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Building strong brands to drive growth

4.9
15 reviews

We are a B2B Strategy and Design Firm relentlessly focused on delivering rapid business growth.

We're working hard helping our clients grow their business, build stronger brands, and ensure thriving cultures.

We spend our time inside the offices of high-growth tech companies, global professional services firms and purpose-led organziations that are creating truly meaningful stuff.

Clients include: Citrix, Slack, Western DIgital, Facebook, AppAnnie, Facebook, PubMatic, AWS, Unum, Pandora, Harness, Kleiner Perkins, Informatica, Drawbridge, PubMatic, VMware and many more.

When you work with us, you can expect:

- Positioning strategies that differentiate and accelerate growth

- Categories that stand out

- Brand Strategies aligned to business strategy

- Narratives that deliver impact

- Branding that is emotive and strategically aligned

- Marketing that works harder

- Tools that sales teams use and deliver results

- Internal activation of new strategies that actually make an impact

- Unexpected brand experiences 

 

 

 

 

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$25,000+
 
Undisclosed
 
10 - 49
 Founded
2009
Show all +
Oakland, CA
headquarters
  • 580 2nd Street, Suite 245
    Oakland, CA 94607
    United States
    510.496.8888

Portfolio

Key clients: 
We work in the c-suite with ledership teams of high growth tech companies, global professional services firms, and purpose-led businesses. Key clients: Slack, Citrix, Facebook, Poynt, Rocket Fuel, AWS, Slack, Cadence, VMware, Moveworks, AppAnnie, Drawbridge, Western Digital, Cadence, BAL, Unum, Kleiner Perkins, Gibson Dunn, Pubmatic, UPS, Unum, Zynga, Chartboost, Coho Data, Informatica, and many more.

Launching a Different Kind of AI Company Out of Stealth 

To Moveworks, gone were the days of inefficient, frustrating IT—where even the simplest IT problems (changing a password, adding an admin) sat unsolved for days, gathering dust. After three years in stealth mode, Moveworks was ready to introduce the world to the future of Enterprise IT. However, the brand faced a challenge: carve out a differentiated position in a crowded space, break through the AI-hype, challenge conventions,

…
and prove real results. The brand needed to speak directly to CIOs and bring them into the future: collapsed time, instantaneous resolution, magical experiences—assuming the dynamism, acceleration, and elegance of the remarkable AI technology itself that could solve IT issues in mere seconds. This project was about bringing a different kind of AI company to life in a way that did its distinct difference justice. 
 
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Creating Product Love for SMBs

Born out of another company, Coast did not have a name or identity of its own. Though customers used Coast on a daily basis to run their business communications, research showed they were somewhat ambivalent about it. Our goal was to change this perception by creating an irresistible design experience that spoke to two distinct audiences: the small business owners who need to keep their teams on track, and the

…
part-time, deskless workers who need the freedom and self-expression to do their best work.
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Turning a Brand Into a Beacon

Alluma had suffered several years of benign neglect and was on the verge of losing its biggest client. A new CEO and his team needed clarity and direction for driving the company forward. They needed a new name and brand story to rally the existing workforce, attract good people, and win new clients in a marketplace dominated by huge tech consultants. And they needed a concrete activation strategy to take their new

…
brand from theory to success.
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A talent brand to propel recruiting efforts and boost employee pride.

Western Digital was in the middle of a massive transformation. Several large acquisitions had expanded their product line, given them unparalleled breadth of digital storage technologies and capabilities, and introduced thousands of new employees.

To make this transition successful, they needed the right employees with the right skillset to fuel them forward.

Western Digital came to Emotive Brand to

…
develop a Talent Brand that would attract both experienced engineering hires and newly minted PhDs. They also wanted to tout the opportunities for innovation and problem solving and make their current employees feel excited and proud to work at Western Digital.
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Reviews

4.9
15 reviews
Sort by

Visual Rebrand Initiative for a Messaging App

"They pushed us beyond our comfort zone to think beyond the limited ideas we had before we worked with them."

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5.0

Quality: 
5.0
Schedule: 
5.0
Cost: 
5.0
Willing to refer: 
5.0
The Project
 
$50,000 to $199,999
 
Feb. - June 2019
Project summary: 

Emotive Brand helped develop a visual identity to unify a messaging app's mobile, desktop, and web products. The key deliverables included a logo, a visual language, and homepage/app screen prototypes.

The Reviewer
 
1-10 Employees
 
San Francisco, California
Miwa Ikemiya
Co-Founder & Chief Design Officer, Coast App
 
Verified
The Review
Feedback summary: 

Emotive Brand successfully translated the app into a brand image. Initial user feedback has been positive, inspiring genuine love for the product, and users have even started referring to the brand as a verb. Beyond their creative skills, the team demonstrated proven strategic branding capabilities.

The client submitted this review online.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am co-founder and Chief Design Officer of Coast App, a messaging app with tools for SMB managers and staff on the go. Our product is used by thousands of businesses across United States and Canada to run their daily operations. I oversee all brand, product UI/UX, marketing, and social media.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

We needed Emotive Brand to help us create a logo and visual identity to go with our new name Coast, that would be applied to our mobile app, desktop app, and website.

Our team has a good understanding of the customer and had developed a strong Brand strategy but needed the expertise and creative strength of a team like Emotive Brand to translate this strategy into a visual language.

What were your goals for this project?

