Van Deusen & Levitt Associates, Inc.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I was the global marketing director of a glass manufacturing conglomerate’s medical division. We focused on endoscopy products.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Van Deusen & Levitt Associates?

My company hired me as part of a new diverse team that in-part served as a strategic change committee. Over the next 2–3 years, our team evaluated significant changes within the company. We wanted to restructure our operations from a global alignment perspective to standardize how our international organization discussed products and interacted with customers.

As a result of this initiative, we needed to standardize practices within the company; each office had followed nation-specific customs and cultural and business practices. Our team hired Van Deusen & Levitt Associates to create PR, marketing, and branding campaigns to achieve this goal.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We onboarded Van Deusen & Levitt Associates early on in the process. We did a comprehensive branding exercise that analyzed our marketing share, our buyers’—doctors and hospitals in particular—opinion about us, and what we needed to change. From there, we developed a big-picture perspective about our brand and how to cascade that identity down to specific marketing campaigns. The team’s services included employee research to identify our brand, vision, and steps to motivate the entire organization in an aligned fashion. Van Deusen & Levitt Associates led survey groups that comprised doctors and did field visits with our team.

What is the team composition?

Glenn (President, VDLA) was our primary contact, and Roy (Executive Creative Director, VDLA) was the secondary one.

How did you come to work with Van Deusen & Levitt Associates?

We wanted a vendor that could execute campaigns but also conduct a larger evaluation of our company from both internal and external perspectives. I evaluated a number of Asian and American firms from my office in Japan. We’re a U.S.-based company and preferred an agency that could work closely with our North American offices, but also understand our international offices’ work. I picked Van Deusen & Levitt Associates because I felt most comfortable with their hands-on approach, which they laid out over a series of meetings.

The team was eager to dig deep into our organization and understand its structure. The 3–4-week evaluation process included sample exercises and several touchpoints. The team did a lot of upfront work to win our business and tailor their approach to our goals.

How much have you invested with them?

It might be hard to be specific, but I estimate a total of $300,000–$350,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in 2012 and the project ended in 2014.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The project was successful because we learned about everything going on in the marketplace. From a data perspective, the rebrand uncovered a significant number of rich findings from internal stakeholders and influencers in the endoscopy area. That objective information gave us a deeper level of insight beyond anecdotal data.

How did Van Deusen & Levitt Associates perform from a project management standpoint?

They were great; nothing jumps out to me now as having been problematic. Glenn took the lead with project management. Having one main point of contact was helpful because it eliminated confusion and streamlined information sharing across the organization. He created guidelines, wrote survey questions, and organized meetings, workshops, and the overall strategy. Roy focused more on the creative, marketing, branding, and design components. Both Glenn and Roy traveled to 3–4 of our offices across Europe, Japan, China, and the U.S. They coordinated international activities and phone conferences—neither of which were easy tasks.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Glenn and Roy took the time to understand our business and situation well, especially during the hiring evaluation process. The two principals worked great as a team; they challenged one another and balanced each other’s skill sets. We had a good working relationship and I now keep them in my contacts list.

Are there any areas they could improve?

We worked well with Glenn and Roy, but we would have preferred more interaction with the rest of the team including their network of consultants. We would have liked to see more design examples from their in-house and outsourced resources.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the VP of marketing for a credit union.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Van Deusen & Levitt Associates?

We engaged Van Deusen & Levitt to help us with branding and messaging. There was some confusion amongst employees as to what exactly our company stood for, so we wanted to hone in on our messaging.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Van Deusen & Levitt engaged our team, meeting with and surveying many employees to get their feedback. They also set up focus groups that included members and nonmembers, set up employee voting, and sat in on our annual employee meeting to help come up with cohesive messaging and branding elements, including a new tagline.

What is the team composition?

We worked directly with Glenn (President, Van Deusen & Levitt Associates).

How did you come to work with Van Deusen & Levitt Associates?

We researched a handful of branding agencies and ultimately felt that Van Deusen & Levitt understood our needs the most. They had the expertise to assist us, utilizing both internal and external research to help centralize our messaging.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked together in mid-2016 for about six months.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We're very happy with the work they've done and the approach they took to help improve our messaging overall. They delivered on everything they promised, improving our brand cohesiveness. Everyone is very happy with the new tagline they came up with, which now appears on most of our materials.

