Brand Tackle

Please describe your company and your position there.

CEO. Company is a downhole tool manufacturer with unique technology highly patented. We work in the oil field to lower the time, cost and ESG impact of a hydraulic fracturing.

For what projects/services did your company hire Brand Tackle?

We hired Brand Tackle to provide a professional but edgy/memorable marketing platform that was consistent from our website, marketing collateral and social media.

How did you select this vendor?

Reviewed several with a selection criteria based on oilfield experience, local support, and previous projects. Their work was striking, different, catchy, thought provoking. Followed by meetings and interviews with a short list.

Describe the scope of their work in detail.

They have built a great website and maintain it. The branding is now clear, modern and consistent. We have driven that through to exhibition booth material, brochures, LinkedIn backgrounds, and advertising banners. They have been involved in product messaging around our technology differentiations.

What was the team composition?

We work with James and Darrell on their side. They have been engaged with myself and 3-4 others from our team.

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

Google Analytics shows a dramatic increase in web traffic. Clients now recognize our name. The adverts and banners have had good visibility (clients tell us they liked the image and so remembered it). The exhibits and marketing collateral has been very effective in drawing in clients.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Fast, easy. They are open to collaboration. I like the way they confer, brainstorm and are open to pushing back on some things they do not think serve us well. We had one project they did a fair amount of work on, then we tabled it due to our delays. This is great work.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

We're impressed with their edgy, thought-provoking visual messaging. They have a sense of humor and fun that aligns with our employees, who love the work and ideas.

Is there any area for improvement or anything that could have been done differently?

I'd like a stronger push on LinkedIn and maybe Instagram. I recognize this needs to come from company employees, but feel our presence is sporadic. Survey has made me realize I'll change that focus next year.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the director of marketing for a healthcare company.

What challenges were you trying to address with Brand Tackle?

We needed help with marketing campaigns for my company.

What was the scope of their involvement?

Brand Tackle has provided several services to us, including website development and management, SEO, keyword research, backlinking, logo creation, and marketing collateral material, like print designs. In addition to that, they’ve ensured that the material they create meets all federal guidelines.

What was the team composition? 

We mainly work with James and Darrell (Principals).

How did you come to work with Brand Tackle?

They were referred to us by a partner we had in common.

How much have you invested in them?

So far, we’ve spent $500,000–$1 million with them.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in August 2018, and the engagement is ongoing.

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

Their work has helped us improve our site’s traffic, which we look at through Google Analytics. Overall, Brand Tackle leads a professional relationship and delivers a great job.

How did Brand Tackle perform from a project management standpoint?

They meet deadlines and stay within budget. Regarding communication, we use Outlook and Microsoft Teams.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Brand Tackle has a top level of professionalism; they may not be the cheapest, but their products and services are high quality.

Are there any areas they could improve?

It can be helpful if they could provide a monthly or quarterly summary of the website’s performance.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Throw ideas of what you’re trying to achieve because they have the ability to help you meet your goals.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the director of business development and marketing for RSI Chemicals, a specialty chemical company. We provide specialty chemicals that go downhole, upstream, and midstream businesses in the oil field.

What challenge were you trying to address with Brand Tackle?

We wanted to rebrand our company to get more exposure and show what our brand represented.

What was the scope of their involvement?

Brand Tackle has done our entire branding and marketing from top to bottom. They started by updating our logo, color schemes, taglines, website, and marketing collateral, including PowerPoint presentations, Word documents for clients, and business cards.

For the website, they’ve looked at the original site, met with our COO, and worked diligently with a couple of people from our operations team and our IT group to ensure they understand how the website works and how to make changes. Considering that, Brand Tackle has looked at competitors’ websites to outline the overall design and functionality. They’ve given us the option to focus on the areas that are important to us, so we’ve redone all of our messaging and come up with new taglines. Overall, they’ve handled everything and ensured we handle the parts we’re responsible for.

All in all, Brand Tackle has transformed our existing platform and completely redesigned its look and functionality. For example, they’ve added the ability to upload case studies for our clients. Also, they’ve made sure it’s mobile-friendly and functional on phones, iPads, and other devices.

