EXL Media

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the managing director of marketing for Rhoda Goldman Plaza. We’re a stand-alone community for assisted living and memory care. I’m in charge of sales and marketing for the community.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with EXL Media?

We brought them on to promote our newly designed brands and then to build upon that through print and digital marketing. EXL Media manages all our marketing channels as well as our analytics and keyword research that help us reach our target audience.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

I was brought on to completely rebrand the company; we started from ground zero. We had an ad agency that helped define and create the brand’s look and feel but then needed campaign support. EXL Media was a part of that original team to support the new brand. One of those efforts was billboard advertising.

From there, we focused on continuing to build brand awareness in the interim between hiring the agency, creating the brand, and then unrolling it. They created the new brand in 10 months; that covered everything from every piece of internal paper to the logo to all the marketing channels.

Initially, we targeted print advertising in certain areas of San Francisco. EXL Media guided us through those decisions and ultimately promoted more digital marketing. Their team also handles our SEO and PPC.

What is the team composition?

I mostly work with one main point of contact, but I know there’s a whole team behind her.

How did you come to work with EXL Media?

EXL Media was part of my ad agency’s team, and I trust our agency illicitly along with whomever they work with. I liked that they were a smaller group and we could receive better-focused attention from them.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve invested several hundred thousand dollars.

What is the status of this engagement?

Our ongoing engagement started in November 2016.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We’ve become more comfortable and familiar with digital marketing, and it has been very successfully refined over the course of our engagement. Over the last few years, we’ve focused on targeted keywords. As we’ve refined them, the qualified leads have increased.

EXL Media is always on top of it. Google is consistently changing their analytics and formulas so we have to constantly adjust, and EXL Media does that for us. When I had a certain challenge, they identified the source and keywords of it.  I receive monthly reports that are very valuable. However, the reports aren’t just numbers, EXL Media interprets them for me.

What’s more, we have new competition in the area and EXL Media incorporated the name of that organization in our keyword searches. I often receive leads from people looking for the competition, which I appreciate greatly.

Their team is always thinking of a more strategic buy and effective keywords. Our cost per click doesn’t always go down but our qualified leads increase. I don’t mind spending more because I know they’re doing the right work for us.

How did EXL Media perform from a project management standpoint?

Their project management is top-notch. They’re agile because they have a small team. I don’t have to wait a long time to get an answer or resolution. When I ask to initiate a new project, they’re right on it. I get a timely response and that clearly shows that they’ve spent the time to give me the estimate.

My main contact is extremely responsive and always has an answer; which is astonishing to me given how quickly the digital marketing world changes. I couldn’t do my work effectively without their good communication and edgy advice. I completely trust my decision to work with them; they’ve been right every time.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their communication and follow-through are excellent. There are never any dangling participles with them. They complete every task they’re given and offer candid advice. Sometimes, it’s not what I want to hear but they have my trust and the courage to state it. Their team knows how to encourage me to take uncomfortable steps knowing I may need more communication, which they provide. It boils down to exceptional communication.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, there isn’t anything. Our needs are being not only met but exceeded.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Trust them. Walk into the relationship knowing they’re the expert. Don’t try to outthink or challenge them in a negative way. It’s always good to challenge, but approach the relationship knowing they’ve got you covered.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am a Director of Marketing at Catalina Express, a boat transportation company That takes you to Catalina Island.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire EXL Media?

EXL was hired to manage and implement media buy for various campaigns including a co-op campaign between three major stakeholders bringing tourism to Catalina Island, a Boat & Hotel annual campaign that they have managed the media buy and analytics for over 10 years and our own stand alone Catalina Express media buy for boat transportation.

What were your goals for this project?

The goals for all of these projects was always to increase passengers and tourists to Catalina Island mid-week as well as weekends.

SOLUTION

How did you select EXL Media?

EXL was involved in RFPs every couple years and they always stood out with innovations and market research knowledge.

Describe the scope of their work in detail.

EXL really takes time in coming up with the best and most effective plans for any campaign. They take the budget number you have and come up with dynamic ideas on what is the best ways to spend those dollars.

They closely watch the analytics and suggest changes when needed in order to get the best value for those dollars and achieve high ROI. At the end of each quarter, and monthly if needed, they go over the results of any running campaign and suggest changes if needed.

For the Boat & Hotel packages the team would always come out to present the results to our partners in our annual meeting that is held on the Island.

What was the team composition?

I worked directly with Wendy, Susanna and Lisa. They are all always available and get back to you right away when needed.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Using EXL for over 10 years, our trust in the team is always the reason we come back. They stand out from all media buy companies with how much passion they put into their work and the choices they make with placing the right buys. All of our projects had consistent YOY growth.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

The workflow is always great as they are always ready to hop on a call if needed and can always address any questions with research they have done, or are willing to do.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Their knowledge and connections in the industry. They know every single billboard that is out as they drive by them and take photos when doing research. They are really diligent about their work and placements in any media.

