Spire Agency

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the co-founder and CCO of ClearShift, a cleaner, more sustainable specialty products and chemicals company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Spire Agency?

We founded our company under a different name, Advantage Midstream. Our initial goal was to eliminate flaring and produce fuels out of flare gas. As our company evolved, we got into more specialty products — like paints, dyes, and cosmetics — and away from fuels. We also did everything in a sustainable manner.

That shift made our name confusing to the markets. In our industry, the word ‘midstream’ is typically associated with pipelines, natural gas, and oil processing. Based on this business challenge, we decided that we needed to shift our brand and image to be more in line with what we actually are. That’s why we engaged Spire.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Spire led a very organized and prescriptive setup. First, they interviewed our management team and key decision-makers. They asked these stakeholders what the company meant to them and what their vision of the company was. Spire got to know the industry through this interview process.

They also did some research on their own to understand the competition and the landscape of the industry. Then, they came back with some findings. They then lead us through a name selection process, which was iterative and thoughtful. We then went through a similar iterative process with logo design and slogan generation.

We then engaged Spire to build a ground-up website for us. They applied the branding work they’d done to the website. We let them know what we wanted to see on the website and what page categories we wanted to have. We then went through a multi-step process of wireframing and layout to get to our final design. After that, it was just providing copy, and they took it from there. We ended up with what we think is a really great website.

They also set us up with a fully functional CMS so we can edit the website on our own after the fact, which has proven useful.

What is the team composition?

Our main points of contact are Marissa (Senior Account Executive) and Kimberly (Owner & Partner). Marissa acts as our account coordinator, and Kimberly is also heavily involved — she attends every meeting. 

How did you come to work with Spire Agency?

We did a competitive bidding process.

What is the status of this engagement?

Our work together began in August 2019, and we officially kicked that September. Our work is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Spire is very thoughtful and creative. Changing your entire corporate identity is a very difficult process, but Spire was diligent throughout. They asked the right questions and led a prescriptive process that helped us manage everything. The team really carried the ball forward in a meaningful way. I’ve been part of rebrands where I did 99% of the work, but Spire made the process easy. 

Their brand thoughtfulness was ideal. They took something that they didn’t know anything about — the clean chemical space — and really helped us get our message out there. They focused on our audience and positioning our brand accordingly.

How did Spire Agency perform from a project management standpoint?

They handle all of the project management. Our interfaces with them are primarily about data requests. When they reach a major milestone, they come to us and allow us to choose from several options. They make adjustments and then give us more options.

The team delivers on time. I can’t comment on their internal project management, but from the customer side, they do well.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their core focus is B2B, and that is really attractive to us because we are primarily a B2B company. Their expertise and niche in B2B made them stand out to us. They have a good, effective team and use what resources they need — nothing more. Clients don’t get weighed down by administrative costs associated with larger agencies.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, not really. I couldn’t imagine a better experience.

Any advice for potential customers?

If you need B2B, go with Spire — they’ve got that down. They’re the best value out there, and they deliver a great product.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the director of marketing at Payer Compass, a healthcare technology innovator that focuses on providing healthcare cost solutions and transparency.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Spire Agency?

We were challenged with elevating our brand among our competitors when we noticed that everyone was starting to step up their game in terms of marketing and promotional efforts. So, we decided that it was time to take it up a notch as well and to close that gap. 

We wanted to make sure that we were not only staying on top of our game but also ahead of our competitors when it came to the messaging and the overall look and feel and how we were targeting the right clientele in the market space.

We were definitely a bootstrapped, young organization that had been doing everything internally. To finally turn out work for these sorts of professional services, it was very obvious we had to start from the ground up and build that foundation.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Spire Agency started off by defining our messaging and positioning platform as an organization and led us through an exercise that aligned the marketing team on key messages and selling points and also spread that across our executive team. 

We then designed our website. We have a parent page on our main solution and, at Spire Agency’s direction, we included additional solutions on that same page to help the user understand what can go together, creating more points of engagement for users.

