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Your Brand in the Media

4.7
10 reviews

For thought leaders in the B2B space seeking greater brand awareness, JJR is the fastest growing public relations agency in Chicago’s west suburbs that delivers proven results and value. Every engagement is a mission to place a client partner’s brand in the center of their most influential media creating buzz, leads, referrals, sales, growth and, at the end of the day, loyal brand advocates.

 
$10,000+
 
$150 - $199 / hr
 
10 - 49
 Founded
2006
Show all +
Naperville, IL
headquarters
  • 2135 CityGate Lane, Suite 300
    Naperville, IL 60563
    United States

Portfolio

Key clients: 

Companies or individuals in need of public relations and/or marketing services. 

Reviews

4.7
10 reviews
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Brand Awareness for Software Solutions & Integrations Firm

“JJR Marketing has been very successful in getting our organization recognized.”

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4.5

Quality: 
4.5
Schedule: 
5.0
Cost: 
4.0
Willing to refer: 
4.0
The Project
 
$10,000 to $49,999
 
2017 - Ongoing
Project summary: 

JJR Marketing provides brand awareness services, creating and pitching press releases for media placements.

The Reviewer
 
51-200 Employees
 
Chicago, Illinois
General Manager, Software Solutions Company
 
Verified
The Review
Feedback summary: 

JJR Marketing creates effective press releases that have helped the organization gain recognition in various publications, as well as on a news network. Organized, timely, and proactive in their approach, they continue to be great, energetic partners to work with.

A Clutch analyst personally interviewed this client over the phone. Below is an edited transcript.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the general manager for a software solutions company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with JJR Marketing?

We wanted to improve our brand awareness, so we were looking for a firm to help with everything from press releases to helping us improve our digital presence.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

JJR Marketing finds and pitches press releases to potential media outlets. They also make suggestions for online and print outlets and have gotten our CEO profiled in a magazine. They're in the process of helping us apply for different awards to help highlight the organization.

What is the team composition?

I work with Jacqueline (CEO, JJR Marketing) and Marie (Public Relations Manager, JJR Marketing).

How did you come to work with JJR Marketing?

They were recommended to us by a PR firm we worked with on our website.

How much have you invested with them?

We've invested between $20,000–$30,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked with them in 2017 on one project, and started working with them again for additional work in September 2018.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

JJR Marketing has been very successful in getting our organization recognized, including a profile in a magazine and a spot on a news network in Chicago.

How did JJR Marketing perform from a project management standpoint?

They're good about meeting deadlines, documenting their work, and following up as needed.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They're very energetic, positive, and come up with effective strategies.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No. They're doing all that they can given the competitiveness of media placements.

4.5
Overall Score We're very pleased and anticipate positive results for months to come.
  • 5.0 Scheduling
    ON TIME / DEADLINES
    They've met all deadlines thus far.
  • 4.0 Cost
    Value / within estimates
    They're fairly priced and provide a good value for their services.
  • 4.5 Quality
    Service & deliverables
    They've helped us get recognized in various publications.
  • 4.0 NPS
    Willing to refer

Marketing Materials & PR for Financial Advising Business

"They are very good at bringing in a timeline and showing you what should be done by which date."

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4.5

Quality: 
4.5
Schedule: 
4.5
Cost: 
n/a
Willing to refer: 
5.0
The Project
 
Confidential
Project summary: 

JJR Marketing worked with the client to update and modernize their media positioning through creating print materials and redesigning their website to have a greater effect in the marketplace.

The Reviewer
 
1-10 Employees
 
Aurora, Illinois
Jack Meyer
Senior Partner, Meyer Wealth Advisors
 
Verified
The Review
Feedback summary: 

JJR Marketing excels at defining a clear timeline for their projects and delivering work according to that time frame. Their understanding of business is what fuels them to produce quality work that accomplishes their client's goals.

A Clutch analyst personally interviewed this client over the phone. Below is an edited transcript.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

The name of our company is Meyer Wealth Advisors. We’ve been in the financial advising business for the last 40 years. Our job is to work with “the millionaire next door,” and try to help them maximize the growth and use of their wealth. I founded the company, and I’m the senior partner here.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with JJR Marketing?

We needed two things: we wanted to update our profile and needed to get our print materials and media positions up-to-date.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We didn’t have a good cadre of deliverables before working with JJR Marketing, and that was a thing we really wanted to address. We had already taken a few pieces of our company to the next level when we redesigned our logo. Two years ago, we were called Meyer Financial Services, and that didn’t define what we wanted to do. We would get called for mortgages, tax preparation, and budgeting. That’s not what we do. We manage people’s wealth. That’s when we changed the name to Meyer Wealth Advisors and using a third party, redesigned our logo and colors.

We brought in JJR Marketing primarily to work on the print materials like the handouts and leave behinds. They helped us develop a few pieces. These are pieces I am very proud of when we meet with prospects either on a first-time basis or clients that we meet with on a regular basis. These are things we can add to them that they take away. The print materials help develop our brand recognition with clients. JJR Marketing also helped us redesign our website and ramp it up to more of a current effectiveness in the marketplace.

In the beginning, JJR wrote our blog. Jackie Camacho-Ruiz [CEO, JJR Marketing] helped me understand what we’re trying to communicate. Her writers wrote four or five blogs for us last year, but I’ve taken it over at the beginning of this year.

