Idea Peddler

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the President of CaboVillas.com - I oversee a team specializing in luxury villa rentals, travel services, and vacation accommodations in Los Cabos, Mexico.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Idea Peddler, and what were your goals?

It's important for us to convey to our potential guests the unique aspects of our private vacation villa rentals, as well as the destination as a whole. Our goal is to convey to interested potential travelers the feeling of a luxury vacation in Cabo, our hands-on service, and the unbeatable natural beauty of the destination as well as the many activities available in Cabo.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor and what were the deciding factors?

We were extremely impressed by the quality of work we saw produced by this outstanding team in their previous portfolio. We knew that they'd be able to craft videos to motivate and inspire our travelers on a very high level of production.

Describe the video(s) and the process in detail, including the project steps and all stages of production.

We worked with their team in advance to discuss the activities, locations, venues and "feel" we were looking for. They were extremely receptive and easy to work with. They took our ideas and ran with them - and far surpassed our expectations above and beyond. We discussed all aspects of the schedule in minute detail throughout the shoot so that we were maximizing our time and theirs. We clearly communicated in advance all expectations and timelines, as did their team.

Who did you work with and what was the feedback process like?

We worked with Teo and Blake, both extremely talented and capable professionals. They were great to work with during the shoot. After the process, they were receptive to feedback within our contracted terms to get the final product just right. We trusted their creative vision.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We have used their videos extensively in our villa listing pages as well as on social media. We are confident their videos have elevated our standing both with luxury travelers and with potential new villa owners who would like to list their vacation rentals with us.

Describe their project management style, including communication tools and timeliness.

Their team was easy to communicate with and very receptive to discussions about timelines and deliverables.

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

Their creative spirit and enthusiasm for their work match their impressive technical skills. They don't just know how to create a quality video - their fresh, current and artistic eye definitely distinguishes them from other companies in the same field.

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

We can't wait to continue to work with this team!

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

Teton Science Schools is a leading immersive education nonprofit based in Jackson, Wyoming. I was the Chief Business Officer.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Idea Peddler?

We needed to quickly engage in intentional, strategic social media planning and execution. Due to the pandemic and hiring challenges, Idea Peddler jump right in and managed three social media properties for TSS.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor and what were the deciding factors?

I have worked with Idea Peddler at two other organizations. Cimin and her team are true partners and have delivered consistently. I knew that for this immediate need where we needed an agency member to feel like part of our in-house marketing team, IP was well-suited for that dynamic.

Describe the project in detail and walk through the stages of the project.

We tasked IP to help us manage and build social following for the main TSS accounts as well as the social accounts for two business units: independent social and eco-tourism. The worked with an in-house marketing manager

How many resources from the vendor's team worked with you, and what were their positions?

We had a team of three to four over the course of the engagement ranging from head of social strategy to a social media planner.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

What was supposed to be a six month engagement continues to date, two years later. IP's social media leadership increased TSS's followers, post engagement and in certain business areas, also translated into direct sales conversion.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

IP set monthly and biweekly meetings at both higher planning elevations down to weekly tactical needs. The workflow was iterative overtime and we felt that the IP team was very responsive to our feedback when there were challenges or miscommunications.

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

The IP team is kind, courageous and truly felt like a part of our in-house team. They bring expertise and compassion to their work and relationships with clients.

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

We had a one change in account contact that was rather sudden. Cimin was transparent and approached the change with care.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm the marketing manager in charge of a city tourism ad campaign, responsible for building the City's brand and enhancing tourism.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Idea Peddler?

We hired Idea Peddler to help us refresh the City's ad campaign and reimagine our strategic marketing plan. Idea Peddler has helped shape the creative direction of the campaign while crafting an ever-evolving media strategy. Both of these have served us well during these past difficult years when the tourism landscape was constantly changing and tried-and-true practices were no longer effective.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

We engaged in a rigorous RFP process in which we evaluated numerous initial proposals to select three finalist agencies for interviews. We have a marketing committee that advises the City. After the interviews, the committee members were unanimous in their recommendation to hire Idea Peddler. We recently renewed our contract via a similar process, with the same outcome: unanimous for continuing our relationship with Idea Peddler.

Describe the scope of their work in detail.

As I mentioned, Idea Peddler built our ad campaign from the ground up. This began with market research to establish a data-driven approach to effectively market the City to our target audience. They also created our media plan, which we actively revise as we see what's working and what isn't. They've been a valuable resource for all things marketing, always on top of the latest trends and changes in the field.

What was the team composition?

The team that pitched is the team we work with. As new team members have come on board, we've found them to be constantly excellent.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Over the years we've worked with Idea Peddler, we've seen consistent growth in the return on our campaign dollars spent, to the extent we're able to measure that. Our audience has also grown over time, extending our reach.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

With weekly status update meetings, the workflow has been quite effective. The Idea Peddler team communicates clearly and generally over-delivers on projects that are on time and within budget.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Idea Peddler exhibits all-around excellence in what they do. Perhaps the thing that I find most impressive is their strategic approach to every facet of our work together.

