Atreo

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the CMO at Gong, the leading revenue intelligence platform for Sales. We have nearly 300 team members in San Francisco and Tel Aviv.

For what projects/services did your company hire Atreo?

In late 2017 we decided to invest in our company branding. We recognized the importance of early brand work at Gong, to build category leadership and support our demand generation efforts.

What were your goals for this project?

We wanted an instantly recognizable brand that would accurately describe who we are at Gong - authoritative, approachable, friendly, and helpful. We wanted a brand that would make our customers and prospects feel seen and comfortable. Something uniquely different from everyone else in our space.

How did you select this vendor?

We talked to several branding and messaging agencies in Israel and the US. Based on our previous branding experience with Atreo at companies like Sisense, we decided they were the best fit for us.

Describe the scope of their work in detail.

During 6 months, Atreo led our branding project. From early strategy to understanding who we really are. From there, the project continued in the messaging track and the visual track. We finally launched a new website, brand guide, logo, colors, typography, the works.

What was the team composition?

The main Atreo team members who worked with us were (1) Strategy manager; (2) Messaging; (3) UX; and (4) UI.

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

Our brand launch in June 2018 was a huge success. We've been receiving praise for our unique branding to this day, 18+ months later. People easily recognize our brand now, based on it's quirky characters, our bold colors, and - of course - Bruno the dog.

Based on the branding project's success, we engaged with Atreo on a monthly retainer basis for them to continue designing all of our visual brand assets, including trade shows, billboards, and online materials.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Working with Atreo is a pleasure. They are true professionals. We had direct access to the agency's CEO, Carmel, and enjoyed working with the entire team. On our (brand) side, our branding team consisted mainly of the CEO and CMO with cameo appearances by other executives and team members at crucial checkpoints.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Their creativity and original thinking impressed us, especially on the visual branding side. The options they presented us with were so different from anything we had seen or could have imagined.

Are there any areas for improvement?

We ended up changing some of the messaging parts of our original branding project. Part of this was due to the early stage in which we engaged with Atreo and our own evolving story.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m currently the CMO of Firebolt, a software startup. 

What challenge were you trying to address with Atreo?

I’ve worked with Atreo on two separate occasions— one at my current company, and another in a prior role at Checkmarkx, which was our initial engagement. That project was a branding initiative.  

What was the scope of their involvement?

Atreo was focused on elevating our brand to the same level as that of our top competitors. This involved conducting customer interviews as well as other peripheral work to gain perspective on our company.

Atreo’s methodology encourages interactive, collaborative presentation sessions that involve various stakeholders. That process allowed for everyone involved to reach alignment on the direction we wanted to pursue. 

The team strategized with us on identifying the key facets of our organization that we wanted to focus on when designing the brand. Atreo helped us find ways to represent our values both visually and textually. 

The team has also provided web design services, games, office design, and other collateral as well. They used InVision as a prototyping tool.

What is the team composition?

The team competition depended on where we were in the cycle of the project. In the initial, conceptual phase, we worked with their head of strategy, as well as some other members from their executive team. 

When the project was more concrete, we worked with account managers and other team members. 

How did you come to work with Atreo?

Atreo was referred to us, and we ended up collecting some responses from other companies who’d used them before. Their feedback was overwhelmingly positive, and we decided to move forward with them.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent between $200,000-$999,999 on this engagement.

What is the status of this engagement?

Our first project lasted from January–June 2015. However, I’ve continued my partnership with them in my current role as well.

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

After implementing Atreo’s branding strategies, we noticed a higher conversion rate across our various campaigns. Our company’s presence appeared more professional, and we received really positive feedback—even from our competitors. 

We believe Atreo’s work was instrumental in the following success of our company, including the increase of the size and scope of our deals.

How did Atreo perform from a project management standpoint?

Atreo performed exceptionally well. They don’t leave out any details, and they have an excellent ability to prioritize. The team works diligently to meet deadlines.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Atreo was great at understanding what our company does and the technology we develop. Within a week, they understood our business at the level of some of our own internal salespeople. 

