Disruptive Advertising

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the director of marketing and business development at Micro Kickboard. We are the sole US distributor for micro-mobility, offering scooters and ride-ons for people of all ages. Our company is global—with over 80 distributors worldwide, however, we cover the US exclusively.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

We currently use Disruptive Advertising to manage our PPC efforts.

What were your goals for this project?

Our overall goals are to decrease our cost per conversion (CPC), improve our keyword bidding, and assess competitor behavior in the PPC space.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

We found them through an internal search and assessment of other PPC agencies, relying on reviews from other companies who utilized their services.

Describe the project in detail.

Disruptive Advertising manages our PPC account for Google AdWords and Bing, providing weekly reporting on our spend/return and bringing up areas for improvement or new opportunities in the space.

What was the team composition?

We had previously worked with other account managers but transitioned to Jacob (Account Analyst, Disruptive Advertising) in January 2019. The team is comprised of Jacob as a direct contact, who is in communication with myself and our general manager.
 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any statistics or metrics that speak to the quality of their work and impact of the engagement?

Our CPC has stayed at or under our goal figure, which we provided to Disruptive Advertising at the beginning of our relationship. Our account has operated in a much leaner manner, offering great return on our spend.

How did the Disruptive Advertising perform from a project management standpoint?

The contacts at Disruptive Advertising have been great to work with. We speak on a weekly cadence, and they provide key updates via email when necessary outside of this call. They are very responsive to our concerns/questions whenever they arise.

What impresses you about the Disruptive Advertising?

Jacob assisted our team when our website was breached recently, contacting Google for scans which took hours on the phone. His help was greatly appreciated, and he was a key contact for us as we worked through this issue.

Are there any areas for improvement?

No, there are no adjustments required. We're happy with our current relationship with Disruptive Advertising.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We manufacture custom beds and offer a wide variety of options to our customers. I’m the sales team leader but also work on our marketing team.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Disruptive Advertising?

Our online presence is very important for our business, and the majority of our clients find us through our site. We needed help controlling the customer experience, and they offered attractive conversion optimization options.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They make suggestions for what works to drive revenue and encourage customers to move deeper into the site. Most of their involvement is A/B testing. They’ve found errors on the site and set up common practices. They designed a few different variants, which included changes to our fonts and new calls to action. They tested elements each month and discovered which variants performed best; then we’d decide if we wanted to make a permanent change.

After some major changes at the beginning, we started finetuning little things and working through bugs. We’re about to launch a revamped site, and we plan to do a lot more with them in the future.

What is the team composition?

We had one main point of contact.

How did you come to work with Disruptive Advertising?

We found them through one of their employees, who is personally acquainted with us. He told us about their services, and mentioned they had solutions available for our problems.

How much have you invested with them?

Our budget is around $2,000 a month, so our total expenditure is somewhere around $25,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in February 2018 and are still working together.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We’ve implemented a lot of the changes they suggested, which contributes to a reduction in our bounce rate and an increase in volume. It’s hard to attribute our success to any one thing, but we know they’re helping. We feel assured that we’re following best practices, and they help us eliminate any of our ideas that are underperforming.

How did Disruptive Advertising perform from a project management standpoint?

They’ve never missed a deadline. The majority of our communication is via email, though we occasionally have phone conferences. Sometimes we set up meetings on a regular schedule, or we just meet as needed. Either way, they’re always responsive whenever we call or email them.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They’re excellent analysts. They listen to all our concerns and prioritize accordingly. As soon as we’re unsure of how to proceed, they offer very helpful ideas.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I’m really happy with them and can’t think of anything they should improve.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

This isn’t specific to Disruptive, but it’s generally important to make sure everyone knows what’s going on. Team buy-in is vital to ensure there’s no confusion.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

We’re Oklahoma's top privacy law boutique firm. We focus on erasing, sealing, removing, or rehabilitating public records on behalf of interested clients. This includes arrest records, criminal cases, non-arrest police interactions, and unfavorable background check entries.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

We hired them for AdWords and Facebook PPC.

What were your goals for this project?

Our AdWords PPC had tapered off over the last several years and needed to be refreshed. Additionally, our Facebook Ads had performed very well in the first and second quarters of 2018, but after Facebook's algorithmic changes that summer, their performance tanked and needed to be rescued.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

Our research on PPC management companies was completed in November 2018. We then completed phone interviews with the final two candidates in December 2018 and ended up selecting Disruptive Advertising.

Describe the project in detail.

As stated before, the goal was to refresh our AdWords PPC and to rescue our Facebook ads. Disruptive Advertising presented an individually tailored and compelling plan to do both of those things. After the work began, it was discovered that other deeper issues needed to be resolved in the PPC campaigns themselves and online. They jumped right in and started working on fixing those collateral issues as well.

What was the team composition?

