Disruptive Advertising

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I work at Scotts Miracle-Gro, a lawn, gardens, and hydroponics company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Disruptive Advertising?

We hired them to be email marketing partners for our team. We have a lean email marketing team internally, and we’re in the process of expanding our email marketing across more than just our core brands.

We’re expanding into more of a digitally native brand territory while launching mini new brands that are only available through e-commerce. Because of this, we really needed support from an outside partner.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We started working with Disruptive Advertising on small email marketing projects.

What is the team composition?

We work with five teammates for email marketing, and we also work with three teammates for email acquisition. 

How did you come to work with Disruptive Advertising?

We had been using Disruptive Advertising for paid media for a couple of years, but we didn’t know that they had other teams that we could leverage. So, they were recommended to us internally for this particular project. 

The original recommendation came from our director of performance marketing who had seen one of their paid ads. One thing I noticed from the get-go was that they were top-notch and that they understood email marketing. They had a depth of experience. 

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent about $400,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

I began working with them in August 2019, and our engagement is ongoing. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

When working with them, we don’t have to train them on how to use our platform or what the best practices of email marketing are. They know all of that and can pick up on things very quickly. It feels like Disruptive Advertising is an extension of our team. 

They’ve gone above and beyond our expectations. I’ve worked with other email marketing agencies, and what differentiates this team from others is that they have a wide range of skills in project management, email marketing execution, and deep strategic thinking. 

What they provide us is exactly on-brand with what we expect. Our organization is an enterprise business, so we expect enterprise business-level work, and Disruptive Advertising has always brought that to the table. We’ve gotten so much value from the partnership.

How did Disruptive Advertising perform from a project management standpoint?

The team has been able to adapt to how we manage our projects internally. We use JIRA, Asana, and Monday, and the team has been adaptable to what we use and need. 

We meet on a regular basis to touch base on the status of projects, and Disruptive Advertising is always on schedule and on par with what we expect in terms of communication and deliverables. We also communicate with them via email and phone. 

They have specific people on their team dedicated to project management. This is helpful to us because those teammates help to drive tasks and prioritization and to break down projects. I can very quickly and easily relay information to them. 

The team asks minimal questions because they know what we’re looking for, and they turnaround high-quality work. If they don’t produce something that’s up to the level we want, they always go back to the drawing board and make sure that they get it to that level. 

We love working with them. They’ve been able to grasp certain elements so quickly, that we’ve continuously added tasks to their plate. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

What’s unique about Disruptive Advertising is that they are very warm and welcoming. I’ve met with them in person a couple of times, and they really go out of their way to be helpful in any way they can. 

For example, when anyone is onboarded as a partner with our organization, there is a period where people have to learn the products and understand the business.

Some of the individuals on Disruptive Advertising’s team didn’t understand lawn care, but they all made an effort to try our products and help out people on their team with their lawn care.

They really care about the partners they work with and about each other, which shows the type of people they are. This has made our relationship that much stronger. The team is caring, and they go above and beyond to do the best they can in any way possible.

Are there any areas they could improve?

The only thing is that we have a lot of brands that Disruptive Advertising has to juggle, so things get mixed up. It’s hard to decide on their priority when juggling 8–10 brands. There have been times when they’ve been underwater because we’d put too much on their plate.

Sometimes, we’ve had to take over a few tasks to meet the deadlines, but we’ve worked through it; it’s not a reoccurring issue. 

The great thing is that the team takes our feedback about project management and workflow improvements and implements it almost immediately. We always collaborate with them to make things better and they're always striving to improve. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

You’re going to have a great partner. The team is dedicated to learning the business, they are smart, and they understand digital. You’ll be happy with the results. It may take time for them to get onboarded with the brand, but if you give them time, they will show you amazing quality work.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the CMO of a cybersecurity company. We have about a dozen employees and work mainly in the B2B space with other government contractors.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Disruptive Advertising?

We work in compliance and although the DoD supply chain is large not many individuals are proactive with their compliance. We wanted to create a PPC to go after those few in the segment that were proactively searching for solutions.

What were your goals for this project?

We are trying to reach 200 new clients in 12 months with our PPC campaigns. Although we aren't on track for that goal yet we are well on our way. I feel like a few more tweaks and optimizations we will make it very close to our goal.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

Disruptive has a very good reputation not only online but in my personal network as well.

