Yulu Public Relations

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there. 

I’m co-founder and director of operations for Farafena. We’re a social enterprise that sells African superfood as a means to have an impact with women farmers in Mali and Malawi.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Yulu Public Relations Inc.? 

We needed help getting the word out in regard to our mission and our products.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement? 

Yulu Public Relations Inc. provided PR services as well as social media management. They held a number of initial meetings when they first came on board to determine what our strategy should look like. We talked about different avenues that we wanted to pursue via campaigns. They developed angles to pitch to outlets that might be interested in us. They scheduled interviews with our founder at various publications. They also produced a lot of written content. With social media, they helped us determine who we should target. Then they drafted and scheduled posts on a monthly basis.

What is the team composition? 

We worked with two members of their team. One person handled more of the day-to-day requests, but we were in touch with both. 

How did you come to work with Yulu Public Relations Inc.? 

I wasn't part of the selection process. They were introduced to us by a marketing company we worked with at the time. 

How much have you invested with them?

We spent about $100,000 CAD (approximately $74,500 USD).

What is the status of this engagement? 

The project took place between February 2018–January 2019.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Yulu Public Relations Inc. successfully produced media coverage in a number of outlets. They got us published in articles or in recorded interviews. The exposure definitely helped get the word out about the company and our products. Their pitches not only were good at getting interest at the time, but we’ll be able to continue using them going forward. The main reason we aren't working with them anymore is primarily due to us cutting costs. 

How did Yulu Public Relations Inc. perform from a project management standpoint? 

The Yulu Public Relations Inc. team was extremely professional and competent. Communication was quite frequent. We spoke many times a week, primarily by phone and email. I’d refer them to anyone interested in working with them. 

What did you find most impressive about them? 

They're strong writers who are very good at creating content. Yulu Public Relations Inc. is also excellent at pitching media. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, I can’t think of anything. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers? 

It’s helpful to have an idea of the direction you want to take ahead of time. Yulu Public Relations Inc. can help develop that plan or guide you in a new direction if needed.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I was the former head of strategic growth at a mission-driven creative agency called enso. I oversaw all growth functions, including business development, marketing, and special ventures.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Yulu Public Relations Inc.?

After five years of steady organic growth with little media exposure, we hired Yulu Public Relations to help expand our brand narrative, putting enso in front of a broader audience on a bigger stage.

What were your goals for this project?

Our goals were twofold: we wanted more brand awareness within the marketing and social impact circles, and we wanted to show that people could use creativity to advance positive change.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

We met with a number of PR firms that specialized in social impact communications and serviced creative agencies. However, we found that none of them understood the intersection between those fields. In contrast, Yulu Public Relations demonstrated a clear understanding of these concepts from the first conversation, so we went with them.

Describe the scope of their work in detail.

They embarked on a three-month strategic planning process, interviewing enso employees, stakeholders, and decision makers. This process also included a benchmarking report, where they conducted research on industry peers to gauge their positioning and strategic direction. They then executed curated media relations pushes for various campaigns such as the Literacy Summit, the Brand World Value Index, and #PasstheERA in addition to working on general profile pieces for us and our clients.

What was the team composition?

I worked closely with Melissa Orozco (Founder and Creative Director, Yulu Public Relations) and Clare Hamilton-Eddy (Managing Director, Yulu Public Relations). They directly led our projects but also had support from various members of their team.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Their media relations efforts for our campaigns resulted in more than 40 media hits in the first three months of engagement, securing media coverage in reputable outlets such as Fast Company, Mashable, The Drum, Business Insider, and Adweek.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

The results speak for themselves. We had more press in five months of working with Yulu Public Relations than we did in our first five years.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

I appreciate the people. They’re a rare combination of smart and heart.

Are there any areas for improvement?

They're going to need to prepare for future growth as the market catches up to them regarding impact relations.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the VP of marketing for Merchant Advance Capital. We are a small business lender headquartered in Vancouver.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Yulu Public Relations?

We didn’t have someone on our internal staff that was getting our story told, so we sought PR expertise from an external firm to focus on press and publicity.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Yulu PR has a great combination of the right contacts and a unique perspective to make a story more interesting. They have a local media contact list that made it easy for them to get us stories early on. They had a lot of really unique angles and ideas that helped us get landed in local media.

What is the team composition?

I worked with their founder, managing director, director of client services, and an account manager.

How did you come to work with Yulu Public Relations?

We found them through an online search of local agencies in Vancouver. We hit it off really well and I felt they understood our story. They offered some interesting ideas on how to get things going right away which was a huge indicator to me that they were the right firm to work with.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent around $190,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked with them from January 2016­–January 2018.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

After hiring them we found ourselves in a lot of local publications right away. They produced some of our best articles, which gained us a ton of new business partnerships. As a result of their work, we have been mentioned in some of the highest caliber national publications. When people tell me they have heard of us, I attribute it to Yulu.

How did Yulu Public Relations perform from a project management standpoint?

They were really good. I worked with a few different people at Yulu and each one had their own style, but everyone was always engaged and attentive. We communicated over email, but if I had to call them after working hours they always answered and were clearly happy to be working with us. They would also put together monthly review statements for us that were very helpful and professional.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They are very focused on social impact and how that ties into the communications space, which is something no one else in Vancouver is doing. The fact they are trying to wield their power for good in the local, national, and even international community is really impressive to me.

Are there any areas they could improve?

As wonderful as I believe their community engagement is, we couldn’t always find an alignment between that and what my business needed in order to grow. This was more of a misalignment between our brands and not a reflection of their agency. In the financial sector, it is sometimes hard to have the same social objective they do.