Is there any area for improvement or anything that could have been done differently?

One of the things I've enjoyed about working with Idea Peddler is that we discuss our ongoing projects and what we learn from each of them. Anything that could have been done differently is addressed in the next iteration of the project. They are as active as I am about looking for ways to improve our work together, which is just one reason they have been an excellent partner to work with.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the tourism marketing director for the tourism and marketing department of the town of Taos, New Mexico. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Idea Peddler?

I’m the only person in the marketing department, so I outsource our marketing, PR, social media, and advertising needs to Idea Peddler. 

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We’ve come up with a scope of work for Idea Peddler for 12 months of service. This includes PR and digital marketing services. Our teams work together to figure out who and how we’re going to target tourists for the community and in which seasons to do our campaigns. We also have a budget for social media marketing; Idea Peddler has a calendar of how many times they’re going to post on social media outlets and what deliverables they must have. 

Moreover, Idea Peddler is in charge of the copy and visuals that we need. We also do email marketing, and we have a MailChimp account where they create content for our monthly newsletter. The team is also responsible for responding to comments on social media. Because of the COVID-19 pandemic restrictions, we’ve kept Taos top of mind. Idea Peddler has worked with local businesses to create Bring Taos Home boxes, where local products are sold to people outside of town as gifts. 

What is the team composition?

I have two main points of contact, and they bring in other team members to our weekly calls depending on our agenda. Those team members include social media managers and digital marketing specialists. 

How did you come to work with Idea Peddler?

Idea Peddler was one of the 17 companies that responded to the RFP that we sent out to vendors. We hired them because they had a great presentation and proposal. They also had extensive experience in our region; they’d previously worked with a state tourism department and with a big private resort company. 

I also had experience dealing with some of their team members through other programs that I worked on within the private sector and the government.  On top of that, they were responsive; if I wanted to pivot or change something, they could flexibly do it. As a result, we decided to hire them. 

How much have you invested with them?

Our whole budget for this is $230,000–$250,000. 

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with Idea Peddler in October 2020, and the engagement is ongoing — we’ve signed a second-year contract with them.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Our lodgers’ tax has increased significantly over the past summer, and the Bring Taos Home boxes have also been good support for our community. The team has been involved in the whole campaign from beginning to end, creating a lot of buzz about it through PR and social media efforts. Overall, the Idea Peddler team has done a good job, and the community is happy with them — the project has been successful. 

How did Idea Peddler perform from a project management standpoint?

Their project management is good. We don’t use any specific project management tools, but I get updates every week. I don’t have any complaints about their communication and ability to stick to the schedule. I keep a tight timeframe on a lot of things and expect people to follow it, and the Idea Peddler team has done well in that regard. To communicate, we use emails. Once a week, we talk through Zoom. Emails go out to the whole team, so everybody knows what’s happening.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Idea Peddler has a wide range of knowledge within their team, and that’s nice. Their creativity level is good, so we always get different ideas from different people from their team. On top of that, their resources are always excited and optimistic about making something happen. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, there aren’t any. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Idea Peddler is in Texas, and we’re in New Mexico. They know New Mexico, but they’re not here every day. As a result, if you’re in a small community like us, you have to adjust for the difference in location. Otherwise, take time to come out and meet them at the beginning of the engagement. That makes a big difference. 

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I retired recently from the Georgia O’Keefe Museum as the communications director.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Ideapeddler?

We didn’t have a very robust paid digital advertising campaign. We hadn’t been able to find a good vendor to help us and we didn’t have a lot of expertise in it.  We’d found people who’d give us slivers of what we needed, but not helping very holistically. We hired Ideapeddler to help us with this.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We’re primarily a tourist destination, so 80% of our nearly 200,000 visitors are tourists. Because of that, they looked at the audience we were trying to reach and helped us build a campaign. It was a mix of display advertising and social media mirroring campaign in areas where there are tourists or in our town. 

An example of a campaign is when we did an in-town campaign with geofencing to get people to buy tickets. It wasn’t working and wasn’t the best use of our dollars, so they revamped it and made a Facebook mirroring campaign to find people who look like our existing customers. 

What is the team composition?

I worked with 1–2 people. 

How did you come to work with Ideapeddler?

They came very highly recommended by colleagues. 

How much have you invested with them?

We spent around $40,000. 

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked together from April–October 2019 on this project. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The biggest win for us as an organization was having metrics that were not only there, but were also easily explained. They helped us understand what the metrics meant, showing us why something was or wasn’t a good result. They were able to look at our campaign, identify what would work better, such as a Facebook campaign, and find a way to use our dollars to make them move the needle. 

For someone with not a lot of expertise with metrics, it was really helpful to have Ideapeddler explain everything to move through charts and graphs. It allowed me to tell my supervisors what was happening. I got commended in my own review for finding the right vendor for us, so that was great. 

How did Ideapeddler perform from a project management standpoint?

