42/Agency

Please describe your company and your position there.

Smile is the world's largest and most trusted loyal program provider for scaling ecommerce brands. My role as the Sr. Manager of Marketing and Community is to oversee our Content, Social, and Implementation teams to drive brand awareness, installs, and product subscriptions.

For what projects/services did your company hire 42/Agency, and what were your goals?

We were kicking off a project to start acquiring traffic from paid channels. We hadn't seriously worked on Facebook or Google ads in some time, and wanted to work with an expert who knew what they were doing to help us achieve our acquisition goals.

How did you select this vendor and what were the deciding factors?

One of Smile's VP's had worked with 42 Agency in the past and have great things to say, so in addition to reviewing proposals from the last time we had considered paid channels, we spoke with the 42 team to learn more about their experience and services.

Describe the scope of work in detail, including the project steps, key deliverables, and campaigns.

While general, the project included lauching campaigns on Google and Facebook paid channels. The 42 team worked with us to define audiences, copy, and creative in order to create campaigns that performed to meet our target cost per install goals. We had a specific quarterly volume and cost per conversion goal for the quarter that were testing to see the validity of those goals.

How many people from the vendor's team worked with you, and what were their positions?

I've worked with 2 main contacts at the vendors team: Kamil, the General Manager, as well as Eugene, the Operations and Demand Gen Strategist

Can you share any measurable outcomes of the project or general feedback about the deliverables?

The outcomes were a complete success. The 42 team worked with us to provide the targeting, creative, and copy to not only meet but exceed the goals of the initial project. We have continued working them on an ongoing basis far beyond the initial 1 quarter project.

Describe their project management style, including communication tools and timeliness.

They are very hands on and ensure we have all the data we're looking for. We get daily reports sent to us via Slack, and have regular Google Meet conversations about upcoming changes to design, goals, budgets etc.

What did you find most impressive or unique about this company?

The results and transparency. They deliver what they say they will deliver, and they go above and beyond to make sure you know what is being done and what it means for your business.

Are there any areas for improvement or something they could have done differently?

We were first-time business users on these ad platforms, so the 42 team was very patient as we got all the permission set up. The 42 team has been an invaluable partner to us and I wouldn't have them change a thing.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the director of content, creative, and customer insights at a SaaS company in the Salesforce partner ecosystem. We’re an enterprise data platform and we help large companies with an investment in Salesforce assume control over their data.

What challenge were you trying to address with 42/Agency?

Our company isn’t very good at demand generation marketing. We needed a partner to help us accelerate. We wanted someone more experienced to guide us and help us prepare to launch the function internally.

What was the scope of their involvement?

They’re helping us configure our SEM and digital marketing. First, they assessed our needs and took time to understand our audience and goals. Then, they helped us design and implement digital programs using Google Ads and LinkedIn. Currently, they’re helping us set up a marketing automation platform.

What is the team composition?

We work with Kamil (General Manager) and one other person.

How did you come to work with 42/Agency?

They were recommended to us. I talked to several competitors and I thought 42/Agency offered a lot of value.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent $14,000–$15,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in December 2020, and our work is ongoing.

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

They’ve done an amazing job. They’re proactive and thoughtful. We looked at cost-per-click as well as leads and opportunities generated through the program. We’ve been able to see some real improvement in terms of our reach.

How did 42/Agency perform from a project management standpoint?

They do really well. The team is never behind. They’re always working ahead and Kamil is organized. We communicate weekly using Slack, email, and phone.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Kamil is extremely knowledgeable. He’s been prescriptive throughout the process. At the same time, he’s personable, flexible, and easy to work with.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They could do a slightly better job of tracking progress against goals. I’m quite happy with them and they’ve embraced every challenge we’ve given them.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

They’re pretty easy. Show up, listen, ask smart questions, and be engaged. They have a lot to offer. Don’t treat it like a “set it and forget it” kind of program. You can get a lot out if you ask questions. Kamil is incredibly generous and accommodating with his thoughts and time.