Global Brand Works

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I oversee brand engagement and governance for a global tech company headquartered in San Jose, California.

What challenge were you trying to address with Global Brand Works?

We wanted to address internal challenges of creative brand governance and improve our overall brand ranking.

What was the scope of their involvement?

I briefed Global about our challenges and goals and they performed an audit of a number of our employees for greater understanding. Through their research and findings, they helped us develop a strategy around brand governance, which led to a curriculum for workshops and education modules rolled out internally. They applied their strategy within our set budget and provided us with thorough information to report back to our senior executives, communicating data and financial proof points supporting the importance of such work.

What is the team composition?

I worked directly with their founders, Shannon and Caroline.

How did you come to work with Global Brand Works?

A colleague of mine had worked with them previously and recommended them. I liked that they had a lot of experience with large corporations and an understanding of the challenges those corporations face when it comes to disseminating information internally.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together around July 2016 and the work is ongoing. There are so many components to it that it's hard to set an end date as we continue to grow and evolve.

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

There's been a significant uptake of internal engagement within the company. Over 90% of employees understand and engage with the brand.

Our global ranking has also improved from a brand perspective. They've helped create a new way of engagement that never existed before—that's been huge.

How did Global Brand Works perform from a project management standpoint?

They're very responsive and organized when it comes to tracking budgets. They continue to deliver great work under mounting pressure from our team. I appreciate their level of collaboration and can-do attitude.

Caroline and Shannon complement each other perfectly. Shannon is quick, tactical, and nimble, while Caroline is very diplomatic, wise, and good at explaining the big picture.

What did you find most impressive about them?

We refer to them as our ninjas, because they're so agile. In large companies, it can be very difficult to get things like this moving, but Shannon and Caroline have the depth of experience in this industry to pull it off. They're very creative and flexible in their approach and have great relationship building skills. They feel like a part of our team and have been proactive in producing great work throughout the relationship.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m one of the co-founders of the Human Rights Measurement Initiative. We’re a globally-distributed, nonprofit organization that produces measures to track the human rights performance of countries.

What challenge were you trying to address with Global Brand Works?

We needed branding and a name for our organization.

What was the scope of their involvement?

I initially had a discovery call with Caroline and Shannon (Partners and Co-Founders, Global Brand Works) where I explained our initiative. They then set up some calls with other team members and researched the branding of similar organizations, producing a short document that basically summarized what we are pretty accurately.

They developed our brand from the very beginning, reviewing the purpose of our initiative. From that point, we started the logo development in which their designer came up with several logo design options. We picked a couple of them to refine, ending up with a very short list, and eventually chose the one we wanted to go with.

What is the team composition?

We worked with Caroline and Shannon, as well as someone who helped with names. There were other people contributing to the work, but I didn’t engage with them directly.

How did you come to work with Global Brand Works?

I knew Shannon through mutual friends. At the time, we didn’t have much funding, but I contacted her to see if they would be able to help us. We set up a call as she wanted to know a little more about the project. She spoke to Caroline about it and they decided to do the work pro bono.

How much have you invested in them?

The value of their work was between $30,000–$50,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked with them from February–April 2017.

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

Since launching our website with their branding, we’ve attracted more philanthropic support from international organizations. Everyone who sees our branding thinks it is good and we have had a lot of positive anecdotal feedback.

How did Global Brand Works perform from a project management standpoint?

They were fantastic, easy to work with, and met their deadlines. Since the project ended, I’ve followed up regarding little things such as little tweaks to our website and they’ve given us really good feedback.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I really like the way they work. They have a real seriousness but also a friendliness that goes with it. They’re also very approachable and smart.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I can’t think of anything. It was a wonderful experience.

This review was updated by the client on February 19, 2020. The original star ratings were: Overall – 4.5, Quality – 4.5, Schedule – 4.5, NPS – 5. New content is below:

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Global Brand Works?

Global Brand Works originally developed the logo for our organization. We’ve recently contracted them again to continue evolving our brand with our organizational development.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement? 

They primarily focus on building out our brand architecture. Since the first engagement, we’ve developed a new product called Rights Tracker, which is a separate website. But the site only has our logo with “Rights Tracker” next to it, so we wanted to develop the brand properly.

Global Brand Works suggested multiple options to pursue, including rebranding our organization entirely as “Rights Tracker” to positioning it as a separate but connected brand. Other approaches would be to make the logo a wordmark.

