Emery.com – An Awakening Company.™

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the president of two companies; one is a school where we train leaders, and the other is a mortgage bank.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Emery Agency?

We wanted to raise awareness of what we offered and generate leads.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We’ve done several projects with Emery Agency. First, we started from the ground up, building a WordPress website and our brand and strategy to spread out. Then, they wrote some blog posts to generate traffic. A couple of years later, they built another platform for the school. They’ve helped us find the right platform for a course and created the whole structure for it.

Additionally, they’ve done brochures, a logo, and merchandise designs for t-shirts, beanies, and so on.

What is the team composition?

We mainly work with John (Founder & Brand Strategist), and he’s connected us with several project managers and designers. He supervises everything, and the team handles the execution.

How did you come to work with Emery Agency?

John came to our school about 10 years ago, and he loved it.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent over $100,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them in September 2014, and our relationship is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We’ve seen an increase in web traffic, but we don’t pay much attention to it.

How did Emery Agency perform from a project management standpoint?

Project management is excellent. We use Slack and Asana for project management and communication.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their ideas are outstanding. However, my favorite thing about them is their responsiveness. The team takes care of things quickly, and they usually wait for us, not the other way around.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, I can’t think of anything they could improve on.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Use them as soon as you can and let them do their job.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm the Executive Director of a nonprofit Worship School (now) called 10KFAM.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Emery Agency?

The original name of our nonprofit was 10,000 Fathers, but in 2021 it became clear that we needed to rebrand and change the name to 10,000 Fathers & Mothers, or 10KFAM for short. The ministry had expanded since the original name given to it 10 years prior, and needed an updated brand identity and logo.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

The founder of our nonprofit has known John Emery for years - John actually came through the 10KFAM program as a student years ago, so we knew he was the perfect person to help us rethink our branding, but also retain our core values and be true to ourselves.

Describe the scope of their work in detail.

I was not in the Executive Director role when Emery Agency was hired for this particular project, but being involved in the marketing end of things beforehand had meant I'd worked with them on several other projects. They've done everything from redesign our logo/set brand guidelines, to design year-end mailers, to design our student content (not a small project!).

What was the team composition?

Me and the founder of the nonprofit have worked with both John himself (to kick off projects), and then been handed off to the project lead for Emery Agency.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Our branding now feels true to who we are. Our student content and notebooks carry a consistent look and feel, which enriches the student experience (one of our highest priorities). The 10KFAM logo has been so easy to incorporate onto merch items, our website, and written correspondence.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Very! I always knew that if I emailed on Friday, I'd get an automated response reminding me that they guard Fridays for uninterrupted work. In general, they were extremely responsible.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

I appreciate that they value dedicated work time (without interruption) and rest time just as much as they value responding to emails. I think in the long run it makes them more effective.

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

Nope!

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the Founder of a Women’s active apparel brand that is manufactured in the USA. We are gearing up for our launch date in the new year and will offer a small capsule collection of active base layers for Women.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Emery Agency, and what were your goals?

We were not liking any of the branding options we were getting from our current partner and needed a solution and quickly. We found Emery Agency through a trusted referral and they were able to respond to our project in a matter of weeks.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

We found Emery through a colleague referral.

Describe the scope of their work in detail, including any steps and the final deliverables.

Emery scheduled a call to review brand discovery and our brand book, provided initial feedback and got to work on the creative process right away. They sent us first round ideas in a matter of days, and there was no need for second rounds, we loved what they delivered the first time around.

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

I worked directly with John, who is the Founder & CEO of Emery.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We have not launched as a brand yet but with the quick and creative work provided by Emery, we were able to continue to move forward with developing our brand, and were no longer stuck on the brand story. We were very happy with the results the first time around which in my eyes, means success.

Describe their project management style, including communication tools and timeliness.

Emery Agency gave us exactly what we were looking for within a week; we went back and forth for months with the initial branding partners we started with. I wish I had found Emery sooner!

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

The honesty, kindness and generosity that was displayed throughout the project is unmatched. You don’t always find that in business, but with Emery you will.

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

No. Nothing but positive vibes.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the executive director of a nonprofit organization that provides services and support for perinatal populations, such as expectant families or those who parent up to three-year-old children.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Emery Agency?

