The Ascendant Group

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm the founder of a company that focuses on personal growth.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire The Ascendant Group, and what were your goals?

I put together the web site on my own and was seeking expertise to develop a stronger brand and get more exposure.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

I was referred by a PR person I respect.

Describe the scope of their work in detail, including any steps and the final deliverables.

They interviewed me and then we did a photo shoot, had multiple strategy sessions, and then they helped me with developing a book proposal, significantly growing my social media, securing many media opportunities for me, and helping me uplevel the brand.

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

I got to work with the following:

• CEO
• A couple of publicists
• Director of Social Media
• A partner in the company
• President of the Literary side
• A ghostwriter.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

My social media has grown from about 2,000 to nearly 30,000. I had national media booked and it has helped generate new client leads. The brand looks more how I've always wanted it to look.

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

We had regular meetings, multiple touchpoints monthly, and ongoing updates via email.

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

They really care about the success of my company. They took the time to have several members of their team take my training and I know they read my materials and believe my success is important.

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

A little more upfront detail about what to expect from the engagement.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the CEO of the company. We are a communications and leadership training company with over 20 years in the marketplace. Our clientele includes over 40% of the Fortune 500.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire The Ascendant Group, and what were your goals?

We hired Ascendant for multiple areas. PR for myself, the founder, and the company. Book concept idea development, proposal writing, and securing a book deal. Social media for myself and the founder. Brand strategy for the company. Brand design for myself and the founder. Ongoing strategic branding advisement and management for the company. Our goals were to help transition from being an in person training company to be more well known for our technology solutions.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

Our app developer recommended them.

Describe the scope of their work in detail, including any steps and the final deliverables.

We generated over 100 media placements, some key strategic partnerships, social reach in the millions, and saw some great business growth. They also played a key role in helping us reshape our vision for it to be more marketable.

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

We had a brand manager, the CEO, 4 or 5 publicist, and a social media person assigned to us. I'm not sure beyond that who else worked on the account.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We've seen growth in the core and new business. We've had a significant uptick in traffic. We've seen an increase in brand recognition.

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

There is a biweekly meeting and once they are properly orientated to a campaign direction we get results quickly.

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

The flexibility, brainstorming, and collaborative nature. I liked that I could grab the CEO anyday for a conversation.

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

Sometimes its important to ensure clarity has been achieved before going full speed into a direction.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

Global Advisor for an HR company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire The Ascendant Group, and what were your goals?

I was interested in building my personal brand.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

I heard the CEO speak on a webinar and decided to reach out to explore a conversation.

Describe the scope of their work in detail, including any steps and the final deliverables.

They developed a brand message for me and then created a web site, book proposal, social media, and did public relationship. They then ended up securing a book deal for me with a major publisher and marketing the book.

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

I worked directly with the CEO, a couple of the brand managers, and their head of entertainment who is a literary agent. I know they had several other people work on the project. All together I had a team of 8-9 people.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

They secured for me multiple national media hits, a book deal with an advance, best seller for the book, my LinkedIn and Facebook accounts grew by a collective of over 25,000 (initially being under 2,000).

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

They were good on email, we had strategy calls, and the team was available as much as I needed them.

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

I was impressed with their unique ideas, flexibility, and commitment to success.

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

I can't think of anything. I renewed multiple times, have referred them, and plan to work with them again.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm the CEO. Three Squared, Inc. is a Detroit-based architecture and design firm whose revolutionary technology uses steel cargo shipping containers to build eye-catching and resilient mixed-use spaces, condominiums, and apartment complexes faster and more cost-effectively than traditional construction.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire The Ascendant Group?

To help us announce our hiring of Eric Lloyd Wright the grandson of Frank Lloyd Wright as our chief architect. It expanded into several engagements over six years as they helped us grow our social exposure, publicity, and helped us do our seven figure raise.

What were your goals for this project?

To get exposure for our firm as a budding company entering the Cargo container building space.

SOLUTION

How did you select The Ascendant Group?

Through our network at CEO Space. We vetted several companies and Ascendant demonstrated a high level of drive, expertise, and uniqueness.

Describe the scope of their work in detail.