The team also grasped our competitive landscape very well, so that they could more effectively guide us through the process of identifying what sets our organization apart and how we can leverage those qualities in our brand strategy. 

Further, Atreo was quite skilled in terms of managing different members’ inputs and opinions. They have a lot of experience in that process and are excellent at satisfying stakeholders’ needs and wants.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Their team is extremely creative, and the range of visual options they presented to us could be overwhelming at times. Because of that, we had to be very involved in terms of steering them in the right direction. However, they worked with us through several iterations to make sure we were pleased with the final outcome.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Before you begin your engagement, make sure you understand your audience and competitive landscape. If you don’t, the team will have a difficult time distilling the direction your brand should go, and you’ll end up with something that’s merely pretty, rather than strategic. 

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the COO of MDClone, a healthcare solution company that utilizes big data.

What challenge were you trying to address with Atreo?

We were looking for a company that would help with rebranding including messaging and our product visuals.

What was the scope of their involvement?

They’re handling the whole rebranding process together with our management team. It was well-established from the beginning in terms of the vision and what the steps of the process would look like to reach our final goal.

Working with multiple teams inside their company, we revamped our brand strategy, visuals, and copy (messaging). They’re also redesigning our website. While another company is doing the actual development, Atreo is handling the wireframes, website map, and page designs.

What is the team composition?

There’s a project manager dedicated to the project. We’ve worked with different teams within their company on different parts of the rebranding like brand strategy, visuals, and messaging. There’s also been a video production team that’s helping us create a testimonial video. All these groups are well-connected.

How did you come to work with Atreo?

We met with three companies here in Israel and one in the US. After face-to-face meetings, we felt Atreo’s professionalism was very high. Though the price was on the high side, the end result would give us a better product.

They also had a technical team, so they weren’t just a marketing company. Having a partner that had technical knowledge and could speak our language was critical.

What is the status of this engagement?

We’ve been working together since October 2018.

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

There are two main benefits: the deliverables that we get and their responsiveness. They hit their milestones and respond to us quickly, usually within an hour or less. Their dedication makes it so I don’t have to wait for days or weeks to get something back. They’ve become a true part of our company.

How did Atreo perform from a project management standpoint?

We speak on a weekly basis. Their service is highly attentive, and they make us feel like we’re a very important customer. That’s what we get from everyone, from the CEO on down. They’ve become a true friend to us.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They have a technically knowledgeable team we can talk to, which helps us provide the right messaging, visualization, and brand story. A lot of the other options didn’t have the technology angle. Our relationship is much closer than a traditional vendor and client.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Services could always cost less, but I don’t have anything specific for Atreo.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

It’s important to align expectations and talk about challenges. For example, we had a change in our vision and strategy, and they did what they needed to align the messages again, but it’s better to make everything clear in the beginning.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the COO of JFrog, a software company.

What challenge were you trying to address with Atreo?

We wanted to rebrand our platform and have clearer messaging of what we do. We needed someone who could understand the technical complexity of what we do and explain our story in a simple way for different audiences.

What was the scope of their involvement?

They revamped our website, our marketing brochures, the design in our bulletin in all kinds of conferences and presentations that we had to prepare, templates, pieces of videos and animations.

They didn’t do any development work on the website, but they did all the design work. Currently, we’re working with them on a very big campaign that we’re going to issue. It’s a rebranding of the messaging.

What is the team composition?

There are 5 or more people depending on the specific task. There are probably around 10 people that are working on the campaign. This includes a project manager, people that help with the technical thinking, designers, animators, and Carmel (CEO, Atreo) who we are very close to.

How did you come to work with Atreo?

Our creative manager found Atreo .She did some searches and  we started speaking with one another when I wanted to do the new website. They went in to understand what it is we do in order to do it properly. We managed to figure out the scope of work to do some kind of pilot for our open source mini-site, which I’m still pleased with. That work led to a longer-term relationship. I’m very glad they insisted on teaching us how to make it work.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in 2017 and the work is ongoing.