I prefer small teams and that is what Disruptive has provided. There are two individuals and myself on the team, one managing Facebook and the other managing AdWords. There is also an account manager that I can reach out to if needed.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any statistics or metrics that speak to the quality of their work and impact of the engagement?

In the 90 days since Disruptive Advertising started the work, our cost per like on Facebook is down by 88%.

How did the Disruptive Advertising perform from a project management standpoint?

We have weekly conference calls to cover their progress and to coordinate action items for each person. When emails are necessary, they are very prompt to answer.

What impresses you about Disruptive Advertising?

Their results are outstanding. We also appreciate their willingness to invest time and energy into getting to know our company and tailoring their work to what we do.

Are there any areas for improvement?

Not at this time.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I’m the director of communications at Western Seminary, a school of just under 1,000 students. I oversee the marketing and communications department.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

We hired Disruptive Advertising to support our team with market research, advertising services, digital campaigns, and other promotional activities. We were looking to enhance our brand recognition and increase overall awareness of our organization.

What were your goals for this project?

Our main goal was to grow the number of lead conversions from calls to action on our website. Specifically, we wanted to see more visitors fill out the information request form and apply to our seminary.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

Our previous director of marketing gathered information about Disruptive Advertising through reading reviews and connecting with colleagues who had worked with them. After hearing and seeing many positive comments, we decided to set up a phone call with their team, and soon after began our partnership.

Describe the scope of their work in detail.

After we selected Disruptive Advertising, we held planning phone calls where we discussed our needs and desires regarding the partnership. We now meet every other week to give updates and talk about trends, making changes to our strategy when necessary. Their team conducts market research and user analysis and helps us with content testing and lead generation.

What was the team composition?

I’ve worked closely with Casey (Marketing Consultant, Disruptive Advertising), and he has been delightful.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We’ve seen our number of leads and conversions incrementally grow month after month since we began working with Disruptive Advertising. We’ve also seen an increase in requests for information and online applications.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

I’ve been very impressed with the quick and helpful responses I have received from their team. Any time we have a question or idea, they reach out to us within the same day.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Their skills and expertise regarding marketing strategies have far exceeded our expectations. They also collaborate well with our team, and we’ve come to trust them and their decision-making.

Are there any areas for improvement?

I can’t think of any areas for improvement at this time.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

Window Tint Specialists is a 3 million dollar certified commercial, residential, and automotive window tinting company. My role involves marketing and business development. I create and execute marketing plans and oversee digital marketing campaigns and website maintenance.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

We hired Disruptive Advertising for PPC campaigns.

What were your goals for this project?

Our project aimed to target quality leads. Our company wanted to generate additional business.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

The owner of our company came across a Facebook advertisement. After consulting with Disruptive Advertising, we decided their services were the best fit. They were equipped to provide us with the PPC management we were looking for. 

Describe the project in detail.

Disruptive Advertising created, adjusted, and managed our PPC campaigns. They provided these services for all three divisions of our business; commercial, residential, automotive.

What was the team composition?

Kyle (Account Manager, Disruptive Advertising) works with the owner of our company and I.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any statistics or metrics that speak to the quality of their work and impact of the engagement?

Disruptive Advertising’s PPC campaigns have generated quality leads for our business. Since we are very new to PPC campaigns and they just started, I can’t provide a true scope of the impact yet.

How did the Disruptive Advertising perform from a project management standpoint?

Disruptive Advertising went above and beyond from this regard. Our account manager is reliable and highly knowledgeable. He's been a huge help and a pleasure to work with.

What impresses you about Disruptive Advertising?

They deliver exactly what they say they will.

Are there any areas for improvement?

We are completely satisfied with Disruptive Advertising so far.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the owner of Valhalla Wear.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

We hired them for digital marketing through social media.

What were your goals for this project?

We wanted to use social media advertising to reach new people and demographics and accelerate our growth.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

We searched online for the best digital marketing company to fit our culture and help us achieve our goals. It was clear after the introductory meeting that these were the right people for the job.

Describe the scope of their work in detail.

They do digital advertising for us on both Instagram and Facebook. We’ve started utilizing their Google Ads services as well.

What was the team composition?

We have contact with one person who’s dedicated to our social media advertising account.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Their progress has been fantastic. We tripled our return on ad spend (ROAS) almost from the beginning and we couldn’t be happier.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

The team communicates well and they give us constant updates. This in conjunction with weekly or biweekly meetings creates total transparency. We feel comfortable in our workflow with our single point of contact, who ensures continuity and stability.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

We’re most impressed by the speed with which they tripled our ROAS. Working with Disruptive Advertising is one of the best decisions our company has made.

Are there any areas for improvement?

They sent us a small remote-control helicopter as a welcome gift. My 3-year-old flew it into the side of our car, so they could include some turtle wax scratch remover with their future gifts.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the COO of an e-commerce fashion brand.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Disruptive Advertising?

