JStokes Agency

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I was the VP and CMO for two different banks when I worked with JStokes Agency.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with JStokes Agency?

At the first bank, we were trying to build our brand in our target markets. At that time, we were a relatively new bank. We knew our brand and had our positioning, but had a hard time getting our message out to our target audience.

At the time, we were an online bank, and we were a pure commercial bank. Our target audience was businesses with certain revenue targets.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We brought them on to fine-tune our brand messaging and strategy. Specifically, we needed help with an annual report. They designed imagery, messaging, and all around, tried to reinforce our brand. They also worked on collateral design, imagery, and messaging as well.

They helped with features and benefits to how customers can use the product to their advantage. It was all about product descriptions. They made complex descriptions into more readable and digestible formats for medium-size businesses.

What is the team composition?

I worked with Dan and a client director. We would sit down to exchange ideas, review them, and occasionally, I met with an art director or digital creation team.  

How did you come to work with JStokes Agency?

We interviewed a few agencies that were relatively local. We knew that JStokes Agency did do some work with a competitor. We chose them because of their knowledge and experience.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent between $100,000–$175,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

The first project lasted from 2013–2015.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

At shareholder meetings and presentations for customers, we received tremendous favorable feedback in terms of messaging and design. So, we’re happy with the results.

How did JStokes Agency perform from a project management standpoint?

They were good. They were on top of deadlines. They were very collaborative and on top of their project plans. I don’t recall them ever asking for an extension. If something changed, it was from our side.

They were very good about listening to our ideas. For example, we had a logo and tagline before we started working with them, and they agreed that we needed to keep that in place. Most of the time they built upon our ideas and enhanced them.

What did you find most impressive about them?

The personal relationship we developed while working with them. They’re very genuine. It’s more of a give and take; they’re honest and transparent about what they think.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Nothing comes to mind.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

When working with an agency, you need to share your history, your story, and where you want to go. Leave it up to them to come up with some feedback and a plan to get you there.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the director of Marketing for Greenberg Glusker LLP. We’re a full-service law firm.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with JStokes Agency?

A lot of our marketing materials were outdated or unprofessional. I asked JStokes Agency to do some creative work on a per-project basis.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Initially, we started with email marketing templates. While staying true to our color scheme, they created a more professional and updated version of our templates and ads.

We’re also working on a website imagery project, and right now, our site has a lot of clip art and looks like it’s from the ’90s. They’re looking at all the imagery and are providing new options.

What is the team composition?

I work directly with their account manager and the creative director. Every now and then, I work with their CEO and founder.

How did you come to work with JStokes Agency?

I worked with them in my former position, and we had a great working relationship. I reached out to them about coming onto our project.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent about $30,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started in September 2019 and we’re still working with them.  

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Everyone loved our new email templates; they turned out very well. Our attorneys have really liked the results. We’ve received a lot of great feedback from our clients as well. Someone reached to say that they loved our email template and how it was designed. That was a great compliment coming from a client.

What’s great about JStokes Agency, is that I can tell them what I’m thinking, and even if it’s vague, they’re able to come up with creative materials that are on-point. It’s been a smooth process thus far in coming up with different directions. Overall, the process has been great.

How did JStokes Agency perform from a project management standpoint?

Our account manager is outstanding. She’s very good about reminding me to do things, and if we need to address a lot of issue, we have a phone call. They’re very communicative, they’re always available, and they’re responsive. They also track everything for me, so I never have to follow up on anything.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I really appreciate how they have perspectives across multiple industries. As a law firm, we have the tendency to only hire ad agencies that have experience with law firms. We wanted a group that could deliver the best of the best. That’s what sets JStokes Agency apart. They know what could work from a variety of angles.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I can’t think of anything. We’ve been very happy with them.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Be able to communicate what you want and what your deadlines are. If you communicate that, they’re great at delivering exactly what you need.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m a development agent at Subway, the popular sandwich chain. I started a Subway in Los Angeles and have 65 other locations.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with JStokes Agency?

Years ago, we handled all the marketing efforts in-house, but it was very challenging. We hired JStokes Agency to take over this aspect of our business.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

JStokes Agency took care of our media planning and buying. This included radio, billboards, coupons, and traditional TV. They also helped with the coupons, digital videos, our display, and the systems related to our cash register.  For promotions, their team would help us figure out the message and produce the creative for the specials. 

