Bartley & Dick

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I work for Ingredion, a food ingredients company headquartered in Chicago, Illinois. I’m the global strategic marketing director, so I’m responsible for our innovation pipeline and building our strategy for a marketing vertical.

What challenge were you trying to address with Bartley & Dick Brand Communications?

Our company was quite corporate and conservative in nature. However, we were going through some shifts in how we operated strategically and trying to innovate a little differently, looking at better efficiencies in our manufacturing and product-launching processes. Thus, we were looking for culture change, and we needed to communicate it effectively.

To achieve this culture change, we decided to come up with an internal communications piece that would enable us to get our message out in a clear and concise way, but also in a fun and irreverent manner to better connect with our employees.

What was the scope of their involvement?

Bartley & Dick helped us create an irreverent and unique internal communications piece. We built a brief together to start the project, and they then were in charge of creating the whole strategy around the development of this internal communications piece.

In addition to developing the strategy and defining how we would deliver effective communications to our employees, Bartley & Dick developed the framework and came up with ideas for how it should deliver the messaging. Ultimately, we decided not to use a website. Instead, they developed an internal share point system to share content and connect with our employee base digitally.

Our system is similar basically an e-magazine, but we did something different. Most companies have newsletters and instant messaging, but most employees get bored and stop reading them. Bartley & Dick’s ultimate goal was to create something that would make our employees excited to read and that they could have fun while doing it, and they did it.

To make this internal communications piece irreverent, we decided that it would be fun if superheroes delivered the messaging. Bartley & Dick created, designed, and implemented animated superhero characters called super starches, each around one of our starch products. These characters are purpose-led based on our company values, so they help us convey messaging and storytelling about success stories within the company.

Ours is a big project, and it has now become a bi-monthly e-magazine. Bartley & Dick creates the content externally, and we then share it with our employees. We also have an internal editorial team to come up with ideas and new topics, which then Bartley & Dick helps us write. We also share videos and, occasionally, some financial information, although we try to keep the content light regarding corporate information in general.

What is the team composition?

Bartley & Dick is a small shop, and they probably have around 10–12 employees. We work directly with Rick (Partner & Design Director), Scott (Partner & Creative Director), and Mike (Strategy Director), who are very involved in the project. Occasionally, they bring a writer who helps with copy design and story development.

How did you come to work with Bartley & Dick Brand Communications?

Bartley & Dick came highly recommended by someone whom I worked with.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent around $120,000–$150,000. Each month, we spend around $6,000–$8,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working around November 2019, and our engagement is ongoing.

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

Bartley & Dick meets our needs thanks to their creativity and ability to address the objectives of this project — we’re 100% satisfied with their work. They regularly track open clicks, user views, and the time they spend reading the magazine; those are our metrics.

How did Bartley & Dick Brand Communications perform from a project management standpoint?

Bartley & Dick’s performance is excellent. They document everything, and they’re very communicative. If they’re having trouble or they’re going to be late with something, they’re very upfront and honest about it, although we’ve never had a timing issue.

We have regular phone calls and planning sessions. We also have individual Zoom meetings with employees who have contributed to the success stories. Additionally, we exchange a few emails throughout the week.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Bartley & Dick’s enthusiasm and creativity distinguish them from other providers. When we first came to them saying that we wanted something unique and fun, we could see their eyes light up; they were thrilled. They then turned that enthusiasm into a lot of creative work. They ensured that the strategy, the e-magazine, and the superhero characters were all tied together; there was nothing that wasn’t thought out.

They’re also very effective, responsive, and easy to work with. They work quickly, are very thoughtful, and their design and ideas are interesting and unique.

Are there any areas they could improve?

As Bartley & Dick is a small shop, they don’t have the resources to deliver big projects quickly. Oftentimes, they have to outsource some writers and designers, which might cause some hiccups. However, we leverage their services for very specific tasks and projects, so their lack of resources hasn’t impacted us.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Go for it. You’ll get the best results working with them if you give them a lot of leeways. If you go in with corporate work and a lot of guidelines, you won’t leverage their strength. Let them use their creativity, thoughtfulness, and enthusiasm to help you create awesome assets.

Please describe your company and your position there.

Juneberry Ridge is a 600+-acre farm in rural Norwood, NC with 25 employees committed to growing food sustainably using holistic management practices (regenerative agriculture and livestock grazing), as well as hydroponic and aquaponic grow methods.

We also offer education programs aimed at farmers and consumers alike, host private and public hospitality events at the farm, and provide overnight lodging in elegant cabins and cottages here on the farm. As the CEO of the company, it is my job to ensure that Juneberry's mission, vision, and values are in the hands of a skilled, passionate, and committed team, and that collectively, they are guided by strong operating and capital investment plans that support our long-term strategy.

For what projects/services did your company hire Bartley & Dick Brand Communications, and what were your goals?

Our company had recently:

1) merged two existing companies under a single umbrella

2) developed its mission, vision, and values

3) created a long-term strategy to focus the company's efforts; and

4) renamed the company "Juneberry" We hired Bartley & Dick to create a new brand for this 600+-acre farm, education center, and events business in North Carolina, 45 miles east of Charlotte, one of the fastest-growing cities in the country. In addition, we retained B&D to develop our website, marketing materials, and to launch Juneberry Ridge!

