Matchstic

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the VP of marketing at a truck logistics company. We create dump truck logistic software, and we have one of the nation’s largest networks of technology-enabled dump truck drivers.

We connect construction companies and material producers with dump truck drivers when they need those services. Additionally, we have tools to help them manage all that work on a single platform.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Matchstic?

We needed to do a rebrand of our company. Historically, our company was only known in certain regions of the country, and the people that heard about us thought that we only were a dump truck marketplace. They were not associating our brand with our other solutions and the functionality that we could offer through our entire platform.

We were going to launch a new product available nationwide, so we felt that the best way to change the perception of our company was to rebrand as a technology company. We wanted people to know that we had a platform that connected them to the marketplace and that they had available tools to manage their work.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Matchstic helped us redo our entire brand strategy and identity to come up with a brand voice and how our company attributes our positioning statement from a brand perspective. For this purpose, they helped us redesign our logo, update our colors, create new icons, and define a photographic style.

What is the team composition?

We worked with around 4–5 people from Matchstic on this project, including Cody (Project Manager) and Meghan (Senior Designer). There was also a copywriter designated to our account who helped us with the brand voice work. Other strategists joined throughout the project, and the co-founder was in a lot of our calls as well.

How did you come to work with Matchstic?

We found them online while doing research. Initially, we narrowed our list down to five agencies, and we felt that Matchstic had the best value, so we picked them.

They weren’t the least expensive agency, but definitely, they weren’t the most expensive one either, so we felt that they would offer the best value for our money. Additionally, they had already done some branding work for other software companies, so we thought that they would be a good fit for us.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent close to $75,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them around January 2021, and we wrapped up the project in June 2021. We purchased a block of hours of their work to review our branded assets for the next month to ensure that we’re consistent with our branding.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

I highly recommend Matchstic as a branding agency. They did a great job listening to our team and to the feedback that we were providing, and they incorporated those changes into their work.

How did Matchstic perform from a project management standpoint?

Their team was really responsive, and they stuck to the project’s timeline and budget. We always knew where everything was; they were really great to work with.

Cody was our dedicated project manager, but we didn’t know what tools he was using to manage the project in the background. However, he coordinated all the meetings, made sure he sent our recaps and notes, and ensured that everything stayed on track — he was great.

What did you find most impressive about them?

This was my first time working with a branding agency, but I felt that Matchstic’s expertise and experience doing great things for B2B software companies distinguished them from other providers. We liked the portfolio of work that they had done for other companies, and their expertise was one of the reasons why we picked them.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, not really.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Get a really clear scope ahead of time containing what you’re trying to accomplish, document it, and get to an agreement on the objectives and outcomes of the project from both sides. Additionally, make sure as a client that you have the right people and level of leadership involved from inside your organization.

We included our CEO and our chief revenue officer in the entire process, which made the brand rollout to the rest of the company a lot easier.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I work for Stiles Corporation, and I’m the president of Stiles Residential Group which is a division within the overall sales corporation. We’re a 70-year-old, third-generation, family-owned business headquartered in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. We’ve developed a couple of thousands of units, and we’re targeted to the luxury market, what I call the high end of the residential rental market.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Matchstic?

We had a residential project that had a commercial element on the ground floor as well as an adjacent office building, all on one city block. Our team engaged Matchstic to come up with the visual and verbal identity of our project. In doing so, we wanted to effectively create a brand that was unique for a market that has a lot of competition and also doing so within the context of this overall larger project.

This was one of the more complicated projects we’ve done with anyone — in my experience — because of the added complication of the sister project. We wanted to create our own brand that’d be distinct enough, so as to not be confused with the other project, to ultimately drive interest and traffic in our multifamily project.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We started out with naming for the project. Then, they handled the overall development of a creative brief in terms of creating the strategy of what we were going to do. That included creating the name, a logo, and visual identity. For the visual identity, they developed the color palette that’s associated with our project as well as established the imagery that’d be associated with our name and logo. Their team also created the verbal identity in terms of the messaging we’d have in taglines and headlines. The deliverable was an overall cohesive brand guide.

What is the team composition?

We worked with 4–5 individuals, and I’m sure there were others behind the scenes.

How did you come to work with Matchstic?