How did you come to work with JJR Marketing?

A friend of mine in Aurora called us. She is in the business of selling marketing materials like pens and coffee cups. During the conversation, she mentioned that she had time to interact with Jackie at a meeting, and I posed more questions to her about what it is that Jackie did. Both my partner and I decided this sounds like somebody we need to talk to. That’s how we connected with her.

This is the first time we’ve worked with somebody who is more of a multifaceted agency. We had worked with a PR person in Aurora who wrote some things for us, but nothing of any real formal nature. JJR was the first interaction we had with a firm that worked in that area.

How much have you invested with JJR Marketing?

It’s been thousands of dollars.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with JJR Marketing over a year ago.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

This is all encompassing because we’ve done a lot of different things. We’ve upped our office profile and moved to a higher profile location with a nicer office. Two years ago, we were in an office building that we owned. Unfortunately, when you own a building for 25–26 years, you probably don’t spruce it up as often as you should have. We made a business decision to sell the building and move into a higher profile place.

We’ve changed our logo, position, and interaction with our clientele. We’ve ramped up the whole game, and we have gotten good responses from our clients. They have noticed we’ve ramped it up, and they appreciate it. JJR Marketing is a part of that because they did a lot. Although I can’t say it was 100% because of them, they were valuable and important.

How did JJR Marketing perform from a project management standpoint?

JJR Marketing has been fine in this aspect. They are very good at laying timelines out, but it wouldn’t be a good, fair analysis to compare them to us, primarily because we were going through many changes. Many timelines had to be redeveloped and rethought since we were redeveloping the platform. They are very good at bringing in a timeline and showing you what should be done by which date.

What did you find most impressive about JJR Marketing?

I don’t have anything to compare JJR Marketing to since I’ve never dealt with a company like them. I didn’t interview other firms. If I were to interview a half a dozen other firms, maybe then I would have a better answer for you.

Are there any areas JJR Marketing could improve?

I really can’t think of anything off the top of my head.

4.5
Overall Score It was fine.
  • 4.5 Scheduling
    ON TIME / DEADLINES
    JJR Marketing is very fastidious as far as using timelines.
  • N/A Cost
    Value / within estimates
  • 4.5 Quality
    Service & deliverables
    JJR Marketing's materials have been good.
  • 5.0 NPS
    Willing to refer
    We’ve recommended JJR Marketing twice.

Branding and Naming for Financial Services Company

"Everything was truly amazing."

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5.0

Quality: 
5.0
Schedule: 
4.0
Cost: 
4.5
Willing to refer: 
5.0
The Project
 
$10,000 to $49,999
 
Feb. 2016 - Ongoing
Project summary: 

As a reflection of the organic and healthy roots of their client's business, JJR Marketing created a name, logo, and overall branding strategy that articulates their vision and creates an understanding for its viewers.

The Reviewer
 
1-10 Employees
 
Geneva, Illinois
Lisa Conrath-Bova
Co-Founder, Lenity Financial Inc.
 
Verified
The Review
Feedback summary: 

The team at JJR Marketing is distinguished for their ability to translate an intangible vision into a tangible identity and brand that resonates strongly with its audience.

A Clutch analyst personally interviewed this client over the phone. Below is an edited transcript.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the co-founder of Lenity Financial, Inc. We’re a financial services company that does financial planning and investment management.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with JJR Marketing?

My husband and I have 36 years of combined experience in financial services under the umbrella of global wealth managers and wirehouses. We decided to launch our own business from soup to nuts. From the very beginning, our challenge was how to brand our business, what to name our business, and how to market our business. The critical piece for us was working with a marketing firm that was compassionate, passionate, and had a good level of connectivity. That’s how we are with our clients and with what we do. We also wanted a partner who was interested in understanding how we wanted to differentiate ourselves in the marketplace.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We started talking with JJR Marketing, specifically Jackie Camacho-Ruiz, about starting our own business. Once we were finished with our business plan, we sat with JJR Marketing to discuss their services and how they might be able to help us. Within the first two months of conversations and reviewing what JJR Marketing offers, it was clear to us that they were the right people. Our brand started as a husband and wife team who have a great deal of kindness toward our clients. As a team, we also wanted to educate our clients. JJR Marketing got that. They were great listeners and were able to explain how they would articulate our brand. That was step one.

After confirming that they understood our business, we began working through some of the initial details such as the name and title of our business. They worked with us for a few months to find the right fit and name. Through our collaboration, we—but primarily them—came up with the name we actually use: Lenity Financial. They found that “lenity” means kindness and gentleness. 

They created the logo, which is beautiful. It’s organic looking—which is how we have started our business, in an organic and healthy way. Even though we’re a financial services company, we have health partners. You get that understanding when you look at our brand.

We’ll be sitting with them within a month or so for our next phase of issuing press releases. We’ve personally held off on those because we collaborated on a journal that was launched in February. After that, we’ll be looking back at what we’ve put out so far to make sure the branding speaks across everything we’re doing. JJR Marketing has a good pair of eyes for that.

How did you come to work with JJR Marketing?

