North Street Creative

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I was the Director of Content Strategy for Loews Hotels at the time of the project. In 2015-16, the company owned and/or operated 23 hotels and resorts in major city centers and resort destinations across the U.S. and Canada.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire North Street Creative?

Loews hired North Street to create a new Wordpress-based blog design for #WishYouWereHere, the company's consumer-facing blog that published destination-centric updates from each of the Loews properties. The design had not been updated since its initial design in 2013 and did not reflect the brand identity.

What were your goals for this project?

Our goal was to bring the design more in line with the brand identity, improve the shareability and performance of the content on the blog, and to provide a way to showcase the brand’s new #TravelForReal advertising/content campaign, which relied on UGC—primarily Instagram images taken by guests at Loews properties.

We were looking for a more organized site structure and an easy way to view archived posts. Loews hoped these changes would help drive more page views, which would in turn assist overall SEO performance once the blog was moved under the main brand.com domain.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

Members of the marketing team had met with North Street in previous years, when they pitched our team on a social platform they had developed. We were impressed by their pitch and portfolio — particularly their design work — which is why they came to mind when this project came up.

We considered two other firms on our shortlist, but ultimately myself and the Director of Social Media decided to work with North Street after a discovery meeting, which demonstrated the depth of their knowledge and expertise in web design, and unearthed great insights specific to our project.

Describe the project in detail.

The scope called for North Street to redesign the Loews Hotels blog, build the new design out in Wordpress, import all existing blog content and deploy the finished site on the live production environment.

Loews provided a brief with specific requests for design features as well as overall marketing objectives. After a kickoff meeting, the project proceeded with regular emails and calls between myself and North Street's founder, as well as with the firm's art director, to discuss wireframes and other design samples.

North Street was responsible for:

• Design presentation
• 1 round of revision to the overall design concept
• 1 design for each interior page type
• 1 round of final tightening up (small edits) to each page type layout
• Clean up of creative files and export of assets for development

What was the team composition?

The project was primarily managed via North Street's founder, and their team also included a project manager, art director and developer. We worked with the same team throughout the project—and beyond, when team members were available to us for any questions, even long after completion of the initial deliverables.

I was the main point of contact, however following this project, at least two other members of my marketing team at Loews hired North Street for other projects based on their work on this blog redesign.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The new design was rolled out in mid-March 2016, at the original standalone URL. The Loews marketing team considered that all of their main goals were met via the execution of the new design: the look and feel was more reflective of the brand, we had an effective way to showcase the #TravelForReal guest content, and all blog content was more clearly organized and easily accessible via City and Topic archives.

Page Views was the main measurable metric: in the new blog design’s first three months, the period from March 2016 through June 2016, the number of page views saw a 4.72% increase YOY, including an increase in the number of sessions (4.29%) and users (3.44%) and a decrease in the bounce rate (-3.47%), meaning readers were finding the content more useful and relevant.

The blog was not moved to the brand’s main dot.com domain until late July 2016, but after that implementation, the blog continued to drive organic search to the main dot.com site, and page views continued to increase in subsequent years.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Workflow was smooth and effective, with streamlined communication handled by myself and North Street's founder. We had access to other members of the team for calls and presentations if necessary but it really helped us manage the project on the Loews side to have almost all communication handled by the one contact. North Street always responded to questions swiftly and met all deadlines.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

We were most impressed by North Street Creative's creativity and depth of experience. They’re skilled at zeroing in on exactly what a client, and a specific project, needs. Their thorough discovery process really set them apart from other vendors we had considered (and worked with on different projects), so we knew they would be a strong partner for us throughout the engagement.

Are there any areas for improvement?

Nothing on the agency side. If we could have improved anything on this project, it would have been response time on our side. Sometimes, corporate culture on the Loews marketing side meant we were moving slower on decisions or review than was ideal.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

We are a direct to consumer winery with independent contractors who present in-home and Virtual Wine Tastings throughout the country. I am the Director of Marketing.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire North Street Creative?

The redesign of our website.

What were your goals for this project?

We needed a revamped, redesigned website to fit our current brand style guidelines and to better serve our independent contractors and customers. Our old website was slow and out of date. We needed the new site design to be mobile-first, user-friendly and, of course, present our brand vision, offerings and products in the best possible way to increase conversions.

One of our top goals was to have a website with as much flexibility and adaptability as possible so that we could adjust elements, content and messaging as needed, now and in the future.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

I had worked on a project at a previous job that had used North Street and was referred to them again by an associate. The vendor identification process was quite extensive and the pool was narrowed down to two vendors after months of research and proposals.

They fully understood our goals and were open to implementing our ideas, from both a form and function standpoint. They asked great questions, seemed to have a passion for the project and were very thorough in their communications with us. Ultimately, these were the deciding factors. Our Marketing and IT teams were both involved in the final selection.

Describe the project in detail.

I provided the initial list of examples of transitions, effects, buttons and other design elements that I was drawn to, in addition to our fonts, video and photography assets and they used this as a jumping-off point.

One of the major site requirements was to include the ability to have a personalized URL for each of our active independent contractors, presenting the site visitor with their specific information and attributing any sales or form inquiries to them.