What is the team composition?

We’ve worked directly with James and Darrell (Principals). They delegate the work to their team, but we deal with them personally.

How did you come to work with Brand Tackle?

We looked at 2–3 local marketing firms. Brand Tackle came by and gave us a presentation and walked us through their business operations and values. They aligned heavily with our organization, so we went with them.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve probably spent over $45,000 since we started working with them.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with Brand Tackle in October 2020, and they finished the rebranding and website redevelopment project in 4–6 months. However, we still work with them regularly. We reach out for any new projects; they provide the service, and then we get invoiced the following month.

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

The majority of exposure we get is from word of mouth and experience in the field, so the website isn’t something that could hold us back from gaining or losing business. However, we’ve received comments about how great the documents, business cards, website, PowerPoint presentations, and brochures are. Everything looks the same and is in line with our branding, so everything is clean, straightforward, and aligned with our company.

How did Brand Tackle perform from a project management standpoint?

Project management is great. In the beginning, they estimated how much time and effort would be spent on each piece. They also gave us an outline of what they’d tackle first, and the team always stayed on task. If something was delayed, it was on our end.

Brand Tackle is well-structured and communicative, and their response times are phenomenal. We communicate through phone calls, emails, Zoom, Microsoft Teams, and in-person meetings. Overall, we always feel that they’re there.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their top strengths are their attention to detail, responsiveness, and customer-centric approach. Overall, customer satisfaction is vital to them.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, they’re one of the best companies we’ve worked with. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Don’t be afraid to reach out. Brand Tackle is communicative and straightforward; they always put the client first and ensure they get what they want.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the marketing and communications manager at PipeLine Machinery International, a CAT® equipment dealer that supports pipeline construction. We’re the only global CAT® dealer. To keep our customers engaged, we do a lot of print and digital marketing. We’re also heavily involved in pipeline construction associations around the world.

What challenge were you trying to address with Brand Tackle?

We were still using the website that had been created alongside the company in 2005, so it was outdated, cluttered, and hard to navigate. My company wanted to make the site more user-friendly and engaging. We also wanted to streamline the editing process so that my team could make minor changes to the site without having to rely on someone out of house.

Whereas most CAT® dealers have thousands of customers within their territory, we only have about 300 customers globally, and we personally know all of them. For this reason, we don’t use the website for lead generation; we’re looking for customer engagement. Our focus is on optimizing the customer experience.

What was the scope of their involvement?

First, Brand Tackle sought to understand our company and the message we wanted to relay. They walked us through the whole storyboard process and helped strategize where everything should be on the site. They set up a new platform and got our new site up and running. They used our collection of photographs to make the site attractive.

The team refreshed the site a couple of years ago to give it a new look and feel. They trained us on how to make simple changes using editing software, but they take care of all the coding and backend development.

Last year, Brand Tackle helped us with a T-shirt campaign. They came up with some catchy sayings, paired them with specific machines, and created a T-shirt design. We use the T-shirts as promotional items and give them to customers when they buy new machines. They also helped us create an anniversary book celebrating our first ten years of business. Since we’re so different from other CAT® dealers, the book also served to explain who we are and what we do. Brand Tackle helped with everything, from content to design.  

Brand Tackle has also helped us with advertising campaigns. They listen to the message we want to get across and then work closely with us to come up with ideas. For instance, this year, we wanted to make connections with our customers. We needed to emphasize that it’s not just about selling a machine or service, but about how we can help our customers be successful. Based on this message, Brand Tackle and my team storyboarded and put some designs together using CAT’s® advertising framework. They ultimately helped us come up with the tagline that’s on a lot of our current advertising: “It’s all about connections.”

What is the team composition?

I work with Darrell and James (Principals, Brand Tackle).

How did you come to work with Brand Tackle?

CAT® generally prefers that their dealers work with vendors on an approved list. We got quotes from some of the approved vendors, but the problem was that these vendors wanted to treat us like all of the other CAT® dealers they’ve done websites for. They had standard CAT® templates that they’d just put our logo on. While this might work for other CAT® dealers that have a territory, it wouldn’t work for us because we’re global.