They also rebranded collateral material and put together pitch decks that were specific to the two markets that we serve. Spire made sure to address those two different market segments using similar materials and a similar look and feel. 

We've also worked with them to produce product sales sheets and digital brochures and to align our organization with the newly defined brand.

What is the team composition?

We worked with two teammates regularly, and we also worked with another 2–3 for other elements.

How did you come to work with Spire Agency?

We were looking for a marketing agency with a very quick turn, so I reached out to some colleagues and started to vet a couple of recommendations. Some agencies weren't taking on new clients or we weren't the right size. I stumbled upon Spire Agency when I was looking at healthcare agencies in Dallas on Google Search.

The team took my call and we started a conversation. I dug deeper and looked at samples of their work, and I was just blown away by their creativity. It was a match made right on the spot. 

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent just north of $200,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them in November 2019. We’re in the process of implementing stage two of our website and finalizing digital brochures. We’re also retooling our updated presentation templates to reflect our newer website. The updated website went live in June 2020.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Spire Agency definitely helped us step up our game. There was just a more streamlined level of communication and messaging we were sharing externally as an organization. Our website is also much warmer and current with a better UI. 

Our bounce rates were between 79%–92% before, and we’ve gotten them down to about 30%–42% now, which is driven by Spire Agency’s guidance on page layout and content.

Our board of directors has been very pleased with the look and feel and the direction that we've taken the company from a brand perspective. 

I've noticed that we've seen a couple of our competitors emulating our images, adding a warm human element to their marketing campaigns, and using some of the same language that we pulled to the forefront. 

Additionally, our sales team is appreciative of the fact that they have more enablement tools at their fingertips and just a more elevated product. Before we were doing things in-house, using word and Adobe as much as we could. This has really upped our sales game as well. 

How did Spire Agency perform from a project management standpoint?

Sometimes they weren't the fastest, but the product that they delivered was truly worth the wait. It was beautifully designed and impeccable. One of the things I did appreciate was sometimes they would push back. They are not order-takers. 

The team would pose questions to us that made us think and would give us a couple of options to consider. Spire Agency would also show us things that were bolder. They're strategic in their product development. As I said, they're not the fastest, but, ultimately, the result is beyond expectation. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their creativity is exceptional. I looked at some of the other agencies that I initially had my eye set on, and I can confidently look back and see that the product that we've received from Spire Agency far surpasses what we were going to get elsewhere. 

Their creativity really separates them from others. The team was willing to dig into our space and understand our market because it’s not easy to explain healthcare. They were willing to come to the table, ask questions, and gain an understanding in order to be successful.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Initially, there were some gaps in communication, and we were transparent about that because we wanted it to be a long term relationship. The team was responsive and worked efficiently to close those gaps in communication and improve the follow-up and the recapping of the goings-on. 

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the director of product management and strategic solutions for a market leader in technology for pharmacies and long-term care facilities. In my role, I wear several hats.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Spire Agency?

We were originally part of a large parent company but wanted to differentiate our selves in the marketplace. In order to get that recognition, we brought their team on to reposition and rebrand the company.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

The rebranding effort included a new logo, website, and branding guidelines. At first, we had a positioning workshop. For that, several executive members of our company went to their offices to give them an idea of everything that we offer as a company. They interviewed us as a group and individually. From there, they got to work on the deliverables. The new site was created in Wagtail CMS. 

What is the team composition?

We worked with just about their whole team. I believe there were about 10 individuals assigned to the work.

How did you come to work with Spire Agency?

I knew a few of their employees, so I was aware of the company going into this project. Another one of our business partners also works with them. They recommended their services to us

How much have you invested with them?

We spent between $100,000–$200,000 with them. 

What is the status of this engagement?

We engaged with them in November of 2018, and the deliverables launched in February 2020. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We’ve received plenty of positive feedback both within our organization and at our brand launch at a conference. There, we got plenty of unsolicited comments about the logo, colors, and overall brand look and feel.  