Initially, we were introduced to Matchstic many years ago by our management company. They had an established relationship with Matchstic, so they introduced us to one another. Then, our team interviewed Matchstic along with some other groups and thought that Matchstic was the best fit. We liked their creative edge and branding focus as opposed to being part of a bigger ad agency. We’ve done two prior projects with Matchstic before this one.

How much have you invested with them?

We invested approximately $90,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

This project was from December 2019–July 2020.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The brand has been well-received. We’re very happy with the visual and verbal identity they helped define and establish for us.

Some of the ideas we came up with as a team during the branding process ultimately got incorporated into the physical components of the building in terms of interior design. All of that has been really well-received as well. We’ve really tried to differentiate the physical aspect of the design, especially in the interior of the project. Residents and our internal team feel that the branding matches up with creating a different boutique and curated experience.

How did Matchstic perform from a project management standpoint?

Communication was generally presentations through Zoom or Teams.

What did you find most impressive about them?

What distinguishes Matchstic the most is the end product. Their end products are always very distinct. They have unique deliverables and their process is extremely thoughtful. Matchstic is very thoughtful in the way they go about coming up with their creative ideas.

Additionally, they’re really good listeners in terms of implementing our opinions. A lot of times, these are projects that we’ve been working on for 4–5 years, so sometimes we’re not engaging them for three years because there’s a process that leads to the start of construction. We have a lot of history and Matchstic respects and acknowledges that.

Their team is very open to hearing our opinions and considering them into what the brand will ultimately be. Then, they do a great job of melding that into something that’s a tangible output.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, I really don’t have anything. We definitely want to engage with Matchstic on another project.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Be as open and share as much information as you can as a principal who’s engaging them about your project, history, and any context you can provide to them. Don’t hold anything back that’ll ultimately filter through their process. Their creative brains will come up with a great output.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the VP for institutional advancement at a 112-year-old nonprofit aimed at supporting caregivers and helping people age well.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Matchstic?

We have a wide variety of programs to support older adults and caregivers. We have an evidence-based care consultant program and we needed to develop branding, brand guidelines, brand identity, and a way to launch and talk about the products with the public. Our two key audiences are caregivers and professional EAPs.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Matchstic helped us with our overall branding development. We had the name but we didn’t have a visual or verbal identity. They created an engaging brand to draw people in to learn more about the product, as well as our organization.

First, we went through a discovery and strategy phase where they learned more about the product and our work. Then, we spent more time working on the identity of the organization and how to talk about our verbal identity.

They assisted us with a plan to launch most effectively. Matchstic also introduced us to another partner who helped us create a public relations and social media outreach plan for us.

What is the team composition?

We worked with Craig (President & Co-founder), Cody (Project Manager), Terry (Senior Designer), and Pamela (Co-founder).

How did you come to work with Matchstic?

We went through an RFP process and found Matchstic through a contact of our COO.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent $40,000–$50,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in June 2020, and we wrapped up our first phase in November 2020.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We finished everything on time, which was fantastic. They kept the process moving along smoothly. We’re a nonprofit and had to deal with a lot in response to COVID-19, and they helped keep us on track.

They delivered a brand that we were excited about and gave us something we were proud to put in the community to share with our constituents. We were very pleased with the discovery process. They did a great job and the result was fantastic.

How did Matchstic perform from a project management standpoint?

They worked with us and still kept us moving forward. We always knew where we were in the process and the expectations were very clear. Our team never felt lost or unsure. We were very confident as the process was moving forward. We had very visually stimulating meetings with a PowerPoint in each one. Everything was conducted remotely, so I give them a lot of credit for how they managed everything.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They did everything they could to understand us and succeeded. A previous vendor we worked with didn’t understand what we were trying to convey. Matchstic took the time to get to know us and think about how to best reflect our product. We clicked with the team very well. They were all personable, responsive, smart, and savvy. It was a great match and they understood we were a nonprofit trying to sell a product.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, we had a fantastic experience with them. They were communicative, supportive, and understanding of our needs.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

My advice is to be honest about what you want and your expectations so Matchstic can serve you in the best way.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m one of the founders and CEO. Our company’s called Tyrannosaurus Tech. We do custom software design and development primarily with organizations launching new products in health care, public health, and education.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Matchstic?