Describe the scope of their work in detail.

Creating PPC campaigns for searches, re-targeting, and some branding.

What was the team composition?

Disruptive has a few team members aware of our project but we have one main point of contact that works directly on our account.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We are still new but are capturing 3-4 leads a day.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

The ads we create are very targeted and so the workflow in bringing quality leads is very high.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

We have a lot better communication than I have had with other marketing companies. They know their stuff and how to deliver. They are very specialized and cut out all the "fluff"

Are there any areas for improvement?

Every company can always improve but very satisfied and don't have anything specifically to call out.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the founder and owner of Central Park Dental Aesthetics. We are a boutique dental practice located in midtown Manhattan in between Carnegie hall and Central Park south.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Disruptive Advertising?

We were looking to broaden our reach to get new patients through the door, especially in this crazy covid 19 era.

What were your goals for this project?

Our goals were to continue to see our dental practice grow despite uncertain times and most dental practices shrinking or closing due to covid 19. We were determined to still be in a time of growth and expansion as we’ve hired on two new doctors.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

Disruptive Advertising was the only digital marketing company that I felt was sincere and honest. They didn’t promise the world but gave a reasonable, yet lofty, goal. They walked me through the process explaining my role versus their role. They were transparent with costs associated and the breakdown of costs. Their responsiveness and professionalism through the process has been remarkable.

Describe the scope of their work in detail.

Disruptive Advertising is helping with all digital marketing for my practice. They manage all online content and drive patients to my office. They’re doing google and social media ads as well as finding patients that have similar make ups of my current patients.

What was the team composition?

I work closely with Trent who is my account manager. He’s been incredible in helping me learn the process, helping me navigate which direction to go in and getting things done extremely efficiently. Trent has an entire team behind him who helps with the process as well.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Within the first two weeks, I’ve already had new patients calling the office and coming in for appointments. Success!

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

The workflow was seamless. Trent kept me in the loop with all steps and it required so little time on my part. It made the process really manageable. The communication has been really exceptional.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

I find their responsiveness and honesty the most impressive. Too many marketing companies make sales pitches promising things that just sound too good to be true. It is unrealistic to think spending $1000 a month will drive 100+ patients through my door a month. Disruptive Advertising listened to my goals and walked me through the plan on how to achieve them. I never felt like their were selling me or just throwing numbers out to hook me. Additionally - they’ve concretely created results within 2 weeks!

Are there any areas for improvement?

Everything with Disruptive Advertising has been amazing!

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the owner of Natura Pest Control LLC. We specialize in residential pest control with focus on safety by using organic products whenever possible.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Disruptive Advertising?

Sense we stared in 2012, we have been utilizing a door-to-door direct marketing approach. As time has passed we have felt a need to diversify our customer acquisitions. We felt the need to start to advertise online. This was very much outside of our comfort zone because we have alway used a direct marketing approach.

What were your goals for this project?

When we started we wanted to add 100-200 new customers per year outside of our direct marketing efforts.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

We searched online and met with many different Marketing companies. Our goal was to find a comany that we felt fit with our culture, company and growth ambitions. After meeting with 8 different companies we felt that Disruptive best fit what we were looking for.

Describe the scope of their work in detail.

Disruptive developed landing pages, build ad strategies based our differentiators. They did A, B testing with ads to see what adds were best in the markets that we are in. They manage all of our ad budgets and analytics.

What was the team composition?

$500 or 20% of ad budget whatever is greater.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

They have exceeded our sales goals and have worked hard to ensure that they are always addressing my company's needs. When we started our goal was to add 100-200 new customer per year, we are now adding an average of 60 new customers per month.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

I have loved my contact at disruptive. Quinn has a quirk turnaround time whenever I need anything and is constantly checking in to insure we are happy. There was a time when our ads were being denied by google during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Quinn worked hard to find out why it was happening and until we found out provided solutions in the interim so that we could continue to have ads visible. We found out later that the ads were denied because of internal issues with Google and nothing that disruptive had done.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Their results are the first thing. Secondly I would say their williness to reach out and make sure that we are on the same page and working as a team. Then there are some small touches that make thing nice. They sent my family and a gift randomly. It was a very soft blanket, we use it often. It shows me that they value me as customer.

Are there any areas for improvement?