What is the team composition?

I always worked personally with Lindsey (Account Director, JStokes Agency) and Jim (President, JStokes Agency) on a weekly basis. Dan (Co-Founder, JStokes Agency) and Betty (Advertising Media Director, JStokes Agency) also supported us. 

How did you come to work with JStokes Agency?

Subway came up with several different agencies for us to consider, and we chose JStokes Agency after our interview. 

How much have you invested with them?

We had a budget of $1 million per year, so it’s been around $25 million in total. 

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked together from 1994–2019. Our engagement only ended because Subway changed our provider this year to a smaller group.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We measured their performance through sales, traffic, KPIs, and promotions, and JStokes Agency absolutely had an impact. We had a great working relationship and our engagement was strong because of it. 

How did JStokes Agency perform from a project management standpoint?

We spoke with their team on a regular basis. Whenever we wanted to do new promotions, we could talk it through with their team and come up with an idea. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their team was driven to increase our sales and were very customer-oriented. They brought great focus to the project in those areas. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

I really can’t think of anything they could have done to improve. If the decision were in my hands, we’d still be working with them. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Trust the process. They have been in business for a long time, so allow them to give you guidance and opportunities. 

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the vice president of operations for SpeeDee Oil Change & Auto Service. I’ve been there since 1992, and I oversee five of our regions, including one in Dallas and one in California. I have a franchise director in each of those regions, and they all report to me.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with JStokes Agency?

We initially brought them on—and this was before I started at SpeeDee—as our advertising and marketing partner.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They handle all of our search engine marketing (SEM) nationwide, in all five regions. This includes SEO, Google Ads, and Facebook ads. Within those five regions, there are nine designated market areas (DMA) that they cover. They also do radio and TV for the Dallas and California markets.

They’re our national creative agency, so they do all kinds of work for us—digital, print, commercials, and even stills. We just recently did a photoshoot with them to get stills of our certified technicians for some of our creative materials.

JStokes does a lot of work with major sports teams on our behalf. We’re pretty involved with teams in the San Francisco Bay area, and a few in Dallas as well. The budget for California is much bigger, so we focus more on those teams.

They come to our regional meetings, which we have three times a year. They bring an advertising plan for the whole year to those meetings. Each plan goes through exactly which commercials are going out and when, and they review all of that with each franchisee.

What is the team composition?

The team is three or four people, and I worked directly with two of them. There could be more in the background, I’m not certain about that. I’ve worked closely with Lindsey (Account Director, JStokes Agency) since she’s been on board, which has been about 10 years. I’ve also worked with Betty (Media Specialist, JStokes Agency)

How did you come to work with JStokes Agency?

JStokes was already on retainer when I started at SpeeDee in 1992. I wasn’t involved with hiring them.

How much have you invested with them?

Our California budget is about $1.6 million, and the Texas budget is about $500,000. I’m not sure about our other regions, but those two combined are at least $2 million.

What is the status of this engagement?

I started working with JStokes in April 1992, and I believe their partnership with SpeeDee began shortly before I arrived. They were brought onboard probably six months to a year before I started, so sometimes in 1991.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We’ve had outstanding growth in our regions over the last 25 years, and we’re expecting this year to be our best yet. We’re well over an 11% increase in sales nationwide—Calfornia, in particular, is up 7%–8%. We’ve gone from six stores when I started to 35, and we’re planning to open more before the year is up.

Our online presence is where we get the majority of our customers, but the promotions they run are also very effective. We have promotions every quarter, so there’s always something being advertised both inside and outside of the stores. These help with our operation goal of collecting more emails, because people have to provide an email when they sign up to try and win a prize.

The promotions are also very creative. They’ve used logos from major oil companies in some of our print ads, which helps our partnerships with them. All of the promotions have been very successful.

It’s difficult to gauge ROI from sports advertising, but we have a senior marketing person who does a lot of analysis on that. Our partnerships with sports teams, both in Dallas and San Francisco, have been huge drivers in terms of customers and sales. JStokes does an incredible job of showcasing SpeeDee as more than just an oil change place.

They’ve come up with creative slogans and images to use so that people will think of us as a complete auto service repair facility. Some of their ads will have a technician working on a brake job, for example.

When we’re looking at increased sales, we’re not just focusing on new customers. We’re also seeing more sales from customers that we already have. JStokes has increased our overall customer count, as well as the tickets per person from returning customers. Their methods have been effective in tapping into our existing customer base.

