Blue Bear Creative

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm the integrated marketing associate at a consumer packaged goods startup that produces dairy-free protein bars and energy bars. Our company has about 15 employees and we sell nationwide. I manage the relationship with our agency and execute brand partnerships.

For what projects/services did your company hire Blue Bear Creative?

We needed a partner to manage our monthly social media content and copy, mainly on Instagram and Facebook. 

What were your goals for this project?

We wanted to build our social reach and differentiate the brand through engaging content, mainly on Instagram. We're a fairly small company, so having them manage our content production took the load off our back.

How did you select this vendor?

We did our own research and asked for some referrals before choosing Blue Bear Creative.

Describe the scope of their work in detail.

Our first step was agreeing on the amount, types, and price of the content they'd produce. They conduct bi-monthly on-site brainstorm sessions to come up with concepts, and we provide feedbck for reiteration on a daily basis. They also plan and implement our editorial calendar and manage monthly reporting and analytics. Our internal team posts the content natively, but Blue Bear Creative manages the ongoing strategy and best practice recommendations.

What was the team composition?

I work closely with the creative director, copywriter, and integrated producer. Additionally, they have an account supervisor who manages most of the communication, and a media manager who provides the monthly reporting and analytics.

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

Blue Bear Creative has produced cohesive content that's solidified our brand identity and voice. Each round of content has been a fresh slate of creative ideas, perspectives, and concepts that our consumers enjoy.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

They're great at communicating any updates, changes, and questions on a daily basis to make sure things get done. However, we've struggled at times to get ahead in the planning process, which doesn't leave much time for reiteration or feedback.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

The creativity and breadth of the content they've produced is amazing—from gifs to images to short videos—they're extremely versatile. They patiently work with us to produce the best content possible.

Are there any areas for improvement?

We'd appreciate them providing more strategic insights and applying those recommendations to future content. They only seem to work on this when we request it, even though it's in their scope of work. 

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the social media specialist at Noodles & Company, a fast, casual restaurant brand with expertise in global flavors.

What challenge were you trying to address with Blue Bear Creative?

We chose to back away from social media as just another channel to advertise. We wanted a more engaging way to communicate with guests outside of our restaurants.

What was the scope of their involvement?

They co-create content for our social media channels, predominantly Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. We build monthly content that resonates with people in a funny, relatable way to improve reactions, likes, and shares. They also help manage our paid social media and determine strategies to meet our targets for any given asset. They help us choose content and copy to increase awareness—and drive sales and online interaction.

How did you come to work with Blue Bear Creative?

A team member worked with them at a different brand in our verticals and recommended them for the project. We looked at their channels and saw potential.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent around $150,000 so far.

What is the status of this engagement?

They took over our social media strategy in April 2017, and our relationship is ongoing.

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

Our primary KPI [Key Performance Indicator] is engagement with our followers. We see growth in our organic reach, which has more than doubled on Facebook and Instagram. We’ve gone from an average of 10 comments to 31 comments per post on Instagram, and from 190 likes to 308 likes per average Facebook post. Since we’ve put paper support behind these areas, we’ve seen them flourish.

How did Blue Bear Creative perform from a project management standpoint?

This is an area of opportunity for them. They are an amazing collaborator—and a great creative partner—but project management is something they’re growing into. They’re extremely responsive and are happy to help wherever they can. Sometimes, we have to encourage them to be timely, but this hasn’t been a huge detriment.

We handle about 99% of our customer service in-house. We occasionally call on them to boost our personal bandwidth, but that’s rare.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their ability to collaborate is incredible. They're an extension of our team and don’t feel like a distant, far away agency. They come in often and are willing to get their hands dirty with us.

Are there any areas they could improve?

The project management piece is something I know they’re working on.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CEO and Founder of Chinook Seedery, a food manufacturing company and purveyor of all-natural premium sunflower seeds.

What challenge were you trying to address with Blue Bear Creative?