We needed help to refresh our logo and redesign our website.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We initially met with Emery Agency’s team to do the onboarding process. Ultimately, we landed on creating a new website, including some of the brand strategy. They worked with us doing the copy for the primary pages and came up with the color scheme, theme, and fonts. In addition to the website, they took our logo and softened it up to make it more representative of our work in our communities. Also, they provided a brand strategy document to set several guidelines about what we use on the website, social media, and printed materials.

They built the site from scratch and gave us video tutorials on how to manage it on an ongoing basis, which was essential for us as a nonprofit without a massive marketing budget. In terms of technologies, we used Flipcause, which is an external fundraising platform. We used it unconventionally for class registration and consulted with Emery Agency to see the options, ultimately landing on it as the best.

Also, we consulted them on using networks instead of the traditional social media page. Ultimately, we didn’t launch that project, but we’ll probably do it in the future because they had expertise in that area and great ideas on utilizing it for our community.

Additionally, 

What is the team composition?

We worked with John (Founder & Brand Strategist), Katy (Director of Operations), and Brett (Director of Web). Also, we had a project manager and two different people working on the logo because there was a position turnover in that period.

How did you come to work with Emery Agency?

We found them through a reference. I knew a few other organizations in the area that used them. We interviewed some local firms and ultimately decided that Emery Agency was the right organization. Other companies had high costs, and Emery Agency showed a lot of flexibility around working with our budget.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent between $8,500–$9,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We signed the scope of work in October 2021. They were ready to launch the project in December, but we asked to push it back a bit due to other competing projects we had. In the end, we finished it by February 2022.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Many people in our community commented on the website and how much easier it is to use, especially on mobile devices versus desktops, which is like 60% of our users. Overall, people feel it’s more user-friendly.

On the other hand, Emery Agency did a great job listening to what we wanted and how we wanted to present ourselves publicly. It was challenging because our two co-founders had this in their hearts and souls for nearly 20 years. They never outsourced the design, so they had to consider their input carefully. All in all, Emery Agency did a fantastic job ensuring their input was well-represented but in a modernized way. They addressed the project as true design experts and created a visual identity that represented us.

How did Emery Agency perform from a project management standpoint?

They were flexible and worked within our timeline. We communicated over email, Zoom, and a few phone calls. We didn’t integrate with them on a project management software; we mostly used shared documents through Dropbox and feedback via email.

What did you find most impressive about them?

We have to underscore their versatility in smaller projects. They explained that it’s important to them to work with companies they feel strongly about supporting. We still ended up with a fantastic website, although the quotes from other agencies were 2–3 times what Emery Agency quoted us. They were a genuine value-based business, which was an important asset to the nonprofit community.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, I can’t think of anything.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the strategy and market intelligence director of an engineering company headquartered in Germany and Denmark. We make precision instrumentation and analysis tests to help people develop better products, make factories more productive, and give people better use of their assets, such as bridges and wind turbines. Our testing services are related to the sound and vibration simulation space.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Emery Agency?

We were heading our company towards strategy services, so we needed help to communicate that well internally.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Emery helped us define our mission statement, and they designed some branding assets around that. Initially, they took some time to learn what we did at HBK, and we had some brainstorming sessions to define our business concepts. During those sessions, they defined our business as “empowering innovators and helping them create great products.”

Based on that idea, Emery came back with a couple of taglines for us, from which we had to choose. They also came up with a good internal mission statement, which we could project to customers using the assets they designed for us.

What is the team composition?

I worked with four people from Emery, including John (Founder & CEO) and a project manager. John was in charge of guiding the process and helping with the creative assets.

How did you come to work with Emery Agency?

We didn’t hire Emery directly. At the time, we were working with a consulting company that was helping us think about our internal communications and how we could do a good job explaining our mission to others. It became a challenging task, and we recognized that we needed branding work and clear messaging, so this consulting company brought Emery into the project.

How much have you invested with them?

I don’t know the cost of their services because we hired them through our consulting company. My best estimate is something between $20,000–$50,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked together from September 2021–February 2022.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We were very pleased with Emery’s work when we saw the mission statement and internal branding they created for us — the “wow” factor was there. Every quarter, we launch an employee survey to get their opinions on different areas of our business. One of the things we evaluate is our strategy, and it is also one of the slowest areas to improve. However, we were able to improve our employees’ scores on strategy from 6.9–7, which doesn’t sound spectacular, but it was a good improvement for us. It reflected that the new strategy made a positive impact on our company, and people recognized that.