We’re now at the stage where we’re narrowing down our options to the top two. Then, we’ll work with our designers to create mock-ups for the Rights Tracker website before making a final decision.

At the same time, we’re also revamping the Human Rights Measurement Initiative website, so Global Brand Works is liaising with our developers and designers there, too.

What is the team composition? 

We're still working with Shannon (Co-Founder, Global Brand Works) and Caroline (Co-Founder, Global Brand Works), and now there’s Lori (Creative Agency Account Manager, Global Brand Works). They also have a number of consultants who give input on different parts of the project, but we don’t meet directly with them.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve probably spent close to $30,000 this year. The consultancy work has cost about $2,000 per month. As for the brand architecture work, it’s been about $10,000. 

What is the status of this engagement?

We brought them on the project in December 2019 for the Rights Tracker rebrand, and things will be ongoing for the foreseeable future.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

It’s too early to talk about results, but it’s been really great. The team is lovely to work with and consistently hits the mark.

How did Global Brand Works perform from a project management standpoint?

The communication has been the same as before. I primarily engage with Shannon over Zoom, which allows us to share our screens and run through the different options. 

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m a co-founder of a Design Barre. We’re a construction and design consultancy based in San Francisco.

What challenge were you trying to address with Global Brand Works?

We’re a new business, a so we needed resources to help develop our branding messages and materials.

What was the scope of their involvement?

They developed a brand package for us, which included our key messages, designs, and overall strategy. In the beginning, they walked us through the steps of the process to clarify project requirements and establish meeting times.

Next, we brainstormed some concepts together before they provided us with an initial brand package to look over. We corresponded with a few back-and-forth exchanges, tweaking the plan to ensure that their messages felt appropriate for our business.

Finally, they advised us to conduct a few focus groups with our mentors, previous clients, and target demographic to gauge the look and feel of our branding. This helped to solidify the final package.

What is the team composition?

We worked exclusively with one of their co-founders.

How did you come to work with Global Brand Works?

At the time, we considered two other agencies and received a proposal from one them. However, a mutual friend referred Global Brand Works to us, and we felt comfortable with their recommendation.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent between $10,000 and $25,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

Their work lasted from December 2017–March 2018.

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

Although we haven’t launched our business yet, we think their branding looks good and reflects our company values. They were mindful of our budget and worked within our means. They gave us a reduced package based on what we could afford, and we were completely satisfied with it.

How did Global Brand Works perform from a project management standpoint?

Over the course of the engagement, we met four times in person and communicated via email every other day.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I valued the collaborative aspect of the project; they incorporated our ideas and made us feel heard. In our business, we try not to tell people what to do and, instead, want to work with them, listen, and give feedback. That was precisely how they worked with us.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Nothing comes to mind.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Customers should ask a lot of questions, take notes, and really understand what they’ve signed up for.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We are a data aggregation provider for financial institutions, internet innovators, and fintech companies that require consumer-permitted financial data to power their applications. I’m VP of marketing.

What challenge were you trying to address with Global Brand Works?

We were working towards an IPO and wanted to cement our brand positioning and overall strategy. We needed guidance to fit into the marketplace.

What was the scope of their involvement?

We worked on customer best practices and data-driven solutions through APIs and direct feeds. We came up with products that leverage data and digital toolkits that allow customers to access information, scripts, templates, and other assets. We built instructional guides and messaging to help customers log in and navigate the service. Global Brand Works was instrumental in helping us develop the content.

They did a lot of upfront research to understand our process. They conducted staff and executive interviews across the company to identify brand characteristics and trajectory. We then went to several financial institutions and partners to build a matrix of marketplace impressions. We hoped to reposition ourselves to make sure we communicated the important aspects of our brand and established a presence we could leverage in future projects.

We identified gaps and came up with solutions and customer best practices. We reframed our press and media statements and made sure our employees understood our new stance. Those refinements allowed us to give the companies that would represent us a better perspective on our projected growth.

What is the team composition?

We worked with Shannon (Partner & Co-founder, Global Brand Works) and Caroline (Partner & Co-founder, Global Brand Works). They both brought their unique skills to the engagement. Caroline was our brand strategist and planner, while Shannon oversaw execution and project development.

How did you come to work with Global Brand Works?

I asked my friends and peers who their service providers were and a few recommended Global Brand Works. I was familiar with Shannon from our work together at a previous company. I asked if they were available and if they wanted to pitch for this opportunity.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent around $220,000–$225,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked together from April 2012 to April 2014.

