Evviva Brands

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

Energy Recovery is a publicly-traded company that manufactures specialized technologies for recycling energy. I was the CEO of the company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Evviva Brands?

Energy Recovery is known for a break-through technology used to desalinate water. In 2012, we decided to develop technologies for the oil and gas industry. Once those technologies were developed, we needed to bring them into a new industry in which we had no experience. So, we were incredibly well-known, with a very strong brand, but we were completely unknown in the oil and gas industry.

I had been told that this industry would be very hard to break into, even with the best technologies. We had to do a complete rebranding of our corporation and go from a highly-focused water and desalination company to a company that was branded as all fluids, including and specifically focusing on oil and gas. We saw it as a very steep challenge.

The second thing we needed to do, from a marketing standpoint, was to understand the oil and gas marketplace. We needed to figure out the industry, where key clients would come from, what our value proposition would be, pricing, etc. On the one hand, we were incredibly mature and highly regarded in the water industry. On the other hand, we were novices and complete unknowns in the gigantic oil and gas industry.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Evviva Brands helped us with the complete rebranding of the corporation, as well as the in-depth market analysis and marketing into the oil and gas industry. We had thought about the strategy in terms of the product. Our engineers had clear insight into the product we could develop.

When we started with Evviva, our website highlighted pictures of the ocean, drinking water, and energy savings, because that’s what we were. You’d have thought you were in the wrong place if you were looking for a technology for the oil and gas industry. They helped us think through the critical words, phrases, and colors, even down to the notion that the oil and gas industry is hyper-sensitive to issues like safety. They helped us decide how to visually depict our company in order to be appropriate and appealing to the oil and gas industry. We did an extensive amount of work there.

We even changed the logo of the company to be more universally appealing, and not simply something that looked like a water desalination company. Our new logo looks nothing like the old one. Our website looks radically different than our old site. Beyond that, there was a lot of market analysis that was done. We looked at the size of the market and the various verticals inside the market. We analyzed where our product might fit geographically around the world.

We did a lot of client analysis as well. Evviva has a deep understanding of the oil and gas industry, so they helped us understand the lay of the land, the players, and the geographies. It’s a very large and complex industry, and they helped us break it down into bite-size chunks so we could see where our mechanical technologies would play.

They also helped us think through what our value proposition would be in there; whether we would be below cost, best energy, the best solution, or most durable. Evviva did everything from the corporate logo and what the website looks like, all the way through how to break down the industry, what phrases to use, and even what colors to use, so that we could present our company in an appealing and appropriate way for this brand-new industry.

How did you come to work with Evviva Brands?

As CEO, it was my initiative to forge into the oil and gas industry. I had a very talented CMO [chief marketing officer] who was critical to that effort, and she was the point person for the engagement with Evviva. We had been using marketing agencies and various vendors, but we decided that we needed to find a marketing agency with sector knowledge. The CMO conducted a search for marketing and branding agencies, and she sourced a number of qualified agencies, including Evviva. I was involved in looking at the presentation materials and the interviews with several firms. Through that process, we ultimately selected Evviva.

How much have you invested with Evviva Brands?

I don’t know those numbers.

What is the status of this engagement?

The relationship began in 2012 or 2013. I’m no longer with the company, so I don’t know the current status of the work. I think it might be ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any evidence that would demonstrate the productivity, quality of work, or the impact of the engagement?

When we started the initiative, we were brand new to the oil and gas space. As a result of their effort, we received a $125 million deal from the largest oil field services company in the world. That deal doubled the value of our company overnight. I believe that deal took place in 2014 or 2015. So, in the span of 2–3 years, we went from no business in the oil and gas industry to an eye-popping $125 million deal, which also has 15 years and probably $1–2 billion worth of business coming from one client. Our work with Evviva was an unmitigated and complete success.

How did Evviva Brands perform from a project management standpoint?