Are there any areas for improvement?

Expanding offices so we can see them more often would be great.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I work for a government agency. Part of its charter is a parks and recreation division that oversees ski resorts, golf courses, recreation centers, and tennis centers.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with EXL Media?

We needed help with our paid advertising.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

EXL Media does our paid advertising, everything from strategy and placement to reporting and analytics. They usually provide advertising services for five different venues within our umbrella organization. For example, for our ski resort, we consult with them before we open, usually around this time of year. 

We go over the strategy, the customers we’re trying to reach, and what kind of creative we’re using. The team then comes back with recommendations and research and advises us on the best paid advertising channels to maximize our dollars. 

When we’re happy with the mix of recommendations, they’ll go ahead and contract with all of the advertising suppliers on our behalf, and they will handle and help expedite the work of getting the creative to each of the suppliers. They also make sure that everything runs as contracted and provide metrics of how each campaign performed.

Traditionally, we’ve used local print, as well as radio and TV on a limited scale. We also do a lot of digital advertising including search engine marketing, programmatic, outdoor, and social media (specifically Facebook and Instagram).

What is the team composition?

We interact with 3–4 folks from their team. We have an account manager, who focuses on traditional media, and a digital buyer, who manages social media, PPC, and other channels. We also interact with the owner of the company.

How did you come to work with EXL Media?

We’ve had a long-term relationship with them. As a government agency, our board of directors likes to make sure that we’re working with the best suppliers, so two years ago, we issued an RFP for our media buying services contract.

We received about seven different bids and narrowed it down to three finalists that we interviewed and evaluated. EXL Media came out still as our first choice.

How much have you invested with them?

In the last five years, our yearly cost has varied from $50,000–$65,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We’ve been working with them for over 21 years, and our engagement is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

They’ve taken the time to get to know our operation really well. They’re able to point out operational issues that might have an impact on our advertising strategy before I even think of them or bring them up.

Their in-depth knowledge of our operations and our goals has been extremely important to us in terms of reaching the customers that we're after. 

How did EXL Media perform from a project management standpoint?

They've been great. I see them as an extension of our marketing team. They help keep us on track and make sure that we understand all the deadlines that exist. The team also keeps us very organized, making sure the creative gets to the right advertisers on time, in the right format. They're really helpful. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

EXL Media is very efficient. They're a small team, but they're all very expert. They work well for us, and they’re the right size agency for what we spend. 

They give us personal attention and a lot of extra value without having too many layers of project management, account executives, and other folks that would get in the way of clear communication. For our size of an organization, they’re the perfect size.

Are there any areas they could improve?

My managers and directors are always pushing me to justify the advertising spend and the ROI of our programs, but EXL Media does a good job of making that case with the data they have. However, they could still improve their measurement and analytics side.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

If you’re going to hire them, make an effort to bring them into your business so that they can understand your customers and operations. Their deep understanding of what we do and what we’re trying to do has been the best part of the relationship.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the general manager at Wild Island Family Adventure Park. We’re an entertainment complex that is comprised of a waterpark and a large family entertainment center.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with EXL Media?

After our internal marketing director stepped down, we were looking for an external marketing firm to take over those digital responsibilities. EXL Media fit the bill, so we’ve been working with them since.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement? 

EXL Media was originally part of a three-pronged approach — they handled the media buying while two other companies did the creative and PR. 

Their main responsibility was to advise us on where to buy our media. That was really about balancing the social media side with more traditional tactics like billboards, print ads, and more. They analyzed how we connected to our target demographic through different channels and identified how we could add value to our assets.

Over time, EXL Media has evolved their role to handle all three phases. Even though we still work with external resources for PR and creative, their team now manages all parts of our marketing.

What is the team composition? 

I primarily work with Jen (Digital Media Specialist) and Marlo (Media Buyer). They’re fantastic at keeping up with the changing market/advertising trends.

How did you come to work with EXL Media?

We interviewed a variety of companies before landing on EXL Media. It was clear that they were the most knowledgeable about using social media channels alongside traditional media because they drew from their experience with other clients.

Beyond that, they knew our business location-wise and had a lot of experience in marketing for the entertainment complex-oriented sector.

How much have you invested with them?

In the beginning, our marketing budget for our media buy was around $150,000–$175,000. We’re now at roughly $300,000, though we did cut back by about 25% due to COVID-19.

What is the status of this engagement?

We’ve worked with them since January 2010.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We always want to quantify our media buy, whether it’s at the micro-level (e.g., website tracking, clickthrough rates) or the macro-level (e.g., park growth). 

Over the years, it’s clear that our park has grown thanks to EXL Media’s support. Our attendance when we first started working with them was somewhere around 140,000–150,000 people. That number grew to almost 210,000 people in 2019.

