Merit/Andrew

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the group manager of brand experience for Panasonic, a consumer electronics business. I manage brand strategy, customer experience, marketing, and post-purchasing.

What challenge were you trying to address with Merit/Andrew?

We work with them on a variety of projects.

What was the scope of their involvement?

They create video content for us, which we use to help promote awareness about our products. Merit/Andrew has created a series of videos across our product categories. They’re also working on the strategic framework and messaging for our video content.

Normally, we bring in a project and talk about our goals, who our target audience is, and where the final assets are going live. We decide whether we want to use those videos primarily for advertising, e-commerce, or a combination of both. We usually create a few different form factors, so we might ask for a one-minute, long-form version of a video, and then a 30-second version. We also ask for 10–15-second cuts for our social. We put those cuts into our planning ahead of time so that they’re readily available to still cohesively tell a story.

Once we determine who our audience will be and the different platforms we’ll be airing, Merit/Andrew comes back to us with pitches on video concepts and what they would recommend. A concept deck includes the overall idea and sometimes a couple of sample lines from the script to help us understand. The deck usually has a vision or inspiration board with some imagery, so that we can grasp the look and feel of what they’re trying to achieve. Our team reviews those concepts, and we decide which one to move forward with. At that point, Merit writes a sample script and storyboard, so they show us scene-by-scene exactly what they’re planning to produce. From there, they start to write the overarching copy, which is going to be either the voiceover or the text that viewers see on the screen. We review the script, confirm if we’re still happy with the direction, and make minor tweaks.

From there, Merit moves on to casting and location. They usually scout a few different locations for where we’re planning to shoot, and they show us sample images of the locations so that we can make a selection. If we require casting, they also show us a sample of who they’re going to hire. If we’re doing everything with computer graphics (CG), they show us examples of stock videos and photography that we can choose from to integrate into the final video. Then, they try to secure the location and run auditions for our cast.  Normally, we narrow it down to three people for each role, and we review their audition tapes to determine who we want to end up working with. Then, we start to finalize the details of everything that’s going to go into the video and the various scenes, such as wardrobe and prepping.

Once all of those steps are done and we have a shoot date confirmed, we normally have someone from our side on-site to be a part of the process. However, because of COVID-19, Merit sets up a Zoom link for us that has a direct feed into the primary camera. That allows us to watch and give comments for however long they’re filming, whether it’s a one- or two-day shoot. From there, they collect all of the footage and start editing. 

They come back to us with a sampled cut or the first-draft for the long-form. Our team reviews that and provides feedback. They make some tweaks from there and come back with round two. We go through a few different rounds until we get to a version that we’re really happy with. Once we have a primary edit that we’re really happy with, they do cut downs of those smaller versions. Sometimes, they also provide us with some stills to use in our marketing materials. We review and approve all of those assets, and then we close the project once they deliver everything.

What is the team composition?

They generally work with me in terms of creative direction and overall brand, making sure that we’re accurately reflecting the right audience and messaging. I’m usually their contact for creative decisions.

We have at least one and sometimes two people from the marketing team: the marketing manager on the category and then potentially the group manager of marketing, who confirms that we’re aligned with our marketing goals for the content. We also usually have at least one person from the product team, but sometimes two. They confirm that we’re using the product and representing it correctly and that everything aligns with the consumers’ interest in the product. They become our product experts as well as technical experts in case there are questions of how to use the product properly on set.

We occasionally include our PR person depending on the user case, such as if it’s part of a bigger storytelling effort. For example, if we’re going to use the content at one of our trade shows, we bring in PR to make sure that we’re aligned with our communication strategy. We work with 5–6 people in total, including myself, two from the marketing team, and two from the product team.

How did you come to work with Merit/Andrew?

For any given project, especially for higher budget projects, we have to do a formal RFP process where various agencies can pitch their services. They provide their creative concepts as well as pricing. We do a formal analysis and comparison with procurement. There are usually 2–3 stakeholders from the business who actually rate each of the potential vendors on a variety of different parameters. Then, we review all of that feedback together and make a final decision. Procurement then works with that vendor on creating that contract.

Merit/Andrew was involved in a formal RFP process a number of years ago. I believe another Panasonic business had used them before, which is how we knew they existed and put them into our RFP. Merit/Andrew ended up in the consumer business RFP, and we liked their pitch the best. They had the most creative thinking, and they also aligned really well with our brand strategy. For the first project we worked with Merit/Andrew on, a lot of the other agencies had ideas that just didn’t feel on-brand. Merit really had a sophisticated approach as to what they wanted to do, and they had a great presentation. Everything was very professionally put together, and the mood boards all aligned with our brand. That’s how they won our first project with us, and we’ve since done multiple RFPs like that for other video projects.

They are consistently one of the strongest to pitch. They usually have very creative ideas that feel right on brand with what we’re trying to accomplish. Their creative director is very good; he has really good ideas, which is a big piece of it. We’ve also been extremely happy with their production quality.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve invested about $500,000 with them so far.

What is the status of this engagement?

The first video that I did with them was in May 2017. Right now, I’m working on two concurrent projects with them. We’ve produced about five projects since 2017.

We now have a master service agreement with them, which we actually just renewed. Then, we have a statement of work (SOW) for each individual project.

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

We look at the success of the content in the market, so we consider KPIs such as our conversion and click-through rate (CTR). With Merit/Andrew's content, those KPIs have always been really strong. Merit/Andrew’s content performs extremely well.

