HA – interactive brand studio

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the head of marketing at velcom, one of the largest telecom operators in Belarus with about 2000 employees serving corporate and individual customers around the country. At the time of our engagement with HA, I was responsible for new client acquisition at Atlant Telecom, which had been recently purchased by velcom as a part of Telekom Austria Group. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire HA – interactive brand studio?

We engaged HA for digital and advertising campaign strategy services, web development, and branding to help promote our unique internet service packages. 

What were your goals for this project?

In addition to redesigning our identity and building a strong digital presence, we also wanted to increase sales, provide our clients with top-notch customer service, and promote the company’s strengths. The strategy needed to appeal to all of our clients: businesses, households, and partners.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

We shortlisted three web studios based on their case studies and requested that each company present their potential solutions and expertise to our top managers and CEO; the significance of this project necessitated a results-driven vendor committed to reliable long-term support. HA’s final proposal demonstrated the high quality of their work, an in-depth understanding of our industry, and a willingness to complete all tasks.

Can you go into detail about the services they provided and the scope of the project?

We conducted a series of initial discovery meetings to discuss our goals and brand, during which their team spoke with several members of our top management and focused on understanding the driving forces of our business. HA then compiled the data and developed a digital strategy that included strengths, weakness, opportunity, and threat analysis; in-depth web analytics from our old website; market research and competitors’ presence in the digital space; SEO recommendations; and creative digital media advertising campaigns, including outdoor, social media, and paid online methods.

The website development began with a business analysis and wireframing, which ensured a mutual understanding of our challenges and goals. HA has since designed, developed, configured, and launched the updated website, with functional versions provided per established deadlines for user testing and feedback. The team also designed printed materials for our sales team to use when visiting clients. They recognized our lack of experience, suggesting improvements and carefully guiding us through the development process.

What was the team composition?

The team included six people in all but certain individuals varied depending on the skills necessary. We worked closely with a digital strategist, a business analyst, an art director, the CTO, and a senior developer. We had a dedicated project manager who served as our direct and permanent point of contact, but we also had daily contact with other team members—such as designers or developers—depending on the project stage.  

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any information that demonstrates the impact that this project has had on your business?

Our coverage audience grew by 30% during the first six months following launch and continues to increase. The new brand identity helped us successfully reposition ourselves as a modern and innovative company while the website has become the ultimate tool for helping us communicate with clients and promote new technologies and services. HA has presented a number of brilliant improvements, such as a redesigned service plans page, enhanced dashboards that display connected devices, and suggestions for more optimal service plans, among others. We are so satisfied with the collaboration that we have extended our partnership with HA, outsourcing more and more design and development work to them in order to continuously improve our digital presence. We are quite impressed by their expertise and consistency in adhering to timelines and budgets, and we know we can rely on them.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

In addition to receiving timely updates, every team member, from designers to developers, was proactive, creative, and enjoyable to communicate with. 

What did you find most impressive about this company?

What impressed us most actually came to light nearly four years after the website’s completion, when the new merger required a style update to match the parent brand; up to that point, the website’s fresh and modern layout had needed no improvements. We were pleasantly surprised at how easily we were able to implement the new design and format and at how well the updated graphics, colors, and icons complemented the first version, as if HA had created the website with this update in mind. The level of visual aesthetic was just incredible. 

Are there any areas where they can improve?

We really cannot identify any areas for improvement. Our cooperation with HA produces a constant stream of exciting and surprising design work, instant updates, and impressive growth in their industry knowledge; the results have been simply astonishing.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

Our company is a platinum Motorola Solutions partner in Belarus, with a service center and an authorized training center. We design, deploy, sell, and service professional radiocommunication systems and solutions. We also develop and manufacture the unique design products to be used with Motorola radio and systems, and provide training courses for engineers, salespeople, and end-users.

I’m the deputy manager of the sales and marketing department. I manage all our B2B marketing and administrate our training center.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with HA – brand interactive studio?

Since its inception, our company has constantly evolved in new directions. We needed to refresh and redevelop our brand identity, which we’d had since 2003. Our goal was to update and restyle everything, including color palettes, typefaces, the logo, and branding elements, as well as develop a new site from scratch.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We started by discussing our needs, target market, budget, etc. This took quite a while but was necessary to ensure we were moving in the right direction. Then, they presented us with three separate and creative ideas for a new logo. We reviewed them internally, asked for opinions from customers and partners, and constantly advised with HA in order to make the right decision. When a concept was chosen, HA proceeded with its design.

