Gush

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m one of the co-founders of Friction Labs. We make athletic chalk products to help athletes get better grips. Until recently, we’d sold pretty much exclusively to rock climbers, but we recently expanded into more traditional weightlifting, tennis, gymnastics, and more.

What challenge were you trying to address with Gush?

In mid-March when the pandemic hit, we started developing a new liquid chalk product that would be a combination of chalk and hand sanitizer. We tried to follow the FDA’s guidelines in creating chalk that’s as close as possible to genuine hand sanitizer. This would help gyms as they begin to reopen. 

We created the product and realized that we needed to market it. In order to get the word out, we’ve relied on Gush for social media marketing and video production.

What was the scope of their involvement?

Gush produced videos that have now been posted on our Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube accounts.

They spearheaded the full-scope of production; first, they pitched us some concepts for approaching the product from a humorous angle. We reviewed those ideas and decided which ones to pursue. They then scripted videos for three different audiences.  They similarly handled everything after that, like the actual filming and post-production effects.

On top of the videos, they came up with hundreds of conversion assets that launched alongside the video campaigns.

What is the team composition?

We worked with three people. Tim (Founder), Evan (Media Specialist), who managed our social media, and Chris

How did you come to work with GUSH?

Tim is the younger brother of a very close friend of mine. He was launching his agency at the start of the pandemic, and reached out to ask about any projects I might be interested in. We happened to be developing our product, so it was just the right timing.

How much have you invested with them?

The video production cost around $9,000, and their ongoing social media management and minor content creation comes to around $3,500 a month.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in late March, and the project is still ongoing. They’re still running the ads which have launched, and they’re now working on expanding our audience-targeting efforts.

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

Their work has been exceptional, and we’ve had a fantastic experience with them. They’re incredibly detail-oriented and thorough in what they’ve produced. It’s obvious that they’re putting in a tremendous effort to make this campaign as successful as it can be. They’re creatives who are professional yet fun to work with. They have a keen sense of how to combine genuine comedy with a smart business approach that’ll successfully convert.

On the quantitative side, our target ROI was two dollars for every dollar spent on our ads. So far, they’ve been able to hit that. In terms of meeting deadlines and overall communication, they’ve been very, very good.

How did Gush perform from a project management standpoint?

They’ve been very good. We had an aggressive timeline, and while we didn’t hit it, it was okay. We maintained constant communication, and they succeeded in churning out content quickly.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They know funny. If you want to take a funny yet fundamentally sound approach to ads, they’ve got you covered.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They’ve could’ve improved their initial communication regarding the deliverables. We went into it thinking that we were simply going to receive three marketing videos. As the process went on, they were insistent that in order for them to be successful, there had to be a variety of supporting conversion assets.

Those conversion assets significantly boosted our campaigns’ performance, but I did wish that I knew the full scope of what I would be getting, earlier on.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Have a really clear idea of what markets you’re trying to go after, and what level of comfort you have with trying to be funny and taking risks. Communicate your expectations to them, especially regarding your ROAS.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

After 30 years in the corporate world, I left my job and began traveling, working with nonprofits, and writing a book. The book I wrote is about showing gratitude to people in your life, which has led me to a new initiative to raise awareness about extending gratitude to loved ones.

What challenge were you trying to address with Gush?

I hired Gush to develop the branding around my initiative. 

What was the scope of their involvement?

Gush created a brand for my initiative. They designed and developed a brand new website and helped with social media. The team also handles public relations. 

What is the team composition?

I work with Tim (Founder), who’s my main point of contact. I’ve interfaced with a few people, but for the most part, Tim manages the team.

How much have you invested with them?

I’ve spent about $25,000 so far, and expect to go up to about $50,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We began working with them in May 2020, and the work is ongoing.

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

Gush is very unique in the way they approach creative projects. They collaborate very well and they’re fantastic listeners. Also, the feedback on the website has been fantastic.

How did Gush perform from a project management standpoint?

Tim has handled the project excellently. I’ve noticed a lot of fragmentation with other creative firms I’ve worked with, but he always knows who to delegate tasks to. It’s made working with Gush very easy. They’ve met all deadlines. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their creativity, speed, and affordability all come to mind. I don’t have time to waste, and I trust them to get the work done. Also, Tim’s capacity to listen, collaborate, and organize a great team is outstanding. Gush is a wonderful, capable team.

Are there any areas they could improve?

The one area for growth I would like to encourage is for Gush to appreciate how good they are. If they knew how good they were, they’d be more confident. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

The right person to engage Gush is the one who doesn’t want to do traditional things. They’re too creative for that. If you want to think outside the box and be a little edgy, they’d be perfect.

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm the creator of the Whisper Bidet – an attachable bidet that sells online directly to consumers.

