Evviva Brands

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the head of communications and marketing at Derivco. I manage everything related to our brand, including communications, marketing campaigns, and more. We’re an internal organization that provides IT services to iGaming operators worldwide. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Evviva Brands?

We never had any brand guidelines since we were an internal company—we didn’t have a full-fledged brand because we didn’t need one. However, we decided to become a commercially standalone business, so we engaged Evviva Brands to figure out how to position ourselves effectively in the market and develop our brand. 

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Evviva Brands initially facilitated an exploratory phase. They aimed to understand our business and how our employees and stakeholders view our company and brand. We then did a broader brand exercise, comparing ourselves to the market to understand our competitors and their market positioning. 

After that, Evviva Brands produced a brand strategy that was aligned with our organizational work. We kept our business and brand strategies separate but reached the same conclusion. Based on their research, the team helped us understand how to position ourselves compellingly in a niche market. From there, we discussed the merits of the brand and created positioning statements; their resources essentially created our brand guidelines. 

At present, we’re planning to ask Evviva Brands to execute our brand strategy and lead a campaign to launch our brand. Since we're reorganizing internally, we’ve put this part of the engagement on hold. In time, the team will also design our logo. Nonetheless, we’ve consulted with them to establish our brand in our target market and match our strategies to market dynamics.

What is the team composition?

I mainly work with David (CEO). He has 2–3 teammates — including Marissa (Controller) — who’ve handled research-related tasks. Meanwhile, creative director has guided the expression of our brand. 

How did you come to work with Evviva Brands?

Our branding head looked for agencies that understood the fintech and US markets. There were good brand agencies in South Africa, but the cadence of the project was different. Given that, our branding head researched and found Evviva Brands’ Clutch reviews, which were quite useful. We also looked at their previous work with other customers. Ultimately, we decided that Evviva Brands was by far the most appropriate partner for us. 

How much have you invested with them?

The initial project’s cost is around $150,000, but we’ve also committed another $200,000 to the engagement for the projects on hold. 

What is the status of this engagement?

The engagement started in July 2021, and it’s ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The quality of Evviva Brands’ work is world-class. We haven’t executed the strategies, but the team has met our expectations and requirements. 

How did Evviva Brands perform from a project management standpoint?

Their project management skills and ability to meet deadlines are great. The way they’ve stuck with our timelines is quite impressive. I communicate with the team via email, WhatsApp, and phone calls, whichever way is most accessible to me. 

Are there any employees from the service provider's team that you would like to give a shout-out to in this review?

David has been amazing; his experience level is quite impressive. Marissa has also been great. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

I’m impressed by their ability to understand where our business is at and what we need. For example, we must understand the landscape we’re entering, so David has hosted me to just about every major Silicon Valley company to see their offices and brand expressions. This customer-centric approach has been great. 

For comparison, other agencies assume they understand our business and don’t take us on a discovery journey. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, there aren’t any. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Be clear and open about your goals. On top of that, be open to advice — we’ve learned so much from David and his team throughout the process. This has enriched the outcomes we’ve seen. 

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the VP, Marketing of an energy & natural resources company

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Our company is the leading provider of energy data and intelligence.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Evviva Brands to accomplish?

• Define a brand portfolio strategy

SOLUTION

How did you find Evviva Brands?

• Online Search
• Duncan Woolmer

Why did you select Evviva Brands over others?

• High ratings
• Company values aligned
• David Kippen ;)

How many teammates from Evviva Brands were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

Describe the scope of work in detail. Please include a summary of key deliverables.

After undergoing multiple acquisitions in the new energy sector, our seismic company, primarily focused on oil and gas activities for several decades, recognized the need to reassess our brand strategy. This prompted our decision to engage Evviva to help us streamline our brand structure, ensuring that our portfolio accurately represented the full spectrum of energy activities. 

Evviva Brands provided a comprehensive array of deliverables that significantly impacted our brand realignment process. Their guidance and insights were grounded in a meticulous analysis of collaboration and feedback from our executive team, ensuring that the proposed strategies resonated with our core stakeholders.