No. I thoroughly enjoy working with them.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

As the VP of marketing and enrollment for my University. It is my responsibility to engage in activities and partnerships that support our mission with integrity through the different initiatives we need to achieve our student population goals.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Disruptive Advertising?

We hired Disruptive to support us in engaging in a paid search strategy. Paid search, social.

What were your goals for this project?

New student generation is our primary goal with Disruptive. Additional goals include branding, reach, awareness and storytelling.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

I have worked with Disruptive in three different capacities and companies. I trust the structure Disruptive offers to engage quickly in paid search needs that is priced competitively with account support that still remains top tier in my workings with many advertising and marketing firms.

Describe the project in detail.

The university I work for needed to recreate its digital strategy from the ground up. In addition to re-establishing goals and priorities, new landing page development, content strategy and and placement strategy was required.

What was the team composition?

We have many areas of expertise involved in our campaigns with a primary contact and account manager. A role Disruptive does a great job in supporting and prioritizing this position. We also have a social expert, CRO expert as well as many folks behind the scenes supporting web page development and creative asset creation.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Our campaigns are less than a year old, some newer that that. To date we have exceeded our first priority goal launched in October of 2019 of filling every available seat in our graduate programs which we have accomplished with Disruptive support, even in the state of COVID-19. Our next priorities are already showing significant progress and early indicators that point to meeting enrollment goals for our next level.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Like any team, learning communication preferences and tools was necessary. Some of the standard means of communicating and project managing didn't work for us and Disruptive was quick to adapt and recommend solutions to support our long sales cycle.

We used a custom project engagement system on a shared document site that allowed for budget, project and approval updates in one place. Orchestrated by the Disruptive account manager allows me to get high level updates and granular details if I need to go there without much fuss.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Disruptive is nimble in working with the different outcomes and constant changes in product offering allowing me to stay focused on the end objectives without reinventing or needing to handhold partners to adjust as we do.

Are there any areas for improvement?

A constant challenge in digital marketing is content, asset and version control. Though we continue to make progress, having a system or structure for auditing and quality control would be of extra value to all involved.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We’re a full-scale construction company. We do everything from interior and exterior remodeling to building new homes. I’m half owner and CFO.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Disruptive Advertising?

We’d worked with three other marketing companies over the course of a couple of years, and all of them were extraordinarily disappointing. They burned through a ton of money and provided very poor lead quality. 

We interviewed Disruptive and went with them, and they’ve been extraordinary ever since.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They manage PPC advertising for us. For a short time, they also managed social media advertising.

They did an initial audit on our account and reported 20–30 low-hanging fruit items that they could fix to make things more efficient.

What is the team composition?

I’ve worked with Amanda (Marketing Strategist) since the very beginning, and she’s incredible. We also worked with someone else on social media advertising.

How did you come to work with Disruptive Advertising?

We found Disruptive Advertising on Clutch. We had a pretty good understanding of what platforms we wanted to be on, which was consistent with Disruptive’s offerings. We also knew what we didn’t want, which was the results we had before: high cost of acquisition as well as poor lead quality and volume.

We perused Google and other review sites, and Clutch seemed to be a pretty good resource. Disruptive Advertising was well-represented on Clutch, and I also liked their website. They clearly had a very good ad campaign for themselves because their retargeting and Google display showed up for me for the next nine months.

How much have you invested with them?

The PPC campaigns cost around $15,000 a month. Their management fee is about $1,500 a month.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in August 2019, and it’s ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Within the first month of working with them, we saw a giant improvement. Our volume and revenue have gone up significantly. To give you an example, we worked with one company for a year before bringing on Disruptive, and the best they ever did was generate 40 leads in a single month, and we spent $20,000. Half of those leads were poor quality and couldn’t be converted, no matter what we did on our sales side.

Last month with Disruptive, we did 139 leads, and we spent $12,000. All of those leads, except for maybe 1–2, were terrific quality, and our conversion rate was great. It’s a night-and-day difference. 

How did Disruptive Advertising perform from a project management standpoint?

They’re incredible. Sometimes, I email Amanda in the middle of the night, and she responds within a couple of hours. She’s super responsive. She always asks if anything has changed to ensure that our goals are aligned, and they make adjustments if we need to. 