The Ascendant Group has been with us from pre-revenue to generating a significant pipeline for us through securing PR with USA Today, ABC News, and Huffington Post.

We've also utilized them to generate meaningful leads on LinkedIn. Much of our 7 figure raise and several of our clients came from the exposure we received. Even after our formal engagement we periodically comeback to Ascendant for special projects and I consider them among my most trusted advisers.

What was the team composition?

We got great engagement from the CEO as well as having two publicists, two social media people, a designer, and another Senior Partner at the company working on our behalfs.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Seven figure investment raise Multimillion dollar contract signed Exposure on ABC News, Yahoo Finance, USA Today, and placement on reality TV show on HGTV

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Excellent they were proactive in their thought process and collaborative.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

They are always are thinking about the next thing. The positioning work that was done was pretty clever. I would have never thought about positioning my role as CEO and the company overall in the way they did.

Are there any areas for improvement?

They learned a lesson about extending themselves to far and I learned it as well. We did some SEO work with them which isn't their sweet spot but we trusted them. I learned to lean on people to do what they do best.

Which in Ascendant's case is already so many great things brand strategy, PR, design, advising, and social media. I should have been satisfied with that.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the Director, Marketing & Communications for a healthcare system.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire The Ascendant Group, and what were your goals?

Public relations outreach for company and senior management team Develop branding and marketing strategy Develop, create and implement social media campaigns Photoshoot for corporate executives Establish thought leadership for senior leaders Media training

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

Request for proposal

Describe the scope of their work in detail, including any steps and the final deliverables.

• Social media from the inside out workshop and eventual employee monitoring plan
• Branding from the inside out

Enhancing employees interactions with public, immediate solutions include:

• Customer Service Training
• Getting Employee feedback Integrated robust advertising initiative
• Continual PR and social growth
• Glassdoor review improvement, social media response planning, and improvement of other review web sites
• Leverage CMO/CEO and other execs brand even more.
• Media training for senior management team (One virtual sessions and two in-person sessions)

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

The following individuals were involved in our project:

• Raoul, President and CEO
• Neil, senior brand manager
• Danielle, social media
• Merilee, senior public relations manager
• Lynn, public relations

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Here are some of the outcomes from the project:

We achieved reach of 4.8 million on social media with NYC focus Double digit or triple digit growth in 4 out of 6 web site measures Through media the equivalent advertising value of over $5 million was earned when calculating UVM as worth $0.007  Total media placements 97 Total of 17 pickups from News 12 and affiliates Five WPIX 11 links Newsweek and Fast Company contributorship/ongoing articles

The average domain authority of PR hits thus far is 71 and total unique monthly visitors is 675,914,964 –great for SEO and brand visibility Growth Twitter from 10 to 912 Instagram from 668 to 2,479 YouTube from 40 to 216 Total on these platforms Growth 718 to 4,217 (487%) Reach of 4.8 million Over 100,000 engagements Additional Outcomes

• Wrote bios for all senior team members and key doctors
• Designed a media kit
• Secured contributorships to Newseek and Fast Company for the company’s founder and CEO
• Provided on-going consultation for other lines of business on public relations and marketing strategy

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

We worked very closely with the Ascendant team in a collaborative manner. They were extremely responsive and patient at times as my very shorthanded team had to manage our internal team to provide feedback to many projects. We held weekly check-in meetings to discuss current and new projects We had access to a Google Drive Folder where we could easily access minutes from each meeting, newly created bios of senior team members, social media metrics reports.

We received weekly updates on media outreach For interviews, we worked closely with the PR team to make our executives and other doctors available for interviews. The PR Team also communicated with us via email and phone to inform and update us on media covering one of our events or scheduling interviews with our team members.

For the media training, we did one in person session, but then worked with Ascendant to secure one of their senior partners to conduct two live, in-person trainings that were very effective

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

The company’s owner, Raoul, is extremely experienced, knowledgeable and responsive. He listened to our needs, and continuously provided us with insights, new ideas and approaches on how we could strengthen and extend the Healthcare organizations brand. They addressed our need to raise our media profile locally, but also helped position our founder and CEO as a thought leader who contributed articles to Newsweek and Fast Company.

