Disruptive Advertising

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m a senior digital marketing manager at Gateway Genomics, a biotech company that sells DNA test kits for women to find out the gender of their baby at eight weeks. I essentially oversee all digital channels for our company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Disruptive Advertising?

When we initially engaged Disruptive, we were facing both internal and external challenges. We’d been working with a company that wasn’t delivering on our asks, so we were looking for an agency that would be our marketing partner. We needed a company that would help us grow while providing strategic and production support.

We also needed to figure out how we could continue to scale and grow within the PPC space while hitting our return on ad spend (ROAS) benchmark goal.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Disruptive helps us with PPC. They’ve expanded our ROAS to new channels and collaborated with our Google rep to see what other opportunities there are. We’ve tried a lot of different new betas and campaign formats; however, Google is very strict about remarketing in the healthcare sector, so we haven’t been able to utilize some of the available campaigns. Disruptive has helped us figure out other ways to continue expanding while hitting our ROAS goal. 

Each month, we look for new ways to keep growing. They look through our search term report to see if there are any opportunities for us to capture search terms in our campaigns as keywords. The team also learns from our Dynamic Search Ads (DSA) campaigns. They add keywords to our Google Shopping descriptions and work with Google whenever our Shopping Ads aren’t appearing in the search engine results page (SERP). They run display remarketing through SiteScout and make sure we’re targeting the right audience. 

In addition to the day-to-day PPC work, they’ve also been very helpful in creating video content for our YouTube account. They introduced us to YouTube ads and have looked for ways to segment and target users. They’ve created two videos and are working on the third one now. The first video utilized stock video clips, and we provided the script. They found video clips that spoke to what we wanted to convey to our audience. Then, they put the video together. For the second video, we gave them an idea of what we wanted to do, and they created the script and animation. They worked very closely with us and essentially created the entire video. For this third video, they will once again handle everything from A–Z while working closely with us to ensure everything is in line with what we’re looking for.

What is the team composition?

We have two core people who I meet with once a week. We also have one main point of contact from the video team. 

How did you come to work with Disruptive Advertising?

I found them through a quick Google search for the best PPC agencies. We decided to go with them due to their service fee structure, which we thought was very fair. Also, their communication was very on-point and high touch. 

Hitting our ROAS goal is our tried-and-true method of assessing whether things are going well or not, which we relayed to Disruptive when we began partnering together. Based on our initial conversations on strategies and roadmaps, it seemed like we were on the same page, so it felt right to bring them on board. I used to work at a digital marketing agency doing PPC, so I’m very familiar with the space and the work that ties into making a campaign successful. It was easy for me to vet an agency because I knew what I wanted, based on my past experience.

How much have you invested with them?

Our service fee is $105,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

Our work together began in January 2020, and it’s ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

I told Disruptive that they could spend as much as they needed to in order to meet the ROAS benchmark, and they’ve been able to do that on a month-to-month basis. They’re very proactive in rolling out strategies and implementing things that they know will be beneficial to our campaign. When we’re in season, I let them know that they can scale up; in other months, we typically see performance drop a bit. We’ve been in very high communication. Anecdotally, they’ve been a really great partner, and the metrics have been in line with the goal we set out for them.

Disruptive has done a really good job of growing our budget — since we began working with them, we’ve grown our ad spend from $64,000 to $130,000. They almost doubled our ad spend while continuing to hit the ROAS benchmark that we set.

How did Disruptive Advertising perform from a project management standpoint?

PPC doesn’t necessarily entail project management, whereas video content production does. Our first video project with Disruptive was very smooth, and the turnaround time was quick. There were some delays with the second video, which were probably caused by the holiday season. Our account manager Aaron (Marketing Strategy Lead) has always been highly communicative, so I think it was their video team that dropped the ball a bit.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They look for ways to help us continue to test and learn so that we can grow and expand. They always have a strategic roadmap laid out for the following weeks, months, and quarters — there’s always a plan. 

The way we’ve been able to work together has been great as well. We can brainstorm and bounce ideas off of each other. They really feel like our strategic partner, as opposed to somebody who is just doing work for us and taking our directives. They come to the table with new ideas as well, and I really appreciate them for that.

Are there any areas they could improve?

A quicker turnaround time for the video project would’ve been nice. Other than that, they should just continue to be proactive and think of ways to keep testing. We’re at a really good point with our campaigns right now, so I do wonder whether Disruptive will continue to test and expand. They’ve already tried a lot of things, so I hope they continue working with Google to continuously look for new ways of testing.