I found them through Facebook. A friend of mine had written her love letter to her passion—her nonprofit—and she had shared it on her business page. Apparently, she was a client of JJR in some way. Their Valentine’s newsletter included that beautifully written letter, and it struck a chord with me. I liked that they had shared the story of another business owner, albeit a nonprofit, in a unique way. It allowed that sort of passion and compassion to be out there to strike a chord with people. We’re very personal and not just a business and I could see very clearly that JJR was the same. I picked up the phone and called to see about meeting them.

How much have you invested with JJR Marketing?

We paid between $12,000 and $15,000 for their services.

What is the status of this engagement?

We had our first meeting in February or March 2016. The initial phase is completed, but the engagement will continue.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The early feedback on the branding, logo, and name has been incredibly positive. It resonates with people. It has absolutely brought us business—people are getting an understanding fairly quickly as to who we are from our logo, brand, and website. JJR did a really great job articulating that and we collaborated on the language as well. We opened our doors on August 1st and I figure that we’re just now closing some of those relationships from our branding.

At this point, we have a couple of new clients coming on board just because of the journal. We’re just starting to get that type of information out there, yet we’ve already had positive responses about our journal. It has resonated with people that we know.

We are building our financial services company from the ground up, meaning we aren’t connected to an LPL or a Raymond James type of entity. We work with our own custodian, Interactive Brokers, and we created everything. Our branding looks professional and on par with those entities, so we had a good sense there. It works, especially given our decades of experience with other global wealth managers. As far as dollars, I can’t say anything specific. In our industry, it usually takes two to three months from the first meeting until the actual assets arrive. However, the financial planning part is absolutely underway, and I would say we can attribute that in part to JJR and their marketing.

How did JJR Marketing perform from a project management standpoint?

They did a great job, but there were a couple of bumps in the road. Just like the stock market, it didn’t go straight up. Here’s what we did: we communicated our concerns. Jackie Camacho-Ruiz, who heads the organization, got right to us, listened intently, and heard what we had to say. To our significant satisfaction, they made the necessary adjustments. The working relationship, as you can imagine, is not all perfect, but we found them to be great collaborators. They are good at fixing the problems when they did arise in a very professional and quick manner. We had a good experience in that respect.

What did you find most impressive about JJR Marketing?

It is Jackie Camacho-Ruiz. She is the standout, and it is her creation. She has a good team, which is wonderful, especially when you’re looking for something to touch others—a long-term vision, something bigger than what your dream is. She is capable of creating and making that happen as seen with our visuals, logo, website, and the ideas for our journal. Everything was truly amazing. Our relationship with Jackie started as a conversation of the passion indicator index because we work with indexes in the stock market. That transitioned into an actual 152-page journal with working pages for our clients and a variety of other applications. That is what I think distinguishes them—Jackie and her ability to make things happen that you couldn’t imagine yourself but actually work beautifully within your business. Her team brought something tangible to our business—such as a book—in addition to the intangibles of our service and experience for our clients. That’s a trademark of JJR Marketing.

Are there any areas JJR Marketing could improve?

That’s always the case with any business. The management team at JJR, such as the project managers and editors, can be more hands-on and act a second pair of eyes for Jackie. There are some really strong editors on their team and there are others not as strong. Improvement of the overall team on edits is important and truly just one of the very few issues we had.

5.0
Overall Score
  • 4.0 Scheduling
    ON TIME / DEADLINES
  • 4.5 Cost
    Value / within estimates
  • 5.0 Quality
    Service & deliverables
  • 5.0 NPS
    Willing to refer

Branding & Marketing for Consulting Services Company

"She [Jacqueline Camacho-Ruiz, CEO of JJR Marketing] is very enthusiastic, passionate, and can get things done."

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4.0

Quality: 
5.0
Schedule: 
3.0
Cost: 
3.0
Willing to refer: 
5.0
The Project
 
$10,000 to $49,999
 
May 2015 - Ongoing
Project summary: 

JJR Marketing was employed to design a website, logo, and tagline. They maintain ongoing marketing support for the client to expand their business and strengthen their online credentials.

The Reviewer
 
2-10 Employees
 
Chicago, Illinois
Founder, Consulting Services Company
 
Verified
The Review
Feedback summary: 

One of JJR Marketing's strengths is their knowledge of public relations. They have talented editors that know how to successfully reach a target audience and launch a business online.

A Clutch analyst personally interviewed this client over the phone. Below is an edited transcript.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the founder and owner of a company that provides consulting services, and I also do some publishing.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with JJR Marketing?

I hired JJR Marketing to build my brand, website, logo, and business cards. They also run my ongoing marketing.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Before a project, they deliver a positioning statement that defines what our plans are. It's a collaborative effort as we make revisions. On an ongoing basis, I get detailed reports on the status of my posts. They actively search for opportunities for me to give lectures, media placements, and so on.

How did you come to work with JJR Marketing?

I was introduced to the owner [Jacqueline Camacho-Ruiz, CEO of JJR Marketing], and we started working on other things together before I had even started my business. When I started my business, I called her. She's very enthusiastic, passionate, and can get things done. I didn't do a bidding process because I knew her and had seen some of the things that the company had done.

How much have you invested with JJR Marketing?

I've spent approximately $40,000 with them so far.

What is the status of this engagement?

I started working with them in May 2015, and the work is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

I've had several media placements. I've gotten two very prestigious awards as an entrepreneur because of the support from JJR. I receive great compliments on my website. I have more followers on Twitter, and my business has been expanding. JJR's thought leadership has been vital in generating my content credentials. When anyone Googles my name, I will appear in the first 20 results.