In the past, our brand advertised on Facebook and Instagram with a low return. We wanted a full digital advertising strategy, but we didn’t have the resources internally to manage this.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We outsourced to Disruptive Advertising as our digital marketing agency for Facebook, Instagram, and Google. Our collaboration started with setting up Google Ads and Analytics. Disruptive Advertising pixelated everything, so it could be adequately tracked and that we could measure the ROI. Their team used Feedonomics to start our Google Shopping. All the ads can be monitored and tied back to analytics. They are also working on Facebook marketing.

What is the team composition?

Court (Team Lead, Disruptive Advertising) is our account director. We also have a Google account manager and analytics lead. There’s also someone in charge of Facebook marketing, and someone else in charge of email and A/B testing.

How did you come to work with Disruptive Advertising?

Our CEO worked with Facebook for his previous company. They helped him put together his IT infrastructure. After leaving to start a new business, he reached out to Facebook directly, and they recommended Disruptive Advertising.

How much have you invested with them?

We spend about $14,000 per month. Our company has budgeted $900,000 this year for their total ad spend.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with Disruptive Advertising around September 2018, and the engagement is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Within all our channels, we’ve increased our ROI significantly since bringing Disruptive Advertising on. We’d spent $80,000 in January 2018 with a 1% ROI. This year, we spent the same, and our ROI rose to 5%. Some of their A/B tests have shown an increase of 22% in conversions because of simple changes. This has been a testimonial month-to-month.

It’s been an excellent experience working with Disruptive Advertising. Engaging with their team is in itself a success story. They’re trustworthy and amazing partners that are readily available.

How did Disruptive Advertising perform from a project management standpoint?

Disruptive Advertising is accountable and responsible in regards to project management. I feel like everyone at Disruptive Advertising fights and works for us. They’re great partners all around. I prefer everything to be sent over email, but they’re available over text, and we have two calls a week. I can hop on calls with Facebook directly that they arrange.

Their team is full of digital marketing experts. They’ve assisted with researching and strategizing from a merchandise and buying perspective, breaking down all of the site’s information. This helps us purchase effectively and get the most for our money. Our Facebook manager is brilliant and hardworking. Their team efficiently manages the ROI on the Google side and driving revenue throughout that channel for us.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Disruptive Advertising knows their business. They understand all aspects of digital marketing. Their willingness to build a relationship with our team has been incredible. They’re transparent and forthcoming.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Their team is flexible and open to taking constructive criticism or any suggestions we have. They’ve adjusted their KPIs to align with our business needs.

Do you have any advice for future clients of theirs?

Clients shouldn’t go into the collaboration as an expert. Let Disruptive Advertising do their job and help you through the process. Their team truly cares about your business. If the client wins, they win. Building relationships are important to them.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I work for Our Life Covered, brought to you by My Life Covered Agency, LLC.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

We hired Disruptive Advertising for paid search and paid social media services.

What were your goals for this project?

Our goals for this project were to generate more leads, quotes, applications, and policies.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

We chose Disruptive Advertising because they’re a Google-preferred vendor.

Describe the scope of their work in detail.

During our project, Disruptive Advertising focused on targeting four key personas. They used these tools to guide our paid search and paid social media advertising.

What was the team composition?

We worked with a paid search strategist, a client account manager, and a paid social strategist from Disruptive Advertising.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Disruptive Advertising provided subject-matter expertise that we did not have available internally. The paid search and paid social strategists we worked with delivered results.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

It was a pleasure to work with the Disruptive Advertising team. Their strategists and account managers were good at communicating their strategies and results.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Disruptive Advertising pushed back on our ideas when necessary. The different perspective they offered allowed us to work together more effectively. They helped us drive better customer experiences through our paid search and paid social campaigns.

Are there any areas for improvement?

They could focus on creative development and conversion rate optimization implementation.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the marketing director of The Adventures Group, a holding company focused on adventure tours. We have operations in Los Cabos, Mexico; Cancun, Mexico; Puerto Vallarta, Mexico; and the Bahamas.  

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Disruptive Advertising?

We wanted to increase our number of online sales, which accounted for about 10% of our total volume. We hired Disruptive Advertising to manage our PPC and social media marketing (SMM) campaigns in an effort to bring that figure closer to 20% in the next two years.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We had not refreshed our Google Ads in 5–6 years, so that was Disruptive Advertising’s first task. We gave them access to our account and had them review how well 900 ads were performing for two of our destinations: Puerto Vallarta and Los Cabos. Our monthly budget was spread out among all locations, but we needed to measure the average conversion rate and make week-by-week comparisons. We eliminated the underperforming ads and reduced Puerto Vallarta’s ads from almost 400 to about 60.