How did Spire Agency perform from a project management standpoint?

They hit all their deadlines, even when we made them somewhat unrealistic. There were a handful of times when they pulled us out of the fire. We communicated over phone calls and sharing Google Sheets.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They took the time to understand our business and educate our team about the importance of branding. It was important to start broad and work our way up, and they helped us internalize that. Additionally, they had an impressive creative team that blew us away with their talent.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I can’t think of anything. They’re awesome. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Listen to their insight because they’re great strategic thinkers and can look at concepts from a new perspective.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the brand marketing director at Tyler Technologies, a software company that provides services for any public sector entities. This includes schools, courts, first responders, tax assessment systems, and any other utility and city services work.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Spire Agency?

We publish an annual report each year. We were looking for creative concepts to add to the report.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Beating out several other agencies, Spire Agency came back with three different concepts. They presented those in a traditional board form and electronic versions. Their team gave a presentation for our senior management. Once their concept was selected, they were in charge of producing the annual report. Spire Agency coordinated and produced artwork, photography, and the printing and shipping of the report.

What is the team composition?

We worked with three primary contacts. David (VP Account Services, Spire Agency), Jason (Senior Designer, Spire Agency), and Kimberly (Owner & Partner, Spire Agency) were directly involved. I’m sure other members of their staff were involved in some capacity.

How did you come to work with Spire Agency?

I knew one of their account reps from a previous agency several years ago, and we kept in touch. When his non-compete had run out, he contacted me and began discussing work they could do for Tyler Technologies.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve invested about $180,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We began working with Spire Agency on this project in August 2018.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We do post the reports electronically on our website, but mainly they go to our shareholders. Since those are hard copies, we have no direct way of tracking them.

How did Spire Agency perform from a project management standpoint?

They performed extremely well when it came to project management. Their team was flexible on unforeseen adjustments, but help us to the set schedule.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Spire Agency strives to understand businesses before producing work. They conducted interviews with myself, key stakeholders, some of our customers, and shareholders. Their team wanted to get an idea of what those audiences wanted to see in an annual report.

Since we use this report as a marketing tool, they also held interviews with management within the company as an effort to showcase the financial strength of our business. Spire Agency did their research before embarking on the creative work.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Sometimes I felt that their resources were stretched thin, but they never missed deadlines, and we had no issues. It just felt that they were running on fumes at times because of the workload.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

I would definitely recommend them, and also would suggest that they open their organization to inquiry. As I said, Spire Agency’s strength is the fact that they understood our business. If customers let them understand their goals and let them inside their company, they will find that Spire Agency is talented in delivering research and translating that into creative concepts. Their work will meet the key objectives your team sets out.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I worked with Spire Agency as the former CEO of two companies: OptiSense Network and Younicos. I’m a turnaround CEO, which means that I get brought in to provide leadership when venture-backed companies run into trouble and need help properly commercializing their technologies.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Spire Agency?

In both cases, we hired them to resolve a branding issue.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

With OptiSense, which is based in the U.S., we didn’t have an established brand. The logo was very dated and we didn’t even understand how to product-tie and market our solution in the marketplace. Spire Agency completely rebranded for us. They also helped with reproductization and provided a comprehensive go-to-market strategy, which included marketing materials, trade show booths, and customer communication.

In the case of Younicos, they were a Berlin-based asset we’d acquired and we were struggling with how to product-tie a new offering, as well as with how to brand it and get it to market. The product was related to energy storage, which was a relatively new topic and unfamiliar to many industrial customers. Spire helped us helped us with branding, marketing, and the launch of that product.

What is the team composition?

We worked with anywhere from three to six people at various points in each project.

How did you come to work with Spire Agency?

One of my former colleagues had known the team at Spire since the company formed. He introduced me to Kimberly Tyner, their owner, who is impressive in her creativity and ability to execute ideas. Spire didn’t have the biggest name or reputation, but meeting with Kimberly gave me full confidence in their capabilities.