They were very helpful to me because, when I didn’t understand the metrics to the degree I probably should have, they would fix it and constantly change how things were being delivered for maximum effect. When we needed to change the in-town campaign to a Facebook campaign, they were able to explain things to me in a way I understood and could tell my boss. 

They were very clear communicators. In fact, they helped keep us on point and on track, which was enormously helpful. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

They looked at us and our market holistically, which other companies didn’t do. They looked at our project as a continuum, and part of a larger whole. They did exactly what we were trying to do, but didn’t know how. Their expertise helped educate us, which was the absolute value proposition. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

I really can’t think of anything. I was really pleased with their work and the results. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Make sure you have a good budget. Be prepared. Don’t nickel and dime the cost, be prepared to pay it and pay it gladly. Also, know your audience and your objectives. You may learn something new and they’ll show you a different audience — they’re a true partner. 

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the director of marketing for Taos Ski Valley, a ski resort in northern New Mexico. We have year-round operations with offerings in the summer and winter; although winter is our primary season.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Ideapeddler?

We do a substantial amount of advertising in various regions. Our primary regions are New Mexico, Texas, Oklahoma, and Colorado. My team already works with a digital media buying agency, but we wanted to bring someone on board to help with out-of-home, print, and broadcast advertising.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Ideapeddler conducted a lot of research about the markets throughout our primary regions. This was in efforts to discover where we could best allocate dollars to find people who’d be interested in taking a ski vacation. They also focused on key areas that influenced our messaging and ensured it was repeated across all the advertising channels.

Ideapeddler also communicates and collaborates with our digital agency to make sure the digital ads are being placed in the same regions in order to drive revenue.

What is the team composition?

It’s a small team; I work directly with the owner and one account manager.

How did you come to work with Ideapeddler?

Ideapeddler was a referral. They also do media buying for the New Mexico Department of Tourism and that’s how we heard about them. Their team has an excellent reputation, and we’re thrilled to have them on board with us.

What is the status of this engagement?

Our ongoing partnership began in May 2018.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Two years ago, we started a new line of business called Taos Air, and it’s a very unique operation. Taos Air flies directly to New Mexico from private airports in Texas and is a very high touchpoint operation for the guests. We had a relatively short amount of time to get everything together for the program.

Ideapeddler did a good job of being nimble and finding advertising avenues in both those regions. This directly resulted in a lot of exposure for the program and a successful year of operations.

How did Ideapeddler perform from a project management standpoint?

They’re very organized, implement good details, and are extremely thoughtful in putting together proposals and media plans.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Ideapeddler really knows the markets they’re working in. They have great relationships with the various advertisers we work with and do a good job with negotiating prices with those advertising partners. Their team has demonstrated genuine care and passion for helping us achieve our goals.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, I don’t have any critiques of what they’ve done so far. They’ve been a pleasure to work with.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Be completely open and honest with what you’re looking to achieve, and they’ll be able to deliver on that.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

Briggo is currently in scale-up mode, growing from Texas markets to the Bay Area and beyond. As VP of Marketing, I led all brand and marketing strategy, supported business development, forged strategic brand partnerships, designed and implemented retail sales programs, and drove Briggo’s product roadmap.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Ideapeddler?

We needed an agile advertising agency who could help us target both business and consumer audiences for awareness and acquisition campaigns.

What were your goals for this project?

B2B = website leads & form conversions B2C = awareness & app downloads

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

Prior experience in a former life and local referrals.

Describe the scope of their work in detail.

Ideapeddler helped us construct focused B2B campaigns targeting foodservice and concessionaire decision makers seeking new, efficient, high quality office/airport/retail coffee services. We constructed messaging, creative, and targeting techniques and deployed across paid search, social, and display retargeting.

In parallel we targeted consumers in high-traffic areas surrounding Briggo locations including airports, Whole Foods stores, hospitals, and convention centers. We tested various creative messages and image/video to drive local awareness and performance ads for app downloads.

What was the team composition?

We had direct engagement with the principal and their support team.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Throughout our campaigns, we consistently drove lower CPM's and higher direct response rates month over month.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

They were incredibly responsive, informative, and flexible given our evolving business goals, new retail openings, and budget fluctuation.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

We appreciated their ability to coach and guide, educate, and execute with relative fluidity.

Are there any areas for improvement?

N/A

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the CEO and cofounder of Queenly. We built a dedicated online platform to cater to the formalwear industry.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Idea Peddler?

We needed a video commercial, UI/UX redesign for web and iOS, email marketing designs, static ads for social media, iOS and web banners

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor and what were the deciding factors?

They were a referral from a YC startup founder.

Describe the project in detail and walk through the stages of the project.

We've been with them for almost 2 years now and they've shown and proven they can produce and are reliable. We have a variety of projects so we have a weekly sync on video call.

How many resources from the vendor's team worked with you, and what were their positions?

Not sure about the position titles but we've worked with at least 5+

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

queenly.com

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Very effective

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

The values of the people that work there are impressive. 

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

None.