How did Emery Agency perform from a project management standpoint?

I would give Emery’s project management only good marks. We had weekly calls with them and our consulting firm. They were very responsive, and we never had any challenges with their deliveries.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I liked John and his team’s approach very much. They were both casual and professional simultaneously. In other words, they got the job done in a very friendly manner. Additionally, Emery’s team was very thoughtful.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, not really. The only challenge we had was on our end when trying to implement the graphic designs that Emery provided. Still, they helped us out, and we could overcome the challenge.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the author of a book I have coming up.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Emery Agency?

I wanted a landing page that could convey to visitors who I am

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Emery Agency redesigned and redeveloped my website from scratch. Their efforts also included copywriting and consulting; I told them what I wanted, and they ran ideas and shared their feedback for a complete product. 

Regarding functionalities, people can buy the book and pass it to their friends every time they search for me or my texts, and it also allows visitors to book my speaking services.

What is the team composition?

We worked with around seven members of their team, including John (Founder), Tricia (Director of New Business Development), a project manager, a designer, a copywriter, a web developer, and a director.

How did you come to work with Emery Agency?

They were referred to us, and we engaged in another design project before this. I loved their work, so we chose them for this task.

How much money have you invested in this partnership?

We spent around $10,000 with them.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked together from May–July 2022.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Every person I've shared the site with has given great feedback on the copywriting and the platform's design — people loved it as much as I did. Overall, the process was very smooth, and the site is clean, simple, professional, and representative of who I am as a person, so I'm delighted with the outcome.

How did Emery Agency perform from a project management standpoint?

They assigned us a project manager, and we ran all of our questions through her, which ended up being a great system because I didn't have to figure out who to reach depending on my needs. Regarding tools, we used emails, phone calls, Zoom meetings, and Dropbox to share materials.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They were a great team to work with; they got the job done through an enjoyable experience, and I even became friends with some of them, making me recommend them to others due to their overall quality.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I don't think there's anything they can improve on — I was very happy with the experience, and everything worked out great.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the Principal of my own boutique consulting agency. I work with leaders and their teams looking to improve their collaboration as a group and tell a better story as a company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Emery Agency?

My website was originally created by a friend who did some freelance web design. It served its purpose of establishing a web presence at the start of my business. But I needed the experience and expertise of Emery to take my website to the next level, and feature our services and clients in a credible, creative, and professional way.

SOLUTION

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

I looked for a designer who had a great reputation with my colleagues and peers, was cost-effective, had creative solutions to my website pain points, and had an efficient project management pathway. Emery checked all of these boxes!

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

After a series of Discovery conversations, the team met with my Branding Agency to synthesize content and collaborate on design. They provided a design template for my review and then took the content I thought was most crucial and created a website draft. Then we worked together via a few rounds of emails and phone calls until we got to the final product. It was truly a team effort, and I appreciated the effort and energy of all involved!

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

In total, I worked with 5 people from Emery: the CEO and chief collaborator, a project manager, a copy editor, a designer, and a developer.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The design was simple and creative in a way that made my content "pop." It reinforced credibility with my current clients, and peaked the curiosity of potential clients. Almost 2 years later, I still get a lot of comments about how my website is "cool and clear."

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

The project manager was easy to communicate with and gave frequent updates. Everything was delivered on time and in collaboration with their team.

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

I was blown away by how they captured my vision for this website and how I wanted to communicate about my services. They created a simple and beautiful design with some fun creative elements.

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

I had to circle back to ask a few "now what" questions about website maintenance, but Emery delivered everything they said they were doing to deliver on a fantastic new web design!

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CEO of a medical equipment company; we produce crowns, bridges, and dental implants for dentists.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Emery Agency?

We wanted to revamp our website and give our company a branding and PR push.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Emery Agency did web design and branding for us; it all started as a conversation with John (Owner) about what we could do and what we wanted to accomplish. After that, their team put together a very in-depth proposal, including steps, timelines, and budgets. Consequently, we had a feedback session to finish details and jump into the engagement for the project.