We have monthly meetings by their direction; it’s really good to connect for an hour and talk about everything. They have a platform where we can see the results of our campaigns, such as leads and conversion rate as well as what our spend is and how keywords are performing. They’re all very transparent.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their performance is the one thing that stands out. The most important thing to us is our return on ad spend, which they’ve made to be terrific. They have a lot of really good follow-through, and they don’t overpromise and underdeliver. Their promises have been directly in line, and they’ve gone above and beyond that. Anything that I’ve asked for or needed, they’ve followed through on.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Honestly, no. I’d say that trying different strategies seems really daunting at first. They seem to be pretty up to date with all of the changes that happen with Google’s algorithm and some of the changes in different ad campaigns that Google offers. They’ll occasionally pitch those. The different campaigns they’ve suggested that we try within Google have actually performed better than the actual search.

The only thing that didn’t work for us was social media, and I think that has more to do with our industry than their performance; traditionally, our industry doesn’t do social media advertising. 

Any advice for potential customers?

Just be really honest and open about what your budget is, because it is expensive. Trust in the fact that, at least in our case, they’re able to make it a good trade.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

We’re a Headlice Treatment Company in NYC. I am responsible for business development.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Disruptive Advertising?

We chose Disruptive Advertising because of their focus on reducing Ad Spend Waste. Before working with Disruptive, Ad Spend represented a huge cost relative to revenue.

What were your goals for this project?

Disruptive analyzed our ads and keywords and was able to reduce our spend (as a percent of revenue) and increase our market share.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

We selected Disruptive based on their initial analysis of ad spend per keyword vs conversation per keyword. It was obvious from the start that they understood what I needed, could explain it in plain terms, and were going to make a difference immediately.

Describe the scope of their work in detail.

Disruptive created and managed the ads, keywords, and budget for ads for local services.

What was the team composition?

I worked primarily with Trent. I'd like to stress how much we enjoyed working with Trent, how dedicated he was to helping us meet our goals, and how he greatly reduced ad-waste which resulted in our ad spend going from 125% of revenue down to 30% of revenue, making us profitable.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Disruptive greatly reduced ad-waste which resulted in our ad spend going from 125% of revenue down to 30% of revenue, making us profitable.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Very effective. They were very responsive and proactive.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Disruptive kept their eye on the ball. Everything they did was focused on reduced ad-waste and increased conversions.

Are there any areas for improvement?

The area Disruptive could improve on is the Creatives. I didn’t think the Initial versions of the ad copy or the landing page designs were as strong as they could be. They did continuously make updates and improves though.

BACKGROUND

I’m the COO of a business services provider.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

We had paid marketing needs.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Disruptive Advertising mostly focuses on PPC advertising. Every week, they help us to find relevant keywords, offer new strategies, and implement those strategies. They’ve also done social media work. 

What is the team composition?

We work consistently with a team of about four individuals.

How did you come to work with Disruptive Advertising?

Our CEO found them.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent between $200,000–$1 million, excluding ad spend.

What is the status of this engagement?

Our engagement began in 2017, and it’s ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

They are very good about getting down to the nitty-gritty details. They measure return on ad spend (ROAS) and conversions. Our conversions have improved a lot because of their work in conjunction with what we’ve done internally. The changes have been very positive. 

How did Disruptive Advertising perform from a project management standpoint?

We have two calls per week, on Tuesdays and Fridays, and everybody is on both of those calls. This helps us follow our campaigns. The team is very flexible in this respect.

Each team member plays a unique role whether that be creating ads, or looking at click-through rates (CTR) or conversion rates. We go over everything when we meet.

What did you find most impressive about them?

We’re a needy customer, but Disruptive Advertising doesn’t ever question what we ask for. They give us exactly what we need, which is refreshing.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, not that I can think of. Every time we have an issue, they address and change it immediately. They’re very quick to pivot when we ask them to change something. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

We push them quite hard and set very aggressive goals, and they always seem to deliver. I would advise customers to push them because Disruptive Advertising will come through, even if they don’t like it. They’ll question you, but they will definitely figure it out in the end.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the vice president of business development for an educational service company that specializes in K–12 teacher certification.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Disruptive Advertising?

We were at a competitive disadvantage in terms of our paid ad presence primarily on Google and Facebook, but also on Instagram and LinkedIn.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Disruptive focuses on paid advertising campaigns to become more competitive in certain spaces. They also provide ancillary services such as lead conversion tracking and ROI analysis. 