We plan to reengage them in 2019 to perform post-campaign research to see how the new branding has improved our awareness efforts.

How did Van Deusen & Levitt Associates perform from a project management standpoint?

They were great to work with. We mostly worked with them in person; they came on site for a number of initiatives and kickoffs.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I was impressed that Glenn himself was so involved and invested in our project. He genuinely cares about client success, and it made us feel more comfortable working directly with the president on a project of this size.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Nothing comes to mind.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

At the time, I was chief sales officer for Sipi Metals Corporation. The company recovers precious metals from recyclable material.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Van Deusen & Levitt Associates?

We needed help developing a new logo. The company had been in business for close to 90 years without refreshing the logo.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Van Deusen & Levitt Associates conducted a series of individual interviews and meetings. They focused on building a fundamental understanding of the direction we wanted to take the company.

What is the team composition?

We worked with all of the principals at the firm.

How did you come to work with Van Deusen & Levitt Associates?

A marketing consultant recommended them to us. We looked at several companies in depth. We liked their approach. It was clear they wanted to understand what we wanted to do with the company, rather than just do artwork.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent $100,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

The project took place between March–May 2015.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Van Deusen & Levitt Associates produced a fresh logo that made sense for our company. We were able to use the new logo as part of a subsequent website redesign.

How did Van Deusen & Levitt Associates perform from a project management standpoint?

They delivered on time and on budget. They produced exactly what they proposed.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their methodology made sense and they executed it well.

Are there any areas they could improve?

It was more difficult than expected to work with a New York-based firm with us in Chicago. Meeting in person wasn't as easy as it should’ve been for such an important effort.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

At the time of the engagement, I was the director of marketing at San Felipe Hollywood Casino. And for about 11 months during the engagement, I was the interim general manager of the property.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Van Deusen & Levitt Associates?

We determined that the casino’s name had grown tired and outdated. Also, there was nothing quite “Hollywood” about it. We contracted with Van Deusen & Levitt Associates to rebrand and rename the casino.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Once they were selected, it was an extensive process of building a new brand. In addition to normal phone and email correspondence, their team spent several days at our site to see it in person and meet with our staff. They spent time in the surrounding communities and pueblos to learn more about the tribal culture here. Further, they visited casinos in towns north and south of us to discern the competitive environment.

Through this process, they were more equipped to address the internal and external challenges we faced in converting ourselves into what we wanted to be. There are many departments that comprise a casino. Every subset of staff and every element of our casino had to be accounted for.

What is the team composition?

For the first several market visits, I met with both the founder and the creative director. As the project progressed, I interfaced primarily with only the founder.

How did you come to work with Van Deusen & Levitt Associates?

While I did search for firms local to New Mexico, I also searched for the firm that conducted an impressive rebrand for a large national bank a few years ago. It turns out that it was Van Deusen & Levitt Associates, so I reached out and discussed the project with the founder. I felt comfortable with their attention to detail and their willingness to come from their base in Connecticut to visit our market and absorb the Native American communities we’re working with.

What is the status of this engagement?

We engaged them in August 2015, and the rebrand was complete in November 2017. The casino opened with a new name in December 2017.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Because I have since left the casino, it would be difficult for me to address its current state. However, when the work was completed, it was more than I had hoped for. Their deliverables far exceeded my expectations. Everyone on staff was pleased with their work. I was regularly blown away by their creative work.

The casino was rebranded as Black Mesa Casino, an homage to the mesa that serves as a backdrop to the San Felipe Pueblo. Van Deusen & Levitt Associates worked tirelessly to create a brand that was historically and culturally relevant, but it also visually reflects the landscape. We wanted a brand and a name that would be sustainable long-term, and that’s what they delivered.

How did Van Deusen & Levitt Associates perform from a project management standpoint?

Their team was organized at every turn. They created a sizable Gantt chart that tracked the timelines and due dates of each deliverable. All the nuances of our operation had to change—poker chips, uniforms, interior and exterior signs, major road signs, everything. They tracked all of those projects, and we received regular updates regarding the progress of those deliverables.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their attention to detail is quite notable. There were so many moving parts in this project that required daily attention. Once I was made the interim general manager, I required much more correspondence with them, and they were quite thorough. They were routinely over-prepared.

Are there any areas they could improve?

We can always go back-and-forth on the price, but we received great value. I cannot pinpoint anything I was unhappy with.