Acart

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the Director of Communications and Marketing at a medical education non-for-profit association. We serve patients, diverse populations, and our members by setting the standards in specialty medical education and lifelong learning, and by advancing professional practice and health care. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Acart?

We’re going through a rebranding exercise and we wanted someone to help us on that journey. 

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They conducted research that included reviewing the consultations we'd done for our strategic plan and interviewing our Executive and members of our board. They then came back with a proposed design brief that included recommendations for all brand elements: voice, colors, font and messaging, and so on.

Currently, we are still working through the rebranding, but the strategic plan that was released last week was one of the first big deliverables. They designed it, laid it out, and put in the new corporate colors so it would reflect the new brand. It was well received. They'll also be putting together a new brand standards documents and supporting templates to help us implement the brand. They will also provide support to redesign our website to reflect the new brand. 

What is the team composition?

The main interface would be our account director, who pulls in members of the creative team as required.

How did you come to work with Acart?

We had an RFP process that narrowed our search down to two potential suppliers, who both came in and did a presentation for our Executive. We selected Acart because of their thoughtful approach and our past experience with the firm. We had confidence in what they'd done and we felt that they would be a good choice for this project.

How much have you invested with them?

The total project investment is around $80,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We’ve been working together since February 2018. We’ve finished the first phase – the strategic plan and brand definition – and now we’re in Phase 2, which is the template building and website redesign, and that should be done by September.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We presented the strategic plan to our board – completed in the new colors and design and the document was very well received. Everything was approved and passed. Our Executive was very pleased with the layout, the design, and how the new strategic plan was portrayed.

How did Acart perform from a project management standpoint?

In the beginning of the project, we had multiple meetings to launch the project. As we went forward it slowed to weekly, and then as deliverables started to get closer, it was every few days again.  They were very organized in their approach with us and they’ve been very responsive. 

We had to shuffle the project plan a bit since we asked them to make additional website landing pages, but we couldn't change the delivery of the strategic plan in both languages – English and French. The board meeting was on June 21st, where it needed to be voted on. To Acart’s credit, there was no slippage. They then proceeded to work with us to on a new plan for Phase 2, making sure that we're ready to go for delivery in September.

What did you find most impressive about them?

We had to deliver on time – there was no wiggle room and they were very quick to understand the strict timeline. The differentiating factor was their willingness to listen and push the envelope to come up with great new designs.

Are there any areas they could improve?

There might have been a communication error between us in the beginning. We’re a pretty conservative organization, but our new vision is quite bold. We really wanted the design to reflect that boldness and felt the first round of designs didn't go far enough. Once we gave them that feedback that we wanted them to push the envelopes more, they came back with two great options that we were really pleased with.

Any advice for potential customers?

I found it really valuable to meet with the whole creative team and to have that exchange of ideas. It’s efficient to work through the Account Director when you're getting things set up, but meeting with the creative team, especially if you have concerns, and being able to explain face-to-face what’s important in your own words worked really well.