Bulldog Drummond

BACKGROUND

Please describe your organization.

The company is CMT, which is Country Music Television, under the umbrella of MTV.

What was your role at the company?

I was the senior vice president of marketing and branding for the network.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What was your goal for working with Bulldog Drummond?

We wanted someone to do a total rebranding of the network. Country music is steeped in a lot of stereotypes. MTV owned the brand and wanted to move the brand in [their] direction to help advertisers respond better to the brand itself and to get higher ratings for the brand. I was brought in to do that, and I hired Bulldog Drummond to help me.

SOLUTION

Could you describe the scope of the work they did for you?

They looked at who our viewers were and who our viewers could be. We had to brand both internally and externally, so it was a two part branding experience. They looked at our employees to be sure we had advocates internally. Externally, there was the viewer but there was also Madison Avenue.

They did the research and planning, and they also produced some assets for us. They produced a brand book which both the president of CMT and the president of MTV took with them everywhere. She loved it so much as a really great example of rebranding one of her networks.

How long did that engagement last with Bulldog Drummond?

It was probably nine months for the full rebrand, in 2009.

What was your process for selecting Bulldog Drummond with which to work?

I worked with Bulldog Drummond when I was head of marketing at Virgin Entertainment Group and I loved the work they did for us there. That was more on the creative side than branding, but I loved their spirit, their energy, and the imagination that they had. I had a number of agencies that pitched for the work at CMT, but they were the ones that won it.

Can you give a sense of the size of the project, either with a general cost estimate or a work hour figure?

It was less than a million dollars.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What were the results of the work?

Bulldog Drummond took the essence of what country music and what our audience stood for, which is a very authentic spirit of America. We got rid of the critters and haystacks, but it was more than that. It was a really lovely way of owning what the brand stood for and stretching it beyond its stereotypes, and looking at what the audience stood for with regard to authenticity and spirit.

Bulldog Drummond created a good package for our sales team to take to advertisers. We were able to say, “We are in 92 million homes, and they are not all trailer parks. This is the authenticity and spirit of our audience. What brand does not want to be associated with that?”

It was a shift enough to get the dollars that MTV needed to make the channel viable, but it was close enough to the values of country music for the employees to feel good about it. It was very smart. Everybody was extremely happy with it.

Are there any metrics or feedback that you can share that indicates the success of the project?

Advertising sales tripled. The channel itself coming out of it had some of the best years it’s ever had with regard to ratings, and still does. It has increased year over year.

How would you describe Bulldog Drummond’s performance and the relationship working with them?

It was super easy. They’re pretty easy going. I wanted to have the in-house creative team involved as well, and Bulldog was great at making sure my team and the executives were fully integrated from the very beginning. We had a lot of roundtables and focus group sessions to be sure that everyone had buy-in on the various ideas.

Is there anything unique or special about Bulldog Drummond compared to other companies you may have worked with?

They’re pretty stress free. They’re very upbeat and positive people, which I like a lot. They get to the point and deliver, and it’s pretty easy to show the return on investment.

Looking back at the work they’ve done, is there any area you feel they could improve upon?

No. Not that I can remember.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company.

Our company is a quick service restaurant, Mexican inspired, made up of more than 6,000 restaurants across the U.S. and a little more than 200 internationally.

What is your role and responsibilities?

I am the chief public affairs officer. I oversee brand reputation, digital, social, and traditional media relations, government affairs, and overarching communications both internally and externally.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What was your goal for working with Bulldog Drummond?

This is an iconic company and brand that has been around more than 50 years, with a very distinct culture and unique persona. However, it had never been documented or articulated. We engaged Bulldog to help us really codify and document who we are and what we stand for from a values and a culture standpoint, and to create a common vocabulary, that we now very warmly refer to as our brand soul.

SOLUTION

Please describe the scope of their work.

The initial phase was to help identify who we are and what we stand for as a company, so we could share it with the 175,000 other employees and partners across the country. Now, we are using that brand soul and the work that Shawn [Parr, CEO of Bulldog Drummond] helped facilitate to really help guide the organization in its decision making, to make sure that when we activate, whether it’s our food, our people, the experience, any digital or physical touch point, or the impact we’re having in communities and on the planet, that we have these filters to leverage in the decision making. We want to make sure that our word, who we say we are, and our actions match. That’s the next phase of the work.