How did JJR Marketing perform from a project management standpoint?

They're great. I'm the one holding things back.

What did you find most impressive about JJR Marketing?

I think they're really good at PR.

Are there any areas JJR Marketing could improve?

They could be more strategic and do more of a market analysis to be more holistic.

4.0
Overall Score
  • 3.0 Scheduling
    ON TIME / DEADLINES
    They're good at scheduling but, at times, I need more time to think about what they are planning. I don't like to be rushed.
  • 3.0 Cost
    Value / within estimates
    It is expensive.
  • 5.0 Quality
    Service & deliverables
    They have very good editors.
  • 5.0 NPS
    Willing to refer
    I've recommended them many times.

Marketing Strategy for Electrical Manufacturing Company

"I never look at JJR as though we made the wrong choice. I'm very comfortable with them."

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5.0

Quality: 
5.0
Schedule: 
5.0
Cost: 
5.0
Willing to refer: 
5.0
The Project
 
$10,000,000+
Project summary: 

JJR Marketing helped this client elevate their visibility to potential customers through redesigning their web page and aiding in other marketing strategies.

The Reviewer
 
11-50 employees
 
Chicago, IL
Todd Thomas
President, Elan Industries
 
Verified
The Review
Feedback summary: 

Despite their unfamiliarity with the engineering field, JJR Marketing took the time to completely understand the client and their potential market in order to execute the most effective marketing strategy.

A Clutch analyst personally interviewed this client over the phone. Below is an edited transcript.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

Elan Industries designs and builds custom electronic controls for commercial and residential appliances, such as ovens and refrigerators. I’m the president of the company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with JJR Marketing?

For years we've been a firm that has flown under the radar as we were growing. Doing these custom controls is a complex business. It takes a while to build up a reputation. It was appropriate that we didn’t try to broadcast what we’ve done because we had to build up a reputation and experience level. A couple of years ago, we got engaged with JJR to start increasing our presence. Over the course of the last year, we've really engaged JJR on a more deliberate level because we want to pop up on a more national stage regarding our capability sets.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We originally approached them about four or five years ago to revise our web page to start elevating our presence on a larger stage. They were really powerful because they came in and had great ideas that they implemented for us. They outlined a very comprehensive thought leadership program in their process of interviewing us and seeing who our customers were and our success stories. They really looked at what we've done in the market and how we've been perceived and received by the customers that we work with. It was impressive. They dove into all the different ways in which they wanted to market Elan, and they're in the process of implementing that.

How did you come to work with JJR Marketing?

We initially engaged them probably seven or eight years ago. We have an IT firm that we contract with that handles all of our IT consulting. They used JJR and turned us on to them. It was a recommendation from one of their clients.

How much have you invested with JJR Marketing?

At this stage, we're engaged at probably $3,000 to $4,000 per month.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them eight years ago.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We're pretty new to the program. Anecdotally, I've had different customers and colleagues in the workplace that have given us a pretty fair amount of positive feedback. I don't have any concrete numbers just yet.

How did JJR Marketing perform from a project management standpoint?

I have to smile because they are excellent, very much on top of it. They're very diligent, and they're very persistent. If anything, my team and I have been the roadblocks because we're busy.

What did you find most impressive about JJR Marketing?

I like the way that they approach things. I think that their success parallels my company's success with our customers. They really sit down and spend a good amount of time to figure out who we are, how we are different, what makes us tick, and then they apply their years of experience and marketing. When we went to JJR, we wanted to increase our presence but we didn't even know what that meant. The guys at JJR were the ones that came back and were able to come up with ways to connect Elan to potential customers. Despite the fact that they are not engineers, JJR could still sit down and really absorb themselves into our world and understand it at a level that allows them to market us effectively. I think they could do the same for just about anybody.

Are there any areas JJR Marketing could improve?

No, nothing comes to mind. JJR has been excellent. I never look at JJR as though we made the wrong choice. I'm very comfortable with them. I'm happy with what they do for us. I think it was a good selection, and I've been pleased.

5.0
Overall Score There's no part of the interaction that I look at in a negative light. I've just been very pleased. I think it was a good choice. It's important to me.
  • 5.0 Scheduling
    ON TIME / DEADLINES
    It's generally my company that is slowing down schedules, not theirs.
  • 5.0 Cost
    Value / within estimates
    At this point, I truly don't have a lot to benchmark against. My inherent gut feel is that they are providing a value for the money that it costs me.
  • 5.0 Quality
    Service & deliverables
    They've been excellent in every respect.
  • 5.0 NPS
    Willing to refer
    I've found them to be excellent to work with. They are very good at understanding who we are and where we need to be.

Marketing Strategy for Landscape Illumination Company

"JJR Marketing approaches things differently and looks at ideas outside the box. […] They’ve always come up with unique ways of accomplishing basic things."

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4.5

Quality: 
4.5
Schedule: 
4.0
Cost: 
4.5
Willing to refer: 
5.0
The Project
 
Confidential
Project summary: 

JJR Marketing helped the client elevate their brand by developing a cohesive marketing plan to position as a thought leader in the industry.

The Reviewer
 
11-50 employees
 
Chicago, IL
Dean MacMorris
Head of Business Development, Night Light, Inc.
 
