Killian Branding

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am a board member of a Chicago-based non-union theater company. We have been around for 10 years, producing theater shows for events and children.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Killian Branding?

We needed to have an organization rebranding. The website was severely outdated, our branding was unclear, and we needed some help with a complete overhaul.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

When we initially reached out to Killian Branding, we discussed the rebranding of our organization, with an understanding that the project would be presented to our board of directors for approval. Killian Branding attended one of our board meetings and presented what they thought we needed, which was a huge help in getting the project greenlit. The work included a new logo, new messaging, a new website, and a new mission statement.

How did you come to work with Killian Branding?

We approached a total of 4 candidates in order to obtain proposals from each business and give our board of directors an idea of the variety of quotes and offerings. We inevitably chose Killian Branding.

How much have you invested with Killian Branding?

The cost of Killian Branding's work will end up being between $30,000 and $40,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with Killian Branding around February 2016. The first proposal meeting took place in January of that year. We are still working with Killian Branding on designing our new website. During my time as a board member, we haven't worked with any branding companies other than Killian Branding.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

It's a bit hard to measure results this early in the game, given that we've just launched our new look in terms of a logo. Also, the new site isn't live yet. We also haven't incorporated our social media threads into the branding effort.

In terms of board response, we have found the logo to be much more professional. We’re excited with our new direction. We're optimistic about Killian Branding's work and its impact on our current and new members. 

How did Killian Branding perform from a project management standpoint?

Killian Branding has been fantastic. They're very organized and have held us accountable. One of our struggles came from being a board trying to run a company. Everyone has a second job and other time commitments. Because of this, there have been times when we passed certain feedback deadlines set by Killian Branding. They have been great at working with us and understanding our challenges. Because we're a theater company, we also didn't have a huge budget, so we needed to organize the entire project in phases. Killian Branding was helpful in prioritizing tasks in a way which we could afford.

What did you find most impressive about Killian Branding?

Killian Branding is committed and invested in our organization, its work, and its goals. The very fact that Killian Branding's owner came to one of our meetings in order to present the proposal in person has shown real motivation and investment in what we're doing. For the last year, I feel that their investment in our success has remained strong.

Are there any areas Killian Branding could improve?

Not off the top of my head.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

‎ I am the general manager of EuroFurniture. We are primarily a retail furniture business but we also service architects and interior designers. We have a brick-and-mortar facility in Chicago with a 40,000 square-foot showroom, as well as a website through which we service accounts throughout the US.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Killian Branding?

We were rebranding our main website, eurofurniture.com; our retail store European Furniture Warehouse; as well as the catalog business, European Furniture Importers. After the 2008 crash, we had pulled back on all of our advertising. After being in survival mode for a couple of years, we decided to bring in a branding agency for help. This is where Killian Branding came in.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Killian Branding came up with a new logo, a new tagline, and a new direction for our company. Their involvement allowed us to ramp up and restart our advertising. Killian Branding brought all of our companies under 1 umbrella, namely EuroFurniture, giving us a common voice and theme across all platforms.

We mainly engage in Google pay-per-click ads, Facebook ads, and direct mail advertising. We also have a catalog which is distributed to trade clients. Killian Branding is in charge of putting that catalog together and organizing it. Anytime we need some creative work done, whether it's an online or printed banner, we go to Killian Branding.

How did you come to work with Killian Branding?

We interviewed several different firms for the rebranding process. We preferred dealing with a local agency in Chicago in order to have face-to-face meetings. We also wanted to work with a smaller agency instead of a large one that would assign us an intern or some sort of underling. We felt that our concerns wouldn't have been heard as clearly in that situation. With Killian Branding, our personalities matched. We sat down with their principal and some other people in the organization and were most comfortable.

How much have you invested with Killian Branding?

The cost can vary from 1 month to another, depending on what we're working on, so it's a hard question to answer. In 2016, we spent over $30,000 on Killian Branding's services. We have an hourly contract with Killian Branding. 

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with Killian Branding around 2010 for our rebranding effort. Killian Branding continues to handle many of the creative aspects of our advertising.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Our brand has become more cohesive with what we do. Our retail store used to be named European Furniture Warehouse, which gave it a connotation of being a discount place. In fact, we offer high-end, mostly Italian contemporary furniture. With their logo and branding, Killian Branding brought us into the new millennium. We went upmarket quite a bit as a result. Overall, I would say that we've had a successful partnership with Killian Branding.

