Bartlett Brands

Introduce your business and what you do there.

The parent company is Amyris, and it’s a publicly-traded biotech company. Biossance is just a commercial division within Amyris. My role is the creative director for Biossance, a consumer-facing brand of a line of plant-derived, squalene-based skincare products which we just recently launched in Sephora.

What challenge were you trying to address with Bartlett Brands?

When I joined the company about a year and a half ago, Biossance was still fairly new. There was only one product. Since then, we've launched multiple products; we now have five. The challenge was that the technology and the formulation were fantastic, but there was something missing about the branding and the packaging. As we were progressing with meetings with big retailers, we got feedback about the need for a stronger brand presence. That’s what I got to work on when I joined the company, which led to bringing in multiple agencies to find a long-term partner.

What was the scope of their involvement?

The project was twofold. The first part was quickly diving into the rebranding and repackaging, while maintaining the formulation of our products. Once we developed our partnership with Bartlett, the second part of our project transitioned into an ongoing relationship with them to utilize their creative services and expertise.

They were great in coming up with brand strategy and repositioning. Our old branding was okay but still kind of convoluted, with a lot of mixed messaging. Bartlett Brands was able to really whittle it down to very clear and concise positioning. They helped us overall with brand strategy, brand development, package design, and other marketing collateral and creative.

Rebecca Bartlett is the owner and creative director, and then there’s an associate art director with whom I worked very closely. There was another person who did most of the copywriting and helped a lot with the positioning. It was really those three that I and my team interfaced with on a regular basis.

How did you come to work with Bartlett Brands?

I knew Rebecca from way back when I used to work at Sephora myself, and the beauty industry is pretty small in the Bay area. We had wanted to work together at my previous job so I immediately thought of her. I wanted to bring them in and let them do their pitch and then it just worked out from there.

As we were meeting with multiple agencies, Bartlett really stood out. They’re a pretty small team, and they hit the floor running with a can-do attitude, at a reasonable rate. This was very attractive to us. Another thing that stood out is they have a small but mighty team, like ours, so it seemed very compatible. They all have beauty backgrounds. A lot of the team at Bartlett comes from Sephora, or they have similar experience, so we were able to immediately speak the same language. They got us and immediately knew what needed to be done.

How much have you invested with Bartlett Brands?

We’ve invested $50,000-200,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

I believe we started working together around May or June of 2016, and the relationship is ongoing. We’ve done the branding project in phases. They helped us get into Sephora, and once we launched there in late February, we then signed a monthly retainer. The work has slowed down a little since we switched over to the new branding. They’ve been an excellent partner for ongoing creative projects.

Could you share any evidence that would demonstrate the productivity, quality of work, or the impact of the engagement?

I don’t have the numbers off the top of my head. Since we launched in Sephora in late February or early March, one of our products is currently being ranked the number one eye product in all of Sephora. I think that has a lot to do with the overall branding experience and the packaging, especially knowing that it was nowhere near as successful as last year with the same product but different packaging. We recently found out from Sephora that our oil is ranked number three of all oils in Sephora currently.

How did Bartlett Brands perform from a project management standpoint?

I think they did a really good job. I really enjoyed their flexibility. Once we signed the retainer, it was easier to work with them. Before I felt more constrained because it was project-based and there was so much work that needed to be done. After signing the retainer, I think we’ve been able to accomplish more and get more bang for our buck. We were trying to be as strategic as possible, but once in a while, we would have an emergency project or fire drills. They were willing to jump in and help us along with that. Overall, I would say they were excellent.

What did you find most impressive about Bartlett Brands?

I really love their nimbleness, their ability to react very quickly. I’ve worked with other agencies, and I find that it’s sometimes difficult to get the work done at a faster pace because of the size of the agency. With Bartlett, because they’re such a small team, they’re very hands-on, very involved at every level. Rebecca herself is very involved. Their turnaround time is just amazing. When we relaunched our branding, usually it would take up to a year-and-a-half to two years to do something like this. We were able to do it in eight to nine months with their help. I attribute a lot of the success we’re seeing currently to their flexibility and nimbleness to get us what we need to go to market within a very short time frame.

Are there any areas Bartlett Brands could improve?

Overall, we’re very pleased with their work. Sometimes we want to do more than what we can handle, so we reach out to them. I think that, because of their small size, they can’t handle everything. So, if anything, it would be good to maybe increase the size of their team in the future so we can give more projects to them. We’ve been very happy with them so far.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

Colada Shop is a Cuban concept, what we call a Cuban social outpost. We offer products such as coffee and Cubano sandwiches, but we also have cocktails. Beyond being just a coffee shop, we’re a “come many times a day and experience Cuba” place. My role in the organization is on the business side, as a managing partner. I’ve partnered up with some extremely creative people, and I focus on anything related to building the business and growing out its concept.

What challenge were you trying to address with Bartlett Brands?

Rather than a challenge, we needed to come up with an identity for our concept. We already knew what type of concept and product we wanted to sell, and we also had a name, but there was no full-on identity in terms of branding and all the other required elements.

What was the scope of their involvement?

I wasn’t the main point person for this project, but I saw the deliverables and provided a lot of feedback. My partner was the day-to-day contact for Bartlett Brands. They took us through an interview process to understand who we were and what we were looking to accomplish. Bartlett Brands determined the different things we needed to design, such as a logo, elements for the website, paper packaging for retail products, and so on. Bartlett Brands provided different ideas and went through a few iterations with us. By the time the results got to me, my partner had weeded out many of the options we didn’t want.

Bartlett Brands took a wide approach and developed numerous elements that we needed for our concept, including menu boards, digital designs for the website and social media, and so on. Bartlett Brands worked hard to come up with a comprehensive branding for us from all perspectives.