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

The traffic to our website has increased significantly. Candidates that get into our career page are very impressed with what they see. They did an amazing job on the website. We get a lot of positive feedback for the website, as well as the animation that tells our product story.

How did Atreo perform from a project management standpoint?

Project management is amazing. They have amazing project managers. They have a very clear goal. They set a very clear roadmap. We can track the exact dates, the deliveries, and it’s exposed to everyone. They do clear follow-up meetings. They insist on meeting the relevant shareholders, which helps a lot. They’re always available.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They deliver on time. I’ve never had a vendor that is so dedicated to the goal. They’re very agile and flexible. They keep their promises. If there are any issues, they always let us know. Their creative team is phenomenal. Their technical understanding is great. They did a good job of understanding what it is we needed and that it told the correct technical story. I wish all my friends and colleagues had the pleasure of working with them.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They don’t have low costs, but it’s worth what we receive. I love working with them. They feel like they’re part of the company.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

My advice is to listen to them, they’re the experts. Respect their opinion. Be open-minded without losing the fact that you will always be the ones that know your product and customers better. Challenge them as well. Invest time. It requires lots of hours together. Building a partnership requires you to take your time. If you don’t have the time, don’t start the process because it will be a waste of your time and money.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the director of product marketing at Claroty, an IoT company.

What challenge were you trying to address with Atreo?

We needed continued help with our branding strategy.

What was the scope of their involvement?

They’re in charge of the entire messaging, positioning, website, and anything that is public image or public customer-facing. We gave marching orders and decided with them what would be the best visual approach to having it posted or published online.

We’re now in the process of doing a rebranding and repositioning of our website. We make changes, add content, and update information on the website to align with the new features and capabilities. Additionally, Atreo helped us design LinkedIn, Facebook, and did some banners for Twitter.

What is the team composition?

We have a project manager, who is my direct point of contact. I’ve also met with their COO, CEO, and a number of VPs for different projects. Altogether, there are 10 or 15 people.

How did you come to work with Atreo?

When I joined the company, they were already using Atreo’s services. When I had told a friend that I was going to work for Claroty, he knew that they worked with Atreo and said they were the best in Israel. I was later made aware of the fact that they’re working internationally and have some customers in the U.S.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve invested $500,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in 2016, and our engagement is ongoing.

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

When I joined, we didn’t have a lot of visibility on site traffic for various pages, and which segments get more traction. Since I joined, there have been more and more advances on our side and theirs. We’ve been getting excellent feedback.

How did Atreo perform from a project management standpoint?

All of the marketing team is U.S. based. We have quite a few people on the West coast, and for them to work with an Israeli based company is a bit of a challenge. With me being local, I help them do the transition and translation into what they can do and what we can expect from them in the given timelines. It’s a mix of good things and bad things. I have an open channel to a number of people in Atreo. They’ve been instrumental in helping us pull things that would either not happen or take a much longer time.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Working directly with them has been a great experience. They’re very forthcoming and open to ideas. They will stand up for what they think is right for the brand, messaging, and the company. 9 out of 10 times, they hit it spot on. We come with a preexisting notion or concept and they help us to shape it into something that can work.

They understand the market and have a broad range of companies in their portfolio that they understand, which is very unusual. They’re a great asset. They make us better and help us tell the story in a better way. If you look at our competitor’s websites, they all have morphed into something that looks more and more like our website and now we’re trying to leapfrog into something new, different, and more revolutionary. We’re excited to usher in what the future brings.

Are there any areas they could improve?

For the most part, my experience has been good. We had a few hiccups here and there but we tend to simplify things and they’ve been very instrumental in that process. Most of the time where things felt they weren’t moving; it was due to the difference in how we think and perceive things.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

The workflow is a little more challenging when it’s all done remotely. It’s not necessarily a bad thing, but the project will have a different cadence with the different time zones and working days of the week.