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.
Due to the new brand experience, products have been ranked at higher levels than before Bartlett Brands’ involvement. The small team is nimble and hands-on, willing to jump to action suddenly or deliver materials on short deadlines. They approach every project with a can-do attitude.