Verified
The Review
Feedback summary: 

The client is appreciative that since working with JJR Marketing their company’s visibility has greatly increased. Their creative approach to marketing strategy is what sets them apart from other agencies.

A Clutch analyst personally interviewed this client over the phone. Below is an edited transcript.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

Night Light, Inc. is a Chicago-based landscape illumination company that services all of Chicagoland's residential, commercial, and multifamily landscape lighting needs. Dean MacMorris oversees the sales business development.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with JJR Marketing?

Our marketing pieces were pieced together and we were struggling to find cohesiveness and purpose with our marketing efforts. We needed to engage a creative marketing agency that would guide us through the process to position our company as the sophisticated and innovative company that we are.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

JJR initially helped us to create a new logo and update our marketing collateral pieces to keep with the consistent branding. They developed our brochure, business cards, and stationary to set up our brand in the right light for customers. Once the set up was complete, we moved into developing a marketing plan for the entire year that has since grown our brand and increased sales over the years.

How did you come to work with JJR Marketing?

I had used marketing firms in the past, but it had gotten to a point where we felt we weren't getting what we'd hoped to get out of a marketing firm. They weren’t that creative, and it seemed like they were asking for a lot of investment for very little proven results. I met the director of JJR at an event and got to know her. We talked, and she shared what they do at JJR, and I shared the history of our company. She then came into our office and did a presentation to my business partner, manager, and myself. We were impressed decided to work with JJR Marketing to help ease our marketing pains and ultimately accomplish our goals in a new and creative ways than we had ever done.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with JJR eight years ago and continue to work with them.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What was the scope of their involvement?

Revamping our marketing collateral pieces and creating a consistent look for our brand was huge when it came to setting ourselves up in the right light for our clients and the work we do. The creativity infused into the marketing began to get us noticed and set us apart from our competition. Our tagline, “For those that appreciate the difference” was something JJR helped us to develop and position us well in the marketplace. JJR has pulled together the graphics, metrics, plans, and scheduling of all initiatives and campaigns we do, and although I oversee the marketing, our company relies on the flawless execution of the JJR team. They've always done a great job of doing that and giving us the results we were looking and hoping for.

How did JJR Marketing perform from a project management standpoint?

They have approached each of our projects as a team, which is nice because we don’t rely on one person. They do a good job of teaming up and putting the right people on projects that need to be done or information that needs to be shared with us. The team approach is very handy and effective.

What did you find most impressive about JJR Marketing?

They’re all very creative, which is the main thing for us. JJR Marketing approaches things differently and looks at ideas outside the box. They don’t just listen and do whatever we say but challenge us to think differently and innovatively. They’ve always come up with unique ways of accomplishing basic things. I’d say their biggest distinguishing factor is their ability to do things differently that really captivate an audience.

Are there any areas JJR Marketing could improve?

Nothing comes to mind. There are always glitches here and there regarding timing, but overall they have things well covered.

4.5
Overall Score We're very pleased. If there was ever a little bit of change that needed to be made, they jump right in and make it.
  • 4.0 Scheduling
    ON TIME / DEADLINES
    They do a good job. Sometimes things can be done sooner, but we don't know the process. There's some frustration there, but it takes a certain amount of time to get it done. It's not their fault; it's more of us understanding the process.
  • 4.5 Cost
    Value / within estimates
    We've always felt comfortable with the cost structure they put on individual projects with us.
  • 4.5 Quality
    Service & deliverables
    They take pride in everything that they provide and try to do their very best to give you what they've proposed.
  • 5.0 NPS
    Willing to refer
    I recommend them all the time, and they've been hired by several large firms that have asked me about the market. I think in every instance, they've been hired.

Marketing for Swimming School

"It doesn't matter if it's 9 p.m. I can email JJR and more than likely I'll get an answer from them right there."

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4.0

Quality: 
5.0
Schedule: 
2.5
Cost: 
4.0
Willing to refer: 
5.0
The Project
 
Less than $10,000
Project summary: 

JJR Marketing provided a custom six-month marketing plan comprising social media content, blogs, contests, and networking with other businesses in the area. The goal was differentiating from the market.

The Reviewer
 
51-200 employees
 
Chicago Metro Area
Angelica Monroy
Executive Director, British Swim School
 
Verified
The Review
Feedback summary: 

While JJR Marketing excelled at producing digital and print collateral itself, they did not provide extensive staff or customer engagement. The director was not as engaged as was hoped. Still, JJR was always supportive, accessible, and committed to building rapport.

A Clutch analyst personally interviewed this client over the phone. Below is an edited transcript.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your organization.

We offer swimming lessons to young children, babies, toddlers, and adults.

What is your position and responsibilities?

I am the executive director for a British swim school. I oversee all of the dry part of the business – the organizational and the customer service aspects. I also get my hands on the marketing and HR services of our company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What business challenge were you trying to address with JJR Marketing?

It had a lot to do with our marketing, focusing on our growth and increasing our brand awareness. We were looking to differentiate ourselves from other swim programs in our market.

SOLUTION

Please describe the scope of their involvement in detail.

