Global Brand Works

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We are a data aggregation provider for financial institutions, internet innovators, and fintech companies that require consumer-permitted financial data to power their applications. I’m VP of marketing.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Global Brand Works?

We were working towards an IPO and wanted to cement our brand positioning and overall strategy. We needed guidance to fit into the marketplace.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We worked on customer best practices and data-driven solutions through APIs and direct feeds. We came up with products that leverage data and digital toolkits that allow customers to access information, scripts, templates, and other assets. We built instructional guides and messaging to help customers log in and navigate the service. Global Brand Works was instrumental in helping us develop the content.

They did a lot of upfront research to understand our process. They conducted staff and executive interviews across the company to identify brand characteristics and trajectory. We then went to several financial institutions and partners to build a matrix of marketplace impressions. We hoped to reposition ourselves to make sure we communicated the important aspects of our brand and established a presence we could leverage in future projects.

We identified gaps and came up with solutions and customer best practices. We reframed our press and media statements and made sure our employees understood our new stance. Those refinements allowed us to give the companies that would represent us a better perspective on our projected growth.

What is the team composition?

We worked with Shannon (Partner & Co-founder, Global Brand Works) and Caroline (Partner & Co-founder, Global Brand Works). They both brought their unique skills to the engagement. Caroline was our brand strategist and planner, while Shannon oversaw execution and project development.

How did you come to work with Global Brand Works?

I asked my friends and peers who their service providers were and a few recommended Global Brand Works. I was familiar with Shannon from our work together at a previous company. I asked if they were available and if they wanted to pitch for this opportunity.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent around $220,000–$225,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked together from April 2012 to April 2014.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Because of budgetary limitations, we did minimal brand research. Even though we could have done more, there is roughly 37% brand awareness among our constituents. We’re an unbranded, white label service, so that much recognition among our consumers is great.

How did Global Brand Works perform from a project management standpoint?

They set great project expectations with a statement of work and we had team meetings to bring all our disparate groups into the loop. They outlined the project in a kickoff meeting, followed by weekly or biweekly meetings after that for status updates. They integrated well with our organization and were professional stewards of our projects. They took the time and made sure their work was bulletproof.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They delivered on their goals, which were clearly spelled out. They were honest, efficient, and their projects had great integrity. They knew what they could offer and were confident in their skills and abilities. They only brought up additional resources when we needed them and there was no unwanted cross-selling.

Are there any areas they could improve?

It would be great to integrate them into a strategy on web development or content. They seem to be great writers and there are other areas where they could expand their service opportunities; however, nothing they did stood out as a major problem.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

At the time of this project I was the associate VP of corporate and brand marketing at Sutherland. Sutherland is a process transformation organization that works in a wide range of industries to help companies provide the best level of service to their customers.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Global Brand Works?

Sutherland was founded in 1986, and while we have experienced a tremendous amount of growth, we felt we were behind the times in terms of marketing and branding. So, the chief marketing officer (CMO) at the time and myself were tasked with creating better brand awareness in order to modernize the organization.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We had a variety of discovery sessions with Global Brand Works until we decided that we were going to truly rebrand the company. We then started brainstorming and eventually developed a potential look and feel for the company, and Global Brand Works was tasked with developing a visual identity. They eventually produced our new logo and color palette along with a preliminary toolkit of items that would comprise a visual identity for the organization. That toolkit included all of our visual elements as well as simple things like a PowerPoint template, a business card design, and email signatures. They also provided some best practices on how to use those tools and how to communicate with our employees.

Finally, they helped us with the big reveal to our executives where we showed them all of the work and provided the initial guidance on how we would be updating various components of the system over the months to come.

What is the team composition?

We worked directly with Shannon (founder, Global Brand Works) and Caroline (founder, Global Brand Works).

How did you come to work with Global Brand Works?

Our CMO at the time found them through contacts of his and set up an initial meeting with the co-founders. We knew we needed a small and nimble company, and Global Brand Works fit us perfectly. We also really resonated with the co-founders on a personal perspective, and ended up cancelling our meeting with another potential vendor.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent just under $300,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

The entire engagement lasted from September 2016–April 2017 when we handed everything off to our new creative director.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

From a marketing perspective, it can take years before you truly grow brand awareness in an organization. However, we've had a substantial increase in followers on social media and we've had wonderful conversations with our clients about what our new logo represents. The work Global Brand Works did has really helped our clients build an association with Sutherland in a way they couldn’t before because of how we used to identify ourselves. I’ve also had the pleasure of traveling around the globe over the last year talking to our employees and they love the new look and feel of our brand. I definitely credit much of that love back to our friends at Global Brand Works because they were the pioneers who helped us spearhead this initiative.

How did Global Brand Works perform from a project management perspective?

Very well. They were top notch in terms of accessibility and responsiveness, and I felt like I developed a very strong relationship with them. They were available by text or for quick phone calls and they really had a “drop everything” approach. The only time they couldn’t drop everything was when they were with another client, and in that case, they gave those clients the same level of respect that they were giving to us.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their flexibility, nimbleness, and the personal touch they offer. I would even call their co-founders friends at this point.

Are there any areas they could improve?

We hired a new creative team to take over after we completed most of our work with them and that was a somewhat difficult transition to no fault of Global Brand Works. We were bringing in new personalities and occasionally things got lost in translation, but at the end of the day we love what they helped us build and I would absolutely work with them again.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the senior marketing manager for Credit Sesame. We provide consumers credit scores and financial consultation. I’m responsible for overseeing our user acquisition campaigns.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Global Brand Works?