How did Killian Branding perform from a project management standpoint?

Killian Branding performed excellently in this regard, offering good communication. Anytime we needed a project from them, Killian Branding delivered on time and on budget.

What did you find most impressive about Killian Branding?

We appreciated being able to reach Killian Branding's principal, as well as the open and relaxed atmosphere for brainstorming and bouncing ideas off of each other. Killian Branding made an effort to understand our business and goals instead of offering set solutions which are made to fit into whatever the customer wants to do.

Are there any areas Killian Branding could improve?

No agency can be everything to everyone, so Killian Branding should stick to what they know best. They've come to us with some other services like client management. We appreciated having new ideas brought to us, though.

What tips or recommendations could you share that might increase the likelihood of success with Killian Branding?

Clients should be open and honest regarding their expectations and needs, which will help everyone.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We are a manufacturer of soft-sided insulated cooler bags, primarily used in the food service industry.

My role is human resources [HR] but I take on other special projects such as licensing and I've been working pretty closely with Killian.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Killian Branding?

We acquired the business in 2010 and our name was TCB Manufacturing. Nobody knew what TCB meant or how that related to our products. It was outdated and irrelevant, our website was awful and we didn't have a brand message. We needed help to become more visible, more differentiated from our competitors, and more urgent to our prospects.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We also work with a lot of schools and startup companies and TCB Manufacturing meant nothing to anybody. We wanted to be updated, but we also wanted to show that we were still an American manufacturer who made quality products. Killian helped us come up with our whole branding scope of our name, our mission, and our vision. They still help us all the way across the board with social media, email campaigns, and just getting us up to date and relevant in 2016. We've become visible, differentiated, and urgent.

How did you come to work with Killian Branding?

Our continuous improvement director was the one who found Killian and made initial contact. We were looking at two companies initially. We were working with a local company that was doing website design for us. We found out that we needed to get to the root of the problem, which was that we needed to rebrand our entire company.

We talked to a couple of different companies, and we found that Killian was small but very efficient and able to answer any question that we had. They were very quick with turnaround on anything that we asked. We just felt very comfortable with them, and we met their whole team. They came out to visit us here in La Porte, Indiana, and we just hit it off. They give us options and allow us to make decisions but steer us in the right direction and tell us what to lean towards. Ultimately, they are the experts and we look to them for their expertise.

How much have you invested with Killian Branding?

Over $50,000 and under $100,000 so far.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started with Killian in September/October 2015 and the work is ongoing. We rebranded and launched January 1st, 2016 and we became sevenOKs. We were on a tight deadline because we wanted to relaunch in January 2016 and we did. It was an unbelievably, almost impossible deadline that they hit.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We had a poor social media presence before. No one was maintaining it. We had no real connection with any of our customers. We now have a social media presence. We have email campaigns and a measurable way to see what works and what doesn't work.

We use marketing automation now. We reach out via email campaigns, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram; we didn't have any of that before. Now that we have that, we can see what works, what doesn't work, and what customers' feedback is. We're getting forms filled out. We're starting to do e-commerce. There are lots of things that have been working and we're moving in the right direction.

How did Killian Branding perform from a project management standpoint?

They're experts. Bob Killian has the right people with him. Every different area that we work with, there's an expert in that area and they let you know what to do and how to move forward. It's been really great.

What did you find most impressive about Killian Branding?

I can say honestly that everything that Killian has done for us has been unbelievably above and beyond what we thought they would do. They're wonderful to work with.

Are there any areas Killian Branding could improve?

Not that I know of right now.

BACKGROUND

Please provide a description of your company. 

My company is MPA Healthcare Solutions. We are a health care analytics firm, using data and analytics to improve the quality of health care across the country.

What is your role and responsibilities?

I’m the vice president of business development, so my job is to look at different ways we can take our set of skills and apply them to the various sectors of the health care sector.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What was your goal for working with Killian Branding?

The work we do is very analytical, very data driven, and that’s not very inviting necessarily for the average client. So, the challenge we faced was how do you take something that can be very dry, and make it more accessible to our potential customer base?

