AGCS

Please describe your company and your position there.

Strategy and Design Production Studio working with tech and FMCG firms. Client Director and CRO

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

We received a challenging brief from one of our biggest clients, asking to create an interactive ad for the new Facebook Playable Ads platform. We were in charge of the concept and the design development but needed the help of a development agency to code it and make it work.

How did you select AGCS and what were the deciding factors?

We had already worked with AGCS in the past for different projects (mainly animated banners) and had only had good experiences.

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

We handled the design until it was approved, then we prepared the files and send them to AGCS to start coding. During the process, they created several demos that both ourselves and the final client could access to in order to give feedback.

They were very knowledgeable and able to solve any new request from the client.

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

Laura was the project manager throughout the project. She was always available and ready to help.

Morne and Niels were the developers and did a very good job and implementing changes quickly and even explaining directly to my client how the technical part worked.

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

My client is very happy with the final result and so are we, both with the result as well as with the process. Still don't have data but we can share this with you once the campaign is launched and analysed.

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

Fast, knowledgeable and friendly. Laura is great to work with. We mainly used gmail and a couple of meet video calls.

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

They are fast and knowledgeable.

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

Not the cheapest!

Please describe your company and your position there.

Senior Graphic Designer at Upfield. Upfield is the largest plant-based consumer product company in the world, and is dedicated to creating “a Better Plant-Based Future"

For what projects/services did your company hire AGCS?

We hired AGCS to help us in converting our videos and animations for our plant-based butter products into HTML5 banners.

What were your goals for this project?

Our goal was to set up and optimise our product videos for the HTML5 banner format in an attractive and eye-catching way.

How did you select AGCS?

We found AGCS through a google search and took note of their great reputation. We decided that the team’s specialisation in digital advertising would be a good way to get our ads optimised for online viewing.

Describe the project in detail.

Our project was to promote Upfield’s plant-based butter. We provided the assets to AGCS, who then converted it to HTML5 banners that could be used on multiple media platforms. Their challenge was to translate these animations into HTML5 form, despite the different animation techniques and file size limitation.

What was the team composition?

designer, programmer, project manager

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

AGCS proved themselves to be extremely quick, efficient and reliable in their asset delivery. We were very pleasantly surprised by the quick turnaround time and the excellent results - we only needed one small revision on the banners!

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

We were very impressed by their smooth workflow. Despite the very quick turnaround, they delivered the assets within two days and maintained great communication all throughout. They were very responsive to the small tweaks needed and very quickly delivered the finished product.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Their efficiency, technical ability and practically perfect asset delivery, even the first time around. It is clear that they are committed to maintaining their good reputation.

Are there any areas for improvement?

Not of note, we are very happy with the results!

Please describe your company and your position there.

180 Kingsday is an award-winning international creative agency based on the beautiful canals of Amsterdam. I am the Executive Producer of Digital, having worked on clients such as adidas, ASICS, HP and Sony PlayStation.

For what projects/services did your company hire AGCS?

We hired AGCS for the production of the FIFA Women’s World Cup digital campaign for our client Qatar Airways, specifically to produce HTML5 and rich media banners for different markets across the globe.

What were your goals for this project?

Our goal was to promote Qatar Airways, official FIFA partner for the Women’s World Cup 2019. The campaign included the development of HTML5 and rich media banners, in several formats and 5 different languages.

How did you select this vendor?

180 Kingsday and AGCS have had a long standing partnership and we didn't think twice about working closely with them on this project based on our history of collaborating on challenging projects resulting in successful deliveries.

Describe the scope of their work in detail.

The FIFA Women’s World Cup was held in Paris in 2019. In order to promote the World Cup and the destination itself, we produced different concepts and designs for HTML5 and rich media banners, targeting different audiences in several countries. AGCS supported us with the production of all creatives, providing clean animation, different rounds of reviews and fast turnaround. They also advised on the best animation solutions to fit within the given specs and still keep great image quality, which was essential for the success of the campaign.

What was the team composition?

We worked with an Account Manager, Project Manager, and 2 Front End Developers

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

Most of the media placements drove to the TVC, which currently clocks in at just shy of 11 million views, having been live for 10 months.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

The workflow was effective, We had good communication via email and phone. They understood our brief well. The project was finished on time for our campaign.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Aside from AGCS' tenacity, dedication and consistently high quality of work, they are incredibly pleasant to speak to and work with and that positive vibe goes a long way.

Are there any areas for improvement?

None to speak of. We're in the midst of another behemoth job, so you can ask me again in a few weeks ;)

Please describe your company and your position there.

Integrated Producer at advertising agency.

For what projects/services did your company hire AGCS?

Display banner development for a client who supplies online language courses.

What were your goals for this project?

Develop & deliver HTML5 banners (in a variety of standard formats) with clean & elegant animation, to the supplied publisher specs.

How did you select this vendor?

We have worked with AGCS previously and had a good experience. These banners required quick delivery and I trusted AGCS to achieve this. No other vendors were considered.