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

Because of budgetary limitations, we did minimal brand research. Even though we could have done more, there is roughly 37% brand awareness among our constituents. We’re an unbranded, white label service, so that much recognition among our consumers is great.

How did Global Brand Works perform from a project management standpoint?

They set great project expectations with a statement of work and we had team meetings to bring all our disparate groups into the loop. They outlined the project in a kickoff meeting, followed by weekly or biweekly meetings after that for status updates. They integrated well with our organization and were professional stewards of our projects. They took the time and made sure their work was bulletproof.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They delivered on their goals, which were clearly spelled out. They were honest, efficient, and their projects had great integrity. They knew what they could offer and were confident in their skills and abilities. They only brought up additional resources when we needed them and there was no unwanted cross-selling.

Are there any areas they could improve?

It would be great to integrate them into a strategy on web development or content. They seem to be great writers and there are other areas where they could expand their service opportunities; however, nothing they did stood out as a major problem.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

At the time of this project I was the associate VP of corporate and brand marketing at Sutherland. Sutherland is a process transformation organization that works in a wide range of industries to help companies provide the best level of service to their customers.

What challenge were you trying to address with Global Brand Works?

Sutherland was founded in 1986, and while we have experienced a tremendous amount of growth, we felt we were behind the times in terms of marketing and branding. So, the chief marketing officer (CMO) at the time and myself were tasked with creating better brand awareness in order to modernize the organization.

What was the scope of their involvement?

We had a variety of discovery sessions with Global Brand Works until we decided that we were going to truly rebrand the company. We then started brainstorming and eventually developed a potential look and feel for the company, and Global Brand Works was tasked with developing a visual identity. They eventually produced our new logo and color palette along with a preliminary toolkit of items that would comprise a visual identity for the organization. That toolkit included all of our visual elements as well as simple things like a PowerPoint template, a business card design, and email signatures. They also provided some best practices on how to use those tools and how to communicate with our employees.

Finally, they helped us with the big reveal to our executives where we showed them all of the work and provided the initial guidance on how we would be updating various components of the system over the months to come.

What is the team composition?

We worked directly with Shannon (founder, Global Brand Works) and Caroline (founder, Global Brand Works).

How did you come to work with Global Brand Works?

Our CMO at the time found them through contacts of his and set up an initial meeting with the co-founders. We knew we needed a small and nimble company, and Global Brand Works fit us perfectly. We also really resonated with the co-founders on a personal perspective, and ended up cancelling our meeting with another potential vendor.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent just under $300,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

The entire engagement lasted from September 2016–April 2017 when we handed everything off to our new creative director.

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

From a marketing perspective, it can take years before you truly grow brand awareness in an organization. However, we've had a substantial increase in followers on social media and we've had wonderful conversations with our clients about what our new logo represents. The work Global Brand Works did has really helped our clients build an association with Sutherland in a way they couldn’t before because of how we used to identify ourselves. I’ve also had the pleasure of traveling around the globe over the last year talking to our employees and they love the new look and feel of our brand. I definitely credit much of that love back to our friends at Global Brand Works because they were the pioneers who helped us spearhead this initiative.

How did Global Brand Works perform from a project management perspective?

Very well. They were top notch in terms of accessibility and responsiveness, and I felt like I developed a very strong relationship with them. They were available by text or for quick phone calls and they really had a “drop everything” approach. The only time they couldn’t drop everything was when they were with another client, and in that case, they gave those clients the same level of respect that they were giving to us.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their flexibility, nimbleness, and the personal touch they offer. I would even call their co-founders friends at this point.

Are there any areas they could improve?

We hired a new creative team to take over after we completed most of our work with them and that was a somewhat difficult transition to no fault of Global Brand Works. We were bringing in new personalities and occasionally things got lost in translation, but at the end of the day we love what they helped us build and I would absolutely work with them again.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the senior marketing manager for Credit Sesame. We provide consumers credit scores and financial consultation. I’m responsible for overseeing our user acquisition campaigns.

What challenge were you trying to address with Global Brand Works?

We compete against a much larger firm for the same market share. Our main challenge was creating a distinctive brand identity to stand out in the marketplace. Furthermore, the company’s various departments rarely collaborate and usually design their own visuals. We wanted to initiate a branding effort that would allow experimentation but would also yield a unified marketing strategy.