We essentially wanted to refresh the branding for the business. Our team was eager to refresh the brand and build out a bunch of assets that would allow us to have a stronger digital presence and market the organization more aggressively and more proactively. Part of the need for the brand refresh was to think through how we’re presenting the company, the aesthetic, and how we speak about the company.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

When we started with Matchstic, their initial work involved wrapping their arms around our identity and how we wanted to present ourselves. They wanted to understand the business, including our vision, history, and clients. That influenced what their team ultimately created for our brand refresh. They didn’t totally reinvent the brand but significantly changed it.

Following discovery, their team moved through more exploratory phases. They presented different visual concepts to help us articulate our core values and what language we wanted to use. Their team further refined those and put together different visual concepts for the brand. We thoroughly discussed the possible directions for the brand.

After we chose a visual style, their team created versions of a new logo and put together different applications of the visual style. We continued to make decisions and gave approval at different phases.

What is the team composition?

We worked with Craig (Founder & President) throughout the sales process. During the true engagement, we worked with three people, including the other founder of Matchstic and a project manager.

How did you come to work with Matchstic?

We were familiar with them and their work because Matchstic is also based in Atlanta, Georgia. They had a great reputation and when we realized we needed to do this work, we had a vague familiarity with them. They were one of the companies that we contacted to discuss the project. The sales process with Craig was great because he was patient with us as we weight our different options and asked a million questions. We chose them because they had the most established reputation and trusted their experience.

How much have you invested with them?

The total engagement cost $35,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked together on this project between September 2020–January 2021.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We considered the project successful because we received everything we expected from the experience. We also enjoyed working with Matchstic. The process was healthy, collaborative, and enjoyable. It was fun for us to think through the brand in an in-depth and strategic way, which we previously didn’t have the opportunity to do. We’re happy with their deliverables: the color schemes, aesthetic, assets, and logo. We’re confident that the refresh will bring value as it’s rolled out.

How did Matchstic perform from a project management standpoint?

We mostly communicated via email and Zoom calls. Matchstic answered all of our questions and remained patient with us even when we were indecisive. Overall, it was a good experience.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their skill level and extensive experience distinguish them from other providers.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, we were happy with them.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Take them up on their willingness to talk through your decisions. Matchstic is also willing to workshop items on the fly. Go into the project with a clear plan of how decisions will be made if your organization has multiple stakeholders. Follow Matchstic's process because the project will move along at a nice pace.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We’re a national, multi-family development firm based in Atlanta, Georgia. We build apartment communities with institutional investors around the world.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Matchstic?

We needed help with the design and branding process for our communities.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Matchstic takes part in our early design process, which includes architecture, interior designs, and landscape architecture because those elements shape our communities’ identities, visions, and voices. They provide brand assets such as logos, badges, color palettes, and patterns. Their team also creates the narrative and voices of our projects. They provide the language — from headlines to paragraphs — to describe our units.

Their team tailors their branding package with additional services too. They designed the wrap for our construction sites and infused branding into the day-to-day experience of our residents.

How did you come to work with Matchstic?

I had a relationship with Matchstic while I was with a previous firm. I introduced and brought them over to this firm because they had an interdisciplinary approach to branding. They work with all different types of clients across industries.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent about $260,000 on their services to date.

What is the status of this engagement?

Our first project together began in the fall of 2019.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

They bring valuable experience and perspectives to their work with us. We haven’t seen any project into fruition yet because our communities need to be constructed. Our experienced marketing director, however, said that Matchstic provided the most comprehensive and detailed brand guidelines that she had ever encountered. They don’t just give us graphics and blurbs but also tell us how to use them. Their team essentially gave us an instruction manual that we can give to anyone involved in building our communities.

How did Matchstic perform from a project management standpoint?

Once Matchstic’s on board, we bring all of our consultants, engineers, and architects together for a brainstorming session. Their team runs those sessions to understand the project’s essence. That meeting starts the design and branding processes and ensures both move cohesively. Their team’s detail-oriented and plans ahead. They’re always right on track.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their interdisciplinary approach to branding most impresses us. Matchstic works with clients in many different industries. They have a diverse and creative workforce, and their creativity’s unbelievable.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, they’re great.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the brand strategy and content manager for a financial services company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Matchstic?

We were recently acquired by a larger company and needed to expand and evolve the brand to include more than just our one product. So, we engaged with Matchstic to work on positioning, our brand hierarchy. They helped us flesh out a new design and messaging that would illustrate the additional products we plan to launch next year.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

In the first phase of the project, they were focused on strategy. That included a lot of research and competitive analysis. They immersed themselves with our product team so they would understand the products well. Then they interviewed a number of our customers over the phone.