Also, the value for the money that we get is enormous, because there’s so much added-value stuff. When the Warriors won the championship, all of my franchisees called me the next day to tell me that they saw our logo when the team was lifting the trophy. That wasn’t part of the plan; it was just a result of JStokes having a partnership with the team. All of the feedback about JStokes from my franchisees has been outstanding as well, and they are the real clients in the partnership.

How did JStokes Agency perform from a project management standpoint?

They’ve done an excellent job, both in terms of being on time and using the right resources for our work. I had to manage a commercial shoot that we were doing with some technicians and actors, and JStokes was on top of everything. They took care of hiring the right actors for us, which was a huge help.

Our VP of marketing is more so the point person for these projects, but I’ve worked closely with JSTokes on implementing the advertising plans with each franchisee. I’ve been presenting the plans for quite some time, usually during our regional meetings.

JStokes reviews the plan with each franchisee. If there’s ever any adjustments they want to make, JStokes is on it. They’ve always been flexible about making changes for individual ad plans based on the specific store.

We appreciate how they make sure each franchisee has a clear understanding of what’s going on. JStokes is responsive as well; they have an open-door policy for questions. Overall, the team has been very systematic, and the progress has been great.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Communication with franchisees is probably the most impressive aspects. They’re constantly brainstorming new ideas to create more revenue for each franchise. This is important because, as I said earlier, the franchisees are the real customers in this partnership.

JStokes has been around so long that most of us treat them like family. Other agencies have come and gone, but we’ve always had pretty good reasons for keeping JStokes on as a partner. Other companies would be charging us five times as much for the same services. The bang for the buck that we get is outstanding.

Are there any areas they could improve?

That's a tough question. They’ve always surpassed what I’ve expected them to do, and they come up with new ideas all the time, so I’m not sure. I can’t think of any problems off the top of my head. There might’ve been an expiration date that was off on a coupon at one point, but that’s about it.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

It’s important to have a relationship with them. Treat them as the kind of partner where you can pick up the phone whenever. I would highly recommend them, and I feel like all of our franchisees are engaged with them.

They cover a lot of different companies. They’re not just an automotive advertising firm. JStokes fits particularly well for us, but they’re well-versed in advertising for almost any kind of business.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

SpeeDee Oil Change & Auto Service is the brand name given to SpeeDee Worldwide LLC. We are a quick lube company also focusing on auto repair. I’m the vice president of marketing.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with JStokes Agency?

Our goals have changed as our business needs have changed. At first, we wanted to create an advertising strategy in California that would drive the volume of vehicles and the number of customers (both new and repeat). Then, we had a greater need for SEM and reputation management. 

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They oversee our SEM program, and they’ve become our brands’ creative agency in addition to creating an managing our advertising strategy in California and Texas.

Specifically, they are creating a media strategy, producing all materials, and then implementing. Once our ad committee and corporate approve of a strategy, they dive into the execution. 

They are creating creative material and placing it on our behalf in both California and Texas. They negotiate, place, and manage buys to maximize my spend. Beyond the tactics, they also focus on how to communicate with our franchisees. They have to communicate in a way that anyone can understand, yet come from a place of certainty and expertise.

I’ll communicate a goal, such as, “How can we send a message of trust?” They’ll concept within their agency, come back, and present a number of concepts. We narrow it down, and then we choose one concept and say, “What’s next?”

Then, they craft everything from start to finish. For example, they’ll organize the photoshoot and scout for the site location, and hire a production company on our behalf. They handle everything from start to finish. Following that, they’ll manage the post-production.

When we are at a near-final version, they produce final cuts of broadcast, digital, print, outdoor, and email templates. They produce absolutely every consumer-facing piece that we need in every size (this changes depending on the region). Finally, we push the assets out to every region.

What is the team composition?

Lindsey Fischesser (Account Director, JStokes Agency) is my daily contact point. Jim Stokes (President & CEO, JStokes Agency) himself, Chris McDonald (Group Accountant Director, JStokes Agency), various specialists, and typically designers. I would guess that when they’re coming up with concepts, they have more people involved in the background

How did you come to work with JStokes Agency?