We used this as an opportunity to come out of stealth mode (where we'd been developing the product for a year with beta-users) and do a soft-launch announcing our new name and brand to the public. We anticipate a positive effect not only on our current users but to help with attracting new candidates to the team and develop partnerships to help grow our customer base in the future.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

I got some recommendations from fellow designers who are brand and marketing experts. We are a small company so we needed to find the right sized creative agency to work with.

Our team considered around 11 different companies, browsing their websites, looking at their portfolios and trying to understand their approach. I reached out to 8 and talked 6 different companies. We needed an agency that would be able to work directly with us to develop a beautiful clean identity that could appeal to demographics of many ages.

Emotive Brand has a focus on B2B, had worked with other technology companies coming out of stealth mode, had the experience to guide us through the process, but wasn't so large that we felt we would be sidelined for other bigger clients. With timeline and budge aligned, we knew that we would be working with their A-team, and that strategically this would be a longer term partnership for us to continue to develop as we grow.

Describe the scope of their work in detail.

The process began with a kick off meeting at their office with us going over our brand strategy with them, the internal work and user research we had conducted, landscape research, and the vision we had for the brand. Our CEO also did a demo of the product to help the team understand our product and how it functions.

We worked together to iterate through a creative brief to concisely articulate the goals, timeline and budget for the project. Emotive Brand's deliverables were Logo Assets, a visual identity (logo, typography, color palette, visual language, and motion), a digital marketing experience (website homepage prototype), digital product experience (app screen prototype).

I compiled and presented our Brand Strategy, handed-off existing app screen files, gave a general homepage outline with copy, attended all EB presentations, gathered feedback from our team and compiled it into feedback documents for the Emotive Team.

What was the team composition?

I had direct conversations withe Tracy and Bella, the founding partners of the company. The Creative Director, Thomas was leading this project and we worked with him on many things. He was supported by 1 design director, 2 senior designers, 2 strategists, 1 designer, and 1 project manager.

So approximately 8 people were working on the project at different stages. Additionally, high-level conversations happened with the two partners. There may have been more that were involved but I didn't meet them.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The overarching goal of the redesign was to foster "product love" in our existing users. It is still early days since the roll out was only a couple weeks ago but initial feedback is positive.

Our new logo and visual identity have been received high praise from our existing users, with positive comments pouring in through support channels and in person/phone conversations. These are customers that used the product but did not love the product. Now their teams are excited to use the app and are proud to show and recommend the product to others, and they are using "Coast" as a verb ("Coast me").

The secondary goals of the website launch and new logo were to help with hiring, partnerships and investors. We have seen a direct increase in inbound interest in join the team (no small feat when it comes hiring engineers in a very competitive market), and inbound investor interest (not to mention our current investors a very happy).

The real test will be when we start charging for the product, and start focusing on growth, but initial readings are positive.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

We used our own messaging product "Coast" to communicate about the project which was helpful in that they got to see the product in action, and we just think it's a better way to communicate. We were pleased that they were so ready to jump into a new workflow with us.

Scheduling was very well organized, Shannon, the project manager was really good managing expectations, getting the right people in the room, and making everyone's busy schedules work together. We used google calendar and google docs for scheduling and feedback.

There was a really positive response to how we gave feedback. I took extreme care in making sure our feedback was constructive and direct, gathering together thoughts from many members of our team and other design experts. We had a clear vision and as a designer myself I know that unclear, indirect feedback can delay the process, cause confusion and create unnecessary work.

The EB team was then able to take that feedback and run with it, clearly processing it themselves and then coming back with work that got closer and closer to our vision with every iteration.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

I was most impressed by the quality of work that came out of this team. They guided us through a creative process that allowed us to have reactions to a variety of directions, which spurred conversation and real strategic thinking.

They pushed us beyond our comfort zone to think beyond the limited ideas we had before we worked with them. They painted a vision that spanned many years into the future, that showed how our brand could continue to grow and evolve while maintaining an elegant simplicity indicative of world class design.

They were not afraid to work through the nitty gritty details of what we actually needed right now, all the way through the grandiose architecting of what we could be 10 years from now. They executed this on a tight timeline and I was very impressed with what they were able to produce within that timespan.

Every single member of this talented team was open, articulate and warm. I could not have asked for a better experience.

Are there any areas for improvement?

Not that I can think of. There was a point where we had to get realigned on deliverables (easily resolved through a single conversation) and in the end we were very happy with the results. Our team had such a positive experience working with Emotive Brand and we look forward to working together on projects in the future.

5.0
Overall Score Outstanding
  • 5.0 Scheduling
    ON TIME / DEADLINES
    Shannon is so on top of things!
  • 5.0 Cost
    Value / within estimates
    Worth it.
  • 5.0 Quality
    Service & deliverables
    World class
  • 5.0 NPS
    Willing to refer
    Very likely

Brand Strategy for Online Education Marketplace

"They have a great sense of intuition, which makes them stand out from other companies."

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4.5

Quality: 
4.5
Schedule: 
4.0
Cost: 
4.0
Willing to refer: 
4.5
The Project
 
$50,000 to $199,999
 
June 2018 - Ongoing
Project summary: 

Emotive Brand helped a business develop several parts of their branding identity, including a mission, vision, promise, and pillars that represent the organization. 

