adlicious

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CEO and founder of Videovalis. We work in the advertising industry to produce and publish videos and video technology. Our own websites serve as our main platform, but we also distribute daily news to other platforms.

What challenge were you trying to address with adlicious?

We needed more websites, particularly a video platform where we could offer free video ads to big agencies in Germany and other countries.

What was the scope of their involvement?

They worked quickly to build a network of a few hundred websites, which host the videos that we sell to the agencies. We showcase these sites as a whitelist for agency customers. Then we set prices and earn money. They booked the websites through a cross-channel, software-based solution that allows advertisers to purchase ad placements online in real time.

What is the team composition?

I worked with David [President, adlicious], Viktor [Co-Founder & Managing Director, adlicious], and Daniel [Managing Partner, adlicious].

How did you come to work with adlicious?

We met in Hamburg at a 3D Con fair. We talked before deciding to work together. They asked me what I needed, and said they could do it. We tested other companies too, but adlicious was much better.

How much have you invested with them?

I have spent a few hundred thousand dollars.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in 2014 and the work is ongoing.

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

We make a lot of money because of them. The networks and websites they built for us were great. It was helpful that they could also build networks in the U.S., England, and other countries, which we normally couldn’t manage because of a lack of local resources. They built us networks in these countries so that we could share traffic with our customers.

How did adlicious perform from a project management standpoint?

Everything was great. I don’t have any problems with them, and they do everything I need. We communicate through email, Skype, and telephone.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Again, everything was great. We work with other companies for short periods of time, but we have a long-term working engagement with adlicious. It’s a good partnership.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, they do a good job and we all earn money.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

It’s a great company with fantastic people. They understand your problems quickly and work really fast. If you tell them about a problem, it will be solved a few hours later. They do a great job.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

Slow Watches is a company that makes watches. We sell them worldwide, largely online. I'm the managing director.

What challenge were you trying to address with adlicious?

I was looking for new marketing potentials. I wanted to drive more traffic to my site and brand. 

What was the scope of their involvement?

They had great expertise in RTB [real-time bidding] and especially with Google AdWords. They were experts in setting up campaigns and setting up the structure. They established a well-structured AdWords account with search campaigns and display campaigns to reach prospects and gain new traffic, as well as all the retargeting options. 

What is the team composition? 

There were 2 or 3 people. I had contact with David [Co-Founder & Managing Director, adlicious] and Viktor [Co-Founder & Managing Director, adlicious]. Later I was also in contact with Dmitri [Head of Data & Analytics, adlicious].

When we started working with them, they were a startup. Viktor was the technical brain while David was more the business part of the founding team. 

How did you come to work with adlicious?

We reached out to many companies. It’s vital for us to have other companies available in case one doesn’t perform—those other companies can help us to maintain the business we have. We will never have an exclusive partner. 

We were recommended to adlicious to get our campaigns on the street and to increase their potential. We were told they were experts in RTB and they were well priced. I contacted them and started working with them. I was very happy to get to know them and work with them.

How much have you invested with them?

$10,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in October 2015 until December 2015.

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

We’ve had great results. They made the structure so we could turn some orders with Google AdWords. It was a huge success. They opened up a completely new channel for us. We could scale it up to a very relevant business for us. We’re very satisfied with it. 

Viktor is a technical mastermind. He thinks the way I think. It’s very analytically driven and he tried to approach things with data, which is what I like. It was a good fit between us. 

How did adlicious perform from a project management standpoint?

They were very good. There was always a very open dialogue, on a very personal level. We were almost like friends. I could always share my negative points with them, which they were happy to receive. 

The project got better with the feedback. They always had an ear for the customer’s concerns. They were sort of like external interns and invested time on our campaigns. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

They’re good at what they do. I was hoping that they weren’t trying to make the best deal for only them, but the best deal for the client in order to establish a long-term relationship that’s successful on both sides. Their recommendations were not driven by profit, but an effort to get the campaigns to be better. When I pushed them, and wanted to spend more money on something, they would sometimes recommend not to do so. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

I wasn’t always 100% happy with the price model, but it’s a common price model. There’s revenue share, but this is something I’d have to place with every agency in Germany.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Share information and be very transparent with them. Information is very important for them and is in good hands. It won’t be used for anything else but for the best of the campaign.