By the time we started with Disruptive Advertising, we had paused all of our social media spend because we weren’t converting at all. In our first month together, we asked them to examine our history. In the second month, we started focusing on Puerto Vallarta. They proposed a high-tier strategy—branding ads—and a strategy for low tiers—namely, retargeting ads for users who had already visited the website.  

What is the team composition?

Derek (Senior Account Strategist, Disruptive Advertising) is our account manager and conversion rate optimization (CRO) manager. He is supported by Jacob (Marketing Consultant, Disruptive Advertising) and Katie (Senior Marketing Consultant, Disruptive Advertising), who manage our Google Ads and social media strategies, respectively. 

How did you come to work with Disruptive Advertising?

We presented a brief to three agencies, and Disruptive Advertising won our business pretty easily. They demonstrated a strong understanding of how to maximize the effectiveness of Google and Facebook ads and track user behavior on those platforms.

They made a quick audit illustrating what opportunities were available to us, and we were convinced they were the right partner for us. They’ve done nothing but validate our decision to hire them.

How much have you invested with them?

Our monthly fee is $10,500.

What is the status of this engagement?

Our work together began in September 2018 and remains ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We’re already starting to see valuable results and improvements in our conversion rates. We moved our conversion rate from 11.6% to 14–18% by the second month working together. After six months of working together, our metrics show exponential growth in the return on ad spend for Google Ads and Facebook ads.

We’re convinced that Disruptive Advertising’s approach succeeds because they pay attention to how each audience interacts on the different platforms.

How did Disruptive Advertising perform from a project management standpoint?

They are quick to respond to any issues we identify—for example, an ad for the wrong tour. But their team takes immediate action, which is what we want from our partners. We can all make mistakes, but a vendor’s approach to them and their reaction time is what shows their true involvement and level of care.

They send agendas the day before our weekly meetings where we discuss key results from Google Ads, Facebook ads, and our CRO efforts. When we’re outside of meetings, their team is very responsive through Basecamp.

They make it seem like we’re their only client. Our business can be challenging to work with, but Disruptive Advertising exhibits a genuine concern about our success. They’ve been tremendous about promoting teamwork between our groups. They hear our ideas, but they’re not afraid to make their own recommendations.

What did you find most impressive about them?

We appreciate their attention to detail at every level of our engagement. Further, they’re an analytically minded team. They don’t react based on feelings or emotions. Everything starts with a hypothesis, and they do A/B testing or A/B/C testing on every ad we launch. We’re assured by their processes that every step we’re taking is the best one.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Disruptive Advertising’s specialty is in paid marketing, but I’d love to see them expand into other areas. If they grew to include SEO, content creation, or email marketing, we’d be more than happy to grow with them. We use other companies for those services now, but we don’t have the same level of confidence and trust in them that we have with Disruptive Advertising.

Do you have any advice for future clients of theirs?

I’d advise future clients to have confidence in Disruptive Advertising. They’re experts in their field, and it’s important to listen to them. We also found it valuable to be an involved client. Disruptive Advertising can’t be expected to know all of a company’s details about a product or service without a little help. 

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I’m the CEO of Chocolak, an online retailer that sells chocolates from EU chocolatiers to customers abroad.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

We needed Facebook advertising to improve our sales numbers.

What were your goals for this project?

We initially aimed to break even, although they told us they could triple our results.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

We selected them based on their reviews on Clutch and other online review sites.

Describe the scope of their work in detail.

They said they would develop Facebook campaigns, tailor our audience, and develop multiple advertising copies as part of strategy testing for optimization. They didn’t do the multiple copies that they promised for testing and only rotated audiences. They didn’t create the slideshow nor the video we asked them for, despite the success of those strategies we’d seen in attempts before this engagement.

What was the team composition?

We first had a call with Jon (VP of Vertical Sales, Disruptive Advertising) who secured our contract. After that, we had contact with CalDon (Marketing Coordinator).

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

They targeted a large audience—at least 75 million, sometimes over 100 million—using pay-per-click advertising. They charged a rate of $10, which they said was a low cost. We saw a lot of traffic, but it was unqualified. We decided to cancel the engagement after 60 days.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

We found CalDon knowledgeable, but we thought he struggled with the campaign. Disruptive Advertising should have provided a mentor to assess the campaign or help CalDon. I sent Jon multiple emails asking for an assessment after 30 days, which we’d agreed upon previously. I didn’t get a response until CalDon told me that Jon had resigned. After 60 days, I requested a complete hold on the project. CalDon joined me on a call with Brad (Senior Team Lead, Disruptive Advertising). They suggested Google Ads and that we do SEO internally. Brad suggested we hire a consultant to determine which platform to use and told me to call them again when we’d reached 10,000 users from SEO.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

I thought they had the potential to work well with a larger brand.

Are there any areas for improvement?

They should improve their process and suggest different methods and strategies before starting the engagement. They should also improve their attitude toward clients.