How did you select this vendor?

Juneberry's executive team drew on its past experiences and relationships to identify marketing firms that had extensive experience with clients in the sustainable food movement, outdoor experiential learning, and high-end hospitality/event venues. Our final selection process came down to three firms.

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

Our partnership with B&D began with a clear set of objectives:

1) Research & Discovery: industry trends and competitive landscape.

2) Creative Exploration: best use of research findings to establish an on-going dialog with our audience.

3) Bringing out Brand to Life: apply creative solution to our brand launch via a new website, new logo, brand guidelines, social media, and advertising.

4) Promotional Strategy & Execution: brochures, stationery, apparel, packaging, signage, videos, cont'd social media posting, etc.

5) Evaluate Results & Ongoing Support: Refine brand, measure results, refine strategy, repeat.

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

We started with a three person team from B&D. two were the founding partners of the organization, and the third was their senior account manager.

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

Bartley & Dick Brand Communications has been and remains instrumental to our success. For example, they helped us understand that our name should also let people know that Juneberry is more than a tree, it's a place. That's how "Juneberry" became "Juneberry Ridge."

They worked in the most collaborative way with our team of young managers and helped this group grow together as colleagues with a shared understanding and commitment around delivering experiences to our customers. Since our brand launch, our customer base has grown significantly and the number of repeat customers and referrals have been equally as impressive.

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

B&D is a highly organized and effective partner. They move seamlessly from strategic thinking and planning to operational tactics and metrics. They proactively manage the day-to-day marketing of Juneberry Ridge while functioning as our Chief Marketing Officer with our executive team. There communication is clear and their work is delivered on time.

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

They love what they do, and their enthusiasm and coaching help our team grow and connect!

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

They are growing too and like all companies they too can hit a road bump. Juneberry has felt the impact of a few dropped balls and a delay here and there, but B&D always makes it right. We are perfectly ok with the fact that they are human too!

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am a retired VP Global Marketing and Sales for a company that provided process control systems in the Plastics, Chemical, Food and Pharmaceutical industries. My responsibilities included all aspects of strategic planning and implementation for marketing, sales and distribution of products globally. We worked through a combination of direct sales and independent sales representatives.

For what projects/services did your company hire Bartley & Dick Brand Communications?

Bartley & Dick were much more than a traditional Ad Agency. They were a significant part of our strategic planning process every year. Some years they were simply involved in the development and implementation of promotional concepts. Other years when we acquired companies to expand our product and service offerings they were deeply involved with our Brand integrations. They were employed to evaluate brand awareness in target markets, positions relative to competition as well as define market needs and key selling points. This included Brand name changes and integration timelines as well as promotional message development and implementation.

What were your goals for this project?

For Brand integration projects our goal was to expand the reputation and recognition of the company from being a supplier of a single component within a manufacturing process to being a "Total Solution Provider".

How did you select Bartley & Dick Brand Communications?

We wanted to refine and expand the capabilities within our global marketing organization. As we attempted to grow our business through acquisition of additional companies we realized we needed experienced outside help in order to be successful.

There were three outside organizations interviewed. We used companies that were referred to us by industry trade associations and other internal managers that had experience with companies through previous employment. Each organization made face to face presentations to our marketing team and sales managers from different geographic locations.

We felt very comfortable with the total marketing services presented by Bartley & Dick and their desire to become an integrated part of our strategic planning process.

Describe the scope of their work in detail.

Bartley & Dick became an important part of our Strategic Planning process by participating in the following :

1. Understanding our existing products in great technical detail. Where they are applied. Who are the competitors. What are the differentiating properties of our products relative to the competition.
2. Market research including surveying target markets for awareness and reputation of our brand, acquired brands and competitor brands.
3. Definition of market needs and decision making points.
4. Development and implementation of promotional messages
5. Measurement of response to promotional campaigns
6. Ongoing refinement and expansion of campaigns.

What was the team composition?

We always interfaced with the two principle owners of Bartley & Dick. I know they had an internal team of graphic designers, researchers and technical writers, however, our contact was always through a single person or project leader.

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

We continued to be recognized as the global leader for the products we supplied in the industries we served. Year over year we continued to realize the growth projections and budgets that were implemented.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

The communication interface between our two companies was excellent. They met all time and delivery schedules throughout the year and we were very pleased with the results.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Their desire to understand our business and products in every aspect and their involvement in our strategic planning process is what differentiates them from others.

Are there any areas for improvement?

None that I can identify.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the senior VP of content strategy at a Seattle-based communications and integrated marketing firm. I oversee all things content strategy and content production. In addition to our core client, Microsoft, we have a broader suite of tech clients in the enterprise space.

We work with clients to understand what types of content and assets they need, how to use them, and when to retire them. We also focus on producing those assets in accordance with whatever brand standard we’re working with.

What challenge were you trying to address with Bartley & Dick Brand Communications?

We've relied on them as our creative strategy and production partners.

What was the scope of their involvement?

