Ruckus

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m a marketing director for a swimwear manufacturer.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Ruckus?

We brought them on to help us establish our company as an industry leader. Our organization pivoted to move into e-commerce but people in the industry hadn't heard of us. We wanted to step up and relaunch our brand and move into more B2B marketing.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Ruckus helped us rebrand. At the beginning of the branding project, their team held brainstorming sessions. They came to our office to meet our team. We talked about everyone’s expectations.

Then, their team created different business materials. They recreated our logo, email signatures, letterhead, and business cards. They built a brand book and corporate sales deck that summarizes our company.

They helped us build out and launch our company website. Their team developed the site in WordPress, but they did custom work.

What is the team composition?

We had a day to day contact but worked with probably 15 different people over the course of the project. They let experts step in at the right time.

How did you come to work with Ruckus?

I looked into a couple of past partner agencies and agencies that work with us for other functions currently. I looked online and found Ruckus. I contacted them out of the blue and we ended up going with them.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent between $75,000–$100,000 on the project.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started the project in July 2019, and it wrapped up in April 2020. Our warranty period for them to tweak the site ended in May 2020.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Our company had history and vision that played into the rebrand. Those components were hard to pull that out of our executes. In our brainstorming sessions, Ruckus got everyone involved and pulled ideas out of our executives and turned that into a vision for our company.

Everyone in our company was pleased with what their team put together. The company deck and brand book went beyond my vision. They delivered products that were professional and elevated our brand. The website looked incredible. Everything ended up being exactly what I was hoping for and more.

How did Ruckus perform from a project management standpoint?

We had weekly meetings and communicated by e-mail too. Ruckus was organized and their team was process-driven. There was chemistry between us and their team, so the project was a joint effort. I went to their office to sit with their designers a couple of times. They also came and met with us when needed. Their team was good at communicating, so it was easy to work with them. They have talented people on their team.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their communication and willingness to work with us were most impressive. They were on top of the project at all times, which made us feel like we were their only client. Their team was responsive and accepting of anything that I needed.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, nothing comes to mind. This wasn’t a big deal, but my main point of contact changed. One person stopped emailing me as much and another person started e-mailing more. I assumed that my point of contact changed, but it was fine.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Make sure to communicate your vision upfront. They’re responsive, so be honest with them. If you don’t like a product, communicate that to them. Keep expectations clear.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I work for Qualis Capital, an alternative investment platform. I’m the managing director of business development and corporate branding.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Ruckus?

We’re a startup firm, so we were looking to Ruckus for logo creation, letterhead, a style guide, business cards, corporate brochures – any kind of startup marketing material we’d need to launch the business. We also needed direction on email marketing campaigns and templates of the sort.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

My team went to their office and did a large brainstorming session that helped us to come up with our overall marketing strategy.

We decided to bring them in on a continual basis for ongoing projects. Now that our logo is established and we have our style guide, color scheme, and the collateral we initially needed, we’ve moved onto content marketing. 

What is the team composition?

We’ve worked with 5–6 people from their team.

How did you come to work with Ruckus?

We found them through a referral from someone who’d used them in the past. Our team is spread out throughout the country, so we had a preliminary phone call with them.

How much have you invested with them?

I believe we’ve spent more than $25,000 and less than $50,000. 

What is the status of this engagement?

Our work together began in September or October 2019, and we’re still working with them. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Our team is very happy with the results of their work, and our board is pleased. We’ve shared their work with a couple of close friends and people in the business, and they’ve been very impressed by it as well.

How did Ruckus perform from a project management standpoint?

They’re very organized and professional, and they set the right expectations. We have scheduled calls, and they’re readily available via email. They’re very responsive when I reach out outside of our scheduled interactions.

What did you find most impressive about them?

It was apparent that they really cared about getting to know our business and what we do so that they could help us tell the story through the marketing aspect of it. They didn’t just come to us with ideas of what looks good; they really embodied our message.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, they’ve done a perfect job.

Any advice for potential customers?

Listen to them.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I work in outreach, marketing, and education for a local rape crisis and victim service center.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Ruckus?

We hired them to help us increase local awareness through more interactive marketing.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They worked with us to create video content to raise awareness of our agency and the issues we advocate about. They were involved from ideation through the actual production of the films. 

