The Miller Group

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I work for a nation-wide parking provider. We are one of the largest parking providers and have contracts with companies and locations including the Oakland international airport. I am the marketing manager for the Oakland Airport location.

What challenge were you trying to address with The Miller Group?

We had a marketing partner when I came into my role, but I wasn’t entirely satisfied with the level of work, and in particular foresight and critical thinking, that we were getting from them. I decided to bring on a new partner to help us fill their role.

What was the scope of their involvement?

The Miller Group works with us on a project by project basis, handling things such as marketing campaigns for $5 off coupons. They work on imagery, graphics, copywriting, and strategy in terms of how to make it not as price-focused or things like that. From there, they work with another vendor to help get those advertisements where we want them online.

For us, the most valuable piece of the work is the larger, more long-term thinking. We have brainstorming sessions on how to build customer relationships with the airport as a whole in each campaign, and they help us to shift our messaging from a price-focused proposition to a relationship and value-based one.

What is the team composition?

I work with a few people from their team, including Renee (President) who is always on our calls, Elaina (Account Executive), Bill (Client Services Director), and a graphic designer as well. They all work incredibly well together as a team and it's fascinating to see how they grow ideas together and lay out actionable steps to implement.

How did you come to work with The Miller Group?

We interviewed several companies to potentially replace the marketing partner we were working with at the time and initially came across them on Google, which is a testament to some of their skill sets with SEO and digital marketing. It was clear from the beginning that they were capable of the kind of deeper thinking and relationship-building we were looking for, and that’s what began the partnership.

How much have you invested with them?

The size of projects we run with them started off very small and has grown from there, to the point where our total investment is now around $38,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

Our work with them began in September 2019 and is still ongoing.

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

The exact results of their work have been a little bit hard to measure because our operations have been so significantly impacted by the pandemic. Our first project was on improving the visibility of our profiles on the internet, and we’ve noticed an uptick of customers finding us through those since then, but there hasn’t been quite as much uptick as expected because of slowdowns on Google’s side.

We also worked on a creative campaign that was supposed to launch in March, but that was right when COVID hit so we have that on hold and don’t have any hard results as of yet. The project they are still working on is also currently on hold, but my clients have been absolutely blown away with all of the concepts we’ve presented to them. Our stakeholders are happy, so my boss is happy, which means they’re doing a great job.

How did The Miller Group perform from a project management standpoint?

Their project management has been great. At the beginning of each production, I get a full schedule with a piece by piece breakdown of where the hours are going, what’s getting charged, and how far we are toward each part of the deliverables. If I ever do have any questions, I have the CEO's cell phone number and I can call her at any time and get her on the phone - so the level of service is fantastic.

Whenever I have deliverables due for something, their team always does a great job of following up with me to make sure I’m able to stay on schedule, and if not, they push things back to wherever necessary in order to accommodate my needs without throwing off anything else.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They are truly the most big-picture, long-term thinking individuals that I have ever had the pleasure of working with. Their whole team is always focused on how each thing we do will impact the customer further down the road, so we can always be confident in working with them because we know we will never run into any totally unforeseen problems that they haven’t already accounted for.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I really do want to be as fair as possible, but I can honestly say that nothing stands out as a negative at all.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Come to each meeting prepared with your expectations and be ready to take notes on all the ideas that they are going to throw at you.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the director of marketing at a micro-agency that works within a larger printing communications operation. We bring digital marketing to all of our clients who utilize our print services, giving them a full-service marketing approach to their products and brands.

What challenge were you trying to address with The Miller Group?

We needed help with video production. We manage smaller-scale production in-house—which a number of our clients utilize—but for this project, we wanted to create a larger-scale production.

What was the scope of their involvement?

The Miller Group provided large-scale production of a video for a client. We had conceptual ideas but also worked with the lead producer as well as the director to come up with the content. Our teams had collaborative discussions around the concept and how to bring this to life practically and creatively. The actual shoot was a single day, so we had a lot to accomplish.

What is the team composition?

The size of the team has flexed between five and seven people.

How did you come to work with The Miller Group?

I’ve known The Miller Group for almost a decade. Their team does a lot, but video and broadcast production have been their focus with us.

How much have you invested with them?

Over the course of working together, we’ve spent around $30,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started the project around 2016 and their team worked on it for roughly 3–4 months.