The Reviewer
 
1,001-5,000 Employees
 
San Francisco, California
Senior Director, Online Education Marketplace
 
Verified
The Review
Feedback summary: 

The work delivered by Emotive Brand, though still undergoing its last round of testing, has been very well-received by internal teammates. While more communication could be useful during testing stages, the team has been insightful, reliable, and capable throughout the project. 

A Clutch analyst personally interviewed this client over the phone. Below is an edited transcript.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the senior director of a marketplace for online education.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Emotive Brand?

We had gone through a lot of strategic business changes and so we hired Emotive Brand to help us think through our brand strategy.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

To start, Emotive Brand dug into our business and spoke with our internal and external stakeholders to get a better sense of our challenges and our position. Then, they looked at the different opportunities our brand could pursue. They’re in the process of helping us build out the new vision, mission, promise, and pillars of our business. 

What is the team composition?

Typically a group of three people work with us on the project. There is almost always three strategy teammates and a creative member supporting us. 

How did you come to work with Emotive Brand?

I’d heard of Emotive Brand through word of mouth. We put out an RFP and did a rigorous vetting process. Their team fit what we were looking for on many different levels. We wanted a smaller agency that could give us a lot of their time, energy, and focus rather than just being a cog in a wheel.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent close to $150,000 on their services. 

What is the status of this engagement?

We’ve been working together since June 2019 and we’re working on wrapping up the engagement. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Right now we’re looking at the qualitative research to make sure the promise resonates with our audience, so we’ll be able to determine that once we officially launch the brand. However, our internal team is on board with the new materials. We’re all happy with the results and we intuitively feel that the direction is spot on. 

How did Emotive Brand perform from a project management standpoint?

For the most part, they’ve handled the workload well. Toward the end, the communication could have been better when things weren’t going according to plan. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

They have a great sense of intuition, which makes them stand out from other companies. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

The only area would be what I mentioned previously about strengthening communication as the project wraps up. Ideally, I’d like to know if things were or weren’t getting done, so more flags or communication about that could have been useful. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

They’re a pleasure to work with. They are easy to collaborate with, responsive, and I’d love to work with them again in the future. 

4.5
Overall Score
  • 4.0 Scheduling
    ON TIME / DEADLINES
  • 4.0 Cost
    Value / within estimates
  • 4.5 Quality
    Service & deliverables
  • 4.5 NPS
    Willing to refer

Branding for Healthcare Clinic

“They were very creative and tenacious, and would come up with different ways to keep our team engaged.”

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5.0

Quality: 
5.0
Schedule: 
4.0
Cost: 
4.0
Willing to refer: 
5.0
The Project
 
$50,000 to $199,999
 
Apr. - Aug. 2018
Project summary: 

Emotive Brand created a mission-driven brand strategy for a specialty health clinic. Engaging their partners in the creative process, they designed a visionary logo, color scheme, and brand name.

The Reviewer
 
11 - 50 Employees
 
Redwood City, California
Co-Founder, Specialty Healthcare Clinic
 
Verified
The Review
Feedback summary: 

Though certain aspects of the strategy have been difficult to implement, their partners are very pleased with the designs. Through in-person meetings, Emotive Brand created a collaborative environment. Creative and dedicated to the project, they prepared the new brand for success.

A Clutch analyst personally interviewed this client over the phone. Below is an edited transcript.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m a co-founder of a network of specialty health clinics.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Emotive Brand?

We’re a mission-based company. Although we had vision and a lot of passion, we didn’t have the discipline to create a basic brand strategy or even come up with a name for our company. We hired Emotive Brand to create the basic tenants we could build our marketing strategy around.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They created our brand name, logo, and different creative assets like color scheme. We had several brainstorming sessions and we went through a lot of iterations of their creative process. At one point, they brought us into their office for a creative session. They had us rank about 50 different logo ideas that they came up with so we could hone down what we needed and select our favorites.

What is the team composition?

There were about six people involved in our project at all times, though we had a few staffing changes and the size of the team wavered depending on what stage we were in.

How did you come to work with Emotive Brand?

It was really important that the team we worked with grasped the importance of our mission. We talked three or four different companies and were looking for an agency with strong strategic and creative skills. Once it was clear that Emotive Brand connected with our mission, we knew we were all on the same page, and decided to move forward with them. We had an easy rapport and instantly felt like we had a shared vision.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent about $85,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

The project lasted from April–August 2018.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

They set us up for success and delivered what we asked for. I am definitely happy with the logo and brand guidelines they gave us. Since the end of our engagement, we have faced a few challenges while implementing the strategy. For example, they designed a bag with our logo that we really liked, but we haven’t found someone who can produce it. As a result, we’ve needed to pivot how we plan to implement our strategy and grow our guidelines.

How did Emotive Brand perform from a project management standpoint?

We were probably a difficult team to work with because we had a lot of opinions, but they held our hand through the entire process. They were very creative and tenacious, and would come up with different ways to keep our team engaged. We found our in-person meeting the most valuable, though we also communicated via email.

What did you find most impressive about them?

 Their experience was most impressive.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Sometimes they were a little overconfident and were sure they were suggesting the right path.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Understand what you need before coming to Emotive Brand, so they can meet or exceed your expectations.