For what projects/services did your company hire Gush?

Whisper Bidets hired Gush for a hilarious video to drive online sales. Gush provided creative development, video production, and post-production.

What were your goals for this project?

To make a hilarious ad about not having toilet paper that drives online sales.

How did you select this vendor?

I know the owner of Gush personally and have worked with him in the past. He is fucking hilarious and I knew we could make something great together.

Describe the video(s) and the process in detail.

I collaborated closely with Gush throughout the entire process. I wanted an absurd hilarious video and together we made exactly that. Gush turned around edits in a timely manner and always shared their POV on what was best for the work.

What was your vendors' project management or feedback process?

We collaborated via Google docs and slides and stayed in touch on email and on the phone.

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

I'm very happy with the ad and I'm in the early stages of using it for marketing.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

We had an amazing effective workflow. Our timing was super tight and together we were able to pull it off.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

The video is hilarious!

Are there any areas for improvement?

Was hard to get Gush to respond to the same email chain lol. Every piece of communication was a new email.

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am an investor in and partner of a "house of brands" for hemp-based wellness products.

For what projects/services did your company hire Gush?

To design an "out of the box" platform and campaign to distinguish ourselves in an insanely crowded space.

What were your goals for this project?

To explore creative approaches and tones for a couple of the brands.

How did you select this vendor?

They were recommended.

Describe the scope of their work in detail.

We wanted help understanding how we should show up and capture the attention of our target market. That meant a tagline, tone of voice, and an understanding of how it would come to life.

What was the team composition?

Founder (Tim), co-founder (Jeff) and media specialist (Evan)

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

Gush blew us away with a range of creative options and approaches, each different from the rest and all of which we felt could differentiate us from the thousands of hemp-based CBD health & wellness products in the market.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Seamless

What did you find most impressive about this company?

They came up with amazing creative rooted in strategy that we felt would make people pay attention and like the brands.

Are there any areas for improvement?

They’re incredibly passionate about their ideas and expect to be trusted when making recommendations. If you like to lead and believe you know better then they do, it may not be the best fit.

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm the founder of Levy Electric, a direct-to-consumer electric scooter company.

For what projects/services did your company hire GUSH?

We started working with Gush in the spring of 2019 to establish our brand presence in New York City, just as we were getting started selling and renting out our electric scooters.

What were your goals for this project?

• Increase Brand Awareness
• Free PR (by creating interesting content)
• Differentiate from other scooter companies (through funny / edgy marketing tactics)
• Get people comfortable with riding scooters when they might otherwise be apposed to being seen on a vehicle like this.

How did you select this vendor?

We knew Tim from earlier projects we had known him to be working on. We thought his creativity and personality he brought to companies like ours was perfect for what we were looking to do.

Describe the scope of their work in detail.

We started by brainstorming ideas for the overarching brand we wanted to present ourselves as. Gush came up with several concepts that we reviewed together at the start of the kickoff. Once we had a solid theme around #ScooterStigma and "Own It", Tim started working on coming up with creative concepts that would elaborate on this theme.

Mainly we were working on engaging video content that would reach thousands of people in our target market through organic sharing. We were involved in the storyboarding along the way, and Gush was responsible for directing, producing, and hiring a crew to product the content.

What was the team composition?

Myself and Tim

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

Through the content we produced we amassed over 10,000 collective youtube views. We had been mentioned in 4 major publications including The Observer & Mashable. Traffic to our website increased 300% in the weeks after this was released.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Very fluid and collaborative. Gush had a strong vision but was flexible in taking our feedback into consideration.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Creativity, mainly in terms of coming up with very new ideas that other companies weren't doing. The branding / adversing aspect was far from vanilla, and the content got people taking about the company. Most agencies would not be bold enough to come up and execute the ideas that GUSH had.

Are there any areas for improvement?

I believe Gush could use additional members on their team so they can expand the scope of the services they provide.

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm the CEO of Private Packs and we design ergonomic, wearable and reusable therapy packs for the intimate body parts.

For what projects/services did your company hire GUSH?

Rebrand the company and prepare our product launch branding and campaign video.

What were your goals for this project?

To find a way to position my business differently from everyone else in the tech space, create branding assets, launch my website, and create a crowdfunding vid that people couldn't ignore.

How did you select this vendor?

RFP

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

What was described in the goals section but accomplished in just a couple weeks which was insanely fast.

What was the team composition?

Tim, Mike, and Ola.

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

We received plenty of compliments on our new website. Our site visits went up and our bounce rate went down.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

Seamless

What did you find most impressive about this company?

They were collaborative, insanely creative, and just fun.

Are there any areas for improvement?

They were a bit too blunt about their opinions, but they are experts and were pleasantly sensitive about their art.