Alchemy One

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm the Communications Manager of an Aged Care and Disability not-for-profit.

For what projects/services did your company hire Alchemy One?

We hired Alchemy One to design and implement the media campaign for the launch of our new initiative, LiveUp. they also set up the analytics dashboard for the website and campaign.

How did you select Alchemy One?

We sent a brief to 5 media agencies and then carried out a series of meetings with each agency. The agencies submitted their pitch and basic plan for how they would approach the campaign. Alchemy One impressed us throughout the process and soon become the clear choice.

Describe the scope of their work in detail.

Alchemy One took a holistic approach to the scope of work starting off with onboarding and immersion session to bring them up to speed on the purpose and vision of iLA and LiveUp. From these sessions, they developed and build, an audience, connection, and creative strategy.

After the strategy was agreed on upn by the iLA, Alchemy One engaged with media partners on behalf of iLA. This transitioned into the launch architecture which was thorough and well throught out. Finally, they launched the media campaign, tested approaches, and have been agile in maneuvering the campaign to ensure we get the best results.

What was the team composition?

I've worked closely with Joel, the Managing Director and Paul the Strategy Director initially to establish a very solid work relationship. We have also been very well supported by Huong, the Business Director, and Aline, the Digital Experience Director throughout our partnership. In addition, Yasmin, the Business Manager, and Eire, the Digital Manager have ensured that the campaign is succeeding.

For the analytics portion of the work, Gagan, Alchemy One's Analytics Consultant has been amazing in getting the dashboard created and functioning.

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

Across the ALT channels of the campaign, we are seeing results that far exceed our expectations in terms of frequency and reach by 50-100%. We are gaining more than expected site visitors by 50% and are understanding how people are using the site through the information given via the dashboard.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Initially, we had a weekly touch base leading up to the launch and have moved that to fortnightly. The workflow between iLA and Alchemy One has been seamless. They promised to become an extension of the iLA team and they delivered on that promise.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Firstly it was that their culture aligned with ours. They are dedicated to making a positive social impact and thrive on working with organisations and businesses that aim for that same goal. They are invested in what iLA is trying to do and came to every meeting well prepped and researched.

They are straightforward to work with, solution orientated, and collectively positive. From an outcome perspective they have exceeded our expectations.

Is there any area for improvement or anything that could have been done differently?

Honestly, no.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the country manager of Luno, a cryptocurrency company.

What challenge were you trying to address with Alchemy One?

We were looking for a media buyer with good experience of the media landscape in Australia.

What was the scope of their involvement?

We’ve been working with Alchemy One in creating affordable and quality billboards and radio adverts for marketing campaigns. They take care of buying and renting the media for those adverts — their work essentially is finding the most visible locations to place our material. Additionally, they study the areas to see if they’re relevant for the market and reach out to the owners to source the best deal for us.

What is the team composition?

We’ve been working with 2–3 members of their team, including a couple of managers.

How did you come to work with Alchemy One?

We found them through Clutch, and we decided to go with them based on their personality and attention to detail.

How much have you invested in them?

We’ve spent close to $1 million AUD (approximately $713,000 USD) with them so far.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in November 2020, and the engagement is ongoing.

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

They’ve been able to get discounted prices from the media we buy, and the cost per billboard has been low as well. We’ve also noticed an uplift in brand awareness in terms of results — it’s been a worthwhile campaign.

How did Alchemy One perform from a project management standpoint?

They’ve been great in terms of meeting deadlines. In terms of tools, we use Slack.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I like that they’re a small business and their attention to detail.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I don’t think there’s anything they can improve on.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Have an open mind and be prepared to create with them.

Please describe your company and your position there.

The Biennale of Sydney is a leading international contemporary art event. It plays an indispensable role in Australia’s engagement with the world, and a meaningful role in the life of the nation. For almost 50 years, the Biennale has been a unifying force in the Australian arts sector, embedding boldly creative art exhibitions and experiences in the everyday life of Sydney and putting the artistic excellence of Australia front and centre on the world stage. I am the Head of Communications and External Affairs.

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

Aligning our media strategy, brokering new relationships with vendors and implementing the strategy.

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

Alchemy One is very passionate about our organization’s mission and shares our goal to drive the best possible outcomes and support us in extending our reach to wider audiences.