Any advice for potential customers?

Just be very clear about your goals, and make sure they align with the business’s overall objectives. Channels can be very siloed, but they all work in tandem with each other. Take into account that PPC performance can affect other channels. 

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the COO of Crossover Symmetry. Our company sells fitness and rehab products, primarily online. I handle the operations, but I also do some sales and marketing as well.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Disruptive Advertising?

We didn’t have the bandwidth to deal with all of our advertising demands. We tried a few different agencies and most of them started out great, but their performance would wane. We’d just let another firm go when we found Disruptive. 

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Our engagement has evolved over the years, but it started out with just social media marketing. Very quickly, we brought them on onboard to do our Google search advertising and marketing. That effort was primarily around sales conversions, but it eventually morphed into a focus on lead generation and brand recognition.

We’ve also started doing website optimization with Disruptive, as well as email marketing. Now, they’re in charge of every email that goes out from us in terms of sales. 

In addition to their primary services, they do some ad hoc work as well. Right now we’re doing platform discovery, where Disruptive will go out and help us test different spots to see if it has potential or not. For instance, the team just did some advertising on Spotify to test that market.

What is the team composition?

Right now, we have a team of about six people who work with us regularly. They also have a graphic design team and a number of other resources that they utilize as well, though I don’t speak with them directly. My main point of contact is Craig (VP of Enterprise).

How did you come to work with Disruptive Advertising?

I believe I originally found them through a virtual search. 

How much have you invested with them?

The base we’re spending for all their services right now is $7,500 per month, but we started at $1,500 per month.

What is the status of this engagement?

We’ve been working together since February 2018.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

With Disruptive, we’ve continually grown in revenue and sales. Just in the last year, we grew revenue by 34%. The year before that it was 20%, and the year before that it was about 60$. Our customer base and product base have also grown steadily through their work.

How did Disruptive Advertising perform from a project management standpoint?

Their project management skills are excellent. With the amount of people and pieces involved, I wouldn’t be able to do it myself. The fact that they’re able to manage so many moving parts and report to me on a daily and weekly basis with metrics and scorecards is incredible. We’re quite pleased with Disruptive’s services. 

In terms of tools, we use Glue.io for metrics and email for communication.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Without a doubt, it’s the fact that they’re continually trying new things. Disruptive is constantly testing new audiences, new campaigns, and new strategies, which is why we continue to work with them. Other agencies we’ve worked with have been involved for the first few months, but after that, they just kind of let it ride. Disruptive is never complacent; they’re always trying to help us grow.

Are there any areas they could improve?

There’s nothing I can think of. They’re constantly trying new things, and sometimes those things don’t work, but we’re fine with that.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Be completely open and honest with them about how you run your business, because that will help them do a better job. If you’re not communicating about certain issues or concerns, it hampers how they might tweak their advertising and things like that.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We’re a parts manufacturer for diesel engines intended for use in light and medium-duty trucks. Our company manufactures fuel injectors, turbo fuel injection pumps, and some parts related to those types of systems. I manage the sales and marketing efforts here, and I’ve been working here since October 2019.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Disruptive Advertising?

Our main area of work together is PPC through Google.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They’re running a few different styles of campaigns in our Google Ads suite. We have display ads, shopping ads, and more. The goal is to drive customers to our website and serve them ads specific to their needs.  

Disruptive Advertising is also handling some site optimization work, though that’s a secondary piece of their work. They aim to make our site’s UX accomodating for users. However, their main focus with us is Google Ads. 

What is the team composition?

We work with Aaron (Marketing Strategy Lead), Josh (Senior Marketing Consultant), Caitlin (Senior Marketing Strategist), Amy (Digital Marketing Consultant), and Jordan (Senior Marketing Consultant). 

How did you come to work with Disruptive Advertising?

My company had a relationship with their team prior to my joining.  

How much have you invested with them?

We have a flat fee structure with them that encompasses all of our projects together. At this point, we’re spending about $7,500 each month. They also recieve a percentage of our ad spend. 

What is the status of this engagement?

They’ve been engaged in work here since December 2018.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Our team sets an ROI goal to measure their success in placing ads. Generally speaking, they’re doing a good job of meeting our return on advertising spend goals. We’re very satisfied with them.   

How did Disruptive Advertising perform from a project management standpoint?