North Street took the project from initial design ideas and site requirements (provided by our team) to concept mock-ups, to design, to functional previews and then to the full development of the site. Everything was designed from a mobile perspective first and then was adapted and translated to desktop. They started with the design of a few of our core pages first and then expanded from there.

What was the team composition?

There were six different members of their team that we worked with, two developers, one production director, one creative director, one production coordinator and during the initial meetings and development, their CEO. As the project advanced, I was mostly in communication with one developer and the production director.

Their team, our team, our outside software provider and our former website developer had to work together to resolve questions and ensure a smooth transition to the new site.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Due to factors outside of both our teams' control, the initial timeline got pushed back but I believe this extra time ultimately led to a better website overall and a smoother launch.

Though it's still too soon to tell in terms of quantitative analysis, our independent contractors have sent in dozens of positive reviews of the new site and are incredibly proud to show it off to their customers. Our new website is now a true reflection of who our company is and what we offer.

It has a clean, modern approach that allows our content and message to shine. It is the first impression for anyone looking to become involved with our company and now that impression is a great one.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

I appreciated the simple, streamlined approach to their project management. The key members of their team were available via email and as needed, we did quick check-in calls for status updates. They were very easy to work with. No egos, no pie in the sky promises, just nice, thoughtful, helpful people with great design sensibility.

We primarily communicated over email and through a Google Sheet I created to track bugs, formatting issues and other testing feedback. Most of this communication was between myself and Dave, their talented Managing Developer. Their team was quick to respond to items listed in this Google Sheet and we worked collaboratively to re-test and confirm fixes.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

They managed to combine elements of modern design with the key functionalities we needed. They were very good at addressing details and understanding our needs. The scope of work was quite extensive and took a great deal of work. Throughout it all, it was a pleasure working with their knowledgeable yet easygoing team.

Are there any areas for improvement?

Nothing specific comes to mind. However, I wish they were based on the West Coast so we could have another in-person, post-launch meeting. (Yes, with wine.)

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the director of Beekman Wealth Advisory, a multi-family wealth management company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with North Street Creative?

We wanted to redo our website because our old one wasn’t up-to-date. In addition to not being mobile- or iPad-friendly, it also had a lot of numbers that made it look too busy. We weren’t specific with our requirements; we just wanted a simple, clean website that better represented who we were.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Before we started, they created a distribution list for everyone that we were supposed to email on their team. North Street Creative then developed and designed the website, putting our mission statement front and center. 

The team also made the website highly interactive and added functionality that takes users to another page on the site when they click on parts of the mission statement. In addition to adding a search feature on the education part of the website, they incorporated some quotes from our white papers and made them interactive. 

What is the team composition?

We worked primarily with Tom (Founder & CEO) as well as 3–4 other teammates.

How did you come to work with North Street Creative?

They had done the maintenance on our previous website, so when we were looking for someone to develop our new website, we reached out to them. We ultimately chose to work with them because they had good ideas and understood our goals.

How much have you invested with them?

We invested between $20,000–$30,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked together from June–September 2019.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The website was excellent. It was exactly what we wanted and we were so proud of it. We were able to publish it and send it out to our clients, contacts, and Linkedin connections.

How did North Street Creative perform from a project management standpoint?

North Street Creative met every deadline. We had a three-month timeframe and they stuck with it.  They were in constant contact with us via email, over the phone, and in person. They spent a lot of time with us and were very responsive. 

In addition to meeting with us a few times at the beginning of the project, they came to our office when the website was launched internally on their end so that we could go over it together. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

Even though they’re creative people who aren’t in the finance industry, they did particularly well in terms of understanding who we are, what we do, and how to translate that into a website. North Street Creative deals with a variety of different industries and they do a great job within those industries, which isn’t easy.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, there’s nothing they could’ve done differently.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Express your ideas and goals clearly — that’s how we got the most out of the partnership. Since they weren’t well-versed in our industry, we specified our wants and needs and they were able to take that and run with it. Going into it with a clear vision of what you want will help reduce the amount of time it will take to complete the project.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the director of content solutions for Pensions & Investments newspaper, the leading news and information source for institutional investors. In this role, I works with clients to create compelling and insightful sponsored content that helps them tell their stories to the P&I audience, which includes the world's largest pension funds.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire North Street Creative?

One of our asset management clients partnered with us to survey our readership on the major investment challenges and trends and then to take the raw results and turn it into a compelling research paper.

What were your goals for this project?

Our goals were to 1) tell a thorough and complete story about what investment challenges our institutional investor audience were facing and to deliver that story in an engaging format. The final piece had to look good both in print and online.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

We had worked with North Street previously.

Describe the scope of their work in detail.

The North Street team had to take the research report, understand it and use that information to tell the story in a way that would resonate with the Pensions & Investments audience - a group of well trained and sophisticated investment professionals who don't have a lot of spare time. It would require a fair amount of back-and-forth between the team, the P&I team and the client.

What was the team composition?