After that, they spoke to 20–25 different stakeholders throughout the organization. They worked with several different teams to get a better understanding of their perspectives.

In the second phase, we worked on brand strategy. They defined our brand architecture, came up with a vision statement, updated our personality attributes, and assessed our target audiences.

In the final stages, they developed a design system and messaging for target audiences that aligned with our brand architecture.

What is the team composition?

We worked directly with about five people regularly, and one or two more from the leadership team. That doesn’t include any of the designers or other people who we didn’t meet but were still working on our account.

How did you come to work with Matchstic?

My colleague suggested them because he was familiar with their work on a few other projects. We also had several other agencies bid on the project. Ultimately, we decided to work with Matchstic because they were local. We knew we could work arm in arm with them because of their location and their work style. Their prices were also extremely fair, so they were a great value.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent between $100,000–$150,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We kicked off the project in January and wrapped up in August 2020.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We were particularly pleased with their design work. They gave us a few really thoughtful options and we were able to blend a couple of their initial concepts to come up with a solution we’re really pleased with. They did a great job explaining why they focused on particular design items and how they help us evolve our brand.

How did Matchstic perform from a project management standpoint?

They did a great job managing the project. We had one account manager who handled the calendar and kept us on timelines. We also had to pause and change directions a few times throughout the process because of COVID-19 and they were really flexible and accommodating. They quickly picked back up when we asked them to and adjusted the schedule as needed. They made sure the project went smoothly for us.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I consider them to be a boutique agency, which means that we get to work with their top talent and they’re very hands-on. We were really pleased with the attention we received. They bring the best to the table every day.

Are there any areas they could improve?

We had to contribute more to the marketplace positioning within the brand brief. So I think they could improve their research. They could have a stronger position on their recommendations. We’d appreciate it if they were able to articulate why they were taking a particular stance.  

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Like with any agency, having a well-defined scope of work is very important. Matchstic was really open to our initial discussions about what we wanted from our brand.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

PolyVision is a manufacturer of CeramicSteel surfaces used for whiteboards, chalkboards, and architectural wall systems. I’m the director of global brand and marketing communications, responsible for ensuring that the brand is consistent across global markets and promoting any campaigns or product launches.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Matchstic?

We were targeting architects and designers working on corporate, educational, and healthcare facilities. We were launching a line of 10 new products within the brand portfolio, and Matchstic helped us develop the visual and verbal identity of the brand in addition to naming.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We went through an ideation process, exploring different avenues. They brought us four naming concepts for the product line. Matchstic did a preliminary Google and trademark availability searches for us, and we narrowed that list down to the final names we’re using today.

The second part of the project was the visual and verbal identity of the new product line. We had a brainstorming session where Matchstic asked different questions to clarify where we wanted this brand to go, what our vision for it was, and how we wanted it to be perceived.

They came back with three visual concepts and style boards to explore the design and branding we wanted for the product line. They also helped heavily with the brand and product voice and messaging. Matchstic created identity guidelines for us after all of these items were finalized.

The next phase of the project was to take all of these identity pieces and put them into a catalog. Matchstic created imagery style guidelines for us and identified a rendering partner that could bring our vision to life.

They guided us through the process and helped the renderer understand the core elements of the brand. They created a catalog for us using those renderings and the messaging, and they made some additional visual mockups on how the content might be used on our website and social media campaigns.

What is the team composition?

Melissa (Account Manager), Brit (Design Director), and Danielle (Associate Creative Director) were my key contacts. I also worked with Blake (Co-Founder & Creative Director), and there was another designer involved. There were five people in total that I had communication with.  

How did you come to work with Matchstic?

I was introduced to Matchstic through a previous coworker that had done a couple of projects with them. I reached out to Blake, and we met up for lunch to talk about the project and the services they were able to deliver. Their culture felt right to me. They were down to earth, and they liked getting into the weeds with the client. They seemed very easy to work with, and it turned out to be a great partnership.

How much have you invested with them?

It was around $100,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

The project ran between April–August 2020.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Results are more anecdotal at this point. We launched the brand just at the beginning of September, and we’ve gotten a lot of great feedback from the independent sales reps that are going to be selling the products. They’ve been impressed with the marketing, imagery, and concept behind the brand. It’s only been live for about a month, so that’s all I can say at this point.

