Don't Cry Wolf

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Founding Director of One Blue Marble on behalf of Captain Paul Watson Foundation UK

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Helping charities and businesses accelerate their mission towards an environmentally sustainable future.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Don't Cry Wolf to accomplish?

• To create a campaign to bring attention to the charity, Neptune's Pirates UK, mission to end the mass slaughter of whales and dolphins in the Faroes.
• To help raise awareness of Neptune's Pirates rebrand (from Sea Shepherd UK)
• Provide sound evidence based research into the sentiment of the audience we need to be engaging with before and after the campaign, to measure success.
• To ascertain which audiences we should be targeting our campaign too and how.

SOLUTION

How did you find Don't Cry Wolf?

Via talk at Goodfest and link to Leap

Why did you select Don't Cry Wolf over others?

• Great culture fit
• Company values aligned

How many teammates from Don't Cry Wolf were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

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

Scope of Work for Captain Paul Watson Foundation (Neptune's Pirates UK):

• Background:
  • To create a highly visible and provocative campaign to address both the charity’s Faroe Islands activism (to call for a stop of their barbaric slaughter of whales and dolphins) and highlight the change in direction for Captain Paul Watson UK (formerly Sea Shepherd UK). A pivotal moment for everyone. 
  • DCW has undertaken an insight, analysis and route development plan and from this has developed a campaign teardown that goes through the campaign in detail, with tactics and logistics including casting (with celebrity engagement) and production crew sourcing. The breakdown of the work has included: 
    • Concept development 
      • Public survey insights and analysis. 
      • Route development options 
      • Refinement of the campaign concept 
      • Elevator pitch for use with investors and third parties 
      • Objectives 
      • Rationale 
      • Key milestones – and timelines 
    • Tactical development 
      • Deep dive into individual tactics to launch the key character/campaign working with team and volunteers 
      • Identify key launch locations for the initial campaign push and timings to maximise press attention and impact 
      • Investigate set options and commission these with costumes 
      • Research, recommend and secure aligned influencer/ celebrity with obvious passion and appreciation for undertaking this project for the charity. 
    • Logistics 
      • Manage logistics for the campaign 
      • Development of a detailed timeline 
      • Establish key campaign messaging with the CPWF UK team 
      • Set tone of voice guide 
      • Nurture and engage press interest 
    • Creative direction 
      • Development of campaign guidelines for creative development work 
      • Create channel strategy (online/offline media) 
    • Delivery 
      • Casting and set management (portfolio reviews, interviews, selection) 
      • Stunt management (set up, breakdown and volunteer and crew coordination) 
      • Media support (manage media attendance at each stunt, develop press kit and asset pack for press, manage all media and influencer engagement for digital distribution 
      • Coordinate results and/or interviews (manage capture of film and photography content, including ‘hidden remote cams’, orchestrate attendance of press-ready photographer, handle post-production edits and touch-ups and support the distribution of content across social and paid media, working with CPWF UK’s Head of Content. 
    • Measurement framework 
      • Development of full measurement framework to measure impact of key milestones and initiatives 
      • Working to set budget 
      • Increase of public, political, cruise company and general tourism sector engagement with, and awareness of CPWF UK and the Faroes campaign. 
      • A shift of attention and call for the stopping of the grindadráp (mass slaughter of whales and dolphins) by the Faroese.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

• Development of full measurement framework to measure impact of key milestones and initiatives 
• Working to set budget 
• Increase of public, political, cruise company and general tourism sector engagement with, and awareness of CPWF UK and the Faroes campaign - still to be proven/evaluated as we're part-way through the campaign. 
• A shift of attention and call for the stopping of the grindadráp (mass slaughter of whales and dolphins by the Faroese - still to be proven but we're delighted with how things are going so far.

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

Absolutely outstanding attention to detail and brilliant at keeping us all on track to our core campaign objectives and tight timelines. Incredibly good at listening to our needs and ideas - and truly invested in the charity's aims; John and the team are very aligned and passionate about the aim of this campaign. 

The team are really 'human' - open and easy to work with, as if they're an extension of the CPWF UK team. Most importantly, they have great ideas (well thought-through and often spot on first time) and have done a thorough job so far. They don't waste time and do things when they say they will.

