The Parlor - Creative Agency

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the CEO of a PR agency.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire The Parlor, and what were your goals?

We hired The Parlor for PR support in fields that we do not produce ourselves, also based on very great reviews.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

I have met Justin, the founder while networking and we had an instant connection.

Describe the scope of their work in detail, including any steps and the final deliverables.

They mostly help with communication and marketing strategy and content creation. They have helped with branding and rebranding, awareness campaigns, video production, website development and creative content.

How many people from the vendor's team worked with you, and what were their positions?

• Justin, the founder
• Joren, the lead creative

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We collaborated on multiple projects with The Parlor. We take care of the PR side and they are responsible for the marketing. Each and every time our clients were very satisfied with the approach and the content created by The Parlor.

Describe their project management style, including communication tools and timeliness.

They have a very proactive approach. They always start with a discovery/strategic phase, in order to understand the client’s needs and goals. They were very thorough in their preparation, which facilitated the whole process and guaranteed the desired outcome. The discovery phase happens through physical meetings. After that it’s mostly emails and phonecalls/video conferences. They also use Asana. For the more complex and long term projects they use an agile approach.

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

We were very glad to work with them because the service is very professional and honest. They are creative and have great ideas. Their understanding of the real needs of the client and their audience. They know exactly what they talk about and are very professional. We were also positively surprised with the speed of their answers and execution.

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

Not at all.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm the owner of a sales consulting firm. We provide IT-companies with full 360-support in regards to sales.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire The Parlor, and what were your goals?

We are expanding to different countries and needed help in getting our digital / online presence up to speed. Our target audience needs to find us through inbound actions.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor and what were the deciding factors?

The Parlor assisted us in the process from A to Z. They guided us through every step and helped us to create the perfect digital marketing solution.

Describe the scope of work in detail, including the project steps, key deliverables, and marking tools used.

We had a first meeting around this topic where they probed our needs. It was very clear that we missed a lot of insights. By doing this exercise together we where able to come up with an action plan. After this we received a very nice and correct (hindsight) estimate of all the costs and expenses that we would need to foresee. They worked in different sprints where on a regular basis we where kept up to speed about the progress. After validation of the different milestones the solutions where all put into place.

How many resources from the vendor's team worked with you, and what were their positions?

We worked with the company owner, one of his sales people, with his creative team. Behind the scenes there where other people involved but that was kept to a bare minimum. I like this approach due to the fact that I want to channel all my questions, remarks, ... to 1 person. The involvement of the owner of the company showed me a nice commitment.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any measurable outcomes of the project or general feedback about the deliverables?

I am not able to share measurable outcomes due to the fact that this data is classified in our company. What I can say is that looking on what was promised and the current return that we can actually see they are doing more than what was asked / promised!

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Very effective. First a kick-off, than bi-weekly followup meeting. Very good meeting notes with clear deliverables always defined. I loved working with them.

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

That we now found a partner where we will put ALL of our PR, Marketing, Digital Strategy, Content Creation,... due to the fact that this is the second time that we work with them and it is always better than what we hoped for.

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

We have compared them in regards to offering, pricing (very important!!), approach,... to other competitors of them here in Belgium and the Netherlands. Nobody came close. There is an awesome motivation and drive with these guys that you need to feel! You"ll love it!

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the founder and CEO of a company called Heat International. My company has been in existence for 30 years and is all about sports entertainment and promoting a healthy lifestyle through charity events.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with The Parlor?

I am always looking for a partner that could support me when it comes to big, worldwide events since I specialize in these. It is important to have people that could always back me up, even from a distance, with marketing, setting up the website, and making the videos. Because we would work in different time zones, it is also important that I have people who are very flexible and could work on weekends, holidays, or evenings since this is a normal practice in my business. 

I like to work with people who can provide me the full package, so I hired The Parlor.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Justin (Creative Director) has done website development for one of my big projects. It is based on WordPress which makes it easy for me to adjust certain aspects myself if necessary. I am not a specialist, but I can work a little bit with the platform.

They have also done some content creation, like videos and photoshoots, for some other projects. They have provided the whole package. I am now working on a charity project which is for the fight against breast cancer. We’ve done a test event last year and are now going all over Europe with it. 

What is the team composition?

I have Justin as my contact person. He helps me with the whole package whether it is with photos, marketing or social media. He has other people working for him, but I mainly communicate with him, which is easier.

How did you come to work with The Parlor?

I knew Justin from the past, but we lost contact for a while. We got back in touch and started working together.

How much have you invested with them?

For most of the projects that we work on, the budget is around €50,000 (approximately $61,000 USD).

What is the status of this engagement?

We started about two years ago and are still working together. I try to involve Justin in all of my projects because as long as he is doing a great job and he is flexible, there is no reason not to work with him.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

In my company, quality comes first. It is impossible otherwise to work in the international event business. We never stop until everything, including the feedback, is perfect. Everyone who is part of my organization needs to have the same mindset and strive for perfection. 