We’ve also been able to physically grow the park through capital investment in new rides, areas, and more. Of course, when you make physical changes, you have to use marketing to sell them to the public, too. 

EXL Media has been fantastic at capitalizing on the synergy between our park and our advertising. They give us good, quality information, finding out what people think about us, what they expect from us, and where they’re coming from. Their use of social media has allowed us to survey our customers for that feedback. 

How did EXL Media perform from a project management standpoint?

They feel like a part of our team. Everyone is extremely organized, and they focus on setting clear goals and metrics to define success. At the end of a campaign, they help us understand how we’ve met our objectives or, if not, why we didn’t meet them.

I’m not sure what software they use, but they have a tool that provides in-depth analytics about our campaigns and website. They go over that report each week at our status meetings, which acts as a catalyst for the conversation. It helps to have the numbers because I can go in feeling a bit more prepared, and they make our results more tangible.

What did you find most impressive about them?

First of all, it’s the passion that they have for the industry they’re in. They’re knowledgeable about the product and understand how the market works. I’ll also add that their execution is impressive.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They’re great about looking to the horizon for market changes, but there have been a few times when they’ve been a bit slower to see where our industry is moving. They might not have thought that there was an opportunity in a particular channel, for example. But that’s really difficult to keep tabs on, and they do a good job for the most part.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

You have to trust them. Obviously, my company is my passion, so it’s hard for me to give up some of the control. But, for them to become a part of your team, you have to trust that they know what they’re doing.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

Lake Tahoe Shakespeare Festival is a summer event that attracts over 30,000 people, including visitors, tourists, and locals. We perform a pair of club productions and repertory as well as showcasing a series of regional arts organizations. 

As the director of marketing, I work with EXL Media on our marketing efforts, from developing to executing our media plan.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with EXL Media?

Our festival is unique in that our audience is a mix of locals and visitors from outside of the region. We rely on EXL Media to engage both audiences to bring together our marketing.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement? 

Each year, EXL Media works with us to discuss how to attract our various audiences to our venue. The work focuses on identifying a budget, defining our target markets, and working through a media plan that fits without our budget. Their team controls the entirety of our media spend.

Tactically speaking, they deploy our plan via print, digital, and other media channels to accomplish our goals. We work with them to track our campaign progress, meeting at the end of the year to analyze how everything went and plan for the next festival.

Overall, it’s a collaborative and organic process. Although we operate on a plan, they’re responsive to changes in the market and evolve as we go along. Most of their work focuses on maximizing the effectiveness of the content they’ve generated.

What is the team composition? 

I work with one person on all of the tasks, but there are generally others who join the conversation along the way as the need arises. That’s one of EXL Media’s strengths — their capable bench team is able to step in at any time and help us deliver.

How did you come to work with EXL Media?

Lake Tahoe Shakespeare Festival has been working with EXL Media before I even joined my position. They’ve consistently helped us exceed our goals and are great to work with. That’s why we continue to partner with them.

How much have you invested with them?

We spend about $100,000 each year, so it’s over $1 million in total at this point.

What is the status of this engagement?

Personally, I’ve worked with their team since 2010.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

They’re resourceful and creative in finding new channels to reach our target markets. I appreciate that they take a data-driven approach. The team is efficient, which makes my time efficient.

How did EXL Media perform from a project management standpoint?

From the president all the way down to my main point of contact, everyone is fantastic to work with. They’re always responsive if something isn’t working and will address issues collaboratively. 

They also deliver everything on schedule, often submitting items ahead of me. We use a shared project management system in place to enable me to do my job without being cumbersome.

What did you find most impressive about them?

EXL Media is the Swiss Army knife of digital agencies — they can pretty much do anything. That could be digital consulting, prints, and even billboard advertisements. That’s what really sets them apart.

It doesn’t hurt that they have a strong sense of humor, too. The team is professional, reliable, and efficient. It’s great to work with them.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, I can’t think of anything off the top of my head.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

Partner and creative director/brand strategist for ad and branding company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire EXL Media?

Seeking dynamic and nimble, experienced team who can offer robust, smart, and insightful methods to improve marketing reach -- cost effective and responsive thinking that competes for our clients and conversations.

What were your goals for this project?

Increase leads, inquiries, and broaden our brand awareness.

SOLUTION

How did you select EXL Media?

Referral and scope of work response.

Describe the scope of their work in detail.

Media that includes analog and digital framing; paid search, smart keyword recommendations presented by budget watchdogs. Senior living communities, very upmarket brands with national presence.

What was the team composition?

Media teams of 3 or more

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Big traffic increase and happy clients

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

All good, which is why we continue to work with them

What did you find most impressive about this company?

We were impressed with their experience and collaboration efforts, listening then doing is a strong and enviable skill set.

Are there any areas for improvement?

None