How much have you invested with them?

I’m not entirely sure, but it was at least $200,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

I worked with them across both companies from March 2011 to March 2017.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

After the rebranding at OptiSense, we went from producing nothing commercially to selling about $1 million of product per month within about two and a half years. This was in large part because Spire worked with us on a new branding and trade booth strategy. They helped us purchase a premium booth so we didn’t have to rent a generic one and they gave us more nuanced marketing materials. After that, our booth was 100% booked for four days at our next trade show, resulting in 200 solid leads. It started a massive increase in presence for us.

How did Spire Agency perform from a project management standpoint?

They assigned an account manager for us who handled communication and project coordination. He integrated smoothly with our team, kept us informed, and handed off different aspects of the work to his team as needed. All of our project milestones were met on time and they always invested an appropriate level of effort. They were also accurate and transparent with billing, so there were never any surprise costs.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I felt like I was their only client even though I knew I wasn’t. Their customer engagement was excellent. They listen well, learn to grasp the unique needs of your company, and translate that into a specific outcome. It’s easy for contractors to get stuck in trying to learn your mission or values, but Spire is extremely efficient with this process. They also use customer feedback to hone the messaging until they create something that’s unique and makes people excited.

I think this level of quality is due to the fact that they’re all highly specialized, capable people. Whether we needed graphic design, a company mission and profile, or someone to tease out a value proposition, everyone at the company was extremely experienced and capable.

Are there any areas they could improve?

As their business continues to grow, I hope they can maintain their strong customer service.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the development manager for Howard, one of the largest CPA firms in North Texas. I oversee marketing our brand and recruitment initiatives.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Spire Agency?

I came onboard to revamp our whole marketing image. I needed a marketing brand firm to develop our social media presence, rebuild our brand image from scratch, and increase brand awareness and our position in the marketplace.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They conducted extensive research of our competition, and brought that back to our senior leadership team for strategy workshops. They started from the ground up to develop true messaging and positioning. We needed to change our name, our logo, and put ourselves in a better position for our clients and team members. They overhauled all of that, along with any client-facing elements, including our whole website.

We did our own social media work internally, but they helped us as we recreated our image on those platforms. They helped with messaging, and our business cards, letterhead, stationary, and every design aspect. They were involved in digital promo items, invoices, software, telephone messaging, and signature blocks. We had very little time to go live and essentially transform into a different firm.

Luckily, I’ve done many of these brand changes, and knew where I wanted to go. We were able to work with their team, who understood the big picture and could take everything and execute it. They let us do some of the work on our side, which let us reassign more of our budget to the creative side.

What is the team composition?

We had one main point of contact who delegated all their work on their side.

How did you come to work with Spire Agency?

Our founder attended a photo shoot for one of our clients years ago. He met Spire there and got their business card. He had it in his desk for years, and gave it to me to call them when I came on and started the rebranding. We were considering two other firms, but they weren’t the right fit. Spire gave the best presentation, and were the surest they could finish the brand launch by our hard date in November 2013.

How much have you invested with them?

Our annual cost varies, based upon what projects we assign to them. The initial investment was $125,000, and our current total investment is over $200,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

I joined the company in July 2013, and we started working together around that time. We launched the rebrand that November. We still work together on other projects.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

After the relaunch, we were a finalist for the American Marketing Association’s Corporate Rebrand of the Year award. That was huge, and really boosted brand awareness. We’re now able to take in applications through the site, and the number of qualified leads went up amazingly within the first year. Recruiting applications and contact forms both went up, and one new client that year paid for our investment in the engagement.

How did Spire Agency perform from a project management standpoint?