SOLUTION

Please describe the scope of their work.

Killian Branding did a complete overhaul of our website. They completely changed the look, the dynamic, even the feel of it, so that it would be more welcoming, easier to navigate and, frankly, easier to understand.

Beyond that, more than just doing the technical piece, they also helped us with our brand’s messaging strategy. They took our outreach efforts from a dry business proposition to a discussion of values. Not necessarily economic values, but human values that would go along with our brand. So, they brought in a more human element while emphasizing the values that would drive people toward us.

What was your process for selecting Killian Branding with which to work?

We used our network. I found Bob [Killian, CEO of Killian Branding] through a referral from a colleague who works at a hospital here in Illinois. We requested RFPs [request for proposals] from three companies, one company was a very technically proficient young company that could put together a website that would be very functionally appropriate. Another company had a seasoned team, and had developed a nice efficient process.

However, Killian Branding offered expertise not only with the website, but also with branding and marketing strategy, and that made a huge difference in our project. Their combination of skills is really what distinguishes them from a lot of companies out there.

Can you provide a ballpark dollar figure for the size of the work that they’ve done for you?

It was in the $10,000 to $50,000 range.

What was the timeline of the project?

We engaged them initially in December [of 2014], shortly before the holiday. We agreed on a concept for the website and system requirements right before Christmas, and then they went to work through the month of January on actually building the site out. We had the beta site up in February [2015].

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you talk about the results of the project and how you feel they performed in terms of the quality of their work? Are there any statistics or metrics you can share?

Our old site had a bounce rate of about 92 percent, which is about as bad as you can get. That dropped immediately. I have not checked it recently, but the last time I did check, it had dropped by half, and was continuing to trend down.

Is there anything unique about them that really makes Killian Branding stand out, compared to other companies?

I’d go back to the fact that they are proficient on both sides of the marketing conversation. They’re not just technology experts, they are also branding strategy experts. It’s difficult to find both of those qualities in one firm, particularly for the size of project we were looking at.

Looking back on the work so far, is there any area that you think they could improve upon or something that you might do differently?

They exceeded my expectations because they were great at the branding and marketing side. I didn’t think we could get as much as we did, and all they did was make me want more. So, if anything my only wish is that the project was bigger so they could do even more for us.

What advice would you give a future client of theirs?

Sit down with them and talk about what you’re trying to do. Spend the time in explaining your business, your value proposition, and who your target is. They can take those ingredients and come up with something that you couldn’t have thought of on your own. It’s important to spend that time up front, to work on the concept, don’t rush to the design. Get them engaged in an understanding of what it is you’re trying to do, where you’re trying to go, and they can take it from there.

BACKGROUND

Please provide a description of your company. 

My company’s name is 55 Questions, we're a management consulting firm.

What are your role and responsibilities?

I founded 55 Questions to work with mid-market, privately held CEOs and their management teams to help them do things that they don’t like doing on their own, like holding good meetings, being effective, being honest, being accountable and growing their business in a way that’s repeatable.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What was your goal in working with Killian Branding?

I wasn’t really facing a business challenge in the classic sense. As a sole proprietorship, you need a certain amount of credibility for people even to think about talking to you. The things they look for are a website, a blog, LinkedIn, and all the basics. So, my challenge was establishing that kind of credibility so that people would see that I really have a company – that I really do what I say I do and maybe I would be worth talking with.

SOLUTION

Please describe the scope of their work.

Killian Branding did the branding, named the company, and did the Web design. While I may have provided material that ended up being content, they took what I gave them and made it real.

What was your process for selecting Killian Branding with which to work?

When I started 55 Questions, I ran a peer group, and as part of running this peer group, I had speakers every month. One of my speakers was a good friend of the owner of Killian Branding. He had spoken to my group and suggested that Killian Branding might speak to my group about marketing communications.

In my past life, I was head of marketing for McDonalds in the United States, so I knew a little bit about marketing and a little bit about the value of marketing tools. In time, I developed a relationship with Killian Branding, so when the time came that I decided to start my own business, there was no selection process. I went directly to Killian Branding. 

Can you provide a ballpark dollar figure for the size of the work that they’ve done for you?

I’ve probably spent around $30,000 working with Killian Branding.