We compete against a much larger firm for the same market share. Our main challenge was creating a distinctive brand identity to stand out in the marketplace. Furthermore, the company’s various departments rarely collaborate and usually design their own visuals. We wanted to initiate a branding effort that would allow experimentation but would also yield a unified marketing strategy.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Global first helped us establish a new brand identity. They have a standard template they use for most brands but were able to customize that to better fit our needs and budget. They presented an initial proposal and we selected a few components we thought represented our company well. Global then conducted extensive research to further refine the brand. They engaged a listening tour of our employees where they interviewed executive-level staff and various department leads. This was to gather feedback on what was great about the company as well as what could be improved.

Then, they researched our current users and issued surveys to non-users to measure brand awareness of the general public. They used all that research to create a second presentation focused on our brand story. Then, they led employees from different departments through a workshop of branding exercises. After the workshop, their presentation went through several more rounds of review and revisions.

The final deliverable was a concise and thorough brand strategy that covered our identity, mission, key values, and brand promise. Ultimately, Global was able to take thousands of data points and turn that information into a few simple words or messages. We’re currently negotiating with them to deliver the second part of the branding effort, where they would design new visuals and marketing materials.

What is the team composition?

I worked directly with both Shannon (Co-founder, Global Brand Works) and Caroline (Co-founder, Global Brand Works).

How did you come to work with Global Brand Works?

We found them through LinkedIn ProFinder. We put out an RFP and interviewed five different companies. We spoke to Shannon and Caroline and they really stood out. We hired them because their price matched what we were looking for and they have a strong background in the financial services industry. As a result, they’re well connected and even happened to know some of our executive-level staff.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent around $40,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

The branding project took place from November 2017­–March 2018.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

I can’t share any metrics because we haven’t yet put the brand identity in place. However, nearly everyone from the CEO to the department teams agrees with Global’s findings and values the insight. The lack of brand cohesiveness has been a company issue for a while, so we’re happy to finally address it.

How did Global Brand Works perform from a project management standpoint?

They’ve done this for other companies, so they were extremely organized since day one. Giving us a tracking calendar and communicating regularly kept me informed about the project’s progression. I met with Shannon and Caroline once or twice a week and we emailed each other constantly. Their experience allowed them to quickly take control of the project without much assistance from us. They usually completed tasks well-before expected due dates.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They’re well-connected within our industry and knew the landscape without needing us to explain everything. They inherently knew what our brand needed and what it would take to succeed. Shannon and Caroline are insightful and possess mentor-like personalities. We also appreciated how open they were to collaborating and getting our staff involved throughout the process. Other agencies we considered preferred to work independently and deliver a product without getting our feedback.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Some of the deliverables had minor spelling or grammatical errors.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the director of marketing and member services for Northern California Allied Trades. We’re a trade organization representing contractors in commercial and industrial painting, as well as commercial glass glazing companies.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Global Brand Works?

We needed help with a rebranding effort. We’d internally decided on the branding strategy but wanted to hire a firm to create new logos.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They created three different logos to support our branding identity. We have the main umbrella organization and then the two professional trade associations underneath. Global Brand Works came up with a family system of logos so that new logos can be added if we do ever expand in the future. So if additional trade associations come underneath the umbrella of Northern California allied trades, then we can add a new logo in a way that visually belongs to the existing set.

The construction industry moves quite slowly, and there’s a lot of resistance to change. Instead of having Global Brand Works help with the entire marketing strategy, I could initially get the board of directors to agree to hire them only to create new logos. Once the logos were complete, I got the green light to use them to create a brand story.

What is the team composition?

I work directly with both Caroline and Shannon (co-owners, Global Brand Works), but mostly with Shannon.

How did you come to work with Global Brand Works?

They were a recommendation from a digital marketing company.

How much have you invested with them?

To date, we’ve spent around $20,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in September 2017 and we're currently increasing our scope of work to include the brand story.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We're still rolling out our new logos through a soft launch, but they've really put us in the new age of the industry. The logo redesign, and how the family system of logos work together, establishes us in the forefront of the construction industry. They portray a very forward-thinking image that’s more attractive to the younger generation.

How did Global Brand Works perform from a project management standpoint?

They’ve been flexible in working with us even though we've had to do things slightly backwards. They're extremely responsive via email or text, especially when there's an urgent matter that needs their immediate attention. They also made a presentation to our board of directors, which we really appreciated.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They really listen to what the client is asking for. They over-deliver, and everything they've produced so far is excellent.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I don't think so. We haven't really had any challenges.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

Oasis| a Paychex Company is a PEO organization providing human resource solutions to small businesses. I was the President.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Global Brand Works, and what were your goals?

While trying to bring together what had been 14 acquisitions combined into one PEO, I was trying to inspire around a vision and Purpose that aligned the teams and gave focus externally vs internally. My goals were to inspire, engage, and align all employees around what we do for clients and society in general.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

They were referred to me by the CMO of Kelly Services and after a call and some quick brainstorming, we agreed to move forward.

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

The majority of the scope was idea generation, content creation, and project management. My head of change management carried the project forward once I approved the plan and this continued after I left in December, 2021. I spoke with her recently and she said the work was phenomenal and the new leader loved it.

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

Two

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

I left in December, 2021 before full launch.

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

I left the project management to my head of change management.

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

Their ability to quickly brainstorm ideas and plans, without a long-delayed statement of work and contracting process.

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

None