I’ve done several brand relaunches, even with huge firms, and this was one of the easiest I’ve done in terms of having one contact at the agency. Regardless of my need, I could always go to my one main contact, which made the process super easy. We had such a tight deadline, and this really helped.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They’re personal. Sometimes they have great ideas that don’t fit our firm yet, so they adjust. They keep brainstorming and, five years later, we’re coming back to some of their creative touchpoints for bigger campaigns. They don’t charge me for every little consulting email or phone call, and they’re able to run through things quickly and move on.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, there’s nothing I’d improve. I recommend them highly, and still do work with them both personally and professionally.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Be open to their ideas and suggestions. You might need to compromise to fit your budget, but they will work with you on that. They’ll also help you push ideas internally to restructure your budget spending. They can provide mockups to compare what you want with what fits in the budget, and make recommendations for the long haul.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the president and CEO of a startup in the building materials space, specifically focused on roofing. We are currently developing and preparing to launch a new style of synthetic roofing shingle. We’ll start up our business servicing the markets near to us, then grow to a national scale as quickly as possible.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Spire Agency?

We were looking to begin the process of creating our brand identity. We had a lot of ideas about how we wanted to position ourselves, but we needed to condense them into a few coherent points. We would then use these to build our branding identity, and then start with marketing.

I have over 30 years of experience in this industry, and the VPs we have are also experienced. We needed Spire to make our ideas more concise so we could build our marketing campaign and sales approach around them.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

One of the original deliverables was a positioning statement where they created a strategic brand platform document to be used as a guide for our work. They developed the product names, and augmented development in Exhibit for all of the associated parts and pieces. This included assets used in a tradeshow booth for the International Roofing Expo.

They also helped us get an initial website up, and they’re currently working on our permanent site, as well as sales collateral. They’ve helped us create some public relations work as well.

As a building materials business, we have to be able to present our product line and show samples to homeowners and contractors who install them. We’re doing our marketing in-house, but Spire is definitely aiding us in that process by building style guides and a consistent branding identity.

How did you come to work with Spire Agency?

I was searching for a smaller firm that was not necessarily experienced in building materials, but had done a contemporary and creative branding strategy before. I was also looking for someone in the Dallas or Ft. Worth area so we could have a close working relationship. Spire was one of the three firms we evaluated, and we ended up being very impressed with their previous work along with their thoughts about developing our brand.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent about $350,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in June 2016, and the relationship is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We haven’t commercialized ourselves yet, so we’re not currently active in the marketplace. However, the work Spire did for us in preparation for the International Roofing Expo was a huge success. The booth design, exhibit, and other various components were all excellent. Our stand was busy from start to finish every single day, and contractors were very excited to hear about our new product. We received consistent feedback that they liked the experience of our exhibit, which Spire contributed heavily to.

How did Spire Agency perform from a project management standpoint?

They’re okay. I’m used to starting with a creative brief with past agencies, which pushes the team to move through the project. Spire is a bit loose when it comes to this area, but we wanted a smaller firm that we could personally engage, so a rigid process wasn’t necessary. This isn’t a negative trait of their company, but more just a part of their personality as a smaller firm.

We haven’t had issues with communication or deadlines. If they were a larger firm, I could see us having to chase deadlines a bit more aggressively.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They’re a very creative team, and they see ways to put sparkle and pizzazz on things that are typically presented in a more mundane fashion. I like their edginess and the fact that they’re willing to push the envelope with their creative work.

Are there any areas they could improve?

If they could implement a creative brief at the beginning of a project, that would be very helpful to the process.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the Head of Marketing and Communications for a regional bank specializing in middle-market business banking.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Spire Agency?

Spire Agency has been the agency of record for the bank, and the beginning of the engagement preceded me. At the time they were brought on board, they acted as an almost entirely outsourced marketing team. The initial relationship was established around a branding effort in order to create brand standards, logos, etc., for the bank.

Now, Spire remains our agency of record. As we've grown, our needs have changed. We have made a decision to have more insourcing. We still depend on Spire heavily for branding efforts, and they specialize in print advertising, creative, digital, and copywriting. However, we have in-house writers who create our content pieces and an in-house creative team. However, overflow work and high-profile work still goes out to Spire.