Other team members also provided us timely and thoughtful advice and executed projects in a timely and thorough manner.

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

I have no specific recommendations to the Ascendant team.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

Director of Project Management for Control and Data Protection company that Spans Across all Industries.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire The Ascendant Group, and what were your goals?

Ascendant did a brand retreat and developed a brand strategy that included communication plan, positioning, and our pre-launch approach.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

The market research company we were utilizing recommended them.

Describe the scope of their work in detail, including any steps and the final deliverables.

They came to our office and did a 5 hour workshop to get to know our executive teams perspective on the business and market. They then analyzed market research data, had follow up discussion, and presented a comprehensive plan that took us up through launching the business.

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

We worked with:

• the CEO
• chief brand designer
• a Senior brand manager
• some of the PR and social team

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

A clear communication strategy that helped us see a bigger picture for audience, monetization strategy, and detailed road map to help us position the launch of our product.

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

They ran a tight timeline and communicated any time there was adjustments to the plan.

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

They were creative, flexible, and collaborative throughout the engagement.

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

No

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

We have a rapid response antibody platform and a solution for antibiotic resistant bacteria

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire The Ascendant Group, and what were your goals?

We had developed two very compelling innovations and needed support in developing a corporate brand identity, generating media attention, setting up social media, and creating strategic relationships.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

We heard about them through a Harvard Business School recommendation.

Describe the scope of their work in detail, including any steps and the final deliverables.

We started with a brand strategy and then from there they developed three web sites for us, developed social presence, secured major media, and secured a 25 million dollar business deal for us with a company out of Egypt.

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

We worked with half a dozen people including two publicists, the CEO, a Brand Manager, and a Brand Designer.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The 25 million dollar deal we secured provided a 10X ROI. In addition, they created branding assets that have proved helpful as well as strategic advisement on positioning.

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

Even when we were not communicating they were. Their style was extremely proactive and results-oriented.

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

The versatility and improvisation skills. They've provided practical solutions for every challenge.

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

There was a vendor they recommended wish I in retrospect hope they had vetted better.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

We offer an app that helps to track inappropriate content on computers.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire The Ascendant Group?

We had experienced a lack of interest and engagement around our product and were looking for ways to spur that.

What were your goals for this project?

To increase our exposure via media.

SOLUTION

How did you select The Ascendant Group?

They are a top ranked firm in the region and provided a very common sense approach to the engagement.

Describe the scope of their work in detail.

They helped us secure TV exposure that had us be seen in over 100 U.S. markets and strategically grew our LinkedIN in a way that we got engagement from organizations that wanted to partnership with us.

What was the team composition?

We worked directly with a Partner at the company and he had a couple people work underneath him. We did not interact with them.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Request to partner with organizations in our industry and media coverage that positioned our business for success.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

It was excellent. Everything they said they would deliver they did and we actually ended up asking them to pause the social work because we were getting overloaded with requests.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

The straightforward communication and straightforward results are impressive.

Are there any areas for improvement?

I cannot think of any.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the CEO

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire The Ascendant Group?

They were hired to develop a brand strategy, conduct a photo shoot, grow my LinkedIn, and launch a web site

What were your goals for this project?

To launch the speaking division of my company and begin building a personal brand.

SOLUTION

How did you select The Ascendant Group?

I was referred by a long-time friend that had great success with them.

Describe the scope of their work in detail.

They developed a web site direction and then built a web site. They developed a direction for a photo shoot, conducted the photo shoot, and then touched up the photos. They developed specific brand positioning for my business. They built a LinkedIn campaign that has generated dozens of great leads and converted into business.

What was the team composition?

It included 5 team members. Including a Partner in the business, a couple of brand managers, a designer, and a social media person.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

I generated multiple deals from the LinkedIn work and I feel very confident in the visual look and feel of my brand.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

There are multiple people I worked with and everyone gave a great deal of energy and it was a good experience.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

The overall emphasis on monetizing the brand and wanting to pull the best out of me. Both of these were very impressive.

Are there any areas for improvement?

Just communicating more in terms of status updates.