They were fantastic. As the CEO, I didn’t work with them at a project level, but I saw the working product they produced and sat in numerous project management meetings. My CMO and the marketing department worked with them daily, and I heard nothing but rave reviews. In my personal interactions with David Kippen, their CEO, and seeing their output, I thought it was outstanding.

What did you find most impressive about Evviva Brands?

They communicated particularly well. From beginning to end, they stayed very much in tune with our needs as a client and my needs as a CEO. They were very attentive to our needs at all times.

Are there any areas Evviva Brands could improve?

Nothing comes to mind.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We are a semiconductor equipment manufacturer. I am VP of corporate communications, overseeing all aspects of communications for the company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Evviva Brands?

We were trying to have a better understanding of our employer value proposition, and better tune our recruiting efforts to increase the quality of our applicants and shorten the time to offer and close on the candidates.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Evviva Brands has a qualitative approach to their research. They went into the field and spoke to employees, as well as potential candidates, to understand their impressions of the company, tease out any differentiation that we could use in how we market the company from an employment perspective, and identified challenges that we would need to overcome in terms of perceptions of our company in the market.

In addition to the research, they collated the information from interviews and observations of the working environment and understanding of the industry, and then put together a recommendation of a brand positioning/employer value statement—what sets the company apart from an employment perspective. They also developed creative assets and a recruiting strategy, looking at what types of online advertising and video assets we should have in targeted markets where we should advertise and promote. It also included how to improve the candidate experience: from when they apply online, to when they come in for an interview, what materials they get, and what experience they have coming into the interview, all the way to closing on the candidate. They provided materials and recommendations on how to improve our process.

How did you come to work with Evviva Brands?

Originally, we found them through a referral from another recruiting employment/advertising agency. We were referred to them primarily for their research capability, but we ended up being so impressed that we gave them the whole job—not just the creative piece, but the research from soup to nuts—because of their insight, which was most important for us. They ended up building up some pretty strong creative material for us.

How much have you invested with Evviva Brands?

It was around $200,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

I worked with Evviva Brands at two different companies. The first time I worked with them was in 2010 or 2011. The work is ongoing. I’m a repeat client of theirs.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any evidence that would demonstrate the productivity, quality of work, or the impact of the engagement?

In one of the projects we worked on, we had a significant increase in the closure rate on accepted offers, along with a significant increase in our ability to hire and retain candidates after we changed our recruiting process and implemented their recommendations in one of our key target markets. We had a substantial improvement.

How did Evviva Brands perform from a project management standpoint?

They are pretty good. They not only help you stay on track, but they also help you to understand the nuances of corporate culture, and they can adjust to the speed of the company. Some companies I’ve worked with are slower than others, but they’ve been able to manage that.

What did you find most impressive about Evviva Brands?

Their ability to tease out insight and their observation skills are really unique. They approach the problem holistically: they don’t just look at it from an advertising perspective, but they look at it from a whole experience standpoint. I think that makes them unique.

Are there any areas Evviva Brands could improve?

They’re very good, but their challenge is how they’re going to grow. They’re a great agency for mid-size companies. They could improve their ability to scale and improve their creative capability so that they can continue to have that soup-to-nuts approach.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am a co-founder at DNA ALLY, a telegenetics Solution providing a nation-wide network of licensed genetic counselors available on demand for pre- or post-test consultations.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Evviva Brands?

Creating a modern and clean website

What were your goals for this project?

Being able to launch the website ontime.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

Google search

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

The designed, developed content and creative for launch of our website in a very tight timeline. The project started with a discovery workshop. We collaborated on content development. Wireframes and mock ups for landing pager were provided to us. Once it was approve, David and his team did all the implementation. The end product was an amazing website, with the clean look and feel with great content for consumers.

What was the team composition?

David did an amazing job with project management, we also had access to the creative team and the web designer.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any information that demonstrates the impact that this project has had on your business?

We have received great customer feedback on content/look and feel of the website.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

Project management was very impressive and our project was completed in a timely manner.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Great communication with David and His team.

Are there any areas for improvement?

The service we received was perfection!