How did Matchstic perform from a project management standpoint?

I give them a 10/10 in this respect. Melissa was the project manager, and she always did a good job of lining out schedules, getting feedback from our side, and communicating with me day to day on how things were going, whether they were missing information from us, and so on. They did a really good job managing all the different aspects.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Matchstic is staying ahead of the trend right now. They were able to bring a fresh perspective to our brand. We may not have been able to clearly articulate what we were looking for, but they pulled that out through different insightful questions. They really brought the brand to life, even though we weren’t exactly sure what we wanted it to look like.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I really can’t think of anything. They went above and beyond to help us with creating the imagery. It wasn’t in the original scope, but they fit it into the hours they were already billing us. Matchstic really wanted for us to be successful, and they were willing to put in a bit more work to help us get there. I really can’t think of anything they could’ve done better. The communication and deliverables were great.

Do you have any advice for future clients of theirs?

It’s important to be open-minded. A couple of people on our team were hesitant about some of the visual concepts Matchstic brought us — they thought they were a bit out there. If the client is open-minded, I think that Matchstic can help shape the brand they’re working on.

Whatever the project is, we have to get out of our comfort zone and not think about our personal preferences but about what’s best for the brand. Matchstic did a good job helping us reframe our thinking in that manner. We had a lot of conversations about personal preferences for naming and colors, and people get really opinionated when it comes to that. If the client keeps an open mind, they’ll be successful.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m a founder and chief experience officer at Craft Bank, a new bank organization.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Matchstic?

We hired them for branding and custom website development.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Matchstic developed our website from scratch. They worked in tandem with our hosted network service provider, but they did all of the heavy lifting. In terms of branding, we already had our name, but they came up with our logo, branding information, tagline, marketing tools, and visuals.

What is the team composition?

We worked with a total of five teammates, including Blake (Founder & Creative Director), Cody (Project Manager), Devin (Strategist & Writer), Terry (Senior designer), and another teammate.

How did you come to work with Matchstic?

I knew Blake personally, and I knew his work. I saw a campaign that Matchstic had worked on and I thought they did a fantastic job. We decided that, because we’re a new bank, we wanted to start with the best, so we wanted a custom site.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent about $100,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We began working with them in the fall of 2019, and we’re about to wrap up.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

My goal was to have a website that looked like no other bank’s website, and it gets rave reviews from people in the banking technology community. Matchstic did a terrific job with the language for the branding by pulling out the essence of who we are.

How did Matchstic perform from a project management standpoint?

Their project management is terrific. Cody has kept the process going. Matchstic helped us figure out exactly what we wanted to say, and they took us through a process to help us think more outside of the box. Blake is really nice. Matchstic also worked very well with our hosted network service provider.

What did you find most impressive about them?

The team’s energy distinguishes them. They’re very customer-oriented. I’ve never felt like any concern I had wasn’t immediately addressed. Matchstic is creative and collaborative. They didn’t just tell me what the website was going to look like; we talked about it together.

They have a good process for non-creative people, and they bring out what’s important to the organization. I didn’t know how the process was working, but I trusted their judgment.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, I really have nothing bad to say about them.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Trust them and go through their process. Someone on my team was a naysayer because he didn’t understand the process, but I told him to commit to the process, and I would advise customers to do the same. Matchstic will work with you and give you something that's better than you expected.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the marketing director for a CBS affiliate in Tampa. We’re a local news organization, but we provide more content as well. We’re multi-platform and we’ve been focusing on out digital and social platform in addition to our on-air product.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Matchstic?

When I came to Tampa, my first goal was to dive into our branding. In 2020, our parent company did a big market analysis, so we had some great data, but we didn’t know what to do with it and how to move forward. When we hired Matchstic, we needed them to guide us because they’re experts in brand building.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We gave them all the data and they created a fantastic roadmap. Through the process, we discovered the right opportunities to position our brand in the market.

This was an all-inclusive project. We went through a discovery process. They spent time doing market analysis and looked at the market to determine where we stood and what some of our weaknesses are. They identified key areas where we could capitalize on because no one else was occupying.

They helped refine our internal brand and how to work with our team to include them in the process, and that helped us define our core values.

From there, we defined what the pillar of our brand are, what we stand for, and what we can deliver on. Then we did our name, our look, mantra, and all of that. It was inclusive from start to finish, both internally and for our market launch

What is the team composition?