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

In the lead-up to the 22nd Biennale of Sydney, Alchemy One devised a strategy that was informed through research of other arts festivals and outlined the key components of the marketing campaign.   The strategy outlined that it was important to use a range of marketing means to reach audiences: from paid media to street posters to large format outdoor advertising. More specifically this included Facebook events, digital and outdoor media, signage, and enlisting ‘Australian Taste Makers and Artists’ to boost the works on social media, in addition to search engine optimization.

They expressed the need for high-quality video and imagery content to drive awareness of key exhibitions to encourage ‘must-see experiences’ as Instagramable moments. The strategy also looked at social media and the importance of geotagging owned social posts and hashtagging to encourage audiences to post along with the Biennale.   Alchemy One brokered the media partnership deals that were relevant to the outlined strategy. Following this, they devised a schedule for the digital and outdoor media placements and a deliverables list with specs for the design. We then supplied the assets to their team who liaised directly with the vendors. Following the campaign, Alchemy One shared reports directly from our outdoor media partner and analysis of the digital campaign and reporting on our street poster campaign.

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

3 Managing Director  Strategy Director  Connections Executive

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

Alchemy One was pivotal in securing the Biennale over $750,000 worth of digital and outdoor media placements across Melbourne and Sydney. Although not all of these placements were delivered due to COVID-19, they secured a partnership with Ooh! Media which saw $700,000 worth of placements through an in-kind partnership.  

Alchemy One worked with the suppliers to ensure we were all across moving deadlines.  Alchemy One worked with our team and another external provider to ensure the Biennale’s search engine optimization was set up correctly, as well as helped geotag the digital display ads.  

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Alchemy One worked closely with the Biennale to turnaround assets quickly and maximize opportunities.

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

Alchemy One is passionate about the organizations they represent, and they are able to win over the hearts and minds of larger media companies to secure maximum return on investment.

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

As a small organization, we were driving our own design and could have benefited from more strategic advice on what kind of design assets would have been more impactful according to their placements.  

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am General Manager of Sales and Marketing for an Australian hospitality group behind a diverse range of businesses spanning luxury accommodation, restaurants, cafes, a wine label and art exhibitions. I oversee sales and marketing strategy across all brands and businesses.

For what projects/services did your company hire Alchemy One?

In 2019 we launched a globally-significant art exhibition that has previously shown in London, New York, Los Angeles, Shanghai and Sharjah.

Our challenge was to generate hype and awareness around the exhibition's opening and then set in place an ongoing sales campaign. Alchemy One drove the pre-launch strategy (audience and market research) and campaign and connections strategy; pre-launch implementation and setup, as well as executing launch and sustained campaigns.

What were your goals for this project?

The exhibition has been viewed by over 500,000 people across previous exhibitions. Our goal was to sell out an initial three month season and then extend and ultimately achieve ticket sales in excess of 100,000 people.

How did you select this vendor?

Alchemy One was one of three agencies referred to us by our PR agency, who had experience with them in the past. We spoke with all three agencies and Alchemy One impressed from the first phone call.

Aside from the fact that they jumped on a flight from Sydney to Melbourne to meet us face-to-face, what stood out during the pitch process was the effort they went to understand our brand and the confidence they gave us when recommending strategies that would both promote and protect our brand.

Describe the scope of their work in detail.

After appointing Alchemy One, they got to work on a campaign spanning paid digital, outdoor, SEO, SEM and partnerships. AO developed the strategic framework for the launch of Rain Room across paid and owned channels.

Then they oversaw the pre-launch implementation and setup, comprising partnership briefings and negotiation, offline media planning and buying, analytics and reporting setup, SEO audit, digital advertising asset development and campaign builds.

We then moved into two campaign phases: launch (awareness and hype), ongoing (sustained ticket sales).

What was the team composition?

Paul and Joel (company principles and strategy directors) were our points of contact during the pre-launch planning phase. Once the campaign was running, we worked with the Senior Digital Lead on a day-to-day basis, but still had direct lines into the company principles and their involvement in WIP and reporting meetings.