They use geographic search, search term comparison, and keyword searches to help facilitate our Google traffic. Their team has total creative flexibility with ads. Through conversations with us, they learned our brand, our messaging, and user information associated with our Facebook profile. We also provided them with different value propositions. Over the past three years of our engagement, I’ve never given them copy.

Our initial metric was website traffic. Disruptive actually told us that website traffic wasn't necessarily valuable if it wasn't quality traffic. From then on, we've targeted leads and conversions. They help measure conversions through our entire customer lifecycle. Their team helps us to understand quality leads from based on the continuum of our customer timeline.

What is the team composition?

I’ve worked with three main account executives. We initially had one account executive that was bifurcated into a Google specialist and a Facebook specialist.

How did you come to work with Disruptive Advertising?

We engaged a freelance contractor for SEO and paid search services. This individual opened our eyes to the potential of paid search. We realized his limitations and his firm wasn’t aligned with our scope. I started looking for a reputable firm and interviewed several agencies. Disruptive won us over with their level of engagement and track record of successes.

How much have you invested with them?

Our spend with them is roughly $50,000 annually.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in January 2017, and it’s an ongoing engagement.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Our metrics month over month are phenomenal. We’ve reduced our cost per conversion from nearly $39 to $11.14, which was our cost last month. Cutting cut cost per conversion by two-thirds is certainly impactful. By spending less on conversions, we're able to further extend our dollars. That efficiency is our biggest win. We can get a lot more bang for our buck.

How did Disruptive Advertising perform from a project management standpoint?

I asked to have weekly phone calls. On Mondays, their team provides a summary of the previous week. During our standing meeting, they get into the data and we review opportunities to allocate our budget for new market penetration. They also proactively provide updated Google analytic conversion data.

Disruptive found the perfect balance to provide the information that I need to know without making my brain hurt with data. They certainly can provide the data, but I trust them to create thorough summaries.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Disruptive listens, which stands out to me. When we moved to Disruptive, we had conversations about what I expected and why I had these expectations. When I spoke about our needs, their team was willing to listen. Amongst all the different vendors that we source, Disruptive stands out as the one that listens.

If needed, they will also push back against our ideas based on data. Their team also changed their level of service based on my comfort level. They genuinely care about our feedback.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Overall, I’ve been happy. They’re worth every penny that we spend.

Our company was acquired two years ago, so we joined under one umbrella. That company left their marketing firm to engage Disruptive based on our experience with them.

They’re growing because of their great work. We had a change of account executives, which was a surprise to us. It smoothed out, but it was seemingly abrupt on our end.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Set their expectations high because they can live up to them. Raise your expectations for what’s possible and think creatively because Disruptive’s with you.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the marketing manager for RAdata Inc. We do water and radon testing and treatment, mostly for home sales.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Disruptive Advertising?

We hired them to help us with our Google marketing.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They help us create all of our Google Ads. They help us with keywords, monitor our account, create landing pages, and add text. They’re also able to make adjustments throughout the week.

What is the team composition?

I work with one person, Tim (VP of Marketing), on a weekly basis. He does a phenomenal job and always comes up with great ideas. We’ve also worked with the design team for the landing pages.

How did you come to work with Disruptive Advertising?

I wasn’t on the team when Disruptive Advertising first started, but I believe they were selected based on internet search and reviews.

How much have you invested with them?

We spend about $2,500 per month on their services (approximately $120,000 USD).  

What is the status of this engagement?

We’ve been working with them since June 2016.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We’ve seen a lot of success since we started working with them. I really enjoyed working with them. They take initiative and are very thorough with everything they do.

How did Disruptive Advertising perform from a project management standpoint?

We have weekly calls and we discuss what they’re doing each week, which isn’t something they do for every client. The president of our company asked for that, and they were happy to accommodate that request. We get weekly updates for reporting as well.

Tim takes care of everything, so we never have to worry that things get done in a timely manner.  

What did you find most impressive about them?

They do a phenomenal job with project management. Their communication is very thorough. If we have an issue, we simply ask and they come up with a solution in a matter of hours.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, it has been a great relationship.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Teamwork is the trick. They don’t just manage the account, you have to make sure that you give them a thorough description of your services