They also designed our new brand guidelines and all branded materials while we planned our new company identity. The new website’s concept has already been approved, and the design stage is in process. We’ve been successful with our progress so far.

What is the team composition?

Everything has gone through their business director and art director.

How much have you invested with them?

I believe we’ve spent $10,000 or more so far. Since the work is ongoing, the amount isn’t final.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with HA about a year ago.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Our company’s look has improved significantly; we’ve gotten a lot of positive feedback from customers and partners. The company is currently known as a leading radiocommunications provider in Belarus, and the new corporate identity has helped us build a leading image.

How did HA – brand interactive studio perform from a project management standpoint?

We have regular phone calls and meetings to go through every step of the project. We discuss what we’ll be working on and what we can improve. They’re always available whenever we have an urgent question or task, even on weekends.

What did you find most impressive about them?

We have a well-established, open, and effective relationship with them. Their team understands our unique business needs, based on B2B and business-to-government marketing. They always produce creative, functional, and results-driven solutions.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Everything’s been excellent so far.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm a brand manager in the marketing and development department of a large Belarusian dairy company. The dairy is a modern, high-tech enterprise that employs Italian technology to produce semi-hard and soft cheeses. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire HA Interactive Brand Studio?

Our company started producing a new brand of premium cheese and needed a website to promote it.

What were your goals for this project?

This is our company's third brand. We needed a website that differentiated it from others, shaped the brand image of high-quality cheeses, and conveyed our values of freedom and the European way of life.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

First we searched the Internet, checking ratings and cases on specialized portals. Then we asked for feedback from other companies that had recently developed websites. We made a list of three companies, sent them a brief, and asked them for offers. All three companies personally presented their portfolio. After a personal meeting, it was clear that HA best suited us.

Describe the project in detail.

The process has been quite long. HA did a lot of preliminaries before we signed the contract, so we obviously understood each other well. We had debriefings, budget reconciliations, and presentations of the project vision with references. After that, we received prototypes of pages with practically no comments. The next stage was design. We were delighted, and had only small comments.

What was the team composition?

Anastasia (Director, HA Interactive Brand Studio) handles all communication, while Ilya (Art Director, HA Interactive Brand Studio) presents the designs and concepts. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

This site is an excellent tool for working with our partners, who appreciate it and react positively. 

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Since I don't have much website development experience, HA acts as a teacher. Anastasia explains all the project details and is very accessible.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

When we were just starting work on the site and comprehending its level of complexity, we wanted to entrust the work not just to a contractor, but to a like-minded partner. HA Interactive Brand Studio offers strategic approaches, charismatic designs, and involvement at every stage.

Are there any areas for improvement?

We're limited by our budget, so we haven't implemented some options. HA can do more than they did for us.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the chief technical officer of On The Spot Development, a software development company that provides a range of services, mainly for gaming development.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with HA - interactive brand studio?

We were looking for additional design support for our development projects to improve artwork, including logos and various elements of UI and UX.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

HA provided UI/UX design services for a mobile game application, working alongside our internal backend development team. They designed the logo and various artistic elements of the game itself.

What is the team composition?

I worked directly with Anastasia (Director, HA – interactive brand studio) and Ilya (Art Director, HA – interactive brand studio), as well as a few additional designers.

How did you come to work with HA - interactive brand studio?

HA was referred to us by a friend. Although we considered a handful of other vendors, we ultimately decided to work with them, because we liked their attention to detail, attitude, and communication style.

How much have you invested with them?

We invested about $32,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked with them sometime in 2017. The bulk of their work was completed within a few months, but we decided to spend additional time on certain elements, so the project took about six months in total.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The game HA helped design was featured by both the Apple and Google Play app stores, attracting about one million active players on each platform. It was very well received overall, with an average rating of about 4.7 stars.

How did HA - interactive brand studio perform from a project management standpoint?

Their team was very responsive within business hours; I never waited for a response for more than an hour or two. They communicated well throughout the engagement, thoroughly explaining anything we had questions about.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their technical execution was excellent. Our internal development team was very impressed by the frontend designs they created. They were also very thorough when presenting design options to us and how they would integrate into the game. It felt like we were working with true professionals from start to finish.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I think they could advertise themselves better, because it was somewhat random that we found them in the first place. Had we gone with a different vendor, we wouldn't have had as good of an outcome.