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

At the time of writing, we have sold over 80,000 tickets to the exhibition and enjoyed an average attendance rate of over 80% (relative to capacity). The attribution to our digital campaigns has been strong and outdoor played its role as an awareness driver early on.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

We were in near-daily communication with the Senior Digital Lead and had regular communication with the company principles/strategy directors. Typically AO reported on a fortnightly basis where we'd view performance and make decisions on optimising recommendations. They were incredibly prompt in replying to emails and kept us feeling connected with the campaign.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

We were most impressed with the understanding and enthusiasm the company principles had of our project; they gave us confidence in their ability to manage the campaign. Paul and Joel earned our trust, and we built a strong working rapport early, which went a long way to ensuring a collaborative and successful partnership.

Are there any areas for improvement?

No.

Please describe your company and your position there.

UNiDAYS is the world's leading Student Affinity Network with access to 10+ million college and university students around the world.We provide integrated, multi-channel campaigns and solutions to help brands reach students—the highest value consumer group of all time. https://corporate.myunidays.com/en-au/ Membership is free and is renewed each year (in line with student enrolment) so we know we have a 100% verified student audience at all times. My position is General Manager, UNiDAYS (APAC)

For what projects/services did your company hire Alchemy One?

We engaged Alchemy One to support the media strategy & implementation of our annual O-Week campaign, they also supported the Social Media strategy & implementation. Alchemy One have also supported UNiDAYS on smaller campaign projects.

What were your goals for this project?

• We needed to drive awareness for UNiDAYS with new & existing students to drive an increase in membership & re-verification.
• We also wanted to ensure that once aware, an action was taken.

How did you select this vendor?

We had worked with a number of media providers independently of engaging an agency. Alchemy One presented their credentials and their approach and it was very much in line with our collaborative working style. From our initial media agency meetings, Alchemy One demonstrated a strong sense of who & what they were able to deliver- and they then exceeded these expectations from a delivery perspective.

Describe the scope of their work in detail.

The UNiDAYS O-Week campaign was a national campaign (AU) and Alchemy One delivered media partnerships, outdoor, radio, digital display, on campus media, social channels and content. The campagin ran across 12 weeks (Jan- March)

What was the team composition?

I worked closely with the leadership team at Alchemy One and the operational team was then supported with relevant Alchemy One staff (depending on area of speciality). The team scaled up & down based on what was required. We worked closely with a small team of 3+ at Alchemy One and because of the collaborative nature of how we worked, we were able to leverage resource on both sides to deliver what was required.

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

We were very happy with the results achieved throughout the campaign and when there were a few small challenges along the way, they were dealt with quickly and rectified where required. The flexible working style of the team at Alchemy One allowed for greater optimisation and stronger dynamic results. The results achieved were what we were expecting (in some channels we over achieved and in others we missed the mark) so overall we were very happy with the results.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Communication, collaboration, scheduling and management of the campaign was excellent. Alchemy One ran weekly WIPs and then reduced these down as the campaign was performing. The pre, during & post process was better than I have received at larger media agencies- better attention to detail and pride in their work.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Their willingness to find solutions that worked within budget, drive results and collaborate with a team as if we were part of theirs. Alchemy One are very good at managing expectations and if/ when something goes a little off the rails, they quickly address the problem so that minimal effect is noticed. It's a lovely, respectful, and skillful crew at Alchemy One.

Are there any areas for improvement?

I truly don't have any complaints. My only piece of advise would be to acknowledge when elements of a campaign need to come in house vs continuing to make it work externally. Sometimes it's better to divide and conquer and to know at what point that needs to occur. But to be fair, thats a difficult line in the sand to gauge when you are working with a new partner.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the head of strategy for Bank Australia. We're an ethical cooperative bank based in Melbourne, with a presence across Australia.

What challenge were you trying to address with Alchemy One?

We hoped to maximize the impact of our advertising spend and increase the sophistication of our digital advertising approach.

What was the scope of their involvement?

They took charge of planning all our advertising spend across the whole brand and our campaigns. They've developed an integrated approach that covers outdoor, tv, and cinema content partnerships and all our digital marketing. We had a good mix of advertising before they came on, but they've done much better integrations with our partners. At the moment, they're helping with our organic social strategies, predominantly on Instagram.

What is the team composition?

We work primarily with a team of four: the managing director, strategy director, an account manager, and a digital manager.