I’ve been with the company for six years, and I essentially inherited them when I started. Since then, I’ve expanded their involvement with the brand (e.g. expanding their budget and projects). Before, they were one of six agencies that might produce creative for us. Now, they are our exclusive creative agency because they’ve proven themselves time and time again. 

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve invested between $20 to $25 million over the last six years combined.

What is the status of this engagement?

They have been our advertising partner for 28 years. I started working with them in March 2014, and we have an ongoing partnership.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

They’ve continued to deliver far above what I’ve expected. Over the past six years, I’ve expanded their budget and their projects. 

The agency contributes to increasing our customer counts consistently year after year, and our senior executive team notices that. A senior vice president that is based out of headquarters has been so impressed that he’s allocated some of the budget from our sister brand and given it to JStokes Agency to run specific projects. 

How did JStokes Agency perform from a project management standpoint?

They perform like an extension of my team. I can truly rely on them, and I love that. They will chase me down for information instead of the other way around.

JStokes Agency manages me well, and so we get great results.  We communicate 80% over email. Other than that, we have a weekly standing meeting every Tuesday afternoon.

Recently, Lindsey narrowed down about 1,000 photos to 35-40. Then it’s easier for me to pick about 10 photos. She also tells me the ones that she likes. That’s an example of a partner—she’s delivering and saving me time. She’s truly performing like she’s reporting on my team.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I find their communication most impressive. In every way, shape, and form, they’ve nailed it and exceeded my expectations.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I would love it if every single person in their agency could touch our business. I don’t know if that is a realistic thing to expect or want. But, they have a lot of talent there. I meet their team in person, and there are some really sharp folks that I don’t already interface with.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

A new client coming into work with them should trust that they will deliver, and the client doesn’t have to micromanage. The agency is going to nail it or come close to it.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the chief marketing officer for an international law firm, consisting of about 1,500 lawyers and 32 offices.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with JStokes Agency?

We wanted to improve our name recognition in markets where we had a lack of awareness, along with our specific practices.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

JStokes runs digital and print advertising campaigns for us. They research and target specific publications and websites, including legal sites that appeal to our corporate counsel client base.

What is the team composition?

Dan (Executive Vice President, JStokes Agency) and Corinne (Account Supervisor, JStokes Agency) are our primary contacts. Depending on the stage of a project, we might also work with a copywriter or art director as well.

How did you come to work with JStokes Agency?

A former colleague of mine referred them to me.

How much have you invested with them?

For both firms I've hired them for, we've probably invested more than $1 million over the years.

What is the status of this engagement?

We've been working together for about 10 years, and we definitely plan to continue the relationship.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Their advertising campaigns have improved brand awareness of our firms overall. Many clients have provided positive feedback after seeing our ads in print or online. JStoke's work tends to have a sense of humor, which helps us stand out.

How did JStokes Agency perform from a project management standpoint?

They manage projects flawlessly. I don't need to micromanage or worry about anything—they're very good at planning everything out and staying on top of milestones.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I love their sense of humor—it's why I hired in them in the first place. Their ads stand out from the rest and make light of often dry subjects like law and security systems.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Give their team the freedom to run with a project, because they're an incredibly creative, talented, and capable group of people.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the senior VP of sales and marketing for Bay Alarm, which is the largest independently owned and operated security company in the United States. We’ve got 1,000 employees spread through 14 branch offices, from San Diego in the south to Redding in the far north of California. We provide physical security, such as burglar and fire alarms, closed-circuit TV, access control, and guard services to businesses and homes throughout California.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with JStokes Agency?

We’ve been partners with Jim [President, JStokes Agency] and his team for 15 years. We're in a dynamic market with a lot of new competitors, changing technology, and changing expectations with our customer base and potential customers. We’ve turned to JStokes for help in defining who we are in the space, what our core strengths are, why people buy from us and defining our benefit to the customer base in very succinct, on-target marketing.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

What I like about Jim and his folks is that they’re not just buying media and putting together pretty picture ads. They’re the full research team, data analysts. They’re not afraid to get analytical to figure out why people are motivated to be partners with Bay Alarm.

We have an ongoing research relationship with JStokes Agency. If we’re entering a new market, we’ll do brand awareness studies to figure out the makeup of that market. Then we’ll tailor our brand message and our media buying based on that research. Some of the research JStokes has done has helped to define us and our services, in a very broad, changing marketplace, through quantitative and qualitative research. After research, the team comes back with strategy briefs showing why people buy from us, how people see us, what people are attracted to, and what they don’t find attractive.