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

They consulted on creative and what was feasible animation wise. They also advised on adserving platform sizes and standard specifications, in the absence of client supplying any. They supplied design assistance in terms of roll out of other banner formats, based on a master banner design supplied by us. They developed various sets of creative (x4), in various formats (6-8 HTML5 formats, 3-4 social formats).

What was the team composition?

I worked directly with a project manager from AGCS who was fantastic. I also discussed animation directly with 2x of the developers which made it a very efficient and smooth process with no unforeseen challenges.

Can you share any information that demonstrates the impact that this project has had on your business?

The project is not yet complete

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

Communication was great, there was never any uncertainty around when something was going to be delivered. I was constantly kept informed. The team also dealt with surprises from the client very well, never showing signs of stress under the pressure of a tight deadline.

They were always willing to lend their expertise in brainstorming solutions with us, rather than stand back until we had an answer. Deadlines were always met and the quality of assets delivered was high.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

It was great to be able to connect our design and their developer directly. The team enabled a faster smoother process than if it was only a project manager talking to a producer, then both of these people relaying the information to the actual people doing the work.

Are there any areas for improvement?

Not that I can think of.

Please describe your company and your position there.

We've created a SaaS project management solution tailored for the creative industry.

For what projects/services did your company hire AGCS?

We hired AGCS to run our Search and Social Media campaigns in the German market. Setting up marketing and re-targeting activities on Google and Facebook as well as ongoing optimisation of the campaign.

What were your goals for this project?

Generate industry-specific German leads.

How did you select this vendor?

Our advertising agency Virtue (VICE) suggested working with AGCS.

Describe the scope of their work in detail.

In the first stage, the project covered full implementation and tracking of campaign including delivery of reports and content assistance. After seeing the results, we decided on further optimisation of the Google Ads campaign and Social Media which included, regional, targeting and channel optimisation.

They also set out to produce HTML5 banners for re-targeting users and adjusting Social Media creative to increase conversion in the german markets.

What was the team composition?

We were in contact with the project manager and Google Ads specialists who were optimising our campaigns.

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

We've managed to achieve some quality leads in the German market.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

It was effective as the we had regular contact via email and they were always replying fast. We also arranged one physical meeting mid-way of the campaign and one end at the campaign meeting, discussing the results as well as improvement opportunities.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

They had proper knowledge and were friendly in their communication. They were always willing to set that extra step.

Are there any areas for improvement?

Not al all.

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am a business development manager at a mid-sized start-up. We develop mobile applications that are used world-wide.

For what projects/services did your company hire AGCS?

We hired AGCS to create banner ads - both animated and static - that we could run in our digital marketing campaigns.

What were your goals for this project?

We wanted to increase conversions (primarily downloads) through banner ads by making sure the designs were in line with the rest of our ads. We also wanted to test HTML5 ads.

How did you select this vendor?

We had calls with several agencies and decided on AGCS based on how well they understood our idea, their previous work and their reasonable pricing (which included revisions).

Describe the project in detail.

Two calls to discuss our aims and the general design direction. Next, we received a proposal for different designs. We sent some feedback and then received revised designs.

We picked our favourite colour schemes and then received animated and static mocks of the banners. We sent a second round of feedback based on the mocks and after a few days received our final banners.

What was the team composition?

I believe it was two project managers, two designers and a developer, but I was mainly in contact with the project managers.

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

As we just started testing, it is too early to tell, but we will run them for several weeks in our Google campaigns.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Very good. The communication was incredibly smooth from AGCS, and they were very understanding about our needs. Their proposal and mocks were very professionally presented.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Smooth communication and ability to clearly explain any technical issues. Ability to quickly understand what kind of design we wanted. Very skilled in creating neat, eye-catching designs.

Are there any areas for improvement?

The only area for improvement might be understanding any updates to the banner requirements in different platforms. I think it would be great if, as a banner company, they could ensure the client that whichever banners they are creating will work for the client's end purpose.

Please describe your company and your position there.

We are an independent ad agency, based in Amsterdam. We develop branding and activation campaigns for a range of A-clients, with a broad reach and publicity across the Netherlands, and often globally as well. As a Digital Producer/Project Manager, my responsibility is to bring the creative work to live, together with production companies that best fit the job.

For what projects/services did your company hire AGCS?

We hired AGCS for several banner and landingpage projects. The project we did together where I want to elaborate on a bit is a banner project we have done for a local A-brand in breakfast cereals in the Netherlands.

What were your goals for this project?

Our main goal was to drive traffic to the breakfast checking tool we have created for a global cereal company. A tool where users could compare different kind of (self composed) breakfast in terms of nutritional values.

How did you select this vendor?

We have selected this vendor based on a recommendation from an acquaintance. After a first company-presentation at our office, we were convinced to do a project together.

Describe the scope of their work in detail.

Our company has developed a breakfast checker tool for our client. In this tool, users could compare different kind of (self composed) breakfast in terms of nutritional values. To drive traffic to the tool, we have created a TVC, several online video’s and online banners. AGCS developed the banners for this project. We developed a wide range of creative variations, completely in the look and feel of the tool and the campaign.

What was the team composition?