In our weekly meetings, the entire team is present so each individual is aware of all of the moving parts on our account. Our meetings provide an outlook for the next few weeks, and we recieve a summary of previous weeks’ performance as well. They have slide decks with short-term and yearly goals, and all of that is very transparent to us. We’ve been able to understand their work because they’re strong communicators.   

If we have a slowdown in sales or another concern, they’re very responsive to our messages. When we provide feedback, they respond back to us within a day at the most. They do a good job holding to established timelines as well. We’re happy with their management of our timelines.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Our owner really appreciates having frequent and regular communication through our weekly meetings. Their communication has been very strong. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

They push us on our bandwidth sometimes. I’m sure they always have a reason for doing so. For example, we jumped right into social advertising, despite feeling some hesitation on our end. It didn’t generate revenue as quickly as we would’ve liked, but we’re definitely happy with it now. They respond to all of our issues, so I can’t think of too many negatives. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Stay as engaged as possible. It helps if you’re able to provide active feedback and remain connected to their marketing efforts.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm the Head of Marketing for a British-based stairlift manufacturer with distribution throughout the US & Canada, selling B2C.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

We hired Disruptive Advertising initially to handle our paid-search campaigns in California & Toronto. We've since expanded that reach to the entire north-east US, to be our sole PPC agency. Goals: manage, optimize & improve paid search campaigns, our primary source of sales leads.

SOLUTION

How did you select Disruptive Advertising and what were the deciding factors?

Disruptive came to by by recommendation of a new hire, having a proven track-record in a similar industry. In addition to their technical abilities, their easy, clear communication was (and remains) a significant positive factor in our ongoing relationship.

Describe the scope of work in detail, including the project steps, key deliverables, and campaigns.

Disruptive inherited campaign built elsewhere, reorganized them to match current best-practice, implemented a series of A/B tests, and are now building out end-to-end analytic tracking to give us the holy grail of PPC - a feedback loop from the end of the sales funnel back to the beginning.

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

Disruptive provided a account manager to handle onboarding, a campaign manager for day-to-day running then, as the account grew (and, frankly, as a back-up during COVID), a second campaign manager to join the team. In addition we benefitted from a CRO project executive who built out successful A/B tests.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any measurable outcomes of the project or general feedback about the deliverables?

We've grown revenue about 30% in the last year - our fastest, most sustained growth since starting PPC in 2005.

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

If anything, Disruptive perhaps over-communicates, something we're working to streamline. We have bi-weekly meetings with constant communication in between, backed up by regular strategy-confirmation documents.

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

Disruptive's hands-on approach, easy availability and friendly work-style have made it a pleasure to work with them. The switch to remote-working in 2020 was seamless.

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

I'd take shorter strategy-confirmation docs, but otherwise it's been a good experience working with Disruptive Advertising.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

We are a vein and vascular group of clinics in four states providing vein health screenings and procedures related to vascular health.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

We want to improve our efficiencies from digital marketing efforts in Facebook and Google Ads.

What were your goals for this project?

Improved lead generation, lower costs and higher conversion rates on digital marketing programs.

SOLUTION

How did you select Disruptive Advertising?

They were recommended to us and after a short vetting process we decided they made the best pitch for the project.

Describe the scope of their work in detail.

They are helping us strategize and develop new campaigns in Facebook and Google Ads. They developed a new campaign and the supporting creative as well as helped implement the tracking solutions into our CRM.

What was the team composition?

The team was comprised of the Disruptive team lead and two program managers along with our internal team which included digital and call center stakeholders.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We just began the project but early results are showing lead costs are coming down and they are implementing more drip campaigns along with SMS notifications. We are very happy with the initial results.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

We are still less than 30 days into the project but so far the team dynamics have been great and we launched on time and on budget.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

The way Disruptive developed their proposal was based on true needs and supporting data. It will make it easy to show the impact since we had a very good baseline that the teams developed together.

Are there any areas for improvement?

So far things are going well. We have not launched any of the drip campaigns and looking forward to getting those off the ground quickly.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the marketing manager for a managed service provider for small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs).

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Disruptive Advertising?

We were looking for another partner to help us with PPC. We had worked with other PPC service providers but the outcomes and customer service weren’t good.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

When we started the process, Disruptive Advertising went through a rather intensive onboarding with the website overview and what we were looking for. They did a lot of competitive research. They specifically manage our PPC on Google Ads primarily, as well as Bing Ads. The team has created landing pages on-demand.

