Blade Creative Branding

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the national director of field development and sales at Esprita. We are a health and wellness network marketing company. We produce all-natural non-GMO botanical-based herbal supplements.

What challenge were you trying to address with Blade Creative Branding?

Blade was brought in to take care of the branding, advertising, and marketing campaigns for us.

What was the scope of their involvement?

They were instrumental in the creation of everything from color design, the overall look of the products, tools, and marketing materials. They were responsible for how we were being presented in the US market. They also created brand guidelines, web design, story design, product names, artwork, produced video guidelines, SEO, social media marketing,  and did content marketing with online advertising.

What is the team composition?

We worked with one point of contact, with a full team of five people. The main owner of the company was involved in every phase of the project as well, and the team was very consistent.

How did you come to work with Blade Creative Branding?

They were hired by the founders of my company, and when I was hired, the owner of Blade flew down from Canada to learn more about me and how we would present Esprita to the world. I was very impressed that he took the time to do that.

What is the status of this engagement?

We began working together in March 2018, and the project wrapped up in September 2019.

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

When we first launched, the response was awesome. People loved the fresh look of the company, its cleanliness, and its professionalism.  It really spoke to who we are as a company, as people, and professionals; it perfectly captured the overall company culture. When we first launched there was an explosion with new people coming on board and in our sales. As a result, we got to a very fast start and experienced great success early on in the year.

How did Blade Creative Branding perform from a project management standpoint?

On a scale of 1-10, I would give Blade an 11. They were very timely and hands-on. They delivered what they said they would deliver, and exceeded the expectations in many instances. It was great working with them. Whenever we needed something done, they got it done, and they were very dependable. Time and time again, they kept their word.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They took ownership of the project and they were hands-on in every aspect. I have no complaints about what they did and how they operate.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, honestly, I don’t. They were a true pleasure to work with, and if the opportunity ever presented itself in the future to work with them again, we would jump to it.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

The clearer you are with your vision, and goals, the better it is for Blade. They’re able to capture and deliver your vision to make it that much better.

Please describe your company and your position there.

I’m the president of Canada Swim School. We offer aquatic services (mostly private swim lessons) to individuals of all ages and levels (mostly kids) by connecting swim instructors with families and pools across our region.

For what projects/services did your company hire Blade Creative Branding?

Blade was going to help us start our company by developing everything we needed, from a logo and a website to a content and marketing plan.

What were your goals for this project?

We had a sister company that was immensely successful, and we wanted to replicate that business model across the country.

How did you select this vendor?

After interviewing several agencies, we felt we had the best connection with Wayne (Founder, Blade Creative Branding) and his team at Blade. His easygoing, confident attitude and instant grasp of our needs drew our interest. His company's location in the heart of Toronto, where we intended to grow, was the cherry on top. Wayne even met us in-person to get to know us better. This personal touch was amazing.

Describe the scope of their work in detail.

We tasked Blade with establishing a brand and identity for us. This required them to not only develop our web presence but also to create and execute a marketing strategy and win us clients. First, we had discovery meetings with Wayne and Pamela (Account Supervisor, Blade Creative Branding) at their office. I’ll never forget how much fun it was, and how they connected countless dots we wouldn’t have been able to ourselves. After interviewing our key stakeholders, employees, partners, and clients they presented a scope of work, which we made some modifications to before implementing. They started by creating our logo, a brand video, a tagline, and then our website and content. Marketing across multiple platforms followed these development efforts.  

What was the team composition?

Initially, we worked a lot with Wayne, who was awesome. After a few weeks, we transferred to an account manager, Pamela, who was equally amazing. She was positive, insightful, and very knowledgeable. Better yet, Wayne stayed in touch regularly.

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

It’s been 100% successful, and that’s all thanks to Blade. We’ve been open for two years and have eclipsed both the sales ($250,0000) and locations (12, instead of 10) goals we set for our three-year mark.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

They knew our business and needs far better than we did and guided us toward our goals. Being a startup, we possessed limited resources. In response to that and our tight timeline (two months), Blade prioritized their tasks with laser-like efficiency. They kept us in the loop throughout the entire project.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Despite being one of their smaller clients, they always made us feel like a top priority. It was intimidating to work with a vendor that had customers with millions in annual sales, but they reassured me of our importance from the start. Their concern for our success and business was authentic and they helped us build a strong relationship.

Are there any areas for improvement?

Honestly, it would be hard to name one. Blade showed us that regardless of the size of the companies, teams, or budgets involved, they value their relationships.