Can you talk about the timeline of the project, such as when it started, and when it was complete?

It was about a four-month process, maybe five at most. Literally, we sat down and did a brain dump. I brought my materials, and we talked about what I do and how I do it. Killian Branding came back with a concept of work and an outline of costs, which we ultimately agreed on.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you talk about how they performed in terms of the quality of the work?

The most surprising thing to me in the whole process was the development of the 14 or 15 videos on the website where their media team interviewed me about my work. The quality of those videos was fantastic.

I think the work was very well done, and I’m very pleased with the website. I’ve never had anybody say anything negative about the site, and when I have sent people to it they have been very complimentary. When people are thinking about using Killian Branding, I send them to my website, and they come back and tell me how impressed they are with it. So, everything I’ve ever gotten was positive.

Looking back on the work so far, is there any area that you think they could improve upon or something that you might do differently?

There was nothing that I wasn’t happy and satisfied with in terms of what Killian Branding did. They came in on budget, and they came in on time. How often do you hear that anymore? They did what they said they were going to do, and they did it in a way they said they were going to do it.

What advice would you give a future client of theirs?

Don’t be shocked when you hear the number. Relax, take a deep breath, and realize you get what you pay for. Yes, you can get a website built somewhere for $1,500, and you’ll get a $1,500 website. Once you get past the sticker shock, look at what you’re trying to do, look at what you’re trying to communicate. Do you want a $1,500 brand or do you want a brand that looks really good? So, you get to decide: what do you want your brand to look like? Once you decide that you want your brand to look professional, then you have made the right decision. If you’re looking to build a website cheaply, go online. You’ll find plenty of amateurs out there who will do that for you. 

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the President of Natural Refrigeration Foundation

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

The Natural Refrigeration Foundation, a 501 c (3) non-profit, education, research and training association dedicated to the natural refrigeration industry is the world’s leading resource for evidence-based science to support the most earth-friendly refrigerants, which will drastically reduce greenhouse gases.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Killian Branding to accomplish?

• The Foundation's name was legally changed to better reflect the mission of the organization in promoting all natural refrigerants. The name and organization required rebranding, brand standards creation, and mission and vision updates
• The logo also needed to be refreshed
• The new name needed to be made more visible with social media advertising.

SOLUTION

How did you find Killian Branding?

Referral

Why did you select Killian Branding over others?

• Pricing fit our budget
• Great culture fit
• Good value for cost
• Clear proposal

How many teammates from Killian Branding were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

Describe the scope of work in detail. Please include a summary of key deliverables.

Key deliverables were a revised mission, revised vision, new logo and graphics, new brand messaging, a complete brand standards manual and advertising including a google ads campaign

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What were the measurable outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

We had direct response measures built into our social media messaging. Board review and feedback show that marketing and branding expectations for the organizational name change was met.

Describe their project management. Did they deliver items on time? How did they respond to your needs?

Promised delivery dates including proposal, draft work and completion of final deliverables were always met. Changes requested from draft reviews were made quickly and recommendations were made sometime resulting in reconsideration of the requested change.

What was your primary form of communication with Killian Branding?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

All our meetings were productive. Proposals and scope were clear and defined, unambiguous.

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

Nothing

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

We are a collision repair organization that started in Illinois and has grown to include 60 locations in 7 states throughout the US.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Killian Branding?

In 2014, we hired Killian Branding to assist us in developing a new business name and branding strategy as we grew from 1 location to multiple locations throughout Chicagoland.

What were your goals for this project?

Our goal was to rebrand our organization with a name that embodied what our organizational goal and missions were and one that would stand the test of time and be applicable in all markets that we enter.

SOLUTION

How did you select Killian Branding?

I was not involved in the selection process

Describe the scope of their work in detail.

Killian developed our company name, brand book, marketing collateral, flyers, business cards and a cape for children.

What was the team composition?

We worked with Bob Killian, Zack Dessent and Cat Novak.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The brand has grown throughout the US and has become a national leader in Collision Repair. We have utilized the marketing concepts and images created by Killian Branding to set ourselves apart and create brand awareness in each market we enter.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Everything has been great

What did you find most impressive about this company?

I enjoyed the small organization "feel", the team has always been attentive to our requests.

Are there any areas for improvement?

none