First, we talked to Jackie [Camacho-Ruiz, director at JJR Marketing]. She came in and did a presentation of what her company does, laying out our approach in terms of the particular areas that we needed to grow in. We've never worked with a marketing company before, so we were exploring that area. They put together a marketing plan for us for six months. It included different aspects of what they will do for us, and some things we need to do on our end. They planned on increasing our presence on social media sites, our search engine optimization, and exposing ourselves more to marketing our brand.

It was a whole plan, from blogging, creating contests, increasing our brand, building relationships with other businesses in the area, creating a press release kit, and how to approach schools as well. We also work in the area of children with disabilities, so learning and talking more about our specific programs in that area. They even added extra things that we didn't quite ask for, but they've been providing them to us as well.

How did you come to work with JJR Marketing?

The process revolved around finding a company that would understand what we were trying to do, that spoke our language. They were very engaging in their part, and they were able to work with what we had available at that time, budget-wise, as well as helping us define the plan itself.

Could you provide a sense of the size of this initiative in financial terms?

It's probably pretty close to the $10,000 range. The initiative itself was not huge. In our group, we have a lot of franchisees who are just starting off, so their marketing fund was very limited. It might seem like they were not asking for a whole lot compared to other marketing firms but, for our particular group, it was a little bit on the upper scale.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started sometime towards the end of March [2015]. It took a little while initially to get off the ground and put everything together. A lot of that was because our group is very busy. We have a lot of owners who are very involved with the day-to-day activities of their business, and we don't have a specific marketing department. A few of us had to take on the additional responsibilities on top of everything else we already had. I would say that the delay in the process to get going wasn't necessarily JJR's, a lot of it had to do with our company. The collaboration is still ongoing, and it's not over until September. The project itself is for six months.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any statistics or metrics from this engagement?

They helped us create multiple videos to speak about our program. They're just finishing those up, and the final set came out this week [July 2015]. They've done a lot of our blogs and writing for us as well. I'm pleased with the quality of the writing content. They're creating the pieces for us, but we have to do a lot of legwork to get our people and our customers engaged.

Sometimes, I feel we don't have someone dedicated specifically to making these things work. They can provide all of these materials but, at the end of the day, they're just materials. We need to focus on getting someone that's working and constantly engaging our staff, our customers, promoting it out there. We didn't have the best results in the particular contest, but now everyone's already working on new projects, so that's part of the process. Right now, I would say it's the videos that they created for us, and they're still not 100 percent done just yet.

What distinguishes JJR Marketing from other providers?

JJR Marketing supports their customer in multiple ways. We had three different events where we were reaching out to our clients, and someone from their staff always showed up to every single event that we had. Even though I wasn't even expecting them to be there, they were there.

They're also very accessible. If I have a question about anything, it doesn't matter if it's 9 p.m. I can email JJR and more than likely I'll get an answer from them right there and then, or a phone call or text message. They're very accessible and supportive, and they also take the feedback. They really go out of their way to make sure that they're building a rapport with their client and they're as supportive as they can. I almost feel like I have a couple of new friends now in the company, besides Jackie.

In hindsight, are there areas in which they could improve, or things you might do differently?

Jackie is a little bit disconnected from the process. Once you actually start meeting with her, she comes and introduces you to her staff, but I don't know how much involvement she had afterward. The biggest reason that we went with this company was the expectation that we're going to be working directly with her because we're going to get the quality of the work, her input, and all the things that she brings to the table, and that wasn't the case.

Jackie created the initial marketing part but after, that it's almost like she's disconnected from the process. I'm sure that, internally, her people look to her and get her input on certain things, but we don't necessarily, as a client, really get to. I mean, I know her on a personal level, so I will attend some of her events and her workshops and presentations, so I get to see her more in that part, but not necessarily through the actual company.

If I sent her an email, anything related to the business, she immediately replied. But, I had to reach out to her in order for that to happen. I don't know if that's the reason she doesn't necessarily call more, checking in, and getting our feedback at the end of the project. I presume that might be because she had someone assigned to the project.

4.0
Overall Score
  • 2.5 Scheduling
    ON TIME / DEADLINES
    We are not the best or the most organized company, at all because a lot of the owners are actually in the water teaching. We fell behind schedule a few times. Part of that might be on them, and part of that will also be on us.
  • 4.0 Cost
    Value / within estimates
    We get a lot from what we paid.
  • 5.0 Quality
    Service & deliverables
  • 5.0 NPS
    Willing to refer
    I would definitely refer them. They're very good people. They do take the feedback we give them, and they really try to make things work.

Marketing and Web Design for Industrial Roofing Company

"Their response to everything, every question, anything that we're working on, the response is immediate."

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5.0

Quality: 
5.0
Schedule: 
5.0
Cost: 
5.0
Willing to refer: 
5.0
The Project
 
$10,000 to $49,999
 
2013 - Ongoing
Project summary: 

Originally contracted to redesign a corporate website, JJR Marketing went on to provide monthly marketing newsletters, website maintenance, social media management, video production, and photo shoots.

The Reviewer
 
1-10 Employees
 
Chicago Metro Area
Corporate Secretary, Industrial Roofing Company
 
Verified
The Review
Feedback summary: 

JJR has a knack for posting relevant, timely content on Facebook and the website’s blog. The team responds immediately to all questions and requests; they quickly work through any issues that arise. They are still providing their services.

A Clutch analyst personally interviewed this client over the phone. Below is an edited transcript.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your organization.