What is the team composition?

We’ve had two one-on-one account managers, but we’ve also interacted with several other teammates.

How did you come to work with Disruptive Advertising?

I looked at Clutch reviews and spoke to three providers. We ultimately chose Disruptive Advertising.

How much have you invested with them?

We spend about $65,000, including ad spend.

What is the status of this engagement?

We’ve been working with them since September 2019.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We look to get about two leads per month. It’s been a challenging year, so we haven’t quite met the metric. Given our business, it’s not easy to get leads this way. However, we’ve been happy with the leads we’ve had, even though we’re not where we want to be.

We’ve gotten several new clients out of this engagement. The team has done very well. They’re proactive and put in a lot of effort, which, based on previous experience, counts for a lot.

How did Disruptive Advertising perform from a project management standpoint?

They perform extremely well, and our account manager communicates frequently. She always has the updated analytics and gives us access to that information. We also have wrap-up calls every other week with updates and analytics, and they tell us what’s going on.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their customer service is quite good. The team works very hard not to waste our funds and to direct them appropriately or make changes where needed.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, I have no suggestions. I have a lot of confidence in our account manager’s skills.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Understand that it’s a long term service with no immediate fix. Don’t expect immediate results because you’re not likely to get them.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

Refloor provides replacement hardwood flooring to homeowners in the Detroit Metro Area. I serve as their Chief Marketing Officer.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

Our PPC campaigns were not generating enough leads at a low enough cost per lead. We felt like we were leaving money on the table. Our previous agency was also not able to integrate our google campaigns into salesforce to better understand what terms were converting from clicks to google conversions to actual appointments and sales.

We needed to find a new PPC agency who could review our strategy and implement enhanced tracking metrics.

SOLUTION

How did you select Disruptive Advertising and what were the deciding factors?

We interviewed several different companies. Disruptive was recommended to us through a business associate.

We ultimately chose them because of our confidence that they understood PPC, recognized that we measured success on appointments (not clicks or google conversions) and they understood how to link our google campaigns to our salesforce account.

Describe the scope of work in detail, including the project steps, key deliverables, and campaigns.

Disruptive immediately took over our existing campaigns, and over the first month worked on streamlining it by eliminating poor performing keywords, updating our ad copy and creating new segments for targeting. They also implemented a retargeting campaign.

On the analytics side, they worked with our internal IT department and website manager to create tracking codes to link Google Ads to Salesforce through our Zapier account. We also built and tested a new landing page in the first month.

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

We had an account manager and an IT lead who we met with on a regular basis. They were supported by a number of other internal resources - 2 or 3 of whom we met at the beginning of the project.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any measurable outcomes of the project or general feedback about the deliverables?

Since we started, our CPL has come down nearly 20% and our CPS improved by 8%. That's only in the first month. In month two we saw an additional CPL decrease of 25% and CPS improvement of another 6%. Plus, they are great to work with, incredibly responsive and constantly pushing us to try new tactics.

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

We have a monthly meeting to outline strategic goals for the month, and then weekly meetings to discuss progress. We rely on email for most communication, with an online dashboard to track results.

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

It feels like they actually care about our success, and are in the trenches with us. Their responsiveness has been excellent, and they have taken the time to learn our business and what really matters for our success.

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

Not yet, no.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

We are a Cosmetic/Skincare brand that's looking to grow our revenue through PPC.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

We had worked with 2 other PPC agencies that didn't really understand our products or take the time to ask us so they could understand what they were trying to market We found Disruptive via their Cluctch.co ranking and reviews.

SOLUTION

How did you select Disruptive Advertising and what were the deciding factors?

Yes and no. We're still trying to figure things out but they are very active and involved in the process. They take the time to try to understand what they're marketing and if something is not working they always have ideas on tests that we can do to figure things out. So far we've had good and bad months but seem to be making upward progress

Describe the scope of work in detail, including the project steps, key deliverables, and campaigns.

Take our assets and grow our ROI and ROAS via Facebook and Google ads

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

I think 3. The first was sales that explained what Disruptive does and how they do it; the 2nd is the business manager that we work with on a weekly basis and I think there's a 3rd person in the background

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any measurable outcomes of the project or general feedback about the deliverables?

We're still working on figuring things out so we've had good and bad months

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

They're responsive, organized, and pretty creative.