What is the team composition?

We had three primary points of contact, but there were probably around 10 people involved in total. 

How did you come to work with Ruckus?

We received a grant and looked at multiple organizations that fit the grant’s guidelines. They aligned with our values the best out of all the vendors we looked at. 

How much have you invested with them?

We invested about $60,000. 

What is the status of this engagement?

We began our ongoing relationship with them in early 2019.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We’re still waiting for the most recent video’s ad to finish running on social media to gather those statistics. However, since we released that video, there’s been increased traffic to our social media and website. Their work is helping broaden awareness of our services. 

How did Ruckus perform from a project management standpoint?

They’re wonderful. They were very organized, communicative, and patient with us, especially as we aren’t experienced with video production. The team did a great job of explaining their work step-by-step. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

The team at Ruckus takes the time to get to know the company and individuals they’re working with. As a result, the content they create is customized and personal. 

Are there any areas they could improve?  

I don’t think so. They were great to work with. Although there were bumps in the road, it was mostly related to receiving the grant money. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers? 

It’s important to be open and patient. Have trust in their expertise and know they’ll guide you in the right direction.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the founder of a legal cannabis company that is no longer around. It was called Winterlife Cannabis.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Ruckus?

We were looking to find an agency that would take this grey-market product and be able to envision what that market would look like in 5 years. I wanted to work with a company that was young and fresh, but still disciplined and organized.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

I talked to Micah (Director of Business Development) about what the project was and what we wanted to do. We went to New York to meet with the team and they did a brand audit. They also conducted a survey of the industry to see what’s going on right now and assessed the competition to determine where we fit in. 

They then took a look at all of our branding and led brand workshops for us where they helped us determine our target audience and vision. The team was about to start on other aspects of the project, but the investment we were expecting fell through.

This meant that they weren’t able to finish the project. Had everything gone according to plan, they would've done more work for us including logo and web design.

What is the team composition?

We worked with four main teammates. 

How did you come to work with Ruckus?

Micah was our main point of contact.

How much have you invested with them?

We ended up spending $40,000, but we had planned to spend $250,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

Our engagement lasted from about January–December 2018.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

I would work with them again in a heartbeat. Ruckus paid close attention to us as a company, helping us with our vision while offering their expertise. They wanted to help keep our brand true to us while making us commercially viable in as many places as possible, which was the ultimate goal. 

They treated us very well and the quality of the work they did was great. I was happy that they were a younger company, which was important to me.

How did Ruckus perform from a project management standpoint?

The communication was spot on. After we met with them in New York, we had conference calls to go over everything that they were working on. Given the three-hour time difference, they were very accommodating and willing to work according to our timezone.

What did you find most impressive about them?

The two things that I appreciated about Ruckus was their discipline and creativity. They had a good outlook and understood what they were doing. The team was on top of their work.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, I have no suggestions. All I wish is that we could’ve finished the project. I regretted that we weren’t able to do so on our side.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Take your time and don’t try to rush through it. Understand that the process is detailed and it involves a lot of work. Ruckus is going to do incredible work with the information they get from you, as long as you are a part of the process.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the founder of a social media platform tool that enables you to be able to manage your social media accounts using facial recognition.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Ruckus ?

We’re based in Australia and needed to launch in America. We wanted a company that would be able to build the brand, do the artwork, the market research, and taking us through to launch.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We started out with the digital market research to see if there was a need for the product. Then, we went into building the complete brand story, which included all the artwork, logo, designs, and font. Then, they built the efforts, made the marketing plan, and taking it out to launch.

What is the team composition?

We work with 4-5 people.

How did you come to work with Ruckus?

We did research on who would be our best digital marketers. We found several companies, but Ruckus was the best by far.

How much have you invested with them?    

We’ve invested $70,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We began working together in June 2019, and our engagement is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We’re very happy with the quality. There’s never any rush, or pressure to say we had to pick any particular design. They worked with us step by step until we were happy with the look and feel of the product.

How did Ruckus perform from a project management standpoint?