In addition to strategy, JStokes Agency does creative work. They handle our full depth and breadth of media presentation, from very complex media buys, in some of the biggest and most expensive markets in the country, to TV, radio, billboards, print media, and PR.

JStokes Agency also does a good portion of our digital marketing, and they’re always on-point and very pragmatic, which I appreciate. They’re not lost in the clouds of big words and chasing the latest and greatest thing. They make it work.

How did you come to work with JStokes Agency?

We started small with JStokes Agency. They handled some small media purchases and did some script writing. They had a very small portion of our business. After the first three or four years, they proved themselves to earn more and more of our business and our trust. We expanded our marketing budget a little at a time to where we are today. They have earned every step of the way.

How much have you invested with JStokes Agency?

We’ve invested over $10 million throughout the partnership.

What is the status of this engagement?

We began working with JStokes Agency in January of 1997, and the work is ongoing. By February of 2003, we had expanded the relationship, and we were fully partnered together.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any evidence that would demonstrate the productivity, quality of work, or the impact of the engagement?

They’ve been incredibly successful for us. In the 15 years that they’ve been our primary agency, we’ve grown from 300 people to almost 1,000. We’ve grown from just Northern California, to throughout the entire West and throughout California, saturating all the major markets.

Over the course of our partnership, our sales have expanded five-fold. Our customer retention has increased, and people understand who we are much better.

The creative work helps our company keep up with the changing trends in our industry. It’s defining who we are to our customers, our prospects, and even to our employee base.

How did JStokes Agency perform from a project management standpoint?

They’re great. We continue to stay with JStokes because they have the most professional project management that we’ve been able to find in the San Francisco market. They’re big enough to provide world-class development of media strategy, creative, and media purchasing expertise, but they’re small enough to give us a very capable partner to project manage. They’re a privately-held agency where the owners care greatly about the final product. They treat us like we try to treat our customers.

They’re perfect on deadlines. They meet or exceed all deadlines. We use Google Docs to share information. They are technology-forward people, and I think they have to be in this marketplace.

What did you find most impressive about JStokes Agency?

I think their people is the most impressive thing about JStokes Agency. They’re not transient employees. Jim and Danny Stokes, who run the agency, are in the office every day, working. They care about their employees and their customers, so their employees stick around. They get great longevity and people who care, and it shows. Their media purchasing power is second to none compared to anyone else we’ve come across because they have long-term employees who know what they’re doing. That’s what makes the difference. We’re dealing with Jim, Danny, and their team, not some big agency with a rotating employee of the month type of carousel.

Are there any areas JStokes Agency could improve?

I can’t think of anything. If there were anything JStokes Agency could do better, I’d be going elsewhere to find it. They meet all our needs.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

My company is Knobbe Martens. We’re an intellectual property law firm, and we’ve focused on that practice for over 50 years. We’re headquartered in Irvine, California, and we have eight offices, including one that we’re getting ready to open in New York City. I am the director of business development, and I’ve been with the firm for eight years.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with JStokes Agency?

I wasn’t happy with the marketing and advertising support that I inherited when I joined the firm. I decided that we had outgrown our provider for those services, so we started a year-long search for an advertising and marketing partner. We wanted to do a whole rebranding, a new website, and to start everything we needed to do to set ourselves apart from our competitors.

I think law firms have been behind the 8-ball on marketing because there was always a stigma of being aggressive in marketing your services as an attorney. The whole ambulance chaser mentality was a concern. I think it was very undeveloped when I came onboard, and the firm made a conscious decision to change that.

The previous firm had a lack of capacity. The people there were great for a firm who wanted a regional or local reputation. However, our firm was interested in a national reputation. I felt that our firm had outgrown that small company.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

JStokes came onboard and ran a discovery program, meeting with various focus groups of the lawyers in the firm. They asked how those lawyers felt about the firm and what they envisioned for five-year growth. From that series of interviews and all the due diligence they did, they developed a proposal for rebranding. JStokes presented that to the firm, and the firm was very impressed with the options they provided. One stood out, and we decided to move forward.

The tagline or rebranding effort was ‘IP for a new age,' and that campaign won Advertising Campaign of the Year from the Legal Marketing Association. We were very proud of that as the first major project we worked on.