As a startup brand, our biggest challenge is that no one’s heard of us before. We needed to build brand awareness by getting the message out about what we do, what we stand for, and why we are unique to as many people as possible.

What was the scope of their involvement?

They completely rebuilt the web site and transferred everything over to Shopify as e-commerce is an underutilized tool for us. Working with our existing logo and packaging, they developed a site that is visually appealing, functionally strong, and encapsulates the feel of a clean, “better-for-you” product.

They also worked extensively to refine our social media presence and messaging, and outline the differentiation of our products. They helped define our brand voice and explored how we could provide value to different types of consumers. Through these discussions, we identified the millennial consumer as one of our primary marketing targets, which further honed our messaging and brand image.

Now, they handle our website and social media, and pitch in on projects outside their initial scope, such as integrating apps with Shopify and online contests and promotions.

What is the team dynamic?

We worked most closely with Alex [Founder and CEO, Blue Bear Creative], but also with two others on his team.

How did you come to work with Blue Bear Creative?

We interviewed several companies, but landed on Blue Bear after seeing their innovative past work. They have a deep understanding of millennial consumers, what they’re interested in, what they want to see on social media. They also have a niche focus on CPG (Consumer Packaged Goods) companies and food companies specifically, which was very important to us. They know how to market to buyers and stores that may want to put our products on their shelves.

How much have you invested with them?

On average, we spend $3,000–$4,000 per month for social media management and other digital marketing initiatives. Building the website was a higher-cost project—roughly $12,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with Blue Bear in late 2014, and the engagement is ongoing.

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

In the first month after the new site launched, sales increased 35% over the previous month. Since then, we’ve averaged a 10%–15% increase every month. The new site is great at filtering potential consumers through the process of identifying what makes us different and leading them to the checkout page.  

How did Blue Bear Creative perform from a project management standpoint?

They’ve always been very responsive. I’ll email them an idea and usually will hear back within the hour. They get projects done quickly and hit deadlines. They are small enough to truly make their clients a priority.

We’ve used Google Drive extensively, as well as Asana for organizing tasks like social media scheduling and other critical, time-sensitive initiatives.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their understanding of visual elements presence in social media is their strongest suit. We always get positive feedback on how visually appealing our Instagram and Facebook ads are. We've got a really cool-looking page with engaging photos and Blue Bear is behind all of that.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They don't have some of the benefits of a large marketing agency. For example, they can’t provide the viewpoints of 20 people on a project, which can be valuable. That's just a limitation of company size.

Advice for potential customers?

Make sure you have the right product for them. They are an innovative agency with a focus on millennials, so if you want to reach them, they’re absolutely the company for you. If you're looking to expand in a different demographic, however, another digital marketing agency may be a better fit.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

Smashburger is a fast-casual burger chain with 350 locations. I was the social media coordinator when I worked there.

What challenge were you trying to address with Blue Bear Creative?

We wanted to target millennials in our social media efforts and we knew that Blue Bear Creative had a specialty in that area.

What was the scope of their involvement?

Blue Bear Creative helped with everything, from brainstorming campaigns to content creation. They were responsible for shooting videos, taking pictures, editing pictures, creative graphics, writing copy, launching campaigns, building websites, etc. They’re a well-rounded social media company that can do a little bit of everything. They helped us with Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and Snapchat. We had everything outlined in our initial contract that included how many pictures they would provide each month, how many Snapchat stories, and how often they would need to review our copy.

For Snapchat, we would brainstorm together and then they would build it out. After we approve it, they would shoot and then make it live. For the other platforms, they would send me all the copy and creative elements, then and I would post content online. The videos started out with Snapchat, then they moved to 30-second videos that were used on Instagram. We also did some animated and live videos that were 1 minute long; we used those for YouTube. We gave them direction on the videos. Blue Bear would write the storyboard, we would approve it, and then they shot the video. They were great at GIF-style videos.

How did you come to work with Blue Bear Creative?

We connected with them because they were an agency out of Colorado. We talked to a lot of social media companies.

How much have you invested with Blue Bear Creative?