5.0
Overall Score
  • 4.0 Scheduling
    ON TIME / DEADLINES
    It took a little longer than we anticipated. Though it wasn’t always their fault, they could have communicated how delays on our side would impact the project.
  • 4.0 Cost
    Value / within estimates
    The price was middle of the road. It was a big chunk of change for a startup like us, but it was an investment we needed to make . So, I value their work.
  • 5.0 Quality
    Service & deliverables
    They delivered a tremendous amount of material that has been very valuable as a starting point for our company.
  • 5.0 NPS
    Willing to refer

Rebranding for Mental Healthcare Benefits Platform

"They offered a strong level of partnership."

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5.0

Quality: 
5.0
Schedule: 
5.0
Cost: 
5.0
Willing to refer: 
5.0
The Project
 
$200,000 to $999,999
 
Jun. 2017 - May 2018
Project summary: 

Emotive Brand rebranded a technology startup, creating a brand book, a logo, and a color scheme to develop an aesthetic identity. They developed content and designed a website, providing wireframes and mockups.

The Reviewer
 
51-200 Employees
 
California
Kelly Morgan
Head of Marketing, Lyra Health
 
Verified
The Review
Feedback summary: 

Emotive Brand delivered a successful brand identity that conveys a professional image, satisfying stakeholders. The team managed the project effectively and guided internal communication to demonstrate the project’s value. They have diverse skillsets, which ensured a valuable partnership.

A Clutch analyst personally interviewed this client over the phone. Below is an edited transcript.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the head of marketing at Lyra Health, which is a technology startup focused on improving access to mental healthcare. We work with large employers and sell mental health benefits that come in the form of coaching, therapy, and other types of care options to help employees with their emotional and mental health.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Emotive Brand?

As our business started to take off, we wanted to refresh our visual identity. At the time, our image wasn’t well-defined. We didn’t have guidelines or tools that our designers needed to communicate our brand. We also wanted to redesign our website from the ground up and migrate it to a new platform.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Starting with brand strategy, Emotive Brand interviewed numerous internal stakeholders and performed a competitive analysis of similar companies in the market. They performed a full audit of our messaging and visual identity. With that, their team helped tighten-up our external strategy. They created an internal brand book that tells the Lyra Health story, defining our voice, tone, and messaging guidelines.

Emotive Brand also revamped our visual identity. Their team created a logo, a color palette, and design guidelines. The new brand identity guided their website designs. Their team drafted content for the site, developing wireframes and mockups. Ultimately, they designed four pages, which acted as templates across the rest of the site to inform our development team. Since the brand launched, Emotive Brand has worked on a few other marketing campaigns.

What is the team composition?

I worked closely with one of Emotive Brand’s owners.

How did you come to work with Emotive Brand?

We were a really small team. It was just me and one other person at the time. It was important to find a partner that could manage the full scope of the project. It was hard to find an agency with strong skills across different competencies that was also a flexible partner. Emotive Brand stood out as their team could handle most of our scope. Their team showed relevant examples of work they had done for companies, which is when I noticed they did really great work. They understood what we were trying to accomplish and were able to accommodate our budget and timeline.

How much have you invested with them?

We worked with them between the summer of 2017–May 2018 when we launched the new brand.

What is the status of this engagement?

The project cost roughly $250,000.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

After we rolled out the new brand, there was a positive reaction toward how it made us look more professional and mature. This image is important for a growing startup. Internally, everyone has been happy. We’ve received positive feedback from our customers and our board, which was difficult to convince about pursuing a brand refresher. While we’ve seen increased traffic, it can’t necessarily be attributed to the rebrand because we’re doing a lot more marketing activities. 

How did Emotive Brand perform from a project management standpoint?

Emotive Brand met deadlines and followed project guidelines. We communicated by e-mail, calendar invites, and spreadsheets. Across all three phases, the project ran smoothly. While we ran into project management hiccups, they were all expected of a project that involves numerous people.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They offered a strong level of partnership. Their team provided advice to help me sell-through and coordinate across all the different stakeholders. They’ve worked with a lot of companies to do this type of work. I felt confident in their ability to navigate stakeholders and any other challenges that came up. Emotive Brand helped the project be successful. Their team was competent across different types of brand work, which is difficult given the high specialization of these areas.

 Are there any areas they could improve?

Emotive Brand was strong in the brand strategy and visual design phases of the project. I appreciated their breadth of competencies, but there were also challenges inherent to working with one agency for everything. Creeping into the web design and build phases, it was further afield from their greatest strengths. They were open about their skillsets and recommended a preferred vendor who could support the build.

5.0
Overall Score
  • 5.0 Scheduling
    ON TIME / DEADLINES
  • 5.0 Cost
    Value / within estimates
  • 5.0 Quality
    Service & deliverables
  • 5.0 NPS
    Willing to refer

Branding & Mission Statement for Jewelry Company

“Since implementing their work, we’ve seen an increase in engagement and follower growth across our social media.”

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5.0

Quality: 
5.0
Schedule: 
5.0
Cost: 
5.0
Willing to refer: 
5.0
The Project
 
$50,000 to $199,999
 
Oct. 2017 - Jan. 2019
Project summary: 

Emotive Brand conducted a brand foundation study, identifying ways to improve communication and customer engagement. They worked on the mission statement, brand emotions and values, and founder letter.

The Reviewer
 
11 - 50 Employees
 
San Francisco, California
Meaghan Rose
CEO, Rocksbox
 
Verified
The Review
Feedback summary: 

Emotive Brand was highly collaborative, listening to feedback and creating a positive work environment. They were accommodating and adjusted to changing project goals, which optimized the partnership. They could’ve been clearer about the application of their work, but the partnership was great.