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

There weren’t specific metrics assigned to this project but I was happy with their work and how the production unfolded. We had a tight deadline, which The Miller Group was able to hit.

How did The Miller Group perform from a project management standpoint?

The Miller Group managed the project very well. Their team ran a tight ship and there weren’t any hiccups on production day. The cast—all the actors—were well-rehearsed and ready to go when it was their time on set. All of the support staff were professional and well-prepared.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Most importantly, they hit everything that was on our list the day of the shoot, which was an ambitious timeline. The Miller Group met every expectation that we set with our client.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They could’ve thrown more cold water on some of the ideas. We accomplished an ambitious project but that prevented us from finding a more practical solution that would’ve made for a better end product. If we weren’t the ones calling the shots, their team might have made different choices that could've benefited the process in hindsight.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Engage them early and create a communication flow for collaboration. Be clear with what you’re looking to achieve. If that communication is understood, The Miller Group will deliver for any brand or agency well.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

At the time, I was the marketing director of RE/MAX of California & Hawaii. We were the franchiser for RE/MAX International in those two states.

What challenge were you trying to address with The Miller Group?

Our job was to propel growth, and as we reached a midway point, we needed an agency to come in and help us grow the company and our vision. That’s when we reached out to The Miller Group.

What was the scope of their involvement?

We initially approached The Miller Group for PR services. As a franchiser, we had several levels of branding that we needed to achieve. We obviously needed to market to consumers and maintain the overall brand, but we also had to market to brokers to buy into the franchise, and the brokers needed materials for recruiting sales associates into their offices. The Miller Group helped us produce collateral for all of these different levels.

The Miller Group also helped us get out to press nationally, including on television, in print, and online. At the time, we had around 8,000 sales associates in the two state regions, and they helped to get their local stories out. On top of PR, The Miller Group did some media buying for us. After working with them for about a year, we learned how adaptive they were to our business. This turned out to be crucial, as we were in the heyday of real estate, and we approached them for a couple of other projects. We worked with them to brand and strategically position our high-end real estate as RE/MAX Renowned Properties and then our commercial business as RE/MAX Commercial. They also did research and developed campaigns for us to grow within the RE/MAX Commercial division.

The Miller Group helped us create an online tool for broker-owners to advertise their businesses locally. The tool also provided materials that could be designed online and personalized to the individual sales associate level.

In 2007, the owners of RE/MAX of California & Hawaii decided to sell back to International. The Miller Group continued to help us with media buys and other things that needed to be transitioned.

What is the team composition?

I primarily worked with The Miller Group’s leadership team, which consisted of about 4–5 people. We also engaged their support staff, which was probably around 12 people. 

How did you come to work with The Miller Group?

We did an RFP. The first year that we agreed to obtain an agency, we hired another company, but that relationship only lasted about seven months because they didn’t understand our business or listen well. I then learned about The Miller Group, and they did all the things that the first agency couldn’t.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent around $10–$13 million, and they dealt with a $13 million budget.

What is the status of this engagement?

My company began working with The Miller Group in 2003 or 2004, and we worked with them through the acquisition in 2007. From what I understand, the engagement ended after the transition. RE/MAX International had different groups of agencies that they were working with. 

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

When I joined RE/MAX of California & Hawaii in 1997, we had 250 offices with roughly 4,500 sales associates; when RE/MAX International acquired us in 2007, we had nearly 800 offices and 12,500 sales associates. The growth and the strategy that got us there can definitely be attributed to The Miller Group. 

The Miller Group did such a good job producing collateral materials for different areas of our business that RE/MAX International began looking at what they were doing and considered how they might take their work nationally. They took the RE/MAX Commercial campaigns and ended up going in a different direction for the luxury division. However, many other states used the items that The Miller Group created for RE/MAX Renowned Properties.

In 2006 in the Los Angeles area, RE/MAX Commercial finally hit the lists at #6. In 2007, we were #4, and the next year, #2. That was all accomplished in a matter of just three years. 

How did The Miller Group perform from a project management standpoint?

