blend

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Producer of an education company

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

We are the world’s leading university admissions support company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire blend to accomplish?

• Maximize the amount of ads we can create with Former Admissions Officers and Strategists at the Company while we have these knowledgeable staff members in the same place at the same time

SOLUTION

How did you find blend?

Online Search

Why did you select blend over others?

• Close to my geographic location
• Pricing fit our budget

Describe the scope of work in detail. Please include a summary of key deliverables.

The scope of this project includes the planning and execution of a comprehensive film shoot aimed at producing high-quality, engaging marketing content for us This project will capitalize on the presence of Former Admissions Officers (FAOs) and Strategists to create a range of promotional video assets tailored for both ads and organic content.

Our Objectives:
-Maximize Content Creation
-Promote Brand Awareness

Deliverables:
Ad Content-

Ad 1: Live FAO Walkthrough of Application Review

A real-time demonstration of how FAOs review applications, providing transparency and insight into the admissions process.
Ad 2: PTC Ads with Strategists

Point-to-camera ads with Strategists focusing on our unique selling points, such as results (1,000+ Ivy League acceptances, 98% success rate) and the team-based approach.
Ad 3: "Everything You Need to Know About Us"

A scripted, concise overview of our services and results, aimed at educating new audiences.
FAO Interviews:

Expert advice segments featuring FAOs from Stanford, Harvard, and Duke, with references to their personal experiences in admissions.
Organic Content-

Face Off: Harvard vs Stanford (debate-style segment between FAOs)
Accepted Early Decision Congratulations (authentic congratulatory message for accepted students)
Pitch Duke, Harvard, and Stanford in 20 Seconds (quick-fire challenge showcasing key aspects of each school)

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What were the measurable outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

The success of this project will be measured by:

-The total number of high-quality, usable video assets delivered.
-Engagement metrics on ads (CTR, views, shares) once launched.
-Feedback from our marketing and executive teams on the final deliverables.
I cannot share specifics but for the total reach we estimated 1,000,000–1,300,000 impressions on various social platforms and total clicks/actions range from 20,000–25,000 divided by the 15–18 clips we have released as ad content and organic content.

Describe their project management. Did they deliver items on time? How did they respond to your needs?

Yes, Blend was very easy to communicate with and flexible with arranging the production. Everything was delievered in a timely manner. 

What was your primary form of communication with blend?

Email or Messaging App

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

The high quality of work completely blew me away. Our talent were not professionals by any means but they made each person look like a natural on camera. 

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

I have no suggestions for improvement. The team was very accomadating dispite the amount of hiccups to the planned shoot from talent dropping out last minute to no producer being on-site, they handled it all with class and professionalism. 

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the CMO for Heartland Bank LTD. Our business is in New Zealand and Australia. We mainly focus on small business lending, rural or agricultural finance, savings and deposits, motor vehicle loans, and reverse mortgages. Our team includes about 350 employees, and we are listed on the New Zealand stock exchange.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with blend?

We recently launched a new online platform where people can apply online for business finance. The process only takes a couple of minutes, and the system sends a decision right away. We wanted to create a TV commercial for the new product.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement? 

After we built the online platform, we contacted blend about making a new television commercial that could raise awareness about our product and company as a whole. We wanted it to be really high impact and different than traditional advertising most New Zealand banks use.

blend started off by learning about our business and brand. They conducted extensive interviews of myself, our CEO, and about six other people from the business loans, digital, and marketing teams to get a sense of who we are and what we do and stand for. Getting this outside perspective was interesting. From there, we spoke about the key messages the commercial should and the product’s points of differentiation to emphasize. 

After working independently, blend came back with numerous creative ideas. They presented 5-6 distinct written scripts. All of them were out of the box, exactly like we asked for. We reviewed the options internally and picked our favorite.

We had a tight four-week timeline before filming the commercial in the US. blend prepared everything and mobilized the director, cast, crew, and production team. Finishing filming it in one day was a big ask, but they gathered an amazing crew and made it happen. 

What is the team composition?

I worked with Matt (CEO, blend), Darcie (Chief Marketing Strategist, blend), and Charlie (Head of Production, blend).

How did you come to work with blend?

We found blend through a Google search for teams in California who could create this TV campaign. Based on their previous work, they made our shortlist. Two of my colleagues went out and met with the 4–5 different agencies. They felt blend stood out as the best option by far. The team had access to fantastic writers, directors, and producers who work as frequent partners, and secured commitments for our project. They enthusiastically and proactively got in touch with them and followed up. We really liked blend from the start, so we gave them the job. 

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked with blend on this project from June–September 2018.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The commercial has been airing here in New Zealand for about two weeks now. We’ve already had a significant increase of over 50% more website traffic and applications through our online platform.

How did blend perform from a project management standpoint?

blend was excellent from a project management standpoint. They organized everything seamlessly and kept in touch with me without being overbearing. Nothing I requested felt like a hassle, and they always delivered almost instantly. They seemed on top of everything the whole way through despite the extremely tight timeframe. They consulted with me skillfully and knew the right time to do so.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I have been really impressed by everyone I worked with from blend. They were all lovely, which makes a big difference. Nothing was ever too much trouble for them. Even when we set somewhat unrealistic expectations, they did the job. When we came over to the US, they made everything seamless on the day of filming. blend is a small and tightknit team. 

The principals didn’t get the job and pass us onto someone else. The CEO was involved the entire time, which sets blend apart from other agencies. Darcie was fantastic at distilling the messaging we wanted to express. She pinpointed who we were and what we wanted to do really quickly. Other agencies we’ve worked with have taken much longer to wrap their head around those ideas.

Are there any areas they could improve?

The team’s response speed dropped a bit once we met the deadline of filming, but that’s understandable. Overall, there is nothing I think they could have done better.