HANGAR12

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

My company is a CPG food/beverage company and during our time with HANGAR12, I led marketing across three brands.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire HANGAR12?

HANGAR 12 was hired as our primary agency of record across all three brands. They developed the overall creative foundation and annual plan recommendation based on our brand goals and objectives. They also helped refine our brand positioning and led consumer research with a 3rd party vendor. All execution of the plan was handled by HANGAR12 including creative development and media buying/placement. 

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

HANGAR12 was selected just before I joined the company. However, it was critical that we hired an agency that could manage the work required of all three brands but also where our (somewhat smaller size) brands would be a priority and not lost in the shuffle of other larger clients.

Describe the scope of their work in detail.

HANGAR12 managed a comprehensive scope of work that ranged from strategy and planning to execution across both content creation and media buy decisions and placement. A primary focus for our brands was social and digital media, as well as influencer support and program management.

What was the team composition?

The team I interacted with included an account team of two, social media team of two, and the President of the company, all of whom were very involved in managing deliverables, feedback/approvals, new requests, budget updates, and reporting/results sharing. They were supported by a creative team.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We've seen strong results behind our social and digital media, outpacing category norms for these mediums. We also executed a first for our company influencer program with associated consumer contest, supported by significant paid social media, this summer that resulted in strong sales lift in market. For another brand, we have a influencer partnership that recently began that we're optimistic will result in success, driving improved brand awareness and sales lift in priority markets. 

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Overall, workflow between our teams was smooth and cohesive. We had weekly team meetings that were attended by everyone, regular email back and forth, and separate smaller group calls/meetings as needed. Their team was highly responsive to email and on top of managing many different deliverables across multiple brands. There was strong cohesion across the group after a few months of working together.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

I felt HANGAR12's approach embodied that of a true partner. As is often the case in our world today, we had to make changes to our plan across the year and HANGAR12 was very accomodating and revisions were fluid. I appreciated their flexibility and ability to adapt to many changes both in people (on our side) and budget/plan changes. The aforementioned summer influencer/consumer contest program was a new additional to the original plan; HANGAR12 did an impressive job not only embracing the idea but improving it and delivering strong results that hit on all KPIs. 

Is there any area for improvement or anything that could have been done differently?

There is very little I can point to that was a negative in working with HANGAR12.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m a marketing manager at Solaris Paper, a consumer packaged goods manufacturing company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with HANGAR12?

We were looking for a new agency to help us with our social media and digital marketing efforts.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

HANGAR12 helps us with our social media campaigns for Fiora, one of our brands. They create all the content and manage the whole strategy for us. We mainly advertise on Facebook and Instagram, but we recently added an ongoing search engine PPC campaign to the project.

HANGAR12 had to start almost from scratch. We initially provided some information and research that we had done in the past. However, getting to where we are today has been a very collaborative process.

Along the way, we’ve engaged in some side projects. Whenever we have a specific need, we go to them for help. As we evaluate the things that have gone really well for us this year, we start to think about 2022, planning other channels that we can go into.

What is the team composition?

I mostly work with 3–4 people from HANGAR12, including a social media analyst, an account supervisor, and an account director. However, I know that there are a lot more people working in our brand that we don’t interact with.

How did you come to work with HANGAR12?

Our company requires a very thorough search when we look for a new agency to work with. I had looked for many different agencies, but we didn’t see a good fit in any of them. Thus, I Googled for good social media agencies in Chicago and found HANGAR12’s website.

I sent them a message telling them that I was interested in talking to them, and they responded immediately. Then, we went through an RFP bidding process. It took a long time for us to get through that process, but they were very patient. Now, we’re very happy that we went through that entire process — they’re the right agency for us.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in May 2021, and our engagement is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Our social media efforts have gone from a very flat to a very robust strategy, and the user engagement is very high. Everything is flowing, and HANGAR12 is doing very well. Additionally, the KPIs that we track are on goal, so we’re really happy about their work.

How did HANGAR12 perform from a project management standpoint?

HANGAR12’s project management is amazing. They’re thorough, organized, and thoughtful — they go above and beyond. On occasions, I have been writing an email to ask them for something, and they send it to me before I send the email.

We communicate mainly through email, and we have a weekly call. In addition to that, we schedule a lot of meetings when we’re talking about new topics or projects.

What did you find most impressive about them?

HANGAR12 has been a very good partner for us; they not only have the expertise, but they’re also very thorough and patient with us. They take the time to explain a lot of things that we’re not familiar with, so they’ve been an invaluable partner. Additionally, they don’t sugarcoat anything, nor do they try to take advantage of us when we’re looking at results, which I really appreciate.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Honestly, the constructive feedback falls more on our side. When we started, we didn’t have enough time to ramp up, so we crammed a lot of work on their side really fast. I wish I would have had more time to get them up to speed. However, they did great with the limited time that they had.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Be transparent about your expectations and budget; HANGAR12 can take it from there.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I worked for Sara Lee as the Director of Creative Services. Overseeing visual identity and packaging for all retail brands.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire HANGAR12?

Hangar 12 (formerly Launch at the time), was our AOR. I worked side by side with them on many projects. Promotional, packaging, merchandising. They served as an extension of my team.

What were your goals for this project?

It wasn't 1, singular project. There were many. When I was hired, the company was in a major transition. We were consolidating 3 companies to 1 location. We needed to identify overlap and a singular process for creative development. They helped me get up to speed on all the brands activities and identify efficiencies.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

A true partner - I even had a on-site coordinator dedicated to our business to help me with day to day needs. They also helped me manage and housed many of our digital assets when we were closing down the in-house creative resource. I couldn't have done it without them.

Describe the scope of their work in detail.

Hangar 12 is simply an amazing, professional creative resource. The beauty of them is they tailor themselves to the client needs. I've worked with them through a few different companies and they are quick to evolve. They stay ahead of the trends and apply them to everything they do. The work is strategic and thoughtful...even the smaller projects are taken seriously and considered just as important as the big ones.

And you are charged for the work you need....not the overhead they might have. The business model is flexible enough to help you with your small brands/projects - but easily take on your big ones too. It's great - because it is a single resource that you don't have to on board every time - no one has time for it! They already know and can apply their learning with each new initiative.

What was the team composition?

The team is a collective of seasoned professionals. Kevin did a great job of procuring the best of the best strategists, account, and designers. The business is run very nimbly. It can be ramped up for the bigger programs, and dialed back for the small ones. Bringing the cost savings to the client.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Success was ongoing. While I cannot share specifics - I can say that they continue to be one of my most highly recommended partners today.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Again - communication and trust were key. They really served as an extension of my team. Being a smaller entity - I had access and support from the leaders of the team if needed. But the day to day people were top-notch too. They really were an extension of my team. At times, when double or triple booked - I could send them in my place and trust that everything was going to be as expected.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Great creative and results are the cost for entry - and they have both. Its how they get there that I love the most. They are open to conversations, suggestions, and debates. And budget management, which was always a concern, was easy. No hidden fees or overages.

You agreed to the cost and that's what you were charged. If there was scope creep - you had a conversation right away, worked through it and adjusted accordingly. Sometimes you paid more, sometimes, they would suggest compromises to help keep us on budget....and on time!

Are there any areas for improvement?

No. Sometimes I think they are a hidden gem - although they have been around for many years. I have had the pleasure of working with this team for many years, with many roles and they continue to refine. They really figured it out.