A Clutch analyst personally interviewed this client over the phone. Below is an edited transcript.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the founder and CEO of Rocksbox, a membership-based shopping service focused on the jewelry category.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Emotive Brand?

We wanted to do a brand foundation study that would help us codify our brand mission, values, and emotions.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Emotive Brand didn’t work on any visual components; it was more about taking what we already had and building more powerful communication around those concepts. We didn’t have a clear way of articulating our mission statement, founder story, etc., so they helped bring those together in a way that empowered our team to make better decisions in regard to our visualizations, such as photography and design.

For the brand emotions, they identified four specific emotions we want our brand experience to emote. So, whenever our customers interact with us, we want to make sure they feel a certain way about the brand and the interaction. Emotive Brand also worked on our founder story and company values.

What is the team composition?

We had three primary contacts and two other people that were involved at different points. We met with the senior manager in person and selected a team based on the people we had the best dynamics with.

How did you come to work with Emotive Brand?

We put out an RFP and met with a few different agencies. We wanted a partner in the Bay area who could collaborate in person, and Emotive Brand seemed like a great fit, so we hired them.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent between $50,000–$100,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

The partnership lasted from October 2017–January 2019.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Since implementing their work, we’ve seen an increase in engagement and follower growth across our social media.

How did Emotive Brand perform from a project management standpoint?

They held in-person workshops and meeting, collaborating closely with our internal team to optimize the partnership. They also held lots of calls and video chats, creating a balanced communication structure. Unlike many other firms, they always met milestones and were flexible with our project goals. We initially had a few problems with them reporting milestones over email, but they listened to our feedback and began holding in-person meetings, which we appreciated.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They allow us the time to process their findings and come to a better understanding of their suggestions and recommendations. We were able to voice our opinions, and they listened to what we had to say, which made the partnership much more productive.  They’re great at what they do, especially copywriting; they were able to express things that we had a hard time constructing in the past. The engagement felt like a true partnership, with them supporting our team and business.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They could provide more discussion of the application of their work so that we could know how to bring things to life at the beginning of our partnership.

Do you have any advice for future clients of theirs?

Foster a transparent management style and be clear about your expectations.

5.0
Overall Score One of the highlights of the project was being able to collaborate across our teams.
  • 5.0 Scheduling
    ON TIME / DEADLINES
    Everything went as planned, and they supported any modifications we suggested.
  • 5.0 Cost
    Value / within estimates
    They came in on budget and were reasonably priced.
  • 5.0 Quality
    Service & deliverables
    They did an excellent job finding the heart of our brand and bringing it to life in the copy.
  • 5.0 NPS
    Willing to refer
    I've already recommended them.

Brand Positioning and Design for Tech and Policy Nonprofit

"I’ve always felt as if they were on our side and doing everything they could to push us in the right direction." 

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4.5

Quality: 
4.0
Schedule: 
4.0
Cost: 
4.0
Willing to refer: 
4.5
The Project
 
$200,000 to $999,999
 
June 2018 - Mar. 2019
Project summary: 

Emotive Brand developed positioning and messaging based on stakeholder interviews and discovery workshops. They’re currently designing a logo and visual identity. The full brand is set to launch soon.

The Reviewer
 
51-200 Employees
 
Oakland, California
Chief Communications Officer, Technology Nonprofit
 
Verified
The Review
Feedback summary: 

Working in phases, Emotive Brand created a stable foundation of positioning and messaging that supports ongoing creative production. Their flexibility has empowered them to keep up with shifting requirements and clear up misunderstandings. They possess top-level writing and design services.

The client submitted this review online.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I’m the chief communications officer (CCO) of a technology and policy nonprofit. We design solutions for state, county, and local agencies that connect people to services and support.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

We hired Emotive for brand positioning, messaging, naming, and logo/visual design.

What were your goals for this project?

Our organization has been around for almost 15 years, but we’d recently strayed from our nonprofit orientation. To combat that, we underwent a broad vision exercise to align ourselves with our mission. Afterward, we decided to further refine our point of differentiation, create a business development strategy, and communicate more powerfully.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

I did research on Clutch and other websites that reviewed branding agencies. We screened five potential vendors and interviewed three. Emotive caught our attention as they’re both local and woman-owned and understood that even B2B decisions are emotion-based. Their track record in technology was appealing to us, and Tracy (Co-Founder, Emotive) was enthusiastic and discerning from the very first meeting.

Describe the scope of their work in detail.

Emotive started with a discovery phase, conducting a competitive audit, holding internal/external stakeholder interviews, and participating in a workshop with us alongside our innovation consultant. They then presented us with insights into our business, which we transformed into positioning during a second workshop. After testing the positioning with external stakeholders (clients, future clients), Emotive developed messaging, narrative, tone, and voice for us. We continued by holding internal brand activation workshops to generate ideas regarding brand alignment. Currently, we’re working on naming and logo/visual design.

What was the team composition?