Their efforts included logos, color schemes, web design, online interaction, print media, and social media communications — everything from scratch. They put together several examples of brand strategies that would look logical for our company, which they achieved by interviewing our team to get a feel of how we stand in our industry,

What is the team composition?

We worked with 6–7 people from their team in different areas of expertise, including copywriters, web developers, brand strategists, and project managers.

How did you come to work with Emery Agency?

They were referred to us, we liked their work, and we collaborated with them on a previous project — we found out that we had an amazing fit, so we felt like it was meant to be.

How much have you invested in them?

We spent around $80,000 with them for this project.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked from February–June 2022.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

I feel confident about the site they developed for us. Also, I’ve noticed how their branding work generated a lot of buzz and great conversations from my sales team. Their work helped us open the door to our clients wanting to know more about what’s happening with our company.

How did Emery Agency perform from a project management standpoint?

Project management was spot on; they met deadlines and stayed on budget in every process segment. They also assigned us Katy (Project Manager), and she kept me in the loop and communicated with me via email, phone calls, and texts — it was very personal.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They were a very professional team compared to other providers. They were willing to step up and work with me as a team in the development process — it felt like we hired a partner that knew what they were doing, so I felt less pressure about the project.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I don’t think there’s anything they can improve on.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Speak your mind; they’re great people who want to work collaboratively in any capacity, so it’s important to share your concerns in the areas you don’t fully understand. They take the time to teach and guide their clients to fill in the blanks.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm the senior business manager spearheading PR and branding for a fast-growing renewable energy and energy storage developer, builder, owner and operator company in Northeastern U.S.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Emery Agency?

Our old company website was created when the partners first started developing solar PV projects years ago. With the company's growth in project portfolio, pipeline and geographical presence, the old website was outdated and cannot serve our purposes to showcase our expertise, experience and leadership.

So, we hired Emery Agency to revamp our website.

SOLUTION

How did you select Emery Agency and what were the deciding factors?

We quoted and interviewed several vendors and web designers in the selection process, and considered factors such as creativity, communications, efficiency, team collaboration, and cost-effectiveness.

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

After the initial kick-off and discovery sessions, Emery team provided us with several versions of website design and style demonstrations, we then went through a couple of rounds with the to review the details, user-flow, imagery, web copy etc. before finalizing.

How many resources from the Emery Agency team worked with you, and what were their positions?

We worked with the CEO, an account manager, a web designer and a copywriter.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Their work process and documentation is thorough. The end product is satisfactory both internally and externally, which fully aligns with our company's strategy and market positioning.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

The communications are seamless and effective. Never missed a deadline. At the end of the project phase, we received a well-recorded tutorial for routine content updates. We were also able to request ad hoc updates and support during the lifecycle of the website.

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

The team is experienced, effective yet flexible. The communication is professional and personal at the same time. The team is able to deliver high quality work within tight timeframes, and accommodate clients' priorities and workflows at reasonable costs.

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

For any agency, delivery time, customer care, and quality are always under scrutiny. Hope Emery Agency could keep the good momentum as they grow.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the CEO and co-founder of Gebeya, an IT company. We build AI agents for the service economy in Africa.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Emery.com – An Awakening Company.™ to accomplish for Gebeya?

We hired Emery.com – An Awakening Company.™ for branding and advisory services.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Emery.com – An Awakening Company.™ handled a total brand redesign and positioning. The team delivered a new logo, brand guidelines, messaging, and other assets.

What is the team composition?

We worked with 2–5 teammates from Emery.com – An Awakening Company.™.

How did you come to work with Emery.com – An Awakening Company.™?

We found them through an online search. We chose them over other options because of a convincing video from Jn Emery.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked together from November–December 2023.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Emery.com – An Awakening Company.™ delivered a solid rebranding and positioning. The impact was more internal than external. We needed a rebranding of our company and culture after eight years. Our partners and customers appreciated that we had better positioning.

How did Emery.com – An Awakening Company.™ perform from a project management standpoint?

They delivered on time and to perfection. We communicated through in-person meetings, virtual meetings, and email or messaging apps.

What did you find most impressive about them?

We were impressed by the close working relationship. We felt like they were part of the team.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, they delivered exactly what we needed and asked for.