We worked with the firm's principals and at least two designers.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

This project proved more challenging than we thought, largely because of changing demands from the P&I client, the late introduction of new design specs and other issues. But throughout, the North Street team was totally professional, flexible and on top of their game to deliver results that we were comfortable sharing with the client until the client was satisfied. The client was so pleased with the work that they engaged Pensions & Investments to develop a series of three half-day conferences in select cities across the U.S. to present the research paper to the P&I audience.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

The workflow was very effective. The North Street team was flexible as possible with deadlines but firm when they needed to be to keep us on track to produce the best results possible.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

It's just a good group of professionals who know what they're doing and make you feel as if you are their most important client. Never once did we feel like our project was taking a back seat to another one or that our delays were leading the team to spend less time or put less focus on our project.

Are there any areas for improvement?

Nothing comes to mind.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

Strategic Insights for data collection servicing the market research industry. COO responsible for global strategy and execution.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire North Street Creative?

Corporate Video, Marketing literature, Website Design, Trade show booth

What were your goals for this project?

The corporate video was to connect our customers to the marketplace and how Op4G differentiates it's operational excellence in the market.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

Extensive background reviews and I conducted working sessions with all the agencies. NorthStreet came out on top with their consultation, design, solutions and most importantly - their listening skills.

Describe the project in detail.

The corporate video was the most demanding project we put North Street on for. We laid out the vision on what we wanted to accomplish. They laid out a process that would make the most sense to generate a high quality product that would be marketed globally.

What was the team composition?

What's different about North Street Creative is that you work most of the organization. Tom, the founder is a creative genius that can listen and dissect your needs, then help find solutions to get you to your objectives. The design and project management team there do a phenonimal job.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We saw immediate success from the website design that generated an increase of 20% more visitors.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Due to the scheduling of the workflow, it's an effortless task to work with North Street. They act almost like an extension of our Marketing Department.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Willingness to listen first then identify areas of opportunity to bring value.

Are there any areas for improvement?

If you could clone their staff, that would be fantastic but impossible.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am an executive of ThorTech Solutions

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Software development consultancy specializing in solution architecture, data analytics, and cloud computing.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire North Street Creative to accomplish?

• Execute a brand refresh and website redesign strategy
• Port all content from existing site to new site
• Execute build of new website
• Provide recommendations based on data analysis and best practices

SOLUTION

How did you find North Street Creative?

Referral

Why did you select North Street Creative over others?

• High ratings
• Great culture fit
• Referred to me
• Company values aligned
• Highly customized experience

How many teammates from North Street Creative were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

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

We worked with North Street Creative to execute a brand refresh and rebuild/redesign of our website. The key deliverables included the North Street team coming up with a strategy and design concepts around the website/rebrand.

They provided us with a comprehensive data analysis of our current site to best understand how to structure the new site, building the actual site, porting all of our existing content from our old site to the new site. They provided a comprehensive analysis of the site along with recommendations based on data for any tweaks/changes they felt would benefit the overall site.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We rolled out the site in 2 phases because we had an important conference that we needed to fast-track some landing pages for. 1 of the progress metrics was North Street being able to have those pages fast-tracked before our conference, which they did. 

The second progress metric was to have the full site redesign completed by the end of the 6-month time frame, which they also did. We put them under significant time crunch during that first phase rollout and their team was incredible at not only getting it done, but providing stellar customer experience throughout the process.

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

Yes, North Street team delivered expectations on time. The project management team was great. We had a couple of hiccups with communication, however as soon as it became apparent that a change needed to be made, the team came up with a solution to ensure everyone was on the same page at all times. It is very clear to me that customer experience is of the utmost importance to the North Street team.

What was your primary form of communication with North Street Creative?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

Their design team did a great job of listening to the overall look and feel we wanted for the brand and executing it wonderfully. They provided great recommendations while ensuring the brand identity served as the guiding light. Not only was everyone from North Street extremely skilled, but their team is also very personable, friendly, and warm which made the experience that much better.

Are there any areas for improvement or something North Street Creative could have done differently?

As mentioned previously, we had a couple of hiccups in communication during our project, but as soon as it started, it was addressed and the team came up with a solution that increased visibility, communication, and ensured everyone was on the same page.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the CEO of Culina Health.

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Insurance based telemedicine nutrition consultations delivered by registered dietitians.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire North Street Creative to accomplish?

• Redesign of our logo
• Change in color palette
• Brand messaging

SOLUTION

How did you find North Street Creative?

Online Search
Why did you select North Street Creative over others?

• High ratings
• Pricing fit our budget
• Great culture fit
• Good value for cost
• Company values aligned

How many teammates from North Street Creative were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

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

Logo redesign, along with a change in color palette and brand messaging guidelines

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Our team and investors had a very specific vision and had multiple failed attempts with other branding agencies to deliver that vision. North Street was able to finally make our vision come to life.

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

North Street Creative provided very detailed timelines and kept our team on task to ensure deadlines were not missed. All needs were tended to in a timely fashion.

What was your primary form of communication with North Street Creative?

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

North Street was very specific in using research, strategy, messaging, design, and planning in order to take us on a journey to rebuild our brand. We had worked with other agencies in the past without as much effort into the project, which is why there were so many misses prior to working with them.

Are there any areas for improvement or something North Street Creative could have done differently?

Nope.