What was your process for selecting Bulldog Drummond with which to work?

We were looking for somebody who had prior experience and success in getting brands to this place. We knew that the outcome would be thorough, thoughtful, and something that allowed us to solve for long-term. We did not want this to be another short-term marketing campaign. We needed it to reflect who we are and ensure that it guided us the next 50 years we’re in business. Another reason we chose them is that Shawn’s approach is very real, authentic, down to earth, and action oriented. So, even though the process took a long time, as it should, given the importance of it, his constant care and participation at a senior level was appreciated.

About how long did the work take? Is it ongoing?

From discussion to pushing it all the way down to our restaurants, and reaching 175,000 people and making it real, it took approximately 18 months.

The work is continuing. The first phase was completed by the end of 2013, and for this next phase, we’re nearing completion by the end of this year. The current phase involves sharing the message with a broader landscape including suppliers, functions, and vendors. It’s really helping us make decisions by providing the filters and guardrails for our business and brand. We do the message distribution, but the development of the messaging is done by Bulldog.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What are the results of the work so far?

The feedback has been tremendous from our parent company, throughout the organization, and through the franchise community. We have a lot of players, so the feedback has been that it truly represents who we are and have been for 50 years, so authentic and real. To quote our executives, it is probably one of the most important initiatives that the brand has taken on in more than a decade, if not longer.

How would you describe their performance?

They did an excellent job of the zero-stage planning, of truly understanding what we were solving for and getting the necessary input. They did extensive research of the category, the culture, and the people.

They are very responsive and very proactive, so it’s an important balance. We have a lot of needs and sometimes we need a little pushing.

Is there anything unique about them that really makes them stand out, compared to other companies?

I have to say that what is unique about Bulldog is the senior-level attention. That has been really important. Also, the articulation, the way they synthesize what we talk about and how they facilitate the conversation. What comes back to us is remarkably honest and true to the conversation. I believe that is one of the greatest skills an agency or firm can have, because it’s so hard not to put your filter on it. Having myself been in an agency, I can say they do a great job of synthesizing what was heard.

Looking back on the work so far, is there any area that you think they could improve upon or something that you might do differently?

No, I don't think there is anything major for them to work on.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company.

We’re the country’s largest producer-grower of baby carrots and carrots. We also produce the number one super premium juice and smoothie in the country.

What is your role and responsibilities?

I’m the chief commercial officer.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What was your goal for working with Bulldog Drummond?

We wanted to define our company’s purpose, mission, and brand and marketing strategy.

SOLUTION

Please describe the scope of their work.

It involved several phases of work: to identify and interview stakeholders in the organization, to figure out and develop our strengths and challenges organizationally and in the marketplace, and then to craft a unique position and mission statement in the marketplace.

What was your process for selecting Bulldog Drummond with which to work?

After the RFP [request for proposal] process we went through, we felt like they were the most competent and capable individuals to help us define that mission and purpose work, based on what they had done with other companies in the past.

Can you provide a sense of the size of the project with a cost or work-hour figure?

It was about a million-dollar project.

When did the work take place, and how long did it last?

The project was completed three years ago. The work lasted about a year.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Do you have any statistics or metrics to track improvement from the project?

We’re dealing with company positioning, so there was no specific metric tied to the work that Bulldog was doing. However, the outcome well exceeded our expectations. It really has driven our success for now four or five years. Growth rates in our business of between 20 percent and 25 percent, so we’ve seen very aggressive growth as a function of that mission and purpose work.

How would you describe their performance throughout the work?

Their performance was exceptional.

Is there anything unique about them that really makes them stand out, compared to other companies?

They’re not afraid to challenge current sacred cows. They challenge our senior executives in a positive and proactive way, to encourage them to move beyond current paradigms into something new and different.

Looking back on the work so far, is there any area that you think they could improve upon or something that you might do differently?

No.