Thirsty Agency, Inc

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the senior brand manager for CONCACAF. We are the governing body of soccer for North America, Central America, and the Caribbean.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Thirsty Agency?

We wanted to create a unified brand message across all platforms and implement a toolkit that was easy for everyone to utilize.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Our brand already existed, but they worked with us to create a message, campaigns and communication strategy that was fully unified. They also helped with ad design and video production. Their team reached out to broadcasters and worked as the link between us and our commercial partner, acting as project managers over the campaigns. They will be working on refreshing the brand for 2021.

What is the team composition?

We worked with Christina (Director of Operations) regarding account management, and Patrick (Partner/CSO) for strategy planning.

How did you come to work with Thirsty Agency?

They were one of the candidates we considered. They offered a great solution and were experienced working with Major League Soccer. They add a lot of value to our arsenal.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent more than $500,000, not including production.

What is the status of this engagement?

We began working with them in September 2018, and it is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We had record ticket sales, attendance in stadiums and revenue. The broadcasters and stakeholders grabbed hold of the brand and it was the most uniform and consistent we’ve experienced. It’s been our most successful brand yet.

How did Thirsty Agency perform from a project management standpoint?

They’re a small team but do great work. They don’t take a lot of clients which allows them to give us the attention we need. They’re flexible, which is an advantage for projects with live events. We had daily calls at different points in the project.

What did you find most impressive about them?

The balance between creativity, design quality, and knowledge of how to go to market adds a lot of value. They’re unique and understand the client’s specific needs. It feels like working with an extension of our team.

Are there any areas they could improve?

My recommendation that they prepare to grow in terms of designers and copywriters as they add more clients to their roster.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

You should lay out the whole project and your expectations. The more information you provide, the easier for them to maximize your investment.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the senior director of marketing at SoFi Stadium, the NFL stadium for the Los Angeles Rams and the Los Angeles Chargers. We also have a retail district, restaurants and performance venue on the property.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Thirsty Agency?

We’re hosting the first-ever LA Bowl at SoFi Stadium in December 2020. The new stadium will be opening this summer, so we needed to create a brand identity for it.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They put together a scope outlining clearly what they’re going to present over the next two months or so with a very astute timeline. We gave them a few ideas and concepts that we were looking for and they put together a storyboard based on our dialog. Beyond that, we just keep in touch with them. We put them directly in contact with the leaders over at the Pac-12 Conference. Along with creating a logo and overall brand statement, they’re also creating a 45-second sizzle reel. They received footage from the two leagues to be pieced together for this video. 

What is the team composition?

We work with 4–5 people, including Patrick (Partner) and his team of strategists.

How did you come to work with Thirsty Agency?

We met with the team at our office and they did a pitch and gave us their idea and concept knowing what we're trying to accomplish; we received pitches from several other companies. One of my coworkers worked with them in the past, so he felt very comfortable with them being able to execute this project in a timely fashion because we were up against a deadline. They did a great job and absolutely nailed it. They knew exactly what we’re looking for and were able to articulate that and present that pretty well. 

How much have you invested with them?

We paid them $75,000 in three installments and they just received the last installment a few weeks ago.

What is the status of this engagement?

We began working together in August 2019 and the relationship is currently ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

There are so many elements involved in how we want to speak to the brand in terms of capturing Los Angeles and the glitz of Hollywood within the football realm and they’ve done a great job so far. Everyone thinks they’ve done a wonderful job of interpreting what we’re looking for.

How did Thirsty Agency perform from a project management standpoint?

There's constant back and forth collaboration in terms of feedback and communication with everyone and there's never a time when we feel like they stray away. Using Slack, they stay connected with everyone. They give us guidelines of when they can have a project turned around depending on when we provide feedback, which it’s really helpful to have their timeline and have them keep us on track as well. Other than their great communication skills, they also make sure everyone feels comfortable with the direction we’re going in.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They’re really thorough and take feedback, criticism, and input very well. From the market side, they're also very open to hearing dialog, which is great. They’re really creative and have come up with great feedback so far. Taking exactly what we're looking for and nailing it the first time proves to me they’re listening and understand what we’re saying and what our direction is. They implement their own creative direction and really make it their own.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, I can’t think of anything.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Absolutely have Thirsty Agency pitch. They have the ability to take on different tasks in terms of creative branding or creative building. Because they’re a small agency, they’re effective and it allows them to give their client’s a lot of attention, which is needed especially if working on a tight deadline.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the senior coordinator of event marketing and promotions for Major League Soccer.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Thirsty Agency?