Their contributions included invaluable recommendations on refining our brand structure, a pivotal step that allowed us to seamlessly integrate our diverse energy activities under a unified umbrella. Then Evviva helped translate these insights into tangible assets, creating mock-ups that vividly depicted the new brand landscape.

Their skillful design work helped bring our brand strategy to life, offering us a visual roadmap to navigate the somewhat complex terrain of our brand evolution. These deliverables reflect the depth of Evviva's engagement, encompassing both strategic counsel and creative direction - essential in shaping our brand's story.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What were the measurable outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

Working with Evviva allowed us to clearly define our brand's positioning based on our overarching vision and mission. With this foundational work in place, we progressed to defining our brand portfolio. Working collaboratively, we determined the various divisions that would complement and bolster our central brand. In practical terms, the work we did with Evviva led to a tangible transformation of our brand's architecture.

By methodically aligning our brand with our core values and vision, they paved the way for a coherent brand identity that resonates with all our stakeholders. We were able to then apply this new brand architecture to all of our company channels, creating a succinct and well-represented brand to the broader energy mix.

Describe their project management. Did they deliver items on time? How did they respond to your needs?

Project management was a breeze. We collaborated via Teams or Zoom and worked off shared trackable documents - practical and convenient.

What was your primary form of communication with Evviva Brands?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

What truly stood out about Evviva was the remarkable individuals involved, particularly David. His wealth of knowledge and expertise is truly exceptional. His meticulous attention to detail, thoughtfulness, and extensive experience ensured the project's effectiveness and also created a fun and enjoyable partnership.

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

Nothing at this time.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the founder and CEO of TechSilver, one of the leading providers of technology-enabled care products to consumers. We’re an e-commerce company that helps older adults live independently at home for as long as possible. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Evviva Brands?

We needed help internationalizing our brand. Our goal was to adapt to the North American market and position ourselves as a high-end company.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

First, Evviva Brands worked on naming our company — we wanted a name that was available and fit our market position. Afterward, they created our logo, color scheme, and brand identity. 

We had a short, 2–3 week deadline for the project, and we didn’t have brand guidelines to give them. Our existing assets were created eight years ago on a small budget just to get the business up and running. 

We had a series of in-depth conversations where our team discussed what we thought we should do. They challenged our position and gave us a different perspective, giving us fantastic insight into the US market and how to differentiate ourselves from the competition. 

What is the team composition?

David (CEO) was our sole point of contact, and he liaised with his team internally.

How did you come to work with Evviva Brands?

I googled about the best branding agencies and saw Clutch, where I found Evviva Brands. I studied their reviews and rankings and contacted them. I checked if they understood our marketplace and analyzed rough costings and timelines. 

Ultimately, I chose Evviva Brands due to their Clutch reviews and position as well as their ability to move quickly and efficiently on a project with a fast deadline. 

How much have you invested with them?

We spent under $20,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

Our engagement lasted from April–May 2022. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Evviva Brands’ work looked premium and suited our market well. We were able to use their branding guidelines to develop our website.

How did Evviva Brands perform from a project management standpoint?

Evviva Brands was quick and delivered everything within our deadline — they understood what we needed and acted swiftly, which was fantastic. We communicated through emails, Google Meet, and Zoom. Since we only had one point of contact, our back and forth was simpler.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Eviva Brands’ thoughtfulness and willingness to challenge us were impressive. Their value for money was also good despite their premium pricing. The teammates I worked with were a bit more seasoned, which improved the partnership. They gave us insight into the market that other companies won’t be able to offer.

Are there any areas they could improve?

It could have been better if they had an Edinburgh office so we had someone to deal with in our timezone. Other than that, I don’t have any major criticisms or improvement areas. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Be willing to listen. You’re paying a branding agency because of their knowledge and experience — have an open mind and don’t tell them what to do. In addition, ensure clear communication guidelines and decision rights between your C-suite and board. That way, you won’t have conflicting opinions within your leadership team. 