We are a commercial, industrial, institutional roofing contractor. We do roofing repairs, estimates, maintenance programs, and re-roofing for the Chicagoland and Northwest Indiana area.

What is your position?

I'm a corporate secretary.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What business challenge were you trying to address with JJR Marketing?

We did have a website up at that time, but it really needed to be revamped and updated in a major way. We knew it was something we couldn't tackle ourselves, that we needed a professional company to help us with it.

SOLUTION

Please describe the scope of their involvement in greater detail.

JJR Marketing initially did Web development and Web design. But, we liked their work and it turned into a broader relationship. We had them set up a whole program for us to keep our website up to date. We do a quarterly newsletter with them. One of their writers calls and interviews the president of our company. She is amazing. She can take what he says and do spectacular work with it. They also do a blog for us that is posted on Facebook, and they maintain our Facebook page. They've done some photo shoots for us. They're working on doing a video about our company, which is at a standstill now because it's our busy time of the year and it takes some commitment to get that all done.

How did you come to work with JJR Marketing?

We had found out about JJR from another company that we worked with, and they highly recommended them. We contacted them, Jackie [Camacho-Ruiz, director of JJR Marketing] came out, and we went from there.

Could you provide a sense of the size of this initiative in financial terms?

When they were last here, in the spring, we signed a new contract with them. It includes pretty much everything that I told you about, and it is $30,000 annually.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them a year or two years ago, and the work is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any feedback from this engagement?

Whenever they post on Facebook, we get a lot of attention from our current customers saying what a great site we have, or what timely information we're putting out there when JJR updates the blog. The president of the company gets feedback on this all the time, and it's always positive.

What distinguishes JJR Marketing from other providers?

Actually, they're the first vendor that we've worked with in this regard. Roofing companies never really marketed a lot. All of our work is either public bids or word of mouth from our current customers. We're a straight-up company, and that goes a long way. Probably the best thing I can say is their response to everything, every question, anything that we're working on, the response is immediate. I always get an answer from them promptly, and we work out any problems that there are. It's a nice company to work with.

In hindsight, are there areas in which they could improve, or things you might do differently?

I cannot think of anything, actually.

5.0
Overall Score
  • 5.0 Scheduling
    ON TIME / DEADLINES
  • 5.0 Cost
    Value / within estimates
  • 5.0 Quality
    Service & deliverables
  • 5.0 NPS
    Willing to refer
    Definitely.

Marketing for Landscape Lighting Company

"They want to get it done the best it can be as opposed to just getting it done."

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5.0

Quality: 
5.0
Schedule: 
4.5
Cost: 
4.5
Willing to refer: 
5.0
The Project
 
Confidential
 
2012 - Ongoing
Project summary: 

JJR Marketing designs letterhead, brochures, business cards and other marketing collateral, all while ensuring total brand cohesion. They have also optimized the logo. Their work has lasted over three years.

The Reviewer
 
1-10 Employees
 
Chicago Metro Area
Dean MacMorris
Vice President, Night Light, Inc.
 
Verified
The Review
Feedback summary: 

JJR has a unique flair that’s all their own, and it shows through in their deliverables. The cohesion among all brand elements creates a valuable sense of professionalism. The team always delivers within the allotted timeframe.

A Clutch analyst personally interviewed this client over the phone. Below is an edited transcript.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your organization.

The company is Night Light Inc. We design and build landscape illumination for the high-end residential, country club, and resort market, mainly in the Chicagoland area.

What is your position?

I am vice president and co-owner of Night Light.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What business challenge were you trying to address with JJR Marketing?

I was doing most of the marketing myself in house on a shoestring budget. We needed someone to come in and help us pull it all together. We brought them on to do a lot of things like stationery, letterhead, and tweak our logo and then help us to get our name into the marketplace and develop a budget for brochures, business cards, etc. They also helped us overhaul our website. We wanted everything to be cohesive. We reached out to them to be creative for what we needed.

SOLUTION

How did you come to work with JJR Marketing?

Jackie [Camacho-Ruiz, Director of JJR Marketing] and I were part of a trusted advisor training program for some time and, as we talked, she and I seemed to be on the same page for how marketing should be approached. I had her give me advice as to how she might help us. I liked what she said, and we just built a relationship and hired her company.

Could you provide a sense of the size of this initiative in financial terms?

I don't know that number. We do a project-by-project basis. It varies from year to year.

What is the status of this engagement?

It's ongoing. I'm not sure when we started – three or four years ago. I put together a list of things I wanted to get done, but hadn't gotten to. We took them in order of priority, and we've been working on those one at a time. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

In terms of results, could you share anything that would speak to the long-term success of your engagement together?

I tell people that they're very creative. It's very different from what you see in the marketplace. That gets us noticed. I can't tell you that our brochure causes people to choose Night Light, but I know it gets people's attention, and they like it. It ties into our business card. That gets a lot of comments, too. It improved our company image to present it in a higher level. The way things have been done has been on target with our expectations. The website is much better. The help they've given us as improved our position in the landscape world.

What distinguishes JJR Marketing from other providers?

Their creativity. That's one of the main reasons I enjoy working with them. JJR Marketing looks at things differently. They want to get it done the best it can be as opposed to just getting it done. 

In hindsight, are there areas in which they could improve, or things you might do differently?