What was your primary form of communication with Don't Cry Wolf?

• In-Person Meeting
• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

The DCW team are incredibly refreshing to work with - they work fast, efficiently, really 'get' what we need, are hugely creative and responsive, understand and care about our mission and want to do a great job. They've taught us many great skills in terms of project management and have given invaluable advice and support that's saved our small charity many hours of deliberation. I can't praise them enough — working with DCW is an absolute pleasure.

Are there any areas for improvement or something Don't Cry Wolf could have done differently?

No, we're delighted with all DCW has done for us and is doing for us.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the Global PR & Communications Lead for a female technology company. I oversee all of our PR across all markets.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Don't Cry Wolf, and what were your goals?

We have a long-standing relationship with Don't Cry Wolf. We work with them on a broad range of services, including - ongoing press office, corporate profiling, C-Suite media training, creative campaigns. Overall, the goals are to grow awareness of Elvie as a company and its goals - as well as providing support to protect Elvie's reputation (e.g. through media training, ad hoc corporate comms support).

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

The relationship pre-dates my time with Elvie, but there was a competitive pitch process assessing a number of UK PR agencies and Don't Cry Wolf were selected as the successful agency. Our relationship has continued to be strong and we still work with them 4 years later.

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

See above - varied scope of work which varies according to our company's needs.

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

Across 4 years, approximately 10-15 employees from Don't Cry Wolf have worked with us - at a range of positions from Intern to Founder.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

A wide range of metrics - in 2022, x2 of the campaigns that we executed with Don't Cry Wolf were included in multiple 'best of 2022' round ups and shortlisted for x3 PR & Marketing Awards each. They regularly deliver on the KPIs for each campaign (or excel them), and land high-quality media coverage. They also give considered & impactful influencer recommendations for paid campaigns where this is needed. The ongoing press office gives a high quality of coverage, year round.

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

At the start of a project, we agree the SOW - budget & timelines & KPIs. From there, we have fortnightly calls with interim updates via Slack as needed. As normal with live projects, timelines move and project plans are adapted accordingly.

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

Don't Cry Wolf have a strong track record at delivering across the board for us - from CEO media training to consumer stunt-led campaigns, they have been a great partner for our full range of communications needs. Many agencies are good at one and /or the other, but not necessarily both. They base every campaign idea on a genuine insight that allows them to develop strong, purpose-led creative ideas.

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

A variety of things across the period - but we always have an open conversation as and when these things arise and come to a solution together. Feedback is always taken on board and a solution is found that works for us and them.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the CEO of a new B2B SaaS tech business

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Don't Cry Wolf, and what were your goals?

To develop the brand, brand messaging, values, visual identity, and language to be used

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

Originally selected Don't Cry Wolf through a competitive procurement process with 10+ listed on the long list, 6 downselected for mgmt review, and the final 3 involved in the full-on pitch to a committee, lead by me (the CEO) with the CMO, marketing, and brand manager.

They were introduced to us via a colleague who recommended them based on their reputation and work for other firms. Having used them to do this kind of brand work, we selected them for this work.

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

Create several brand options we could explore; develop 3 main routes; develop the brand pyramid and positioning; develop the full visual identity for multi platforms including web, events, PowerPoint, product, office, merchandise etc. This included the development of the company values. We did this through an accelerated 1-week process.

We and the Don't Cry Wolf team were fully dedicated with a series on highly structured sprints & workshops, surrounded by several team-building events that enabled us to let the content sink in. At the end of the week (yes, one week!), the work was done and the time post this work was used to refine what was already agreed.

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

Don't Cry Wolf had a team of 6 dedicated to the process. All iterating the designs, language, and content that was being facilitated by their brand experts in the room. The CEO of Don't Cry Wolf lead the work. We had a range of skills working in parallel.

Skills included brand strategy, positioning, workshop facilitation, copy editing, visual & creative design, and research with data on our target persona's being presented to us with further research done in real time to test our concepts.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We got a full brand with an incredibly strong & unique concept delivered within a week. This was 9 months ago and we are still thrilled. It is resonating in the market, as their data showed us it would. We built the confidence to be brave and build something that would build an emotional connection with our target market.

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

They were highly professional and clear. We knew the process and the steps required. Plus it was fun and engaging. Everything was delivered on time, on budget....against a timescale that no one believed was possible.