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

John Mastrototaro: I’m the CEO of Movano, a company that’s developing new wearable technology for medical applications to monitor parameters such as heart rate, oxygen levels, and others. 

Lauren Jaeger: I’m the chief of staff at Movano. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Evviva Brands?

LJ: We were building our brand, so we needed a website and a brand story that differentiated us from competitors. That way, we could also unveil our first product in 2022. 

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

LJ: Before signing an agreement, we conducted a few calls with Evviva to ensure that we were on the same page about everything. After signing them on, our first step was to interview stakeholders in the organization. The team talked to our executive team and board members to understand their perspectives in terms of our business and where we wanted to take it. 

After that, Evviva did some user and competitor research on their own to understand the wearables market. They also worked with a core team at Movano to come up with a new mission, vision, and brand value statements. 

Using the comments they’d heard about the company and its future, the Evviva resources came up with a design concept for what our brand should look, sound, and feel like. They also gave us a few options; we chose one and moved forward. On top of that, the team helped us with our website messaging while also building it on WordPress.

JM: One important element of our engagement with them was that we had a hard deadline. We were participating in the CES Consumer Electronics Show, so everything should be ready by a particular date. In other words, there wasn’t any flexibility in timing. 

LJ: At present, the website is finished, but they’re still working on a couple of updates on it. 

What is the team composition?

LJ: Our main point of contact is David (CEO). We’ve also been introduced to their writer, designers, and web developers. 

How did you come to work with Evviva Brands?

LJ: We found Evviva by looking over Clutch. I was Googling top branding agencies in San Francisco, and I saw reviews on Clutch that spoke about top-tier brands. That was a major factor in our decision to use Evviva.

How much have you invested with them?

LJ: We’ve paid around $73,500. 

What is the status of this engagement?

LJ: This project lasted from October 2021, and the engagement is ongoing. We plan to work with them in the future on another project. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

JM: From a qualitative perspective, we’ve had a lot of media interviews and achieved more media occurrences than expected as part of the CES program. Our branding campaign and approach have been incredibly well-received. In fact, we’ve won many CES awards because of what we’re doing. Overall, the work that Evviva has done for us has been truly positive. 

LJ: Our goal has been to attract investors, strategic partners, and consumers to let them know that we have a product coming out later this year. Evviva has helped us position our brand story to align with our core audience; we’ve put that into a press release — this effort has also been successful. 

Moreover, their recommendations in terms of what to highlight have resonated well with the media. We’ve gained much interest from our top-tier strategic partners. Thousands of people are also reaching out to us via our contact form to know when our product will be available and how they can buy it. Overall, Evviva’s efforts have helped us gain plenty of momentum. 

How did Evviva Brands perform from a project management standpoint?

LJ: They did a great job in terms of our timeframes. Other agencies said that the project would take them 6–8 months; Evviva did it in just a couple of months.  We’ve had to switch gears midway through the project, but the team has still been able to meet our deadline. On top of that, they’ve also done a great job in terms of budget.

They’re flexible when we need them to be, and their resources are great listeners as they translate our vision into a tangible look and feel. Overall, they’ve gone above and beyond and are thoughtful about the way we present the brand. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

LJ: David is an excellent communicator. His biggest strength is his ability to translate what we want our brand to look like and encapsulate it into text and imagery. He’s also honest with us about timelines. 

We talk to them through emails and Teams. Whenever we reach out to him and his team, they call or email us back within a couple of hours — they’re truly communicative. Apart from that, David also isn’t a yes-man. He hears what we’re trying to say and leads us to the right answers. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

LJ: No, there aren’t any. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

LJ: Don’t be shy about introducing Evviva to the stakeholders. David truly listens to everyone’s perspectives and makes sure that we’re on the same page. Be upfront with him, and he’ll handle anything that comes your way.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the city manager and chief administrative officer of Antioch, a Bay Area city in California. It has a population of about 115,000 people, and we have a highly diverse community. I work for our mayor, council members, and the community.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Evviva Brands?

