Thirdperson.ca

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I work for Cult Collective, a Canadian-based audience engagement firm. We’re a bit different than an ad agency or a management consultancy. We help companies solve business problems by looking at them through the lens of their audience.

My role is managing director and chief engagement officer. I’m the chief strategist and I orchestrate most of our research IP.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Thirdperson.ca?

We had an engagement with a large Canadian organic dairy brand. They were faced with the business challenge of getting delisted at a number of national grocery chains because one of their key competitors was basically paying grocery chains to delist our client in place of them.

Our client needed to build a groundswell of public support around their brand to help make the argument that grocery chains would lose organic dairy customers because of that change. 

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Thirdperson.ca helped to create a variety of content, including a video series interviewing some of the dairy farmers. We did interviews with consumers who talked passionately about their connection to the brand. 

Then, we translated all of the captured content into advertising. This included website activity and language changes on the product packaging.

They touched on every marketing component including changes to the website, content creation for social media, print advertising, the packaging, and repurposed videos that were used as ads. They also created updated messaging for the sales team to talk with retailers. 

What is the team composition?

I worked with Jamie (Co-Founder, Thirdperson.ca) and Susan (Co-Founder, Thirdperson.ca).

How did you come to work with Thirdperson.ca?

I met Jamie about 10 years ago. I was looking for creative help at an entertainment company. We brought him in to collaborate about an online episodic comedy video series. That’s when we first crossed paths, despite knowing of each other before that. 

After that, we continued to find reasons to work together. He brought Susan into the fold as a writing partner. (He’s more of a visual guy and a great photographer and filmmaker). We did some work on a number of clients, and it’s been nothing but terrific.

How much have you invested with them?

My best guess is that the initial engagement was around $100,000. 

What is the status of this engagement?

We started the project around 2014, and we’ve continued to do work with the client on-and-off over the last five years. 
 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?
 
It was very successful. Their work succeeded in changing the minds of two major retailers, which represented millions of dollars in sales. It also helped our client increase some share.

While they’re trained as advertising specialists, they look at the brand in total. They’re looking at the brand from the customer’s perspective. 

They also made valuable recommendations. For example, Susan said if we want to have a greater impact, we need to bring the messaging to the packing because the packaging holds the most important touchpoints that consumers have with the brand.

This that had a great deal of impact because the package sits on families’ kitchen tables and becomes a talking point. So, Thirdperson.ca understands the totality of the potential impact of changing a narrative between a brand and its customers. 

How did Thirdperson.ca perform from a project management standpoint?

Typically, they are not project managers. They are the creative resource on a project. Thirdperson.ca was responsible for delivering ideation and then executing and deploying it. 

We’re both collaborative by nature. So, we had a very close, easy working relationship. They were comfortable having a strategist like me sit in and ideate with them. We had a lot of in-person meetings.

Often times, the briefing and ideation session would be the same. I would provide them with an understanding of the problem from the audience’s perspective, and then we would ideate. We would discuss topics like consumer touchpoints, customer journey mapping, and overall messaging.

They were very open to solving problems together. They’re very open and encouraging. They live the idea that a great idea can come from anywhere, even if it isn’t from their brains and mouths.

They were excellent communicators, good team contributors, and they were respectful of timelines. They were never shy to push back if they think a timeline is too aggressive or if they believe having more time, money, or a different approach would ultimately deliver a better product. At the same time, they were not strident about demanding those things. 

They were simply pointing out that a slightly different way might provide better value. As often as possible, we’ve taken their guidance. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their audience-centric ideas were the most impressive. The work that they did was always in service of the relationship the brand was trying to build with its audience. They respected what the audience wanted out of the relationship. 

There have been a lot of creatives who are more interested in what they want to say about the brand. But, Thirdperson.ca considered how to use their messaging to build engagement with the audience. It wasn’t just in service of the brand, it was in service of the audience.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They’ve responded well to any constructive feedback I’ve given them over the years, and they’ve become better as a result of it. I continue to eagerly look for opportunities to pick up the phone and engage them in work. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Future clients shouldn’t be afraid to push them, because they’re eager to be pushed. 

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the president of Play Advertising. We are a full-service agency that does everything from branding to digital campaigns for a variety of different business sectors.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Thirdperson.ca?

We were producing three public service announcements for a nonprofit organization, so we hired Thirdperson.ca to help create these videos.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We conceived the idea and concept with the nonprofit, then we relied on Thirdperson.ca to produce the videos. They handled the final script edits, blocked out all the scenes and helped with shot selection. The casting was supported by their partners, too, helping us find the right selection of castmates. Their team was responsible for the direction, post-production work, and the final edits of sound and footage. The videos were all live-action. 

What is the team composition?

We worked with two people, primarily. Jamie (Co-Founder, Thirdperson.ca) managed the direction and creative execution, and Susan (Co-Founder, Thirdperson.ca) handled the writing and creative concepts. 

How did you come to work with Thirdperson.ca?

We’d done quite a bit of work with them over the years, so our professional relationship had been established. They approached us about doing a project for their website, during which we learned a lot about their services and ongoing projects. From there, we thought they’d be a perfect fit for our needs.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked together from May–October 2019 on this project. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We definitely saw the impact of Thirdperson.ca’s work. The nonprofit we worked with saw their user engagement increase exponentially. Their web traffic has also improved by almost 20%. They continuously see growth since launching the videos. Our team is working on a press release for the nonprofit, which will also contribute to this success. 

How did Thirdperson.ca perform from a project management standpoint?

They were fantastic. We had tight deadlines, but they adhered to every one of them. We communicated in a variety of ways, including email, in-person discussions, phone calls, and production meetings. We had scheduled sessions but also had extra meetings as needed as the actual shoot dates grew closer. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their ability to adapt and engage with a team of collaborators was great. Often, companies will be stuck in their own vision, but Thirdperson.ca was able to execute a great final product by being flexible. They stuck to the tasks they were good at, especially creative writing and video production. Their team also supported the nonprofit’s cause, so they gave great professional support to go above and beyond. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

Off the top of my head, I can’t think of anything for them to improve because we had an excellent engagement with their fantastic team.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

I definitely recommend you work with them. They will bring creative ideas to the table so be open-minded to the options they present.