How did you come to work with Bartlett Brands?

I interviewed many firms along with my partner, who was instrumental in looking for the right company for our job. We came across Bartlett Brands, looked at some of their previous work, and worked directly with them in order to build the identity of the Colada Shop. One or two of the websites they’d built in the past caught our eye. Out of the six to ten companies we interviewed, Bartlett Brands seemed to be the best fit.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with Bartlett Brands in January 2016. The project was completed in June, before we opened our first store. The work is never really complete, and we have gone back for menu revisions and other small things. We’re still working with Bartlett Brands today.

Could you share any evidence that would demonstrate the productivity, quality of work, or the impact of the engagement?

We’ve been up for design awards, and I’ve heard about how great our branding is on a daily basis. I was recently in a meeting with a venture capital firm that is interested in working with us, and they’ve been blown away by the work. Everything has been A+ in terms of feedback, and the customers love it.

I’ve built many companies from a sales and marketing role, and nothing I’ve seen previously came out as well, compared to the requirements we set. It has shown in the market, with the material being loved by investors and customers alike.

We’re getting a lot of social media attention because people are sharing our products. Not only did Bartlett Brands meet all of our branding requirements, but they also put something special out there, which we almost didn’t expect. The awards we’re up for are attributable to Bartlett Brands’ creativity.

How did Bartlett Brands perform from a project management standpoint?

Bartlett Brands was clear with timelines and budgets. They were transparent, and I have no complaints in terms of how the project ran and how they delivered. Bartlett Brands was always on time and had great explanations when we needed to make adjustments.

What did you find most impressive about Bartlett Brands?

I was impressed by their level of creativity. I’ve worked with many marketing firms, and Bartlett Brands was well and beyond many of the other firms I’ve used. I’ve recommended them to other people who are now in discussions with Bartlett Brands, and I’m ready to do it again because of their professionalism and work output.

Are there any areas Bartlett Brands could improve?

The pricing could be improved. You get what you pay for in life, and, if we had gone for a cheaper route, we would have gotten a cheap result. The cost definitely went a lot higher than I expected, but every penny was worth it, now that I’ve gotten the results.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CEO and founder of Patchology. We are a startup skincare brand, and our products are sold at major retailers around the world, as well as online.

What challenge were you trying to address with Bartlett Brands?

We had our original branding done by a local firm who did a good job. We realized that our target consumer was younger than our original plan. We were also trying to target retailers that are focused on younger audiences. We realized that we needed to update the look and feel, the packaging, and the website for our brand. We wanted to talk in a less technical and more lifestyle way with end consumers.

What was the scope of their involvement?

The process included a lot of interviews and strategy discussions with our team and me. Rebranding involves a lot of stakeholders, both inside and outside of the company. Bartlett Brands wanted to make sure we covered all those bases. They arranged a lot of internal conversations and helped set up our objectives. From there, they did a bunch of research. They talked to consumers, retailers, and people in the industry in general. Then there was a workshop phase, during which we revised the positioning and the branding. Once we had the strategy set, they created a brand platform document, which was great, and then executed on it. They did an update to all our packaging, our website, email templates, etc.

How did you come to work with Bartlett Brands?

Rebecca, the Creative Director from Bartlett Brands, was a judge on a beauty industry awards panel, and we ended up winning. We connected through that, and that was great. We looked at various firms, and a couple of things set Bartlett apart. In the beauty industry, they are super-connected and have a deep domain expertise in beauty, which was key for us. Rebecca herself has tons of energy. She’s very well-spoken and very good at what she does. We felt confident we were getting the right person in working with her.

How much have you invested with Bartlett Brands?

We’ve invested around $30,000–$40,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

The project began in August of 2016, and it was completed in January of 2017.

Could you share any evidence that would demonstrate the productivity, quality of work, or the impact of the engagement?

When people look at our presence online, our packaging or even the trade show booth designed based on Bartlett Brand’s work, the excitement, and the reaction has moved from "That’s nice" to "Oh my gosh, that is amazing!" It’s hard to measure that, but it has been extremely meaningful for us. Our business has doubled since we rebranded the company. That’s not solely due to Bartlett’s work, but they definitely played a part.

How did Bartlett Brands perform from a project management standpoint?

Bartlett Brands was very good on certain things, like getting things done on time. Some of the web stuff was a little slow, and some of the packaging stuff took longer than we thought it would. Overall, they were solid.

What did you find most impressive about Bartlett Brands?

Rebecca herself is phenomenal. She has done a good job with surrounding herself with people who are really top-notch. They have an amazing copywriter and several designers who are very good. They have a very good pulse on what’s hip and what’s happening now in the industry.

Are there any areas Bartlett Brands could improve?

The turnaround time on the web stuff could have been improved.

Please describe your company and your position there.

I’m the VP of marketing for ipsy, a beauty company that targets millennials.

For what projects/services did your company hire Bartlett Brands?

We needed them to define our brand platform.

What were your goals for this project?

We wanted to codify our visual identity and voice.

How did you select this vendor?

I had worked closely with Rebecca (Creative Director, Bartlett Brands).

Describe the scope of their work in detail.

Deliverables included a brand platform, style guide, and voice guide. After the CEO approved the materials, we rolled out the brand to all teams at ipsy.

What was the team composition?

In addition to Rebecca, we worked with leads for design, production, and editorial and strategy.

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

The brand platform earned a strong positive response.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

The team was very responsive. We talked frequently and fluidly throughout the project, and course corrected the timeline as needed.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

They weren’t afraid to push back and challenge us. Bartlett Brands wanted to achieve the best possible outcome for the project.

Are there any areas for improvement?

No, I can’t think of anything.