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

Their ability to cut to the essence and make us think in ways we didn't realize we could.....and then link the strategy of the company to the brand and all the tangible brand artifacts within 5 days.

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

The physical space we met in wasn't ideal.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm the director of PR for a unicorn software startup with headquarters in Boston and London.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Don't Cry Wolf, and what were your goals?

While our business had experienced PR success in the US, we wanted to broaden our reach and brand awareness in the UK. We hired Don't Cry Wolf to help introduce us in a new market and provide creative PR support.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

Don't Cry Wolf came highly recommended. Once we interviewed the team, we were impressed by their creativity and knowledge of the both the tech landscape and the ins and outs of PR in the UK.

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

Before even signing on with us, the team worked diligently to understand our business and our needs. They then not only helped with traditional aspects of PR, like writing press releases, they also ideated on creative ideas including surveys, out of home placements, creative activations and more.

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

We're currently working with four members of the team, including an account manager, an account executive, a junior account executive and the CEO. The team has pulled in additional support as needed.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Since working with DCW, they've landed us placements in publications including Glossy, Global Banking & Finance Review, and more. In particular, one survey they did garnered us broad brand awareness globally and continues to get picked up by reporters around the world. Their ability to take in the news of the day and react with quick turn ideas has been hugely helpful.

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

We have weekly meetings with the team, and also communicate daily via Slack. They give us frequent updates on what they're working on, what outlets they're targeting and responses they've received.

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

Don't Cry Wolf's creativity is unparalleled. We can share one nugget of an idea and the team will come back with a fully baked plan based on research and insights. In addition, they're incredibly proactive -- pushing us to think about something in a different way.

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

N/A

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We’re a British set-top box manufacturer, including TV receivers and recorders. I’m the COO of the company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Don’t Cry Wolf?

We hired them for help with our branding, marketing, and PR efforts. We’d never done holistic brand work on the company or brought anyone external in to help us — we had cobbled together a brand over the years. We’d never tried to understand how people saw us, and we never tried to define a brand for ourselves, really, so we hired Don’t Cry Wolf. 

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We had sessions with various members of our team, both in-person and online, where Don’t Cry Wolf worked to understand our business. They did customer research and customer surveys and came up with various approaches and strategies for us to discuss together.

Part of the initial project was coming up with a semantic core for our business, and making sure that we were using those keywords across the website. We focused on getting backlinks from credible sources to reinforce those terms.

From there, they came up with a brand identity and design in collaboration with us. They completely redesigned our website, including everything from design language to user journey. They revamped our social media presence and created a content strategy for tweets and Facebook posts. They created our blog, which they’re posting to all the time now, and we have a newsletter.   

What is the team composition?

John (Founder) has been present from the beginning, along with Sara (Managing Director), who we haven’t interacted with as much since then. 

Tom (Director of Creative and Strategy) has been the most active person from their side — he’s really the one we engage with the most on a day-to-day basis. He’s really close with us and understands our needs.

There are a number of other people involved, including a blog writer, a strategist, and someone in charge of working with publishers, for reviews and competitions. 

How did you come to work with Don’t Cry Wolf?

We spoke with a number of agencies and narrowed our search down to two. We decided to go with Don't Cry Wolf because, although the other agencies would’ve helped us create a brand, we would’ve ultimately been on our own.

Don't Cry Wolf is a great PR and communications agency, and they can serve as a long-term partner. They're a partner that not just defines our strategy, but also implements it for us. Since we don’t really have an internal marketing team, and Don't Cry Wolf can fill in those gaps, we hired them for their support on day-to-day tasks. 

What is the status of this engagement?

The first phase ran between April–August 2020. Now, we’ve reached a point where we’re coming up with bigger and bigger projects with them. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

At the moment, we haven’t done as much as we’d like in order to attribute sales to the results of Don’t Cry Wolf’s work, but it’s what we’re doing next. So far, we’ve seen website traffic and our Google rankings go up, and we’re getting activity on our newsletters. We’re going to continue coming up with projects to raise public awareness and get press attention.

We haven’t had as many conclusive results as we’d like, but that’s not through any fault of Don’t Cry Wolf. Determining the impact of marketing activities is notoriously difficult, but we’d experienced growth before starting our work with Don’t Cry Wolf and it has continued. 