Nothing comes to mind. They've done each of the projects well and in the time frame they said they would do it.

5.0
Overall Score
  • 4.5 Scheduling
    ON TIME / DEADLINES
  • 4.5 Cost
    Value / within estimates
  • 5.0 Quality
    Service & deliverables
  • 5.0 NPS
    Willing to refer
    I do it all the time.

PR and Branding for Water Park

"They always keep going. They always have that Energizer Bunny mentality – keep going and going and going."

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5.0

Quality: 
4.0
Schedule: 
5.0
Cost: 
4.0
Willing to refer: 
5.0
The Project
 
$10,000 to $49,999
 
2011 - Ongoing
Project summary: 

JJR Marketing assumed responsibility for communicating the company’s official statements in the event of an incident. Although they primarily provide PR, they do occasionally veer into social media marketing.

The Reviewer
 
501-1000 Employees
 
Chicago Metro Area
Marketing Manager, Water Park
 
Verified
The Review
Feedback summary: 

JJR Marketing succeeded in earning some high-profile media coverage. The team has a tirelessly positive energy that never gets bogged down by difficulties. As JJR has expanded their business, their attention to detail has flagged. With some communication, though, the issue was resolved.

A Clutch analyst personally interviewed this client over the phone. Below is an edited transcript.

BACKGROUND

Please provide a description of your company. 

We are a large water park in Illinois.

What is your role and responsibilities?

I am the marketing manager. I am the go-between for our media agency, our PR agency, and any sort of TV station or radio station. I also work on planning and marketing strategy.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What business challenge were you trying to address with JJR Marketing?

Our company was looking for an outside PR presence. At the time, we also were looking for some other things – artwork and some other creative stuff as well. One of the big things, when they were looking for an outside PR firm, was that just in case something were to happen at the park, statements would look better coming from a third party who is not a company-affiliated spokesperson. Before I came on board, for example, we had a couple of different incidents. There was one small accident with a worker and other incidents with some unruly people in the park.

The role of JJR was to prepare responses and courses of action to take if something bad were to happen at the park. Kind of the idea that you prepare for the worst and hope it never happens.

SOLUTION

Please describe the scope of their involvement in detail.

Back then, JJR was responsible for a bit more marketing, graphic design, and public relations, whether it was media inquiries, reaching out, or pitching different stories to different media. It was more of a rounded focus. When I came on board, I was personally able to take some of that back internally. I do all of our graphic design. There were some things that I didn't have to outsource anymore, just because of my skill set.

Now, their overall service is 99% PR-related. That's still dealing with the media, trying to pitch stories. We work with bloggers, so JJR is the go-between between the bloggers and us. They coordinate and help run that program as well. They've started to take on some social media as well. We're doing some videos, and somebody from their office is writing the scripts, somebody is in the video, I'm actually doing the video filmography and the editing. A lot of what we do is a joint process.

How did you come to work with JJR Marketing?

That happened before I came onboard, but I believe my predecessor knew Jackie [Camacho-Ruiz, owner and director of JJR Marketing]. I don't know if there was a vetting process. It seemed to be the right fit, and it still is now.

Could you provide a sense of the size of this initiative in financial terms?

What we are doing is around the $15,000 range.

What is the status of this engagement?

Our collaboration started in 2011 and is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any statistics or metrics from this engagement?

On the PR side of things, they have been doing really well. We had one year where we even got placed in a national TV show. The next year, we didn't really have that much, but it had a little bit to do with the story that we were pitching. When she had something to work with, she did really well. There was not a lot of interest in the high dive show that we pitched, just because it wasn't too exciting. The year before, we had a sea lion show. I'm totally guessing on this number, but I believe we had four or five TV placements.

What distinguishes JJR Marketing from other providers?

Just to give you a quick back story about us, in the Chicagoland area, May and June have been some of the rainiest months in history. Our business has suffered because we're a seasonal outdoor business, and it's been raining two out of three days. Their group has an infectious positive attitude. They are always looking up and saying, "Oh, we can keep pitching this." There's no real off switch. They don't have a sense of, "OK, we're defeated. Things aren't going good, nobody's interested in hearing about the water park on the PR side, so we're not going to pitch it." They always keep going. They always have that Energizer Bunny mentality – keep going and going and going. That's always a positive that I've seen.

In hindsight, are there areas in which JJR Marketing could improve, or things you might do differently?

What I've seen is that they're going through a little bit of an expansion phase, and on some of the finer details – I just think this is some of the people that work for them – there are some things that are getting missed, such as misspellings in press releases. Everybody has their own writing style, but all of a sudden four of us here looked at something and we were like, "This just sounds a little high school-ish." We actually requested and got the main writer changed, and that issue was resolved.

As they're expanding, maybe some of the people haven't been as sharp as the core when I first started with them, but everything is getting worked through. Jackie herself is more than accommodating. She knows when to express her opinion and when to say "Alright, the client is kind of mad. Let's make sure we do this their way." They are very good on the listening side of things.

5.0
Overall Score  
  • 5.0 Scheduling
    ON TIME / DEADLINES
  • 4.0 Cost
    Value / within estimates
    In regard to cost, they are definitely a better value.
  • 4.0 Quality
    Service & deliverables
    A little down from before. The bigger they get, the harder it is for them to put as much attention into it.
  • 5.0 NPS
    Willing to refer