I got permission from our president to look into other vendors. We also wanted someone local who could give us a personal experience, which we’ve definitely gotten from Brand Tackle.

How much have you invested with them?

This varies from year to year, depending on our needs.

What is the status of this engagement?

Our work together began in 2012, and it’s ongoing. The initial website project took 4–6 months, and Brand Tackle didn’t launch the new site until we were absolutely sure it was where we wanted it to be.

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

They made the new site user-friendly on a global scale. Now, users can find what they’re looking for within two clicks. We get a lot of compliments from our sales team because they’re able to use the site as a marketing tool and direct customers to the exact piece of information they’re looking for. Our account management and sales departments often report that customers also appreciate the easy navigation.

In today’s digital world, as soon as you do something, it seems as though it’s outdated within a day. Brand Tackle does a really good job helping us stay on top of things. They often suggest how to make our site nicer and more up-to-date, which we appreciate.  

How did Brand Tackle perform from a project management standpoint?

They came in at a strategic level and asked what we were hoping to accomplish, then provided suggestions on how we should go about it. They were able to take what we needed and the knowledge we had and make our website, the face of our company, come alive. They’ve been right there as a partner from the very beginning.

We primarily communicate via email and phone, and they’re very responsive. Even if they’re in the middle of a project with another customer, they still respond and let us know they’ll contact us as soon as they can; if it’s an emergency, such as the website being down, they take care of it right away. We’ve never had an issue with their turnaround time.

I’m not sure how they structure project management, but I can tell you that we’ve always been taken care of. If we give them a deadline, they meet, if not exceed, it. Several times we’ve given them tasks that we need done by the next day, and they always find a way to do it. They definitely take care of their customers.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Whenever we need help, even if it’s not on the website, they’re willing to jump in. The team listens to our challenges and the message we want to get across, and they help create a visual of that. Instead of being told we need to do something a certain way because we’re a CAT® dealer, Brand Tackle provides a personal experience. They give extra attention to the fact that we’re unique from other dealers.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, not really. If I were to say anything, they could be a bit more innovative in some of their video and graphic capabilities. Of course, this sometimes has to do with my company’s technology, server, and system. I wish we could find a way around that, but I’m confident this will come in time.

Any advice for potential customers?

If you have a specific project in mind, bring Brand Tackle on from day one. Darrell and James have great ideas and work well together. If you engage them from the beginning of your project, you might find that they have ideas or approaches that you’d never thought of. They’re great at what they do.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We’re a medical enterprise with over 220 outpatient surgery centers. I’m the head of business development for our cardiovascular team, and I support our sales teams across the board.

What challenge were you trying to address with Brand Tackle?

In our ongoing engagement, we rely on them for various branding and marketing efforts. In a recent project, we acquired another medical company and needed to go through a rebranding/remarketing process.

What was the scope of their involvement?

They created a new logo and developed a new website for the newly-acquired company. Given that we needed to attend a conference under the new brand, they were operating under a strict deadline. They delivered brand new collateral materials and rebuilt the website from scratch.

What is the team composition?

My two main points of contact are Darrell (Principal, Brand Tackle) and James (Principal, Brand Tackle). We’ve done countless projects together over the years, and I’m not certain how many teammates were on each task.

How did you come to work with Brand Tackle?

I worked with them at a previous (but similar) company. At the time, we interviewed multiple firms and were taken by Brand Tackle. It seemed like they were going to give us the attention we needed and deliver on a clean-looking product.

What is the status of this engagement?

We’ve been working together since 2014, and the partnership is ongoing. This recent project began in February 2019 and lasted until the conference in April.

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

They’ve always delivered visually excellent items in a timely manner. They’ve enabled us to position ourselves in an attractive way towards our target audience. They’ve hit every benchmark every single time that I’ve worked with them, and they make the whole process very easy. I know that wherever I go in healthcare, I’ll go straight to Brand Tackle as soon as I need any marketing work.

How did Brand Tackle perform from a project management standpoint?