If we need to create a new ad campaign, make a brand change, or update our brand strategy, we engage Spire. Essentially, they do the high-profile creative work for a campaign that is generated in-house.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Spire continues to work closely with us on our website. We host that on our servers, and we have a content management system where we self-serve quite a bit of content edits. However, any time there's a more major shift or change to our site, they continue to be pretty involved. For example, we recently made our Web site ADA compliant. That was a large project, and our new site's only been live for about one year. Spire was heavily involved in the design and creation of the new site. Now, one year later, we've been working with them closely on the launching the compliant site. That involves recording so that screen readers are able to navigate our site.

Fairly regularly, we need specialty advertisement, which could be a print ad or a digital ad creative done for a specialty group. We have a standard ad campaign that Spire created, but we'll go to them with a need to create something to promote to a specialty group or an industry publication.

We recently created an integrated marketing campaign with email and written content. Spire helped with the creative and laying out the written content. They also helped bring the content to life through short explainer videos.

They also recently traveled with us to Austin. We've been doing some client testimonial recordings on video. These videos are for posting

How did you come to work with Spire Agency?

They have been our agency of record for many years.

How much have you invested with them?

We have spent between $1,000,000 and $10,000,000 with them over the 15 years working together.

What is the status of this engagement?

The engagement started in 2002, and the work is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Our previous website was not a lead generation tool. Clients had no ability to interact with us via our website. We've now closed several business deals through the new website, which is great for our B2B environment.

What Spire has created for us is a beautiful, well-received brand. On our latest ad campaign, I hear either directly from a client or from a relationship manager who's heard from a client at least once a week about a positive reaction to the campaign.

How did Spire Agency perform from a project management standpoint?

Spire Agency is really dependable and very communicative. We have an account manager who is always reachable, and we have access to the partners if we need them. They tend to meet deadlines.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They're creative is unique. They have very sophisticated taste, and they know our company well. When we have large and important initiatives like a new ad campaign, there's a conversation and discussion of scope. However, a lot of times, their first draft is close to complete. They're great.

Are there any areas they could improve?

We don't use a project management tool, and the responsibility for that lies on our side as well as theirs. Spire is so much a part of our team that it's like working with a team member. As a result, we often exit conversations without talking about the timeline. They're left to prioritize the work. There have been a few times where something was handed off to their team without a discussion about its urgency, and we waited longer than longer than we wish.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm a marketing manager at a commercial and military helicopter manufacturer. I mainly generate marketing content for digital and print.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Spire Agency?

One of our key goals is to increase our exposure in our local metropolitan area. We have a partnership with an NFL team and through that, we have opportunities for events and promotions. I wanted to work with Spire to increase our level of professionalism and help promote our company through that partnership. We wanted to promote not only to the community but also to the VIP private business owner market. We are specifically looking at folks that may be interested in purchasing helicopters in the area to help with their local business travel.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They have developed some marketing collateral, materials and promotional items for us. We gave them an idea of what we needed, but it was very much a blank slate. They came to us with options for marketing elements to give us different ideas at different price levels.

They provided marketing brochures for the VIP market. For our partnership with the NFL team, we gave away a branded box with Ray-Ban sunglasses for folks taking demo rides in our helicopters. We're also in the middle of working on an in-suite promotion that will go to all of the suite owners within the NFL team’s stadium. Every suite owner will receive a co-branded gift from the NFL team and us. Finally, they created an ad for us that will go in the in the regular season program for the NFL team, as well as a nice envelope for tickets and lanyards to give to folks coming to the game with us.

How did you come to work with Spire Agency?

Our headquarters introduced Spire to us. They were highly recommended. We met with them and we were really impressed with their capabilities.

How much have you invested with them?