We spent under $60,000 per year on their services.

What is the status of this engagement?

The work is ongoing.

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

Within the first year, we had over 200% growth on our Instagram channel. We launched with them on Snapchat and did a couple of campaigns that helped us get over 10,000 followers. Our hashtag campaign had over 9,000 submissions. It was neat to see the transformation of our photos, copy, and videos and having a more cohesive social media across all channels. I was very happy working with them.

How did Blue Bear Creative perform from a project management standpoint?

I was in charge of project management and they followed the agenda I created. They were good at meeting deadlines without us having to push them. We had a short turnaround time, which Blue Bear was able to meet. If there was something we didn’t like about their work, they were always good at taking feedback and fixing it.

What did you find most impressive about Blue Bear Creative?

If there’s something that’s not in their wheelhouse, they find a way to make it happen. There’s nothing they can’t do from a social media and digital standpoint. They have a great background in PR and can help with fresh, millennial-focused ideas. We had a great experience working with them. I would love to work with them where I’m currently employed.

Are there any areas Friendemic could improve?

No.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

Teriyaki Madness is a franchise. We have about 37 open locations with a fast casual Asian fusion concept stemming from Seattle-style teriyaki. I’m VP of Marketing here.

What business challenge were you trying to address with Blue Bear Creative?

We’re pretty small. Our main strategy, not having a very large budget, is to use digital and social to help build our email and text databases so that we can not only grow awareness but talk directly to the customers.

What was the scope of their involvement?

Basically, I went to them just for overall help on the strategy and consolidating. They were one of the first ones I called to help with overall strategy knowing I don’t have a very large budget to work with and consolidating what’s out there for 37 locations which have been doing this on their own. There is not a very consistent brand message, there is not consistent posting, replying to comments, and we didn’t have a very good corporate Facebook and Instagram presence. One of the main things that they did was help with the structure on the back end and get everything under one corporate umbrella, change some of the settings so that franchisees can still supplement content and they can still post, but they’re not the admin of their sites anymore. They are helping us with the social strategy, content, and overall structure of how we implement our social policies.

We are doing photography with them for content. Blue Bear is also posting content. They’re monitoring the page. They’re also doing a bunch of paid promotions as well. Very specifically, we’re trying to push messages like gluten-free in certain markets where we’ve launched it. We’re also trying to build our email database; they have strategies on how to go about instead of just offering a coupon, getting someone to do a quick entry of their email to capture that to get the coupon.

How did you come to work with Blue Bear Creative?

I just started here a couple of months ago. I’ve worked with Blue Bear at Smashburger as well, so I’ve already known their work a little bit.

How much have you invested with Blue Bear Creative?

We’ve spent $50,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We’ve been working since October 2016 and its ongoing.

Could you share any statistics or metrics from this engagement?

Not only are we getting really positive feedback from the franchisees, which is really important, but a lot of them are just happy that we took it off their plate. Even though some are really active and can still supplement the content and post themselves to make it local, a lot of them are relieved. Then as far as the tests that we’ve done in growing our emails, in Austin we grew our email database by 20% already. That’s going to continue to grow obviously, but so far we’re seeing some really positive quick results, which is great.

How did Blue Bear Creative perform from a project management standpoint?

They’re awesome. They’re easy to get a hold of. They send over the calendar for approval, I give my input, and then they are really quick to respond to anything

What distinguishes Blue Bear Creative from other providers?

They are millennials talking to millennials. That’s their motto, too, but they just get it whereas some other agencies I have worked with are trying to go back and learn it since social and digital is still fairly new in the world of marketing. It’s just nice because they just live it every day. I feel like Alex, the owner, is always learning. He’s always out finding out what the latest things are on the way that Facebook targets or posts or whatever, so he’s always suggesting new things that we can try and test for a really low cost

Is there anything Blue Bear Creative could have improved or done differently?

Not yet. I have no negative comments to say about them. Blue Bear Creative have truly been an extra arm of our marketing department. We’re really small, so I lean on them a lot, and they definitely have gone above and beyond as far as just helping beyond what we’re paying them. They know the situation we’re in.