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

Since they have a large team with specialized departments their creatives look much better than something another agency would come up with because the person coming up with it also managed the placement of the ads and did everything else.

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

Not sure. Can't think of anything right now

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We hold trainings for adults on how to teach yoga to children. Additionally, we have summer camps and merchandise, and more. I’m the director of marketing. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Disruptive Advertising?

We ran out of marketing bandwidth internally. In particular, we didn’t have someone who was an expert in Google Ads, despite our monthly spending. We were hoping to outsource those services.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We outsourced our PPC work to them, giving them access to our Google Ads account. They ran an audit and returned to us with a scope of work based around boosting visibility and training sales. 

However, the COVID-19 pandemic forced lockdowns before they were able to launch a campaign. They’ve worked flexibly with us to accommodate our shift in business, promoting our online products.  

What is the team composition?

We kicked off the sales process with Dawson (PPC Strategist), who answered preliminary questions about the engagement from my CEO and me. Once we got up and running, we started working most closely with Summer (Marketing Analyst).

How did you come to work with Disruptive Advertising?

I did a Google search for top Google Ads managers for small businesses. Their site popped up, which was impressive for a competitive search query. I vetted three other potential agencies as well as a freelancer. 

Their team stood out with their willingness to leverage their creative team at no additional cost for the campaign. Creative can be expensive, but they recognize that campaigns won’t be successful without compelling creative. Their creative offerings is definitely a considerable strength of theirs.  

How much have you invested with them?

We have a rolling Google Ads management contract with them. To date, we’ve spent about $10,500 on their fees.  

What is the status of this engagement?

We’ve been working with them since March 2020.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We measure success through cost per conversion and ROI. Our ROI has always been above 100% with them, even during the very difficult time of transitioning our business model at the start of the pandemic. They’ve been attentive in making sure conversion tracking is accurate and effective.  

How did Disruptive Advertising perform from a project management standpoint?

We appreciate their flexibility in not holding us to the originally-proposed scope when the pandemic affected our business objectives. That helped us be successful. I imagine that we’ll adjust the scope of work again when the pandemic ends. They’ve gone above and beyond with additional testing and research to help us be successful in unprecedented times.

Summer goes beyond the call of duty for even the best account managers I know. We communicate on a weekly basis. Every month, I receive a strategy deck with brilliant ideas. She also sends helpful follow-ups after meetings with detailed summaries of what we covered. After determining next steps, she gets tasks done in a very efficient, impressive manner.   

What did you find most impressive about them?

They don’t treat us like a small account. Outside of our account manager, their management team has reached out to us to make sure our work is progressing smoothly. On our last call, they eve provided some great ideas about shifting mindsets with regard to our business. They’ve been incredibly helpful.  

Are there any areas they could improve?

They haven’t tried selling us on any other services. At this point, I don’t think we’d take them up on it anyway, so they may just be reading our situation well. However, offering other services may be a good idea in their work with other clients.  

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Be clear on your goals and what metrics you’ll be using to measure success.  

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm the CDO (Chief Digital Officer) at Odney and I'm in charge of developing strategic marketing initiatives for our clients.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

We worked with Disruptive Advertising to help us manage some of our larger accounts due to the size of the budget in relation to our team. Our goal was to make sure we provided the most efficient strategy for our clients in terms of CPC (cost per click) and ROAS (return on ad spend).

SOLUTION

How did you select Disruptive Advertising and what were the deciding factors?

I was referred to them by a colleague in the business and after meeting with their team, we gave them a test run with one of our initiatives. The results were much better than expected and better than what we see as an industry average and because of this, we have been working with them for a variety of clients.

Describe the scope of work in detail, including the project steps, key deliverables, and campaigns.

They worked with us to mutually develop strategy, set budgets, and guidelines as we worked through the project. They also worked with us on the individual tactics and ads based on the overall goal. Once everything was ready to go, they allowed us final approval and met every deadline. Each campaign has been a success.

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

We were assigned a primary contact to communicate with on a regular basis as well as other team members based on any adjustments that may be needed.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any measurable outcomes of the project or general feedback about the deliverables?

We saw a 30% decrease in CPC on average for each of the clients while continuing to explore new campaign options based on their prior experience. This relationship has been an overwhelming success for us!

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

They have been great at managing clients and campaigns and we often touch base over the phone to make sure everything is going great for both parties.

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

Their level and breadth of knowledge have been refreshing and they were great at communicating throughout the process.

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

Nothing to improve.