We started with a group of six, led by Tracy. We also had a designer, two strategists, several copywriters, an account manager, and an art director. Personnel changed a bit as we were getting to know each other, as well as when people went on vacation during the summer. This led to some confusion regarding who was doing what initially, but it settled down during the final positioning phase and beyond.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We haven't launched the brand yet, but it's coming in a couple of months. Already, I’m very impressed by the logo/visual design and the foundation of understanding and positioning that informs it. We’ve shared the brand work with our board and some clients, and there’s a lot of excitement about it.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

We haven't been an easy client to work with. We didn't have a product roadmap or a 5-year plan to give them, and we've frequently changed our minds. Emotive was able to adapt their processes alongside us as we struggled to find the right path. I’ve always felt as if they were on our side and doing everything they could to push us in the right direction. There were some miscommunications regarding expectations or what we meant by certain brand terms, but we caught up to each other eventually. Emotive has been very responsive and open to feedback.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

I was impressed by their ability to stay on schedule, pivoting and adapting when things weren't going according to plan. They have excellent business strategy instincts, and I’ve also been impressed with the level of writing and design.

Are there any areas for improvement?

The area with the most untapped potential was the activation workshops. Emotive had a tough time explaining/translating the activity for non-marketing people.

4.5
Overall Score
  • 4.0 Scheduling
    ON TIME / DEADLINES
    They worked mostly on our timetable.
  • 4.0 Cost
    Value / within estimates
    It was higher than other candidates we screened, but we've received tremendous value.
  • 4.0 Quality
    Service & deliverables
    They're focused and imaginative.
  • 4.5 NPS
    Willing to refer
    I would definitely recommend them, and share my suggestions for how to make it an effective partnership.

Branding Strategy for Software Company

“Emotive Brand managed to deliver high-quality work under extremely challenging conditions.”

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5.0

Quality: 
5.0
Schedule: 
5.0
Cost: 
5.0
Willing to refer: 
5.0
The Project
 
$10,000 to $49,999
 
July 2017 - Ongoing
Project summary: 

Emotive Brand developed a unique brand identity and used the new theme to create a logo and several webpage templates.

The Reviewer
 
11-50 Employees
 
San Francisco, California
Greg Howard
VP of Marketing and Growth, Harness
 
Verified
The Review
Feedback summary: 

The new branding initiative has generated a ton of interest from prospective hires and media outlets. Emotive Brand effortlessly adapted to the stress-inducing work environment and produced excellent work. Although they’re not a full-service agency, their brand development services are unmatched.

A Clutch analyst personally interviewed this client over the phone. Below is an edited transcript.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

Harness is a Series A startup that produces production-enhancing software for the engineers. As the vice president of marketing and growth, I oversee our corporate marketing, demand generation, and website.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Emotive Brand?

Our company was virtually unknown, so it was hard for us to show talented engineers why they should work for us. We needed a company that could develop our brand identity and quickly establish our online presence.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We needed Emotive Brand to develop our brand identity, create our company logo, and design eight page templates for our website. They initiated the process by capturing our client profile through several interviews. Once they identified our preferences, they produced a few branding initiatives that genuinely reflected our company’s culture. We selected the best option, and they enhanced the concept to meet our requirements.

What is the team composition?

I was in close contact with the assigned project manager and two of their principals.

How did you come to work with Emotive Brand?

We reached out to several brand development agencies, but Emotive Brand was one of the few companies that were comfortable with our strict timeline. Their prices were affordable, and their philosophies were in line with our own, so we decided to hire them.

How much have you invested with them?

The original quote was about $40,000, but the price increased to more than $55,000 when the scope grew.

What is the status of this engagement?

We signed the contract in July 2017, and they completed their work in August 2017 so that we were able to launch in October 2017.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We’ve received a lot of media coverage since launching our brand, and we’ve also attracted a ton of talented prospects. Emotive Brand was a key contributor to our maximized growth. 

How did Emotive Brand perform from a project management standpoint?

We gave them a long list of demands and a limited amount of time to complete them, but their project manager was resilient throughout the entire process. They established their boundaries, but they were also flexible enough to accommodate our needs.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Very few companies can perform well under pressure, but Emotive Brand managed to deliver high-quality work under extremely challenging conditions.

Are there any areas they could improve?

We were very surprised when they asked us to create our own wireframes. Most of their clients are small businesses with limited resources, so it would benefit them to start offering a wider range of services.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Having clearly defined business goals is crucial to any project’s success.

5.0
Overall Score
  • 5.0 Scheduling
    ON TIME / DEADLINES
  • 5.0 Cost
    Value / within estimates
  • 5.0 Quality
    Service & deliverables
  • 5.0 NPS
    Willing to refer
    We’ve already recommended them to our leasing firm; they plan to rebrand their site with Emotive Brand soon.

Branding for Staffing Agency

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5.0

Quality: 
5.0
Schedule: 
5.0
Cost: 
5.0
Willing to refer: 
5.0
The Project
 
$50,000 to $199,999
 
June 2017 - Jan. 2018
Project summary: 

Emotive Brand provided complete rebranding services, including a new logo, branding guidelines, and website design guidance.

The Reviewer
 
1001-10,000 Employees
 
Salem, Oregon
Nancy Geenen
CEO, Galt Foundation
 
Verified
The Review
Feedback summary: 

Emotive Brand created new branding elements that have received a tremendous amount of positive feedback across the board. Their work has led to an increase in the organization's brand awareness and success in the industry. They were also highly responsive, proactive, and professional to work with.

A Clutch analyst personally interviewed this client over the phone. Below is an edited transcript.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the CEO of the Galt Foundation, a temporary staffing services provider for individuals with disabilities.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Emotive Brand?