We hired Evviva for our rebranding efforts.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Evviva rebranded our city. For many years, our city was called the gateway to the delta. David (CEO) told us that instead of being a gateway to somewhere else, Antioch could be a destination for people that we wanted to attract. As a result, David did interviews, workshops, and study sessions with our community. He gathered their ideas of what Antioch represented. 

From there, David came up with a new tagline — Antioch: Opportunity Lives Here — derived from the fact that people saw Antioch as a place of opportunity for people aiming to buy their first homes, start or expand their businesses, or even raise families. David presented this to the city council and came up with three options in terms of logo design. 

At present, we’re using the new tagline. Meanwhile, our logo is designed specifically for what our city does. It involves a button, which serves as the letter “o” in Antioch. It also looks like the rising sun. Meanwhile, we’ve also used Evviva’s help in mailing our annual community report to 33,000 households in the city. 

What is the team composition?

Apart from David, we’ve also worked with Cate (Managing Director). Other experts are also involved in the project. 

How did you come to work with Evviva Brands?

Originally, we were looking to do a marketing campaign for the city. We sent out an RFP to hire marketing firms, and the goal was to promote more positive news from Antioch. When Evviva talked to us, they showed us that we didn’t have any marketing issues. Instead, we had a branding issue. 

David then explained to us how rebranding had benefited some of their customers. We were impressed with the idea, so we took it to the city council for consideration. At that point, we wanted to pursue a branding campaign first before pursuing a marketing one. The city council agreed with the idea of hiring Evviva to do this. 

Moreover, it was an interesting engagement for us because we were Evviva’s first public sector client. It was a new venture for them, while we loved the examples they provided on how they helped major companies in terms of branding or rebranding. Overall, we thought it would be unique for Antioch to use David and Evviva for a more entrepreneurial look in the city. That was what made us ultimately hire them for this project. 

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve invested around $500,000–$1 million on this project. 

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them in November 2017, and the engagement is ongoing. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The response from the city council, community, and our staff has been positive for the new logo and tagline. One thing that makes the new tagline so powerful is that we can use it to communicate opportunities to our community. We can put it in banners around the city, in dining establishments, or parks, and it’s been well-received by people. 

Overall, the simplicity and cleanliness of the logo and the message that the word “opportunity” delivers in our tagline have had a positive impact on our branding. That’s truly important for the people who visit our website or look at our banners. Moreover, I’m heavily invested in our branding and I love everything about it. Even our city council members have it on their polo shirts. In other words, we’re truly proud of what our branding represents because it captures what Antioch is as a community.

How did Evviva Brands perform from a project management standpoint?

We do most of our communication over the telephone or via zoom and email. We’ve also met in person prior to the COVID-19 pandemic to go over the things we’re doing. Meanwhile, David is a strong communicator, and he’s highly personable and caring. As a result, my preference is to communicate with him in person.

However, meeting in person has been difficult, so we instead do a monthly Zoom call for all of us to be on the same page. David organizes and keeps our calls going. We’ve been doing this for a couple of years now, and it’s been highly beneficial. It’s an opportunity for all of us to share what’s happening. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

Evviva is excellent. Everything that David does is done with utmost care and thoughtfulness. Being a municipality, we don’t always achieve high-quality work for many reasons. Luckily, David and his firm have helped us step up our game. 

Moreover, David has faced difficult circumstances with our council, which are sometimes critical of the things we do. Because he’s a phenomenal communicator, he can address adversity by being honest and well-spoken. He’s convincing in explaining why and how he does things. Overall, he’s a unique and special person; I can’t say enough good things about him. Simply put, I’ve been in the local government sector for 36 years now, and Evviva is one of the best professionals I worked with in my career. 