How did Merit/Andrew perform from a project management standpoint?

They’re absolutely fantastic to work with and are great with communication. They also consistently set expectations correctly. The team lets us know immediately if there are any challenges that will set us back. They’re flexible and work with us when we need to tighten the timelines or anything like that. That’s one of the reasons we keep going back to them. 

We communicate through emails and Zoom group calls.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Compared with their competitors, I believe that Merit/Andrew’s creative and production value is stronger. Their level of production is cinematic quality.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Merit/Andrews was sometimes more expensive than other providers when we first started working with them. However, over the last few years, they’ve worked on being more efficient with their crews, and how they approach a project. They’ve become much more reasonable and are now extremely competitive, price-wise.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Be really clear on your expectations and goals upfront, which is basically the same for any vendor that you work with. I think that with creative work, people are sometimes extremely careful about being critical of an agency because they don’t want to hurt their feelings and things like that. Merit really wants to make sure that you are completely happy, so it’s great if you communicate clearly that you don’t like something.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

When I worked with Merit/Andrew, I was the VP of marketing and communications for a health company in California.

What challenge were you trying to address with Merit/Andrew?

They served as our agency of record for all TV advertising production.

What was the scope of their involvement?

Their team handled all of the actual production work, including creative content development, filming, editing, and publication efforts either with television stations or the online platforms where we were putting out the material.

We did both live-action filming and motion graphics with their team, as well as branded stingers at the end of the videos so that all of the content looked like it was coming from the same family, which was very important to us.

What is the team composition?

Most of their team was involved with us at some point or another, including their principal and head of production, our dedicated account manager, and several folks who worked on the actual production of the individual spots.

How did you come to work with Merit/Andrew?

I knew their account manager from previous experiences, and she introduced us to the agency and their capabilities. After a few meetings, it was clear that they were exactly what we were looking for, so we decided to move forward from there.

What is the status of this engagement?

Our partnership with them ran from around January 2019–July 2020.

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

Their work with us was very successful. We deliberately did some brand building with them, and I had high expectations for the return from the start, but they managed to exceed even those. We pretty much doubled our appeal to prospects based on our benchmark research and saw a significant increase in our net promoter score among members at the same time, and I would attribute a lot of that to the brand work that we did with them.

How did Merit/Andrew perform from a project management standpoint?

We worked closely with them on all of the deliverables, in large part because they are committed to a very integrated approach with their clients. Their style of project management was great and significantly emphasized organization.

Our account manager did a fabulous job sending notes after every meeting and keeping everybody on the same page about what was going on, so we never had any issues with communication between our teams.

What did you find most impressive about them?

One of the things I loved about working with them is that they always had additional creative ideas. Even if we had one direction conceptualized, they would always bring alternatives to the table. We would discuss them, and sometimes we’d shot multiple things and then put them together to see what worked best. They really brought a lot of creativity to the whole process.

They are just a close-knit team that really enjoys working together on your projects, so that energy feeds into the partnership as a whole. It is a joy to do business with them, and on top of that, you always feel like you’re in good hands

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, I think between their broad range of industry experience and their ability to handle anything we threw at them, we had no complaints about the relationship.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

No, you really can follow their lead and count on them to get to where you want to be.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the former director of digital advertising at Scheifer Media.

What challenge were you trying to address with Merit/Andrew?

At the time, we didn’t produce creative in-house, but a lot of our clients and partners would come to us and ask us to help them with creative. 

One client in particular had contracted a production company to create a TV commercial that relied on a lot of motion graphics and visual effects. It wasn’t going well, so they came to us. We reached out to Merit/Andrew for support on the project.

What was the scope of their involvement?

Merit/Andrew took over the project completely, working within only the budget that was remaining. They were able to take a concept and objective that the client had for a new product they were launching — they storyboarded it and came up with a new messaging concept. From there, they were able to create the TV commercial based off those storyboards.

What is the team composition?

I had two points of contact, Curt (CEO & Partner) and Caroline (Head of Production & Partner). They essentially managed the project for us.  

How did you come to work with Merit/Andrew?

They were local to the area, and we knew of them through our network. They provided a very seamless solution.

How much have you invested with them?

The budget was about $30,000–$40,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked together in March 2015.

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

Merit/Andrew’s work really delighted the client and made us look like heroes. We couldn’t be happier. They stepped in and created something very impressive in a short amount of time for a reduced budget, salvaging a project that was going downhill.

The commercial was for a new product, and it was run in connection with a radio and digital campaign crafted off the back of the TV spot. The product itself ended up selling out, and our client ran into manufacturing issues because they couldn’t make the product quickly enough.

How did Merit/Andrew perform from a project management standpoint?

I have nothing but good things to say about their project management. They offered great communication and a very personal touch. I’ve always felt that Curt and his team made sure we always felt very well taken care of.

We kept in touch primarily over email and the phone.

What did you find most impressive about them?

The greatest value to working with Merit/Andrew is that they’re a strategic partner. They’re much more than just a vendor: they understand business objectives, they understand people and relationships, and they’re also technically gifted. They really are some of the best at what they do in terms of video production and motion graphics. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

There’s nothing I can think of.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Be as clear and communicative as possible. As any creative team or production company can tell you, they rely heavily on the briefs and understanding the objectives.