What was the scope of their involvement?

Global first helped us establish a new brand identity. They have a standard template they use for most brands but were able to customize that to better fit our needs and budget. They presented an initial proposal and we selected a few components we thought represented our company well. Global then conducted extensive research to further refine the brand. They engaged a listening tour of our employees where they interviewed executive-level staff and various department leads. This was to gather feedback on what was great about the company as well as what could be improved.

Then, they researched our current users and issued surveys to non-users to measure brand awareness of the general public. They used all that research to create a second presentation focused on our brand story. Then, they led employees from different departments through a workshop of branding exercises. After the workshop, their presentation went through several more rounds of review and revisions.

The final deliverable was a concise and thorough brand strategy that covered our identity, mission, key values, and brand promise. Ultimately, Global was able to take thousands of data points and turn that information into a few simple words or messages. We’re currently negotiating with them to deliver the second part of the branding effort, where they would design new visuals and marketing materials.

What is the team composition?

I worked directly with both Shannon (Co-founder, Global Brand Works) and Caroline (Co-founder, Global Brand Works).

How did you come to work with Global Brand Works?

We found them through LinkedIn ProFinder. We put out an RFP and interviewed five different companies. We spoke to Shannon and Caroline and they really stood out. We hired them because their price matched what we were looking for and they have a strong background in the financial services industry. As a result, they’re well connected and even happened to know some of our executive-level staff.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent around $40,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

The branding project took place from November 2017­–March 2018.

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

I can’t share any metrics because we haven’t yet put the brand identity in place. However, nearly everyone from the CEO to the department teams agrees with Global’s findings and values the insight. The lack of brand cohesiveness has been a company issue for a while, so we’re happy to finally address it.

How did Global Brand Works perform from a project management standpoint?

They’ve done this for other companies, so they were extremely organized since day one. Giving us a tracking calendar and communicating regularly kept me informed about the project’s progression. I met with Shannon and Caroline once or twice a week and we emailed each other constantly. Their experience allowed them to quickly take control of the project without much assistance from us. They usually completed tasks well-before expected due dates.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They’re well-connected within our industry and knew the landscape without needing us to explain everything. They inherently knew what our brand needed and what it would take to succeed. Shannon and Caroline are insightful and possess mentor-like personalities. We also appreciated how open they were to collaborating and getting our staff involved throughout the process. Other agencies we considered preferred to work independently and deliver a product without getting our feedback.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Some of the deliverables had minor spelling or grammatical errors.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the director of marketing and member services for Northern California Allied Trades. We’re a trade organization representing contractors in commercial and industrial painting, as well as commercial glass glazing companies.

What challenge were you trying to address with Global Brand Works?

We needed help with a rebranding effort. We’d internally decided on the branding strategy but wanted to hire a firm to create new logos.

What was the scope of their involvement?

They created three different logos to support our branding identity. We have the main umbrella organization and then the two professional trade associations underneath. Global Brand Works came up with a family system of logos so that new logos can be added if we do ever expand in the future. So if additional trade associations come underneath the umbrella of Northern California allied trades, then we can add a new logo in a way that visually belongs to the existing set.

The construction industry moves quite slowly, and there’s a lot of resistance to change. Instead of having Global Brand Works help with the entire marketing strategy, I could initially get the board of directors to agree to hire them only to create new logos. Once the logos were complete, I got the green light to use them to create a brand story.

What is the team composition?

I work directly with both Caroline and Shannon (co-owners, Global Brand Works), but mostly with Shannon.

How did you come to work with Global Brand Works?

They were a recommendation from a digital marketing company.

How much have you invested with them?

To date, we’ve spent around $20,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in September 2017 and we're currently increasing our scope of work to include the brand story.

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

We're still rolling out our new logos through a soft launch, but they've really put us in the new age of the industry. The logo redesign, and how the family system of logos work together, establishes us in the forefront of the construction industry. They portray a very forward-thinking image that’s more attractive to the younger generation.

How did Global Brand Works perform from a project management standpoint?

They’ve been flexible in working with us even though we've had to do things slightly backwards. They're extremely responsive via email or text, especially when there's an urgent matter that needs their immediate attention. They also made a presentation to our board of directors, which we really appreciated.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They really listen to what the client is asking for. They over-deliver, and everything they've produced so far is excellent.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I don't think so. We haven't really had any challenges.