McLean

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

Their results are phenomenal. We've received nothing but incredibly positive reactions from both retailers and salespeople to McLean's designs.

How did McLean Design, Inc perform from a project management standpoint?

Their team is very patient. Our clients can be difficult to work with at times, but McLean's team always handles communication with professionalism and responsiveness. They're not defensive to my own points of view either.

Despite the range of budgets our clients may have, McLean always provides the same level of quality and customer service, which I greatly admire. They stick to their scope of work and, if anything, lose money on their end by going and above and beyond for each project. They genuinely care about project success—I couldn't ask for more from them.

Typically, we collaborate a lot upfront on a project and they'll come back to us within a couple weeks with some great creative options to present. Overall, most projects take around six or so weeks.

What did you find most impressive about them?

While I greatly appreciate their customer-centric approach, the quality of their work is why we ultimately continue to work with them.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They could probably market themselves better to reflect how talented they are.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

McLean is a great team to work with, whether you have a brand strategy or not. However, you're likely to have more success by understanding your industry, what your brand stands for, and what channels you want to compete within.

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

The new brand is resonating with a nationwide market. People love the new brand and say that it’s easier to find. Our first label had a black background, which made it hard to see on a shelf. Now, it has a lighter, bamboo look that pops out more. As a result, our May 2018 sales are double that of last year’s.

How did McLean perform from a project management standpoint?

They were awesome and did more than what was required to hit deadlines. They were accommodating about our ever-changing schedule and responsive to our needs.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They are expert designers — they know how to transform a founder’s vision into something that would get grabbed off the shelf. I think that choosing food and beverage products is an emotional and experiential process, so I appreciated the fact that McLean took the time to listen. I enjoyed working with them.

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

Although we work with another firm as well, we give the majority of our design work to McLean. Our company and clients have been very happy with their work across the board. They've been great about engaging some of our key customers, which has empowered them to take more ownership of brands.

Virtually every new brand that we've developed with McLean has been successful. One of the brands they designed, for example, sold 50,000 cases in Hawaii within just six months. I've even received positive feedback from our competitors, who have commented on McLean's quality design work.

How did McLean perform from a project management standpoint?

I have no trouble getting in touch with them and their follow up is excellent. They manage their time well and always hit deadlines. I also get the feeling they enjoy working with us, so it's been a great experience overall.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I think the world of their team. We were just awarded a bunch of new projects that I wouldn't consider working with another vendor on. They execute well and their follow up is immediate.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I can't think of a single criticism.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Providing as much information about your brand as possible is very helpful, including your target audience, goals, etc. Communication is also key. Their team does a great job of working closely with you to brainstorm and come up with design solutions, so I definitely recommend sitting down with them take advantage of that.

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

I think it’s still a bit early, but our internal team was shocked and amazed at how good our new designs were. We were presenting our sales meetings and national retail meetings with the new designs across the country and everyone was astounded with our drastic change—in a very positive way.

From a consumer standpoint, we really valued that our new packaging design was able to hold purchase intent with our current consumers, but also able to increase purchase intent from consumers that don’t buy our product.

We are seeing an overall positive impact, and our forecasting department is predicting an increase in our over-the-counter sales.

How did McLean perform from a project management standpoint?

They were very easy to work with and we had a very positive relationship. Their product manager worked very closely with us and they delivered everything on time according to our timeline. My only challenge was the differing time zones, but that wasn’t their fault.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Not only did McLean execute great designs, their strategic thinking was very valuable. We felt that they were really a partner versus just an agency.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Try to involve them early. Have them entrenched in understanding the market in your different regions. Have them actually come out to see your market locations and understand your brand’s positioning. That’s how you’ll help them deliver winning packaging design.