Please describe your company and your position there.

I’m the founder and CEO of Rally Labs LLC. We specialize in over-the-counter drugs for younger consumers. Our main product is an FDA-recognized hangover remedy called Blowfish.

For what projects/services did your company hire Blue Bear Creative?

We needed to improve our social media and email marketing efforts as part of a larger rebranding initiative. We were trying to shift our focus from traditional in-store distribution strategy to e-commerce-based retail, creating more direct relationships with our customers.

What were your goals for this project?

We had several pretty lofty goals. In short, we wanted to decrease our new customer acquisition costs to measure less than our cash profit on each sale. To do this, we needed to establish a customer acquisition cost that was substantially lower than industry benchmarks.

How did you select this vendor?

We were working with a creative agency for our rebranding and video needs, but they didn’t have much experience with direct social media marketing. They referred us to Blue Bear Creative.

Describe the scope of their work in detail.

Blue Bear Creative helped with designing and executing all of our social media and email marketing strategies, which represented the majority of our messaging efforts. Though the team didn’t work on any creative materials, they shared feedback and helpful suggestions. They continue to provide reports and update us on the campaign’s progress.

What was the team composition?

We’re in direct contact with two people; one focuses on strategy and the other handles implementation. Both resources are extremely smart.

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

I can’t say enough about the positive impact Blue Bare Creative has had on our business. Comparing this year to last year, our online sales have increased by 300%. We also achieved our goal of reducing our customer acquisition cost. Now, our marketing efforts pay for themselves with each new first sale.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

It was a relatively straightforward project, so everything ran smoothly.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

They’re a bright team with the confidence and experience to manage a transparent project. They were honest about what they could and couldn’t do. Overall, it was a productive collaboration.

Are there any areas for improvement?

They could hire a few new resources. They missed a few deadlines and postponed meetings at the last minute, but more depth would solve these issues.

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm the director of marketing at Purely Elizabeth, a natural products company with the #1 granola in the natural channel and also a line of oatmeals, oatmeal cups, and nutrition bars. I lead a five-person marketing team and report to our CEO.

For what projects/services did your company hire Blue Bear Creative?

We hired Blue Bear Creative to product around 10 unique videos ranging from 15–90 seconds for various social media channels and our website. We asked them to produce a variety of video types, from a founder story to recipe videos to product feature videos.

What were your goals for this project?

Our goal was to produce high-quality video at a low cost that conveyed the brand's product range, aesthetic, and values and that would perform well across social media channels, especially Facebook and Instagram.

How did you select this vendor?

I looked at a variety of options, ranging from freelancers to larger agencies. I selected Blue Bear Creative because they were nimble, had experience with larger productions, and were a relatively low cost.

Describe the video(s) and the process in detail.

Blue Bear Creative helped finalize the creative vision for the videos, establishing visual guides and a production plan. They were on location for filming, working with us and an external video production team during the two days of shooting. They then managed the editing, feedback, and completion of the assets.

What was your vendors' project management or feedback process?

Blue Bear Creative used a simple grid on Google Sheets to manage the different cuts and edits. They always responded promptly to edits and feedback.

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

They completed all of the requested assets within budget and at the expected quality. They underestimated the time needed for feedback, which pushed back our original timeline, but we ended up with high-quality assets that we were pleased with.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Their workflow was good, and they were highly responsive. When email became too complex to manage the edits and versions, they developed a shared document that was easy to use and track.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Blue Bear Creative's cost-to-quality ratio was incredibly impressive. We needed to be a bit more involved with them than with other agencies, but their costs are great and they deliver high-quality work.

Are there any areas for improvement?

Communicating responsibilities on the days of shooting could've improved; it felt a bit disorganized, and my team ended up doing a lot of prep work that Blue Bear Creative had stated they'd do. Their quality and price are a great value, but a slight lack of professionalism on set was symptomatic of a younger, less polished agency.