team and not just a group that I pay. We mostly communicate through email. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

The reason I enjoy working with Disruptive Advertising is that they’re able to break down the analytics of why something is performing. They can explain why and why not certain things are working and then provide strategies for how to move forward. 

The team is easy to work with, especially if you’re a newbie in the online marketing and email remarketing space. They outline a specific strategy that works for you and walk you through it so it’s not such a scary experience.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, not at the moment. They’ve been really responsive.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

With Disruptive Advertising, you will see results because that’s what they’re focused on. They are also focused on meeting your business and marketing goals, so don’t be afraid to invest your time and energy in the engagement even if you’re new to this.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the president of Luxury Puppies Pet Shop.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Disruptive Advertising?

We wanted to increase our sales with Google Ads.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Disruptive Advertising helps us with PPC. They provide us with good ways of tracking and show us basic analytics. I’ve found that sometimes, PPC companies don't show you the work that’s being done. Disruptive tracks everything, and it’s working out well.

What is the team composition?

Summer (Marketing Analyst) has been a great help since the beginning and acts as my strategist. She’s been my go-to on everything. She does a great job.

How did you come to work with Disruptive Advertising?

I was spending $100,000 a month, and I just wasn’t getting the turnaround I was looking for. I did a lot of research, and Disruptive ended up being the best fit. They do a lot of good Google advertising, and that’s actually what grabbed me.

How much have you invested with them?

I’ve spent about $9,000 so far.

What is the status of this engagement?

Our work together began at the end of June or beginning of August 2020, and we’re still working together.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

My cost-per-conversion has gone down a lot, and I’ve improved my sales by about 30% since I started with them. They’ve been doing a great job.

How did Disruptive Advertising perform from a project management standpoint?

Their communication is great. Communication is everything when I’m working with these types of agencies, and Disruptive is on top of it. They respond to any questions, concerns, or emails right away. Summer does a great job of maintaining communication.

They have been meeting deadlines; in fact, they actually got some work done before a deadline, so that worked out very well.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their communication is my biggest thing.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No — so far, the experience has been good.

Any advice for potential customers?

Based on my past experience with a bunch of agencies, Disruptive won’t waste your time. They get right to it.