We were looking to rebrand ourselves and needed help creating new guidelines and design elements for our company to reflect our core values and services more effectively.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Emotive Brand started from scratch on our branding strategy. They performed initial industry research and interviewed our staff, as well as some of our placed workers at their places of employment. They held a workshop with our team in order to develop a message board, logo, and branding guidelines.

They also worked directly with our website developers and designers to ensure that our new site met Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG), so all persons with varying disabilities would have full access to it.

What is the team composition?

We worked closely with six people, including a project manager and additional graphic designers as needed.

How did you come to work with Emotive Brand?

I'm a member of the Women Presidents' Organization (WPO) and met Tracy (Founding Partner, Emotive Brand) when I was trying to get her to join the organization almost ten years ago.

How much have you invested with them?

We invested $120,000–$150,000 in total.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in June 2017 and completed most of the work by the end of the year.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Emotive Brand created a logo and branding elements that effectively tell our story. Our board of directors, partners, and internal staff are all extremely happy with the work they've done. Thanks to some of the recommendations they've made for our website, more people are able to find us online and we're able to fill more orders for job seekers and employers.

How did Emotive Brand perform from a project management standpoint?

They were very responsive throughout the engagement and delivered on time and within budget. Our project manager was proactive about scheduling check-in meetings and following up with me to ensure they were meeting our expectations. We recently reached out to them to make some minor changes to our website, and they were able to get it done at no cost to us.

We mostly communicated through email, video conferencing, text messaging, and occasional in-person meetings.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They're extremely talented at learning about a client's targeted audience and perspective. They've developed a great staff of both creative and business-oriented individuals.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I don't think so. Perhaps, they could expand their services to include web development, but I think they're more focused on doing one thing and doing it well.

5.0
Overall Score
  • 5.0 Scheduling
    ON TIME / DEADLINES
  • 5.0 Cost
    Value / within estimates
  • 5.0 Quality
    Service & deliverables
  • 5.0 NPS
    Willing to refer

Branding for Software Company

“They adjust structures, processes, and people to give additional attention where there are gaps.”

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4.5

Quality: 
4.5
Schedule: 
4.0
Cost: 
4.5
Willing to refer: 
5.0
The Project
 
$200,000 to $999,999
 
Oct. 2017 - May 2018
Project summary: 

Emotive Brand led a brand positioning initiative to help conceptualize reliable and lasting messaging strategies that properly addressed the needs of the target audience, employees, and the internal leadership.

The Reviewer
 
5,001-10,000 Employees
 
Santa Clara, California
Christine Harkin
Senior Director Business Strategy, Citrix
 
Verified
The Review
Feedback summary: 

Praised by all markets, the brand positioning strategy informed a variety of marketing collateral, strengthening visibility. With a model leadership approach, the Emotive Brand team communicated efficiently and worked collaboratively. Despite missed deadlines, they delivered high-quality work.

The client submitted this review online.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

At the time of this project, I was the senior director of brand strategy for Citrix, a B2B software and cloud services company. We power a better way to work, helping organizations unlock innovation, engage customers, and boost productivity, without sacrificing security. Our solutions are used by more than 400,000 organizations, including the majority of Fortune-recognized companies.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

We engaged Emotive Brand to conduct competitive research and lead a brand platform initiative. We wanted them to guide our executive leadership team in determining a sustainable, relevant, and differentiated brand position and create aligned messaging strategies for each of our target audiences.

What were your goals for this project?

We wanted to update our platform and messaging to achieve full and sustained support from our leadership.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

After a request-for-proposal process, we narrowed down our list to agencies that offered bullet-proof strategies to balance our market, industry, and audience needs and address any market trends. Emotive Brand had this skillset, in addition to a lyrical writing style, sharp intelligence, and previous experience. With all of this in mind, we were confident that they could deliver a usable brand platform.

Describe the scope of their work in detail.

To start, Emotive Brand appropriately researched our brand and market and processed previous revisions of our platform and messaging plans. They interviewed internal stakeholders, customers, and prospects, and held a workshop to determine the scope of the project. Through an iterative approach, they submitted a few development rounds and made the necessary edits for final approval.

Beyond the core platform work, we collaborated on several creative deliverables to help us embed the new positioning and messaging strategies into our corporate teams’ work.

What was the team composition?

We worked primarily with the founders, who put together a full team for the project. Tracy (Chief Strategy Officer, Emotive Brand), Bella (CEO, Emotive Brand), tech-savvy strategists, and a writer were also involved with our project. When necessary, they also tasked their in-house creative team for specific deliverables.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Having activated our brand platform across the company, we’ve received positive feedback from employees, analysts, customers, and the press. Emotive Brand’s work instilled a sense of confidence in our leadership team because they can clearly see how it fits our corporate strategy and plans.

The positioning itself completely aligns with our vision, and we’ve used it to create our brand book, messaging handbook, several storytelling initiatives, other campaign strategies, sales decks, training materials, and other creative marketing collateral.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Our dedicated project manager worked hard to keep our project on schedule. Communication was consistent but not intrusive. In terms of scheduling, we often underestimated the time the creative team needed, so any additional discussion sessions happened behind the scenes.

With her strategic experience, Tracy avoided project delays, anticipating when we needed to pivot away from our original plans or standard operating models. We did have to run through more cycles for the creative deliverables than I initially expected. Because of that, final products were frequently submitted after the established deadlines.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Tracy's strategic thinking is highly advanced. The team listens to one another, develops solid work, and rolls with the inevitable hiccups of large-scale, high-stakes projects. Tracy and Bella complement each other well and offer a strong leadership model that I often recommend to colleagues.