From Fitzroy side, the team was existing of a strategy consultant, art director, copywriter, graphic designer and a Digital Producer. The Digital Producer was the main point of contact for AGCS. From AGCS we were in contact with the Project Manager and Account Director.

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

We can’t share details of the results, but we have created a case on our website for this project: https://fitzroy.nl/project/quaker-breakfast-checker

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

The workflow has been very effective. From the moment we have briefed the team till the final delivery, everything went very smooth. Plus; the quality we have been aiming for was delivered, without a doubt. Just like any other project, challenges popped up along the way, but AGCS has been very flexible and agile in adapting to new circumstances.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

The most impressive was for us the ‘spot-on’ first delivery. Where we usually need to push a production company a lot to stretch the limits of the technical (im)possibilities, the first delivery was really spot on and only minor tweaks were needed to come to the required result.

Are there any areas for improvement?

To be honest; this project went really smooth. On point deliveries, within budget, within planning. No areas for improvement at the moment.

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the public relations and social media manager at Bathstore, a specialist bathroom retailer.

For what projects/services did your company hire AGCS?

We hired AGCS to run a nation-wide social media campaign for Easter. Their job was to create a digital media plan, design digital creatives, and implement the campaign on our social media platforms.

What were your goals for this project?

We wanted to generate as much awareness as possible to drive in-store traffic and acquire new followers.

How did you select this vendor?

We have worked with AGCS for over three years. They were initially recommended by a partner agency. 

Describe the scope of their work in detail.

AGCS created a digital media plan, which included detailed customer targeting strategies as well as direction on how to implement creative tasks. They also designed a range of assets for the social media campaign. When the campaign went live, AGCS regularly optimized the process to drive up our click-through rate and drive down our cost per click.

What was the team composition?

We worked with a digital marketing coordinator, a project manager, and a digital designer.

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

We had over 15,000 engagements on our advertisements during a very busy period of the year. The overall feedback from our sales team was positive, and we obtained more social media followers.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

We had a positive relationship and regular communication with the agency.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

We appreciated the way AGCS worked quickly. We had a short time frame to get digital assets designed and the campaign implemented. They were excellent at linking creative ideas to the campaign strategy.

Are there any areas for improvement?

No, I can't think of any.

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm a digital manager at Samsonite Europe. We manufacture, sell, and distribute softside and hardside luggage, attaches, softside bags, and travel accessories.

For what projects/services did your company hire AGCS?

We hired AGCS to design a range of creatives for our digital activation campaigns.

What were your goals for this project?

We had two main goals: to develop assets for our digital display marketing campaigns and to create dynamic material for retargeting and promoting specific products online.

How did you select this vendor?

Our media technology provider recommended them. 

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

We ran several projects with AGCS, including a Black Friday sale, Christmas and Valentine's Day promotions, product engravings, and Lipault-specific branding. Each campaign required dynamic HTML5 banners created in various sizes and uploaded to platforms like Google Studio. We briefed AGCS on our requirements; they designed storyboards and coded creative materials. 

What was the team composition?

We worked with a project manager, two designers, and two frontend developers.

Can you share any information that demonstrates the impact that this project has had on your business?

We were happy with the timely delivery and excellent outcomes of each project.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

Their workflow was sometimes tricky, since there were many parties involved on our end. Their workflow was smooth, however, and they delivered most projects on time.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Their communication, speed, and technical ability were particularly impressive. We would recommend them to other companies who want to design and develop digital assets.

Are there any areas for improvement?

Keeping ahead with new trends and innovations in creative production would bring them more business. 

Please describe your company and your position there.

I’m a digital account manager for a creative communications agency in Germany. We develop display advertising campaigns.

For what projects/services did your company hire AGCS?

After developing the creative for our display advertising campaigns, my team often lacks the capacity for code programming. We sought to outsource this process.

What were your goals for this project?

We strove to meet our clients’ deadlines while also being flexible enough to implement last-minute changes and handle problems.

How did you select this vendor?

We heard of AGCS through word-of-mouth. After meeting with them, we did a pilot project.

Describe the scope of their work in detail.

Once AGCS receives our creative ideas in a Photoshop (PSD) file and storyboard, they begin programming. They provide us with a preview of all display ads. If necessary, they upload files to the media server and work directly with media agencies and publishers.

What was the team composition?

We work closely with Justin (Founder & CEO, AGCS) and Laura (Project Manager, AGCS). Other team members are available when specific expertise is needed.

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

Since we started working with AGCS, we have been able to improve our workflow and better deliver assets on time. With such a reliable technical partner, my team can focus on the creative aspects of display advertising. Problems often arise in the complex network of agencies that we work with, and AGCS prepares us to handle any issues quickly and efficiently.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

We deploy a standard workflow via email that works well. When we need to collaborate more closely, we use Google Hangouts. AGCS uses their own preview tool for the process of approval.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

They are committed to their work. It is clear that they want to deliver the highest-quality product possible.

Are there any areas for improvement?

No, I cannot think of any. We evaluate our partnership and processes regularly and implement changes as necessary.