Gundir

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the marketing manager for ZipRecruiter, a job board and distribution platform that thousands of businesses post on daily.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Gunderson Direct?

We do a significant amount of marketing to attract employers to post jobs on our site. it's mainly B2B marketing, and we wanted a partner to help with our direct mail program.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Gunderson Direct provides strategic consulting as well as operational work for the direct mail campaigns. They set up the campaigns, work with numerous companies, and organize all of the moving parts. They provided winning creative until we were able to build our own internal team, now they work alongside our team, serving up cost-efficient formats and direct mail best practices.

Because Gunderson Direct doesn’t have their own mail shop or data brokerage, it's an advantage; they’re able to shop around for specific services in different segments, which can be quite cost effective. They don’t rely on an internal machine that only operates in one specific way, but they find the best deals and partners for production, data, and other services.

How did you come to work with Gunderson Direct?

We heard great things within the marketing community, and our CMO at the time brought them in.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent millions of dollars over the past four years.

What is the status of this engagement?

We partnered in 2014, and it’s still ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

They helped grow our marketing spend from about $50,000 a month to millions a month, which shows how they’ve been able to drive growth. The ROI matches our expectations compared to other channels we market with.

How did Gunderson Direct perform from a project management standpoint?

They're great at project management, which is their real strength. They expertly manage the different elements of a direct mail campaign and all the stakeholders involved. They always have a monthly plan, and they lay out all the timelines and deadlines for all the different vendors. Their years of experience add a layer of strategic direction to our campaigns.

What did you find most impressive about them?

All the people that work at Gunderson are great. We know Mike [President, Gunderson Direct] personally, and we enjoy every time we’re able to talk. The whole team is great to work with; they’re pleasant, and we enjoy the relationship we’ve built over the years.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They outsource a lot of elements, so bringing some of those disciplines in-house could make them more efficient. However, they do get us in contact with the right people, even if they haven’t developed a strong internal understanding of some of those specific areas.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Director Integrated Marketing of Edelman Financial Engines

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Investment & Wealth Management

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Gundir to accomplish?

• Develop direct mail creative

SOLUTION

How did you find Gundir?

Referral

Why did you select Gundir over others?

Referred to me

How many teammates from Gundir were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

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

Gundir performed a messaging pillars exercise, created four creative concepts, and took two selected concepts to completion. Deliverables included a pillars messaging deck and creative designs ready for production, with up to three rounds of revisions.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Response rate, cost per response and enrollment

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

Their project management was highly effective. They maintained clear communication throughout the process and set realistic timelines from the start. All deliverables were completed on schedule and they were responsive to our needs—whether it was answering questions, adjusting timelines or incorporating our feedback. They were collaborative and great partners. 

What was your primary form of communication with Gundir?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

I was impressed by how quickly they learned about our business, our nuances and were able to speak in the voice and tone of our company.

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

N/A

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Sr. Direct Mail Manager of a healthcare company

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

A leading private online health insurance marketplace that makes it simple to compare and enroll in the nation’s top healthcare plans.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Gundir to accomplish?

• Adapt the newly developed brand for the direct mail marketing channel to ensure cohesion with other marketing efforts, featuring a mix of fully branded and lightly branded designs in the packages.
• Create five new direct mail packages, featuring a mix of fully branded and lightly branded designs, to roll out and test during Medicare’s Annual Enrollment Period.

SOLUTION

How did you find Gundir?

Previous working relationship with the company

Why did you select Gundir over others?

• High ratings
• Pricing fit our budget
• Great culture fit
• Good value for cost

How many teammates from Gundir were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

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

When we partnered with Gundir, we had a shortlist of ideas to translate into direct mail packages. They created five packages, featuring a mix of fully branded and lightly branded designs, to test during Medicare’s Annual Enrollment Period. Each package explored a different positioning angle, with work spanning concept development, copywriting, design, and revisions.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Not every test will meet expectations, but we had a pleasant surprise. One of the direct mail letter packages created by Gundir achieved the second-highest conversion rate in our robust test plan, narrowly trailing our control—a lightly branded piece. This success is particularly noteworthy because heavily branded direct mail has historically underperformed for us. These results indicate a promising direction for future branded campaigns and justify a validation test.

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

Project management was outstanding, thanks to Sarah Stone and Courtney Henson. Both were highly communicative, prompt in delivering items, and flexible when strategy directions changed, even with last-minute adjustments from us. All tasks assigned to Gundir were completed on time, despite a tight schedule, and this success was due to the solid support of our account managers.

What was your primary form of communication with Gundir?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

Every marketing channel has its nuances, but direct mail is especially complex. While any agency can create an attractive design, that's not always what drives performance. Direct mail requires an agency with deep expertise—one that understands the nuances and knows how to translate them to engage consumers. Gundir is that agency.

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

Nope. We were pleased with their work, and I'd recommend Gundir to anyone looking for a first-class direct mail agency!

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Director of Direct Mail and Offline Marketing of Figure Technologies

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Figure provides consumers with a 100% online applicaiton for a HELOC with funding in as few as 5 days.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Gundir to accomplish?

Beat our direct mail control

SOLUTION

How did you find Gundir?

Referral

Why did you select Gundir over others?

• Good value for cost
• exceptional creative work

How many teammates from Gundir were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

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

Create 3 Beat The Control concepts, basedon well-performing creative in the market andstrategic direction derived from GundersonDirect's Pillars exercise

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Gunderson's creative beat our direct mail control by 15-20% as promised

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

They set timline expectations, delivered their 3 concepts on time and thouroughly communicated next steps 

What was your primary form of communication with Gundir?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

Gundir's creative concepts continue outperforming any creative I've ever tested.

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

No