They provide us with various metrics in terms of campaign reach and backlinks from websites with domain authority, and we put a lot of emphasis on organic SEO. They’re using a tool to track our ranking with key terms on Google and general website traffic.

One of the things we’re planning to do with Don’t Cry Wolf is tracking sales once we sort out supply issues. Once we do that, we’ll be able to better measure campaign results. Right now, it’s difficult to determine where people are purchasing our products and the impact of general awareness campaigns.   

How did Don’t Cry Wolf perform from a project management standpoint?

We have calls for catch-ups, reviews, and planning every week, and they’re well-organized. They use Asana for project management, and everything is planned and communicated three months in advance.

They’ve always delivered on time unless there were dependencies outside of their control. We took ownership of the website project and some delays came there, but those were mostly on our side. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

They’re generally very clear and straightforward — they’re good communicators. We know what they’re going to do and they don’t mess around.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Don’t Cry Wolf is a small company, and they’re getting bigger. They could offer more services on the technical side of projects, but, other than that, I can’t think of anything else they could improve.

Do you have any advice for future clients of theirs?

Clients should be open and willing to participate. If the client has a good understanding of their business, Don’t Cry Wolf will want to get that out of them.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the managing director of an all-natural soft drink company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Don't Cry Wolf?

We wanted to raise our profile among our consumer audience and increase our brand awareness.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They’re responsible for our communications and PR strategy. We’ve had a couple of campaigns where the team organized the spend, focus, and deliverables. Post campaign, they get reports on its impact and the difference it made. They create the content along with another agency partner of ours.

What is the team composition?

We work with five people from their team, including their managing director.

How did you come to work with Don't Cry Wolf?

They won “Agency of the Year” in 2019, and we reached out to them after that. They have high energy and the team is very impactful. They fully understood who we were and our objectives as a brand.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in September 2020, and our work is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

They produce an internal report each month, where we evaluate the quality. Their energy, pace, and understanding are all top-notch. Our senior leadership team all appreciate their work.

How did  Don't Cry Wolf perform from a project management standpoint?

They were excellent with project management. We used Slack to communicate.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Don't Cry Wolf’s communication and level of energy is second to none.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, nothing comes to mind.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

My advice is to understand who you are as a brand and have a good brand book beforehand.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the head sales and marketing for the UK region of Owlet. We manufacture wearable baby monitors that track heart rates and oxygen levels. We also have a video and audio monitor in our range.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Don’t Cry Wolf?

The overall challenge we were facing was driving more brand awareness and creating validity within the UK marketplace. We also wanted to focus on driving additional traffic to our website.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

When Don’t Cry Wolf started working with our company, we briefed them on what we needed to do. They’ve done a lot of work for us. A recent example is around the launch of a new product. Don't Cry Wolf worked to get us great coverage across multiple lifestyle and parenting publications, and they secured influencers with large followings to talk about our product. 

One challenge that we both highlighted was that just launching a new product is not enough of a discussion point to get picked up by mainstream media. Don't Cry Wolf actually created an angle where they brought a fleet of experts on board to give tips to parents for a better night’s sleep, planning ahead, and how our product can help. They also tied that with a topical point in the UK around clocks changing, since it was a highly discussed topic.   

We had a video created between Don't Cry Wolf and our fleet of experts, which led to getting a good number of publications to actually cover the story.

What is the team composition?

The core team is made up of John (Co-Founder & CEO) and three other people. We speak to John on a weekly basis, and we also have day-to-day contacts.

How did you come to work with Don’t Cry Wolf?

I believe we found them through a recommendation from another business.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with Don’t Cry Wolf in June 2020. We have a six-month retainer with them, and we’ll continue on for all of 2021.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We’ve had online readership in the millions, as well as social media reach in the millions for our product launch. We also appeared in OK! Online, which is a great lifestyle publication. Don't Cry Wolf got a backlink to our website on two different elements of the piece, which is a great bonus for our SEO. They really think outside the box in terms of how to get coverage and land media.

We’re looking at the referrals and engagement from the pieces that go live, and we can tie direct revenue links to influencer content that uses promo codes. We have an online readership of two million and a social media reach of 2.5–3 million.