Further, I’ve asked David why he’s doing this for Antioch when Evviva has other high-end clients. He’s told us that he has fond memories of Antioch. In fact, even before proposing the project, he’s driven around the city and checked it out. In other words, he doesn’t do this project purely for business. He does it as a labor of love; he wants to see our community overcome challenges. He wants to see people succeed and prosper, and we’ve benefited from that.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, there aren’t any. Working with Evviva has been a privilege.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Listen to what Evviva has to offer. Governments have a certain way of doing business, but set aside all your preconceived ideas and notions — listen to David and his team to discover how you can do things differently and in a more unique fashion. Overall, take advantage of Evviva and their expertise.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CPO of Credolab, a SaaS company that provides technology to banking and non-banking financial institutions.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Evviva Brands?

We needed help with branding.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We engaged with Evviva Brands to refresh the image of our company as we expand internationally. They reviewed our current brand and made suggestions about our next positioning. They also helped with refreshing the entire communication and image of the company.

Their team did everything from helping us choose a new logo to find a new payoff. They also recommended how to restyle our website, product brochures, and our sales deck. Through research and analysis, they recommended a new positioning for us with a new brand image with colors relevant to the industry we operated in. They also made it distinctive from our existing competitors.

We’re still using our previous CMS. Their team simply recommended how to refresh the image according to the brand guidelines they developed. It’s 95% complete, and we’re in the final stages of wrapping up the project.

What is the team composition?

We directly worked with the CEO. We also worked with someone who had a Ph.D. in sociology that helped us redefine the actual positioning, the tone of voice, and the communication style of our company. There were a few graphic designers and copywriters.

How did you come to work with Evviva Brands?

We found them through Clutch. We ran a small tender, and while they weren’t the less expensive, Evviva Brands came out with the best-proposed approach and background.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve invested around $90,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

Our engagement with Evviva Brands started in October 2020.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Our brand relaunched in April, and since then, we’ve seen our engagement rate on LinkedIn increase. The response rate on our email campaigns has also gone up. We’ve received positive feedback from anybody who has seen our brand.

How did Evviva Brands perform from a project management standpoint?

Evviva Brands managed our expectations nicely. There were some delays due to internal issues in finding clients who would be able and willing to give feedback.

Part of that project was market research to understand our existing clients. They took a bit longer, but they suggested ways to improve it. Overall, we were pretty much on time. They stuck within our budget.

We communicate through email. They’re in San Francisco, and we’re in Singapore. The time difference allowed for morning calls. We had weekly catchups with my market manager along with a nightly call. It’s gone pretty smoothly.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their team has intellectual power, translating research into actionable insights. The way they guided us from turning our weaknesses into a brand positioning that actually allows us to project an image in the marketplace was impressive.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Overall, the project was on time, but here and there, they could’ve improved the speed of delivery.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Their key strength is their intellectual power. They’re able to extract a customer’s values and transform them into a new logo and position.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m a senior HR generalist at Happy Elements, a mobile game developer. We mainly hire machine learning engineers and data scientists to support our gaming products.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Evviva Brands?

It was hard to get recognition in the job market and recruit the right talent for our company. We talked with a lot of candidates and clients, and they had a big concern over our reputation. They told us that they'd never heard about our business, and that raised a lot of concern about working with us or joining our company.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Evviva Brands' initial scope was to create a better employer image for us to help us with our recruitment. According to their suggestions, we needed to build a localized website to amplify the US branch. The function of our US office was different from the headquarters (HQ).

For this project, we didn’t focus on the product but on the R&D, which was the function that this office supported. We were trying to attract high-end talent, scientists, and engineers to create better results and algorithms to support our R&D. We discussed all of those requirements with Evviva Brands before we moved onto signing a service contract.

After we signed the contract, we talked about more items in detail. We came up with a deliverable schedule with the required tasks and assets, and we set under each item what would be the actions from their side. We also set how we would support them to facilitate the process, and what information our HQ needed to provide in order to create a better portfolio.