Their work has taken different shapes and sizes over the course of our work together. They essentially provide creative strategy and production scale to our team at WE.

Their scope of work has included PowerPoint decks and field material, brand positioning, and product conditioning. They’ve also helped us with intricate and large-scale content production for Microsoft’s written materials. Helping produce works that can be over 200 pages long, their team takes the copy and turns it into something that’s designed for our reader’s experience.

We also rely on them for interactive graphics, website builds with both front- and backend development work, and email newsletter development. They basically offer a full suite of creative; the level of their strategic direction that we need varies depending on the project we give them.

What is the team composition?

I’m typically engaged with one point of contact, but I’ve broadly worked with most people on their team.

How did you come to work with Bartley & Dick Brand Communications?

I worked with Scott (Partner & Creative Director) and Rick (Partner & Design Director) in my previous role at BBC. My old boss at BBC had been working with them for experiential activations in New York City — subway takeovers and Times Square table takeovers for the promotion of BBC America shows. I was overseeing some of that work, which served as my introduction to them.

How much have you invested with them?

My gut would be that we’ve spent between $1.5–2 million dollars with them over the course of the last four years.

What is the status of this engagement?

We’ve been working together at my current role since January 2016, and it’s very much an ongoing relationship.

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

In terms of hard metrics (with work especially tied to performance marketing) they’ve produced excellent results and numbers. My biggest benchmark, though, is whether my clients have been happy with what they’re producing. They’ve been amazingly consistent in keeping them satisfied, which is why I rely on them so frequently.

I can absolutely trust them with any project that is handed to us. I’ve never worried about their capacity or their capacity to exceed expectations around what I’m looking to do.

How did Bartley & Dick Brand Communications perform from a project management standpoint?

They’ve developed a rhythmic workflow in collaborating with us. They set clear expectations, and I know that when they commit to a timeline, they’re going to show up for it. I don’t put too much thought into their project management, indicating how much they allow me to focus on the creative output they’re producing.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their level of commitment and dedication is stupendous. I’ve worked with them hand-in-glove as though they’re my own team. I’d recommend them to pretty much anybody looking to get started on creative development.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I’d love to see them continue to grow so that we can engage them even more. That being said, I’ve never been concerned about the size of their resources. I’m just hopeful about their continued success.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Communicate your goals at a very high level, and they’ll be able to translate those needs into a unique, actionable solution.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the VP an creative director in the corporate marketing department of AMC Networks. In my role, I handle a lot of the creative as it pertains to the corporate aspects of our parent company.

What challenge were you trying to address with Bartley & Dick Brand Communications?

Bartley & Dick collaborates with us to produce creative assets for our corporate brand. Their focus is on graphic design and print.

What was the scope of their involvement? 

I’ve worked on hundreds of projects with Bartley & Dick — anything and everything, from logo design and print to journal ads and corporate presentations for top executives. They’ve even helped design the actual gifts that our CEO gives to our leadership team.

They’re my go-to partner for our creative projects. It always starts off with a kick-off meeting where they’ll ask the right questions about what we’re looking for. From there, we come up with a production timeline and start the work.

It’s a collaborative creative process. They’ll present ideas, I’ll give feedback, then they’ll incorporate it into new ideas. It’s all pretty seamless because they’re able to take direction really well. We build on each other’s ideas, so it always comes out great.

What is the team composition? 

Scott (Creative Director & Partner) is my lead. When he’s not available, I’ll work with Rick (Design Director & Partner) who is equally fantastic. The two of them are talented and provide excellent client services.

Beyond that, they’ve also introduced me to connections depending on the project. For example, if I need photographers for something, they’ll introduce me to great people. Their printing partners are also great.

How did you come to work with Bartley & Dick Brand Communications?

They used to work with one of the other creative directors at our company who suggested that I use them. I saw that they’d done work for several organizations in different sectors, and all of it was really great.

How much have you invested with them?

I can’t think of a hard number, but it’s been upwards of $250,000–$500,000 if not more. 

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them since September 2012 and still do.

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

They’re fantastic in every way. The work is top-notch, and the team has an amazing work ethic. Everyone from our executive team and president to my industry peers have raved about the quality of the creative. AMC Networks now has a reputation for putting out the best creative for industry events, and it’s widely known to be true.

How did Bartley & Dick Brand Communications perform from a project management standpoint?

It’s hard to answer this question because each project has its own requirements and timeline. Generally speaking, they’re able to work within very tight deadlines. The team hits all of their benchmarks and stays organized and buttoned-up.

We had a project years ago that involved creating logos for a company that we wanted to partner with. They were able to run with our brief, producing 20 options to choose from within 24 hours. Any of them could’ve been the one — they were that great.

Sometimes, we’ll work late nights to meet the delivery date, and I’ll receive revisions within an hour. My point is that they always give 150% to every project.  

What did you find most impressive about them?

There’s no project that they can’t do. If they haven’t done something yet, they’ll research the process and find the right vendors to bring on. And, they collaborate with such ease and grace. It’s their personability — they’re the most pleasant people to work with.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, they’re the best.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Go for it, and you won’t be disappointed.