Probably around $75,000 up to this point.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them in June 2017. The work is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The folks that received the Ray-Ban sunglasses were all wearing them at the event. There were some social media posts about the sunglasses. They definitely made an impact by helping raise our professionalism and getting some demo flights with some high net worth folks. Those folks were impressed by what we had to offer.

How did Spire Agency perform from a project management standpoint?

Excellent. We gave them some really tough deadlines and they always met them.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They're incredibly responsive. They're always available and I appreciate the thorough research that they've done to provide very unique marketing items that make us stand out in a way we've never been able to before. They've brought a whole new level of professionalism to our marketing and the way we can interact with our customers. We've raised our game because of them.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, I think they do great. I highly recommend them.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I work for ACAP Health, and we manage the Naturally Slim brand. I am the Chief Experience Officer, and my team's responsibility is customer experience, which includes B2B marketing, B2C marketing, and user experience of the program. Naturally Slim is actually a program that customers go through, so we manage everything from the experience in email, the digital experience, the physical experience of things that we mail them, etc.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Spire Agency?

We first started working with Spire Agency on the overall branding for Naturally Slim. We needed to help to refresh the brand, including the website, marketing materials, user experience, and more. We completely revamped the entire brand for Naturally Slim.

At the time we did have some parts of a brand. I had just joined the company about six months before I hired Spire, and that was to revamp the brand and take our marketing efforts to the next level.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Spire built a new website completely from scratch, and they helped us architect web pages we needed, but also the look and the design of it.

We sell our health and wellness programs to companies to then be marketed to employees, so not only do we have the Naturally Slim site, but we also have microsites for employers so that they can market to their employees. That means Spire has helped us with the overall web site, those microsites, the marketing materials that they we communicate to the employers with, and the marketing materials that the employers then communicate to their employees with.

Once employees sign up to take the Naturally Slim program, they get a welcome kit in the mail that Spire helped us design. They also use the learning management system, and that user experience was delivered by Spire as well.

Before starting the work with Spire, we knew what some of the "reasons to believe" for our brand were, and Spire helped us develop a few different concepts for design based on that. Those concepts have been what we've used to drive all of our marketing since then.

Additional collateral has included direct mail. Last year, we actually won an award from the Direct Marketing Association for the best direct mail. That campaign was a three part series that they Spire for us.

Since they've worked on the Naturally Slim, Spire has also rebranded ACAP Health, the parent company.

How did you come to work with Spire Agency?

I was working with a PR firm, and they recommended Spire. I was looking an agency partner at the time, and I looked at several companies in a typical agency review process. I met with Spire and really liked what I saw and enjoyed the people.

How much have you invested with them?

We have spent less than $500,000 on their work.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in February 2015, and the work is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We did a direct mail piece before Spire got involved with us, and then we looked at the piece that they built and that we won the award for. Between those two, Spire doubled the conversion rate from our original direct mail.

The creative work is great. We take a "test and learn" approach. We'll go try something, test it, analyze it, and figure out what works or see how we need to tweak it. Since we have so many clients and we're actually building things for these clients, we have lots of different opinions from people. So, we're constantly modifying and doing different things. Spire is great at the process, and I like it because it just makes us all more effective.

How did Spire Agency perform from a project management standpoint?

They are great. They always keep me on top of what the status is. We meet every week to go through the list of the current projects and talk about what work might be upcoming. They probably keep me in line more than I keep them in line.

We have some spreadsheets that we use to keep everything organized.

What did you find most impressive about them?

The creative work I get from Spire is pretty amazing. I'm always very excited about what I can get from their team. I have some creative resources in house, but if the project is something I want good, strategic, and unique thinking work for, I approach Spire before even using some of my own resources.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I can't really think of anything. If I've ever had issues with Spire, I have given feedback and they've made the adjustments. One of the things I love about them is that they take ownership over their work. Quite often they come to me saying, "This isn't quite to our caliber, so it's going to take an extra week but we want to go redo this." It could be something I might not have even noticed, but they are always looking to try to make things better than I even ask for.