Our service agreement was focused on finishing the major section of the branding project, which included a survey and a mapping. Evviva Brands was also requested to build the US office’s website. They helped us come up with creative ideas about how we could name our business in the US. In the end, we still opted for a more conservative name. They also helped us interviewing employees from Google and Facebook and putting some data together.

At the end of 2020, we talked about our plans for the future and about posting more ads to increase our website’s traffic. We also discussed how to enhance our employer branding after the pandemic was finished. Unfortunately, the HQ decided not to continue the US branch's project. This decision wasn’t made because Evviva Brands didn’t do a good job. It was because they didn’t want to expand the business into the US anymore.

What is the team composition?

I was mainly in contact with the owner and someone who facilitated a lot of meetings and conversations. This person also did the target group interviews with our employees and with experts and employees from companies that we thought we could align with.

They had a technical group behind them to help us do the copywriting and building the website. I also spoke with two people from that technical group to talk about the source code for the website and how to get access to the backend.

How did you come to work with Evviva Brands?

I did a lot of online research to find what kind of branding firm would be able to help us. I checked a few online review platforms to see which would be the best branding firm, and I also checked who could provide services at reasonable pricing. 

I contacted five branding firms, but Evviva Brands was the one that specialized in recruitment and employer branding projects. I arranged a few interviews with the owner of Evviva Brands and our office managers to understand what would be needed for this project.

I did the same process with another company. However, Evviva Brands was the better option, and they were rated on top on one of the reviews platforms. Our company is based in China, and they had quite a lot of experience in assisting global or parent companies located there. They were very experienced in understanding the challenges that these types of employers encounter in the US market.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent around $100,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked together from April 2020–April 2021.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

I loved Evviva Brands’ creativity and how they thought outside the box. They were very professional and patient with me. They definitely provided me with a really good amount of information and walked me through the whole process — I really appreciated their help.

I was highly satisfied with their work. Most of the time, their team didn’t have to make changes because their work was great. They never presented an unfinished item or task to me. The results were always good and on time.

How did Evviva Brands perform from a project management standpoint?

Evviva Brands was very organized. They knew what they were doing, and their turnaround time was very efficient. I didn’t have to wait more than 24 hours to get an answer. I was highly satisfied with this partnership.

After our service agreement was signed, Evviva Brands scheduled a meeting where they provided me with very detailed deliverable timelines. They introduced me to a project management tool and gave me proper access. I was able to check all the tasks and understand which task was whose responsibility.

I didn’t have prior experience in employer branding projects. Evviva Brands helped me understand what I needed to do and provide, and what was the specific timeline I had to provide that information to them to ensure the deliverable was made on time. I was not afraid to ask for more information or assistance. From the beginning to the end, they provided a lot of support, and they definitely delivered everything on time.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Evviva Brands’ experience in networking was something that a regular company can’t do without professional help. When we started the branding project, they explained that they were going to perform the target group interviews and do a survey among employees that were working for other companies. It was a task that we weren’t able to do because we didn’t have such networking. They were also very professional and experienced in leading the conversations, and they always gave us their honest opinion.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I can’t think of anything Evviva Brands could improve on — I was highly satisfied with their work. If anything, I had a minor issue when I needed to talk to their technical group located in Europe. Due to the cultural and time zone differences, sometimes I had to send a couple more clarification emails and follow-ups in order to get the right answer.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Be proactive and ask any questions you have. I have the confidence that their team will try to provide the best care for your project. The key is to keep the communication channel open and smooth. I encourage you not to be afraid to tell them your full business’ story and all of your concerns — tell them everything. They’re professional enough to make decisions on what areas you should focus on more. Trust them — they never reveal their clients’ information. They understand where the boundary is and how to establish proper communication with their clients.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I work for Prima Assicurazioni. We’re an insurance sector service provider that distributes insurance policies to individuals. Our business was founded in Italy, and we’re entering into a new market in the UK. We’ve just started employing staff in the UK. I’m the country manager for the business in the UK so I oversee operations and am building the team toward launching the product in the UK.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Evviva Brands?