Are there any areas for improvement?

The co-founders are active participants, bringing a solid sense of what's working and what isn't to the creative process. They adjust structures, processes, and people to give additional attention to areas where there are gaps.

While we worked together, they pushed to find the right cadence between the strategic and creative work. With an understanding that each project is different, they realized that they needed to place extra focus on connecting strategy and creativity in our partnership because our creative team was in flux. The Emotive Brand team addressed problems quickly, and course corrected when we were headed off target, but even with their tailored strategy, many deliverables were late.

4.5
Overall Score Taking into account all aspects of the project, they're a 4.5 overall.
  • 4.0 Scheduling
    ON TIME / DEADLINES
    Generally, they delivered on time, but occasionally there were glitches.
  • 4.5 Cost
    Value / within estimates
    They're priced higher than competitive prices, but it's worth it for their brains and strategy.
  • 4.5 Quality
    Service & deliverables
    Their core strategy was phenomenal, willingly solving any problems.
  • 5.0 NPS
    Willing to refer
    For this type of project, they're at the top of my list.

Repositioning for Predictive Marketing Platform

“I was impressed with Emotive's research ability and I appreciated the thoroughness.”

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5.0

Quality: 
5.0
Schedule: 
5.0
Cost: 
4.0
Willing to refer: 
5.0
The Project
 
$200,000 to $999,999
 
June 2016 - July 2017
Project summary: 

Through a multi-phase process of research and analysis, design, development, and launch, Emotive helped the client reposition themselves in their target market.

The Reviewer
 
501-1,000 Employees
 
Redwood City, California
Eric Duerr
CMO, Rocket Fuel
 
Verified
The Review
Feedback summary: 

A market survey and news stories evidenced a successful repositioning within only 6 months. Emotive’s thorough research enabled effective design and development. They maintained client support even after the budget was reduced in advance of selling the company.

A Clutch analyst personally interviewed this client over the phone. Below is an edited transcript.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I was the CMO at Rocket Fuel, which sold a predictive marketing platform aimed at large agencies and marketers who were seeking to bring more predictive, AI-driven capabilities into their marketing.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Emotive Brand?

When I came in as CMO, the company was positioned as a programmatic advertising company. The challenge was that this category was becoming commoditized and didn't reflect the business challenges that our technology solved. When I looked at the technology and the go-to-market strategy, I came to the conclusion that we were in the wrong category and that we needed to move into a new category called predictive marketing.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

I called upon Emotive to help me with the repositioning from programmatic to predictive. We went through 4 processes. The first one was the analysis and research. They spent a lot of time talking to customers and analysts and watching our internal work. Then they went into the design phase. My team designed iteratively with them and we went through multiple iterations.

Phase three was the development. They worked closely with our team. They were creating things that we needed to change like web copy, campaigns, our PR and research. They didn’t just give us branding assets but they also really elaborated on what it was going to take to reposition the company across reputation, demand, and sales enablement.

What is the team composition?

One of the founding partners was my main point of contact.

How did you come to work with Emotive Brand?

Word of mouth. My CEO had worked with them before and had suggested I work with them. I met the founding partner and within a few seconds figured out that I wanted to work with her. Their team has a contagious energy.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent between $200,000 and $1 million.

What is the status of this engagement?

The first wave was completed from June to September 2016. They did ongoing work in 2017 and stopped in July 2017 because at that point we were selling the company.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We did a brand awareness survey that ran in Market Quarterly. With the repositioning, we went from being known for programmatic to being known for being a predictive platform. We were able to shift that much in about a 6-month period.

The results were incredible. An example of the measurable impact was an NPR message that was published. I cared about our story landing with reporters. We saw that happen, and we got an increased perspective.

How did Emotive Brand perform from a project management standpoint?

They were on time and on budget. The team seemed to really get things done. I never worried about them missing a deadline and they never came back and asked for more money unless it was for a new scope. They treated me as if I was the executive.

What did you find most impressive about them?

At the end of 2016, as we were getting ready to sell the company, we were preparing to reduce our marketing spend. I called them and told them that we were going to stop the work. They responded that they weren’t done with the project and wouldn’t let go of it until it was done. They were with us from beginning to end.

I was impressed with the analysis and research, which was really helpful. That got us to a great space on design and then we really collaborated on the development. I've worked with a lot of branding agencies before and most of them listen to what you have to say for a little bit, and then they come up with the ideas. They feel like they're in the business of just generating ideas. I was impressed with Emotive's research ability and I appreciated the thoroughness. One of the guys actually flew out to New York to watch me on a panel and shadow me in meetings. That was pretty cool for a marketing firm.

I also liked that the first thing they did with the design was too bold. I appreciated that they were willing to go there.

Are there any areas they could improve?

The only place I think is tricky for them is that they need to figure out how to describe value to non-marketing, non-brand people. My CEO knew them and still didn’t really understand what they were doing when he looked at statements of work. Articulating the business impact of their work is important and they can improve on that. Otherwise, the quality of work was great. The team was good.

5.0
Overall Score
  • 5.0 Scheduling
    ON TIME / DEADLINES
    They never missed a deadline.
  • 4.0 Cost
    Value / within estimates
  • 5.0 Quality
    Service & deliverables
  • 5.0 NPS
    Willing to refer