They were very good. We communicate via Skype.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They were professional, and we were confident they were doing things correctly the whole way through.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, nothing comes to mind.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Even if you’re on the other side of the world, you can still work with them with complete confidence.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the former creative director at an art gallery.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Ruckus?

We needed a team to help us do digital marketing, set up campaigns, and organize events in our space.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Ruckus provided a wide range of digital services. In addition to running campaigns, they managed our profiles on Facebook and Instagram. The team responded to followers in comments, crafted posts by taking and selecting photos, and invented hashtags for us. Whenever an opportunity arose where someone wanted to use our space to do interviews or special shoots, Ruckus arranged it for us on a schedule.

The team also hosted two events in our space around our exhibition: an opening event and a dance party event. They tried to reach out to possible collaborators and sponsors as well. A few went through, but others did not; I appreciated their hard work anyway.

Ruckus even designed and built our website on Wix. It was very simple, but it linked to a ticket portal that we built ourselves and integrated our digital campaigns. Everything was in one place and connected together.

What is the team composition?

I was working very closely with 3–4 people. When events happened, more people got involved.

How did you come to work with Ruckus?

I googled them, and they came up first. I looked at their website and saw that they had a lot of prestigious brands they worked with. They also showed that they were the best fit in their proposal and responsiveness to my emails. When I went to visit their office to ask questions about their services, they answered mu questions gave me their pitch in person. Lastly, I was looking for small companies to work with. and they had 20–30 people. They had the right size, price point, and range of services.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent about $40,000–$50,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

The project ran from August–November 2018.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The campaign was successful. Ruckus built everything from zero, and we grew a lot of followers and people who wanted to come see our exhibition. I don’t have any metrics. However, I could easily see that they were managing a lot, but they remained responsive to all the followers that were interested in our show.

How did Ruckus perform from a project management standpoint?

Ruckus was very transparent. They made it clear who our account manager was. In some meetings, their CEO came in to give us strategic advice. We scheduled monthly meetings, but I was also texting my point of contact at Ruckus day and night. They were really quick to get things done. If we needed something done overnight, they tried their best to make it happen for us. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

They approached the project very strategically but didn’t hesitate to try new things. They knew what they’re doing, so they never wasted time. I also appreciated their responsiveness to their clients’ needs and requests.

Are there any areas they could improve?

It’s hard to say. They were very successful in managing the project. I’d love Ruckus to have more people working for them. 

Any advice for potential customers?

Have a clear goal of what you want, and let them support that goal.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CFO of O Skin Care + Spa. We provide skincare services and sell cosmetic products.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Ruckus?

We hired them for branding support.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Their team conducted a comparative analysis with the brands we view as competitors. They gathered analytics and information on our traffic and SEO efforts.

From there, they gave suggestions to make improvements. They made recommendations on the different color schemes we will utilize, along with the tone and overall vibes. We were discussing moving forward with a logo design, but our project is paused. 

What is the team composition?

Between 6–7 people worked with us. 

How did you come to work with Ruckus?

I found them online after researching branding firms. 

How much have you invested with them?

We spent around $90,000. 

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in December 2019 and our efforts are paused due to Coronavirus. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

They did a good job and presented all of their deliverables very well. From start to finish, they were great and overall I was satisfied. 

How did Ruckus perform from a project management standpoint?

They always called and scheduled Zoom meetings to stay in contact with us. We could always reach them if we had any questions. We received updates from their team and they sought our feedback before moving to the next phase. 

For a few stages, they got our approval before going forward. They were very organized and efficient, there was always something going on. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

Even though we’re a small business, they still gave us a reasonable proposal and worked with us. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

There’s nothing I can think of right now—everything was good. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Research other branding companies so you understand the cost. It was a big amount of money, but what they delivered was good.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the global digital marketing manager for a machinery corporation based in Illinois.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Ruckus?

We needed a development partner to help us with frontend development and UI/UX design for our application.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Their team built out the entire frontend of our web application, using Adobe XP for the UI/UX and Bootstrap and HTML for the frontend code. They used those to build a variety of internal pages, product pages and content pages, and features such as site search.

We’ve discussed moving into other services, such as PPC advertising and other digital marketing efforts, but we haven’t had time to dig into those quite yet.

What is the team composition?

They generally had 4–5 people working on the project with us.