We hired Thirsty Agency for creative strategy and branding for the Concacaf Gold Cup in addition to creative assets ranging from static, digital, and out-of-home in order to drive ticket sales.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Starting out, the Gold Cup didn’t have a full identity. We’ve been working very closely with Thirsty Agency on ideation, which led to the “This is Ours” campaign, which is meant to communicate the tournament is our equivalent to the Copa América here in North American and the Caribbean.

My team manages the Mexican national team here in the United States. We also have Leagues Cup and Campeones Cup, so there are different scopes to our work with Thirsty Agency. In all of our projects, they provide us with all the creative assets we need: stadium pieces, digital displays, out-of-home, email, social, etc. 

Additionally, we have requests come in left and right for Gold Cup from our host committees, and they’re always flexible and fair in making sure we can provide the necessary assets. 

What is the team composition?

Our key points of contact are Patrick (Partner & Chief Strategy Officer, Thirsty Agency) and Christina (Director of Operations, Thirsty Agency), but I’ve probably spoken with 5–7 additional key players on their team. They recently hired an avid soccer fan, so my team has also looked to him for guidance on which players to feature in our marketing efforts to best drive sales. 

How did you come to work with Thirsty Agency?

My manager has been working with them for years. She had worked with them in limited capacities before and really liked the relationship she built with them.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent over $150,000 for Major League Soccer work, and there’s a separate scope for the Concacaf project, but I’m unaware of that cost.

What is the status of this engagement?

The project started around June 2018, and the work is ongoing. We have several matches approaching in the near future that we're prepping for.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We’re happy with the work, especially the video assets they’ve put together. We had a very impactful social digital campaign for the Gold Cup, and the video outperformed all of our other outputs. We were able to share that feedback with them live, so we scoped out more video work sooner to really push the needle. 

How did Thirsty Agency perform from a project management standpoint?

We’re in communication with Thirsty Agency daily, and we can always give them a quick call, email, or Slack message. They’re responsive and flexible, even in tough situations where something’s been leaked and we have got go live with marketing plans before scheduled.

Representatives from their team have come across the country to have meetings with us, and we’ve made sure to visit their offices whenever we’re in Los Angeles. They’ve even come to a few of our matches, so we get a fair amount of face time in with them.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They have a great team that’s easy to work with, always responsive and understanding of tough situations and accelerated deadlines on our end. The best part is that we feel like equal partners. Even though they’re an outside agency, our thoughts align and they’re just as invested as we are in the project. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, they did exactly what we scoped out. However, given all of the unique challenges of the Gold Cup, we’ve learned together about the kind of foresight we’ll need for next year’s iteration of the tournament. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Invite them out to whatever it is you’re promoting or selling. It lets them get a feel for what you’re doing and will help them become invested in your project, which is extremely beneficial.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am a Senior Coordinator of Marketing for a professional sports league.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Thirsty Agency?

We hired Thirsty Agency to help build out and enhance our creative for the five-game tour of an international men’s soccer team through the United States.

What were your goals for this project?

We sought to elevate the brand of international soccer in the United States by exposing our audience to refreshed creative content.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

We selected this vendor based off of a recommendation from a colleague in the Los Angeles area. We intended to work with Thirsty Agency for just one game of the tour. However, we were so pleased with their work that we found a way to work with our budget so that we could have them work on more projects for us.

Describe the scope of their work in detail.

Thirsty Agency brainstormed and created our creative pieces for us. They put together the concepts and designs, which we then approve. They were responsible for creating all the various ad sizes for us and making the edits requested from our team.

They built us a variety of assets that were used on digital platforms for retargeting, Facebook ads, and billboards. They also created a 30-second video that was used to promote the game.

What was the team composition?

I worked closely with one of the partners, who helped managed the project and communicate messages back to the team.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We were very happy with the creative that Thirsty Agency produced for us. After working with them on the first initial project, we always made sure to find a way to work with them for our next match. They have helped us in our goal of making the brand more recognizable and appealing.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

The Thirsty Agency team is among the most efficient firms we’ve worked with when it comes to workflow. We tasked them with several last-minute projects, and they continued to deliver top-notch products under the short deadline. When edits were requested, they made them quickly. They understood our comments and feedback and always produced a great product. They used an innovative technology platform to share creative updates, and that made it easier for us to track their progress and understand their workflow.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Their continued dedication and attention to our project was truly remarkable.

Are there any areas for improvement?

No. We are always happy with the quality of work that Thirsty Agency shared with us.