They’ve hit every deadline, and we’re constantly in touch. We communicate through different outlets, including texting, emailing and calls. We’ll sometimes get together for a brainstorming session.

Over our engagement, I’ve become good friends with the principals. I truly enjoy their company because they’re just very good people.

What did you find most impressive about them?

It’s been such an enjoyable journey with them. When we first decided to partner with them, they had little healthcare experience. Now, they’ve become gurus that know so much about our field. They’ve enjoyed learning about this niche sector of the healthcare world.

Are there any areas they could improve?

There’s really nothing. I don’t hesitate to give them a call whenever I need anything.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Sit down with them and get to know them. To get the best out of your engagement, you’d want them to become a permanent fixture of your marketing department. They’ll be a phenomenal partner.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We are a web services and IT company. I'm the owner.

What challenge were you trying to address with Brand Tackle?

We brought them on to help with our graphic design. We lost our previous graphic artist and wanted to find an agency to replace them.

What was the scope of their involvement?

When we had one designer, every site we produced looked kind of the same. Brand Tackle had multiple designers, and we immediately had a better variety to service more industries. We recently completed a major project with them for a client. Most clients don't know what they want to produce, so Brand Tackle interviewed them to find out what would work best in that industry. They came back with an array of about five mockups, which we presented to the client. From there, we broke those down into a single design. Once that design is in place, our internal team took over the development of those designs.

What is the team composition?

I work mostly with one of their partners. The other partner was involved in our content writing for other projects.

How did you come to work with Brand Tackle?

They approached us for help with a software implementation for one of their clients. I'm from the same town as one of their founders, so they reached out. After collaborating for a few months, we lost our internal graphic designer, so I asked if they would step in as our design firm.

How much have you invested with them?

I spend between $30,000-$50,000 on their work each year. They usually charge by the hour, but they send estimates at the start of each project.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in January 2013, and the partnership is ongoing.

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

We've received awards from the Web Marketing Association for some of the websites we've built together. Our level of professionalism has risen, and we know we can do great things for our clients. They're faster and more in tune with our vision than our previous designer.

How did Brand Tackle perform from a project management standpoint?

They're very good at meeting deadlines. After we meet with the client, Brand Tackle has two weeks to complete designs. I don't think their work has ever been late. We send revisions, and they turn those changes around within a couple of days. The projects we contract them for are usually short. When they contract us, the projects are longer, since we need to work through the development. They manage those projects really well, and I'm impressed by their skills.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their experience makes them stand out. The topics we cover in our area are usually industrial and fairly dry. Regardless of the industry, Brand Tackle is always excited to design an appropriate solution. They bring a level of professionalism and expertise that allows us to expand into verticals that we wouldn't otherwise have access to.

Are there any areas they could improve?

We have a very open line of communication with them, and our business goals are well-aligned. We meet once or twice a year to strategize how we can help each other grow. They're more than a vendor; they're really a partner. Over the course of six years, we've hashed out the little issues that arise. We don't have any problems with them.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Rely on their expertise and let them do their job.

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the owner of a local craft brewery.

For what projects/services did your company hire Brand Tackle?

Website development as well as label design

How did you select this vendor and what were the deciding factors?

I interviewed several marketing companies and felt like Brand Tackle was the best fit for our vision and personalities

Describe the project in detail and walk through the stages of the project.

For our cans Brand tackle was able to curate and bring to life the imagery that was in our heads, from the first meeting where we discussed who we were to the first pass at label design. We were always met with a convention for conversation, and never presented with options that did not receive their full attention. Down to the very last detail when they went out of their way to communicate with out printing company to ensure sizes and samples were sent, this made sure our consumers would see our intended vision in stores.

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

We worked directly with the owners and they were absolutely fantastic to work with, incredibly responsive and quick to jump on any tasks

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

Brand tackle has helped create a product that our consumers love to hold in their hand, which has helped us generate more revenue for our company

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Every point of communication was effective and they are always willing to accommodate our schedules, at the sacrifice of theirs. Couldn't ask for more.

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

I am blown away by their ability to listen, cultivate and bring to life our vision for each brand

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

I honestly could not think of any area where they fall short