I think we worked with 6–­10 people, including Blake (Founder & Creative Director), our rep, Lauren (Senior Project Manager), and then a graphic artist and some copywriters.

How did you come to work with Matchstic?

We saw their work with another station. I work closely with the marketing director at that station, and we were really impressed with the brand process, how they walked the team through it, and how inclusive they were throughout the process.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent $60,000–$80,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in May 2019 and we launched officially in May 2020. We had to push it back a bit because of COVID-19. We did launch internally in February 2020, and that gave us a few months to work with our content team to prepare for the external launch.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

There wasn’t a great way to track the success of their work statistically. We had a roadmap and deadlines and they met those. When they brought us ideas and proposals, it was all about how our team responded. It was great and they always had a good rationale for what they were proposing. They helped educate our team on branding, which was priceless, because now we have a whole new way of thinking. The process was so transparent.

How did Matchstic perform from a project management standpoint?

They were fantastic and we relied on their project management so we could go about running a television station. My direct contact was great with communicating with me, often reminding me of deadlines.

What did you find most impressive about them?

We looked at a lot of different agencies, and their knowledge stood out. They had a spark to them. They were current and modern. In addition to having a well-thought-out roadmap and game plan, their spark and creativity was their most impressive attribute. In meetings with us, they would push us farther than we were comfortable with, which was good because it helped us evolve into something really unique in the market. Everyone on their team is brilliant and they were fantastic partners. We meshed really well.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I really don’t think so.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

We let them take the ball and run with it. We wanted to be different and bold, and they did it. I would tell anyone considering hiring them to let them take the lead.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CMO for Cognia — an education improvement organization. We provide assessment and accreditation services as well as proof of services for early learning through 12th-grade institutions, both private and public. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Matchstic?

Matchstic came on board as a result of a merger opportunity. AdvancED was merging with a company called Measured Progress. We needed to determine whether one of the two companies should absorb the other from a brand and naming perspective or if we should move forward a new name and identity for the merged organization.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Matchstic first conducted market research to assess each brand's perceived value in the marketplace.  Ultimately, the board and executive team decided to move forward with finding a new name and identity for the merged organization.

Matchstic directed a number of listening sessions and workshops composed of key people within the organization. They helped us to determine our organization’s attributes and ultimate identity profile.

Their team also directed a name exploration and came up with a slate of names. We iterated on those names. Then, they helped us put together the pieces of the actual brand including a logo.

They also referred us to a company for web development services. Their team provided creative oversight for that initiative. They reviewed copy for brand consistency and voice. Their team also reviewed visuals to make sure the all photography adhered to brand guidelines.  

Since then, we’ve worked on one-off projects together. They helped us with copy and voice on a premier identity brochure. Their team also worked on a corporate video, supporting production and storyboarding with another company.

What is the team composition?

They dedicated people depending on the project’s phase. We worked with a project manager, graphic designers, brand strategists, and visual designers. Blake (Founder & Creative Director) was a consistent presence throughout the engagement.

How did you come to work with Matchstic?

In the IT arm of our organization, we had people who were familiar with Matchstic. I looked through their portfolio and liked what I saw. We narrowed our choices to three organizations—one in New York and two in Atlanta. We preferred to work with a local company and Matchstic stood out. We felt that they had a thorough, comprehensive, and transparent approach.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started our engagement in August 2018 and revealed the brand in August 2019. We enjoy working with them, so our partnership’s ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The experience was overwhelmingly positive. The name and logo were well received by not only our staff and board but also our peers in the industry. We learned a lot throughout the process and landed in a place where everyone’s happy. Matchstic truly hit a home run.

How did Matchstic perform from a project management standpoint?

Our CEO was impressed by their approach. It’s easy for executives to run over a vendor, but Matchstic didn’t position themselves as a vendor. They positioned themselves as a partner and leader in this work. Their team was capable and professional.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Matchstic had a methodical and professional approach to the project. They were transparent about how the engagement would proceed, which was exactly how we moved forward. Their team was flexible enough to manage the needs of a bunch of executives while staying true to their process.

They took feedback about what we wanted to see in the process. For example, one executive requested more diversity in the images that were used during activities because we serve institutions all over the globe. Their team didn’t bristle at the feedback. Rather, they took it to heart.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, nothing comes to mind.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Trust the process. Be clear about your goals.