How did you come to work with Alchemy One?

I was introduced to them through a contact of mine that I respect. I was going through a selection process, and they won the bid by a considerable margin.

How much have you invested with them?

We spend about $3.7 million AUD (approximately $2.6 million USD) a year, so we're probably around the $2 million AUD (approximately $1.4 million USD) mark now.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them in October 2018, and the partnership is ongoing.

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

Our brand awareness in the tracking research is up considerably since we started working together. We also track clickthrough rates and conversions. All our metrics are extremely positive, and we hadn't seen such good results before.

How did Alchemy One perform from a project management standpoint?

They're very well-organized. We all use Asana to coordinate and manage all the work, and they're always on us about deadlines. They're very good at guiding us through the process.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their passion about our brand and their absolute dedication to helping us achieve our goals has a lot of value. They are true partners in everything we try to do.

Are there any areas they could improve?

We've had such an amazing experience with them, and I struggle to think of anything specific they should change.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

If you have a great business strategy and you want a media agency as a partner, Alchemy is the company for you. They're so passionate about what they do, and they want to go on a journey with you.

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm the Head of Marketing for Square in Australia. We provide easy-to-use business tools to small businesses around the world.

For what projects/services did your company hire Alchemy One?

Alchemy One are our retained media agency. We hired them to up-level our approach to above-the-line media buying, as historically this was managed directly by our team. Their scope includes TV, BVOD, Radio, Streaming Audio, Out-Of-Home and Content Partnerships. We recently expanded the scope to include YouTube, Paid Social and Display.

How did you select this vendor?

We tendered the account services out to a selection of Australian based media agencies. Alchemy 1 were the right team for the job. They offered the expertise, service level and their boutique approach and size was the appropriate scale for our business and budget.

Describe the scope of their work in detail.

The Alchemy 1 team are reasonably embedded in the business after 2+ years of working on the brand. In line with Service Level Agreements, the team respond to campaign briefs with high level strategy and tactical media plans. They often go over and above, by pitching creative ideas to complement campaign assets.

What was the team composition?

The team works with a cross section of their accounts team, from Director to Channel Specialists.

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

We've seen a fantastic uplift in brand awareness, new customer acquisition and prospect web traffic.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Weekly WIP meetings and recently introduced quarterly business reviews are effective.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Alchemy 1 are a team of passionate, creative and inspired media specialists. They are experts in their craft, trusted advocates for our brand, and have their finger on the pulse.

Is there any area for improvement or anything that could have been done differently?

The team are wildly passionate and don't like to skip over any details when sharing campaign rationales (in email or meetings). Whilst this is admirable, finding the balance between 'must know' and 'TL'DR' might help the team to be effective with their partners. Finding the right balance between 'art and science' when sharing strategy and media plan recommendations may help the team present media approaches that compete on a global scale. For example, balancing data led rationale (utilising local media industry expertise and data points) to inform reach and frequency targets.

Please describe your company and your position there.

Westfund Health Insurance is a not-for-profit, member-owned health insurer. I lead the brand, marketing and experience team responsible for driving growth and enhancing the member experience.

For what projects/services did your company hire Alchemy One?

We were looking for a partner to help us develop our media strategy for sustainable growth.

How did you select this vendor?

We shortlisted four independent media agencies to make the decision. We selected Alchemy One for their understanding of our business' unique challenges, expertise in supporting growth within financial services and passion for our not-for-profit account.

Describe the scope of their work in detail.

Alchemy One was engaged to support the online and offline media strategy and to drive growth for Westfund, and enhance our analytics capabilities for improved understanding and optimisation of the conversion funnel.

What was the team composition?

We've worked closely with the agency founders and senior account leads.

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

We're finishing the financial year +18% above joins target. Through the partnership, we've also been able to grow owned channel acquisition and reduce reliance on third parties.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

We have weekly meetings + additional sessions where deep dives are required. Very detailed communications.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Their commitment to understanding our business and helping us achieve our objectives was impressive. Senior staff are always available, provide valuable guidance and are committed to acting on feedback to always improve the way we work together.

Is there any area for improvement or anything that could have been done differently?

Streamlining communications and minimising workload pushed back on internal teams.