How did you come to work with Ruckus?

I found them on the internet and decided they would be a good fit based on their areas of expertise, among other considerations.

How much have you invested with them?

The total project cost was around $50,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them in March 2019 and are continuing to collaborate.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

They’ve hit every requirement that we set out for them at the beginning of the project and more. They put in extra time in order to make sure we stay on track in terms of deadlines and are always receptive to feedback in order to make sure you are satisfied with their work.

How did Ruckus perform from a project management standpoint?

We got off to a bit of a rough start, but once we established a solid project manager handling their developers, the process got a lot smoother and really helped the project take off from there.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Ruckus is both highly skilled and passionate about making sure everything is done right. You can always tell that this isn’t just a job for them, it’s a genuine interest, and that translates to the quality of the work and service they are providing for you.

Are there any areas they could improve?

We have talked about being able to see and comment on open tickets that we submitted so that it would be easier to track progress. They know about the issue and are working to develop a better ticketing system, which is really encouraging to see.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Just stay connected with your project manager. Your engagement will significantly benefit the development process.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

Director of Marketing for Tuskes Homes Tuskes Homes is 3rd generational home builder in the Lehigh Valley for over 50 years building new home communities.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Ruckus?

We have continually used Ruckus for video production work and collaboration to highlight our new home communities, our homes and our biggest asset which is our homeowners. They have created compelling testimonials, home tours, community videos and more while always keeping the heart and the brand of our company in mind.

What were your goals for this project?

To continual create great content for our website, social media and other areas for our customers.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

We had used other vendors on and off for years. When we teamed with Ruckus though we felt that they truly understood the needs of our company and could help us push our company and branding forward with a consistent, creative and inventive video production.

Describe the video(s) and the process in detail.

Ruckus was always sure to meet with us on our goals and needs in mind. We collaborated in advance together on each video from the start which included what we were looking to produce, creative aspect of the project all the way down to the details of the production of the project including detailed outline and schedules. They did all the heavy lifting of scheduling and working out the details of the shoot and kept our teams on the same page through out the process.

What was your vendors' project management or feedback process?

They have always worked along side with us to get our in put and feedback so that the needs and goals of our projects were met.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We have always seen great ROI on any of the projects they have produced for us whether it was high engagement on social media or through our website and other various outlets. Any videos produced have received excellent feedback from our customers and also other industry partners who wanted to know who produced our work.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

The team is super organized and easy to work with. Communication is always top notch and any projects we have worked on have always been well planned out and organized leaving us to do little work except provide our vision, goals and feedback.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

The people. The team we have always worked with are exceptional and at the top of their game. Always there to provide creative solutions and ideas for us.

Are there any areas for improvement?

Our needs have always been met and usually exceeded our expectations.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I’m the director of marketing for a food and beverage company. I oversee the agency and ensure the rebranding project aligns with our vision.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Ruckus?

We hired them to help us define our brand, including what it looks and sounds like. We needed a partner to help us organize and present our vision.

What were your goals for this project?

The goals of this project were to develop and present options for channels through which we could present our brand. The outcome was to create a website offering both an experience and information. We also wanted to create in-store signage, a brand guidelines book, custom lettering, and illustrations.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

This decision was made prior to my start date. They wanted a local partner that was extremely creative with food and beverage experience.

Describe the scope of their work in detail.

They help us with a variety of things: developing brand guidelines, creating a custom font and illustrations, guiding our lifestyle and product photo shoot with 300-plus images, sourcing photographers for our shoot, developing our website, and designing in-store materials (e.g., menus, posters, ordering collateral).

What was the team composition?

It's very transparent. We typically work with our account manager, but we also regularly interact with the president and the designers.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The best things we've seen are the custom illustrations and lettering they created from scratch. The artwork is based on old Indian art, which that makes sense for our brand.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

They’re good at keeping up with our projects. Overall, they're easy to work with.

Are there any areas for improvement?

They should increase the frequency of communication so we know what stage of a project we are in. I'd also like them to present a wider variety of creative ideas.

They’re extremely creative and out-of-the-box thinkers. Sometimes, however, when we are in the middle of a project and we've given feedback on an idea, it would be nice to see some variations of our agreed idea.