Everyone on our team feels like Don't Cry Wolf is doing a fantastic job. We’ve landed some extremely high-profile mainstream media coverage since they came on board, which is difficult to get. This coverage includes The Guardian, Daily Mail, OK!, Hello!, and other lifestyle publications. Don't Cry Wolf’s work has definitely been well-received internally. We think they’re a great partner.

How did Don’t Cry Wolf perform from a project management standpoint?

They’re extremely efficient in terms of meeting deadlines. They get the work done at a really high standard. With the last launch we did, one of their members actually contacted me throughout the weekend and was working extra hours to get it done, which was not imposed at all. 

Don't Cry Wolf has a great work ethic and attitude, and they’re here to partner with us. They commit to what needs to be achieved, and they’ll do whatever work is required to achieve that.  

When it comes to working together, they’re not afraid of telling us where they think our biggest challenge is, which really adds value. Don't Cry Wolf isn’t afraid to challenge our process, objectives, and strategy. They give their opinion and back it up, which is exactly what we need from a partner. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

The one thing that makes Don't Cry Wolf stand out is their work ethic. They’ll make sure that the job is done, and will get it done at whatever cost. They definitely deliver and have proved that through our results. It’s really refreshing to work with an agency like Don’t Cry Wolf.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Nothing springs to mind that they could do differently. We’ve had some schedule changes that were business-related, and not to do with something on their end.

Do you have any advice for future clients of theirs?

I just want to reiterate that Don't Cry Wolf is a partner that’ll go above and beyond to deliver results for the client, and I recommend them to anyone looking for a partner to bounce ideas off of. They come to the table with out-of-the-box ideas to ensure that they secure coverage and get the awareness and discoverability they need.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the head of marketing at Tangle Teezer. We’re a global hairbrush brand and our products are sold in about 80 countries.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Don’t Cry Wolf?

Our business challenge was raising brand awareness in the US. We set a number of KPIs on brand awareness as a whole and the number of pieces of media they’d secure each month, for both digital and print. They were also tasked to deliver on a number of campaigns per year.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Don’t Cry Wolf handles branding and creative through multiple campaigns. One of our campaigns is called Hairy Tales. We’re reimagining and rewriting children’s fairy tales but with princesses and characters from all walks of life — all races and different hair types. Some deliverables include video animation of these fairy tales as well as publishing books. The campaign is pretty extensive, we’re fronting it with a celebrity and supporting it with a number of influences.

Don’t Cry Wolf also helps with our ambassador program. We have a big celebrity hairstylist who is an ambassador in the US. Their team helped onboard her to the campaign. They also help with audits and research on the market. I can’t be in New York because of the pandemic, so they provide ground support through market research.

What is the team composition?

I work with about five individuals including Sara (Managing Director), Kat (Senior Consultant), Alex (PR Consultant), and Megan (Junior PR Consultant).

How did you come to work with Don’t Cry Wolf?

I worked with them at my last job so I brought them on when I came to this company. They were recommended to me by an old PR agency I worked with. Their creative way of thinking set them apart from their competitors.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve invested about $55,000–$60,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

Our ongoing engagement started in June 2020.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Our KPI for the number of pieces of quality coverage per month is currently set at 20, and Don’t Cry Wolf continuously outperforms that metric. Our brand awareness in the US has grown and our sales have increased an incredible amount in the past six months. Given the state of the world at the moment, this success is pretty impressive.

How did Don’t Cry Wolf perform from a project management standpoint?

We use Asana for project management, and I speak to most members of their team all day, every day. Their communication is second to none. I feel like I’m their only client. I don’t understand how they have any more time for other clients, which is incredible. That’s what I’d want from a PR agency.

They’ve never missed a deadline. We’ve had some hiccups in some of the campaigns because of COVID-19, but they always pivot and have a sharp response to anything that comes along. Their team is always on track for deadlines and reports to me every week.

What did you find most impressive about them?

It’s definitely their creativity and way of thinking outside the box. Some of their campaigns have been exceptional, not only for us but for their other clients as well.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, nothing comes to mind. They’re fantastic at communication and great with client management.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Give them some creative license and let them take the lead. Sometimes their ideas are outside the box but they know the media industry. Give them the license to work as much as they want, it’ll definitely pay off.