We were looking to define a brand that’d be specific to the UK market. We engaged Evviva to look at the first step which was to figure out a brand name. After that, we wanted to decide on an initial watermark, a stylized version of the brand name to launch alongside the product.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

The scope of the project was twofold. First, Evviva helped us come up with a name. Once the name was agreed upon, we looked at some options around watermarks and logo design so we could converge on an option we liked. Upon commencement of the engagement, we had a workshop where Evviva gathered input from us in terms of what we were after. The brief was quite specific as we had very exact requirements on the type of name we wanted. Evviva gathered that as well as some initial work we had done to scope our target customers as well as information on our industry and competitors.

Then, Evviva came back with a long list of names based on a couple of different territories and ways we might position ourselves. Off the back of that, we ran three workshops that were quite similar in terms of looking at a long list of names, us giving feedback, and eventually converging to three we really liked. Once that process was completed, we took the three we really liked and ran legal checks to understand trademark risks. After those checks, we selected a name and entered into the second stage with Evviva.

In the second phase, we were finding a logo and watermark that’d suit the new name. Evviva explored — based on the concepts we touched on in the first stage — a few different designs. They started with five different ways in which we might shape our feedback that was iterated for those five designs. Evviva gave four options for each potential design. We explored those and gave our feedback, eventually landing on a watermark we particularly liked. The final session was exploring a few different combinations around color schemes, patterns, objects, or types of marketing campaigns we might use to refine the watermark.

What is the team composition?

We worked with around ten people. There were two account managers, some naming specialists, and a designer.

How did you come to work with Evviva Brands?

I found them through a combination of speaking to contacts who had previously done similar projects and some Google searching. Evviva came across as an award-winning agency. I got 6–7 brand agencies to pitch what they’d do for the project, how much it’d cost, timelines, and what expertise they’d bring. Evviva struck a great balance between having a good track record, putting in an excellent effort in their pitch, and being pragmatic around timelines. We had to be quite rapid in turning this around.

How much have you invested with them?

We invested around £18,000 (approximately $25,000 USD).

What is the status of this engagement?

The engagement was from December 2020–March 2021.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The project was a success. They had to get some quite tricky stakeholders to all agree on something very subjective, and at times kind of emotional, around a brand name. Evviva successfully achieved this and was adaptable through the process. We had a few minor pivots throughout the engagement, and they were professional. Their team offered good pushback but was also happy with going in a slightly different direction to eventually land on a name that we all liked. We were happy with the project outputs in terms of customer outcomes and the general success of the brand.

How did Evviva Brands perform from a project management standpoint?

We met on a regular cadence through Zoom or Google Meet. In between those meetings, we’d communicate through email. Their project management style worked quite well for us. At a few days’ notice, we were always able to get something in. Evviva was conscious of our tight deadlines and quickly turning things around. A couple of times, things took longer than anticipated but it wasn’t a problem at all in terms of us executing our goals.

What did you find most impressive about them?

The naming process was definitely a highlight. I was impressed by the level of research they put behind that. The fact that they have experts who look into this and have a clear track record of doing this with multiple companies is excellent. They blended some good pragmatism with actual etymological research. Evviva is definitely a knowledgeable partner.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, I can’t think of anything. I was satisfied with the services.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the head of client services at a fintech startup, focused on tech solutions for capital markets.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Evviva Brands?

We’re in the early stages of our company and feel confident about our product and technology. However, we needed someone to help us position the solution in the market. It was important that we didn’t lose our target audience with our messaging.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They helped us with our brand positioning. When we started, we thought we wanted a logo, a website, branding guidelines, and other assets involved in branding projects. After early conversations with their team, they suggested that our money would be best spent with positioning work. So, we pivoted and focused our collaboration on consultative guidance on brand positioning. They provided us create copy to aid our team with elevator pitches. 

What is the team composition?

We worked with David (CEO) and a team of copywriters and designers. Most of the time, we were collaborating with David on a consultancy basis. 