Quality and flexibility have always been very good. The Parlor is always trying to think outside of the box, trying to make our ideas bigger and better and doing something differently from how other people would.

How did The Parlor perform from a project management standpoint?

I am always in contact with Justin personally, which is how I like to work. For me, that personal correspondence — being able to just call, send a message on WhatsApp, or meet up with him — is a very important thing. In a creative world, you need to be able to sit together at the table to put something to paper or to plan.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their flexibility is most impressive. Justin is always there for me at any time of day, wherever I am in the world. They are people I can count on.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, not really. Things are going really well.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m a brand and project manager of an apartment rental company in Belgium.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with The Parlor?

We needed help with graphic design, so we hired The Parlor.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

At the time when we engaged them, we were transitioning into a rebrand which implicated the need for a new brand book. We had an idea of what we wanted the brand to look like and held briefings where we more or less elaborated this, but The Parlor helped us translate that into real, live designs. 

The Parlor has helped create advertising banners, printable brochures, and posters, among other things. They’ve also helped with technical animation work. It was together with them that we’ve been able to really put the brand out there.

What is the team composition?

I work with Justin (Founder & Creative Director).

How did you come to work with The Parlor?

I found The Parlor online and included them in my shortlist of graphic design agencies. We immediately hit it off during a face-to-face conversation, prior to COVID-19, so we chose to work with them.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve invested €2,000–€3,000 (approximately $2,000–$4,000 USD).

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in October 2020 and the partnership is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The overall feedback has been great. The Parlor finishes designs much faster. Everything is going forward in the right direction with good results.

How did The Parlor perform from a project management standpoint?

The project management is going really smoothly and I’ve set up Asana to have a joint board with them. We meet over phone calls if the briefing is extensive, but our communication is petty informal and mainly done through Asana, WhatsApp, and Slack.

What did you find most impressive about them?

We can rely on The Parlor to give good input. Justin has really helped direct our new brand, which is something not all agencies can do. They’ve basically done graphic design but have also provided animations and videos which could broaden our spectrum in the future.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No. I don’t have any negative comments to give.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Jump right in with a face-to-face conversation or Zoom call to get to know The Parlor. Set up a structure as I did with Asana as it is very helpful.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the creative director for De Facto Image Building. We’re a communication agency based in Ghent, Belgium.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with The Parlor?

One of our clients wanted to launch a new brand from scratch. We needed The Parlor to help us develop the new logo, packaging, and on- and offline marketing. We also needed help with target analysis and strategic advice.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

The first step we took with The Parlor was a brainstorm session to align on all the client’s needs and demands, internally and externally. They helped us a lot during this part. The second step was the logo creation. We shared the client’s briefing and gave them a mood board. We went through the creation process, which included the typography, colors, and packaging, using InDesign. Then, we went online to see if we can transfer the decision in an online strategic course. After that, we put the partnership on hold to focus on copy and text in French, English, and Dutch.

We came back to The Parlor to work on the visual communication aspects, such as eye-catching logos of all kinds of sizes. Afterward, we went to the market to do some tests. We held an inquiry about the different types of logos and the marketing to see if it was well-aligned and if there was a big focus on the target groups. They provided us with strategic advice on what we could do to reach these groups. Finally, we did a tasting event and we went to the market with the product itself.

What is the team composition?

I worked with an art director and a junior art director. 

How did you come to work with The Parlor?

We found The Parlor through word-of-mouth from other companies. I called some of the clients who worked with them on other projects to see if they had a good collaboration and if they could do the job. 

How much have you invested with them?

We invested €10,000 (approximately $12,000 USD).

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked together from February–March 2021, and the project was put on hold because of COVID-19 and budgetary reasons.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

It's hard to measure a client's satisfaction or reaction to a design or logo and put it in actual figures. However, I received a mail where the client shared that they were very, very pleased and happy with the design, idea, and creation that we came up with.

How did The Parlor perform from a project management standpoint?

They used Microsoft tools for registration and email and FileMaker for statistics. We also used Yadera for time registration and project management. We communicated via telephone and email. We also met in person, but we followed the COVID-19 measures taken in Belgium like wearing masks and maintaining social distancing.

What did you find most impressive about them?

The Parlor doesn’t think out-of-the-box; they live out-of-the-box. We got the impression that they were an essential part of our team, and it felt like we’d already worked with them on other projects. The collaboration was very organic; I felt really at ease, which doesn't happen often. They also understood the project very well, and I think that's an asset.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I cannot think of anything that could’ve been done differently, because the collaboration felt very good. If it wasn't for the client, then we would still be working together.

Any advice for potential customers?

Do it; work with them.