JStokes has executed two very different advertising campaigns for us. They did the whole rebranding. They completely redid all our collateral. They did a brand-new website from scratch. They have developed various digital strategies for us and all our email templates. They helped us establish our brand guidelines, which we didn’t have previously.

We established processes, procedures, and methodology for everything we do from a marketing standpoint so that we have consistency in the marketplace. We're now a full-fledged, professional marketing organization within our law firm, and that’s very much due to the partnership we’ve had with JStokes.

We’re working with them on some blogging right now. From a content marketing standpoint, we’ve been trying to market our content through social media in a different way. We just did a test, and we were trying some less targeted marketing of our thought leadership content. We were really targeting business and legal websites, some lifestyle sites, and some fitness and health organizations. We’ve been trying that to see how far we can push the envelope with our targeting and make it worthwhile. JStokes has been very involved in the content marketing as well. They’ve been very helpful in the strategy related to that.

The collateral has involved our entire new client packet. We still have physical copies of nice folders with a firm brochure. We also have an interesting collateral piece called IP 101. It’s a fantastic tutorial for people who aren’t familiar with all the facets of intellectual property.

We produced a major video this year on the Patent Trial and Appeals Board process, which is new in the patent world. It’s an educational tool for various companies’ legal departments. JStokes helped us create the video in a very artistic and entertaining way. It’s the first of its kind that I’ve seen, so it will be interesting to track how that gets used.

How did you come to work with JStokes Agency?

We did a year-long search for the right agency. The deciding factor in hiring JStokes was that it just felt right. You can have all your checklists, and make all your comparisons, but it comes down to a gut feeling in the end. Also, I received insight from a respected colleague on comments her clients had made about JStokes, which were very reassuring.

We had several meetings, both in our offices and theirs. We met all the people, and it felt like we would make a good partnership. I wasn’t looking for a vendor relationship; I was looking for a partner. It has to feel right when you’re going to be working very closely, so it was a mix of all those things.

How much have you invested with JStokes Agency?

We’ve invested over $1 million to date.

What is the status of this engagement?

I think we originally spoke with JStokes in March or April of 2012, and the relationship is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any evidence that would demonstrate the productivity, quality of work, or the impact of the engagement?

Winning the Advertising Campaign of the Year from the Legal Marketing Association was a huge win in our mind. When we first started, our attorneys said they were frustrated that the people they talked to in various encounters had never heard of us. That didn’t sit well with them, as we’ve been around for 50 years, and we’re highly specialized in intellectual property. They’ve all felt a marked decrease in that since we’ve worked with JStokes. They say that they never have that occur anymore. So, the brand recognition we’ve gotten in the last five years has turned a corner regarding our name being recognizable.

We do some tracking on social media and our website. We had some recent results which showed visitors staying on our site longer than some competitors. They’re getting enthralled with some of the content on there. We’re in the middle of tracking success with our video.

Programmatic was something we did as a test because it’s always a bit risky to get less targeted, see how far you can go, and still get good results. On that one, we were less than what the benchmark expected. We decided that we learned what we wanted from the test, but we didn’t move forward with rollout. I don’t think it’s a failure when you test something and it doesn’t work. You take away that knowledge and move on. Now we know where our limits are on that.

How did JStokes Agency perform from a project management standpoint?

JStokes is terrific. We have a production call every Monday. They keep track of all of the open projects. Our teams meet and go down the list of projects. We talk about deadlines, answer questions, and make sure we’re on the same page. They’re great to work with in terms of setting expectations with the attorneys. We talk in realistic timeframes.

The communication lines are very open, from the top down through all levels of the organization. We email each other’s teams, not just individuals, so we know any urgent requests will be satisfied. Dan Stokes [EVP, JStokes Agency] is very involved. I can call him day or night, and I know he’ll be available. They’ve been very involved in coming to the table and leading presentations with our business development committee. They’re focused on involvement and communication.

What did you find most impressive about JStokes Agency?

Law firms are very complex organizations with many stakeholders. JStokes has really gotten to know the nuances of our organization, and they’re able to work very well within that structure. That sets them apart from other experiences I’ve had.

Are there any areas JStokes Agency could improve?

Their industry tends to have more turnover than a marketing department of a law firm, but JStokes' team has done well with knowledge transfer as people leave. I don’t think it’s a criticism of them; it’s more of an industry situation that creates challenges.