How did you come to work with Evviva Brands?

We were naive with our experience in branding, and they were honest about the work they think we needed. Rather than going along with what we asked for, they provided transparent feedback that helped us find what we actually needed to succeed. 

How much have you invested with them?

We spent about €8,000 (approximately $9,500 USD).  

What is the status of this engagement?

We collaborated on this project from August–September 2020. The entire project lasted about 6–8 weeks, but we still have an ongoing relationship with them.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We’ve been impressed with their feedback, attention to detail, and straight-to-the-point quality of their work. In our industry, that’s all important in our industry. We greatly needed their guidance, and their honesty and truthfulness allowed us to get there.  

How did Evviva Brands perform from a project management standpoint?

We work in very different time zones, but they’ve always been accommodating to our needs. They delivered to expectations, and we never had issues with missed deadlines.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Evviva was instrumental in positioning our brand. Without promising the world, they laid out helpful steps to improve our brand positioning. That was a key differentiator.   

Are there any areas they could improve?

We required an agile development style, which is uncommon in this space. They were accommodating to that, but it made the experience more expensive. It was all well worth it, though.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Be very specific with your guidelines and expectations. We spent a lot of time defining that, which was appreciated. However, others could save time by having these ideas upfront. 

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I lead the employer brand and recruitment marketing functions for Delta Air Lines. Our team fits within Delta's HR organization. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Evviva Brands?

Delta wanted to transform its talent acquisition function. Until January 2018, we outsourced all of our recruiting efforts. At that point, we hired our first VP of talent acquisition and insourced all of our recruitment. Through that process, it became apparent that our employer brand wasn’t representative of a global carrier. We hired Evviva to help us reimagine and retool our employee brand position in the marketplace.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We provided Evviva with data from employee engagement surveys, and they performed desk research. Their team facilitated a number of qualitative and quantitative stakeholder interviews as well as met with our marketing and communications team. Through a combination of their research, they put together our new employer brand.

Evviva worked on message and creative position. They essentially established stricter brand guidelines that we can leverage to tell our employer brand story and activate our recruitment message across all of our different candidate pools. Their team created a brand guide that we could use with any agency partner to ensure that everything put to market ladders back to our campaign. Their team also worked on a number of creative assets, reskinning our key recruitment channels such as LinkedIn. While they worked on a creative approach for our career site, we couldn’t activate the site due to COVID-19.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent just shy of $200,000 with Evviva.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started our engagement in May 2019 and worked together through the end of the year. Due to COVID-19, we had to press pause on additional work.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The quality of their output was fantastic. Evviva understood us at our core, translating our internal mission and vision for a national audience. Their team was incredibly thoughtful and professional. The project didn’t require a lot of iteration because they captured us as a company right out of the gate.

How did Evviva Brands perform from a project management standpoint?

At the front end of the engagement, they created a project plan in a shared system. We communicated and collaborated on shared documents. Their team essentially backed into our launch timeline, which was relatively aggressive.

They outlined everything that their team needed to facilitate their research. This ensured that Evviva was equipped for interviews and focus groups. They were responsive and came through as outlined.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Evviva respectfully pushed us to think differently and consider outside perspectives. Through their guidance, we came up with a unique campaign. Instead of showing an aircraft, we highlighted Delta employees’ shared love for connection and travel. This was the first time that we highlighted employees outside of Delta uniforms.

Are there any areas they could improve?

We had more back and forth around the career site. For that particular engagement, we needed to be clearer with our expectations for the output to not push the timeline. In that same vein of new perspectives, we went too far that way and lost a bit of time.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Be honest with yourself about what’s realistic to achieve the timeline. Evviva will put together a fantastic, integrated project plan. However, if you don’t believe that you’ll be able to secure stakeholder approval in those windows, you need to give them that feedback. Their team will be as responsive as you ask them to be. Look at your project plan and schedule stakeholder reviews to ensure that you don’t lose time trying to chase down approvals during the project.