There were little to no delays in timelines or projects. The Miller Group was nimble and able to move quickly. In order to get the rest of senior leadership to buy in on certain things, we’d often have to make changes, but they were still able to meet deadlines and goals to get that buy-in.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their thinking outside of the box set them apart. We’d provide them with parameters, and they’d find things that we couldn’t see because we were in the day-to-day of things. Although they didn’t know it when we hired them, The Miller Group truly came to know our business. We took a risk hiring them because they didn’t have experience with our industry, but they put in a lot of work to get to know us. They might have known us better than we did.

The Miller Group was amazing in that they not only learned our business but also helped propel us in the direction we needed to go. They made necessary changes so that we had senior leadership buy-in across the board. They were very nimble in that aspect.

Are there any areas they could improve?

The communication process could’ve been better with their lower staff members, but when those types of issues arose, I reached out to leadership, and they handled it.

Any advice for potential customers?

Let them come in and listen to you, and then have them tell you what they heard. They learned our business and helped it grow.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the managing director at Hangsen Brand, an electronic cigarette manufacturer. We manufacture, produce, and design, not just the actual electronic cigarette component, but also the filling and capping machines that go along with making a unit. We do this for companies looking to manufacture their own devices here in the states but we also have our own brands, such as IQ.

What challenge were you trying to address with The Miller Group?

Within our industry, there are a lot of other brands selling basically the same thing as us, so we were looking to increase our exposure. We wanted to send a specific message to our audience, not just here in the states, but globally.

What was the scope of their involvement?

The Miller Group provided a marketing strategy for us. When we started out with them, we didn’t have any exposure at all. Our team’s main focus is on developing the product, so we place emphasis on the product’s design aspects and having low failure rates. The Miller Group became an extension of our marketing team.

Their team developed our website, marketing assets, and message flyers. The Miller Group also ran certain marketing campaigns, including a mixed martial arts promotion. Their team also conducted photo and video shoots for our campaigns.

What is the team composition?

We worked with 5–10 members of The Miller Group team. 

How did you come to work with The Miller Group?

We chose The Miller Group because they were very patient and understanding of our industry. They were very dialed in and made an effort to communicate with us daily.

How much have you invested with them?

We have invested a little over $150,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

Our ongoing engagement with The Miller Group began in December 2017.

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

We receive statistics on the progress of their work through social media monitoring. Before we started working with them, we didn’t have any presence on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Youtube, or even a website. We get a lot of positive feedback and saw an increase in retention rates due to the assets that The Miller Group developed for us. 

How did The Miller Group perform from a project management standpoint?

They’re excellent. They communicate with us daily and meet with us weekly. I would recommend The Miller Group to anyone looking for expert-level marketing or product messaging.

What did you find most impressive about them?

We wanted our brand to be different, but at the same time stylish. The Miller Group has an eye for design. They crafted a good looking brand that resonates with a wider audience.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, they did a great job.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

In terms of cutting costs, it’s important to identify exactly what you need. At the time, we weren’t entirely sure. To the credit fo the Miller Group, they were able to facilitate our message by asking us questions about what we wanted and how we wanted it to look.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the director of marketing and media relations for Goodwill Southern California. A nonprofit organization, we use the proceeds from our 85 stores and 46 donation centers to help people find jobs.

What challenge were you trying to address with The Miller Group?

We wanted to create a digital ad for Halloween, which is a really big season for us.

What was the scope of their involvement?

The Miller Group created and executed a digital ad. They provided us with extensive resources before the day of filming. They enlisted a stylist who worked with our team to shop for Halloween outfits in our stores. On the day of the filming, they also provided a videographer, a photographer, and actors. They even brought a drone to get aerial shots inside the store. Finally, they edited the footage into the final video.

What is the team composition?

Our main point of contact was Renee (president & executive creative director, The Miller Group).

How did you come to work with The Miller Group?

Goodwill Southern California worked with them going back to 2010 before I joined the organization. They’d actually made another digital Halloween ad for us that went viral. We’d been talking about doing some additional work with them, and decided this project made sense because of our history.  

How much have you invested with them?

We spent about $10,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

The project took place from June–August 2018.

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

We haven't officially launched the ad yet, but we’re impressed with their process. Their work was very professional and organized, particularly on the day of filming. They’re committed to ensuring that we achieve a great outcome. All of their provided resources were terrific. They also did a great job editing the video. We’re really pleased with their work.

How did The Miller Group perform from a project management standpoint?

They’re so responsive. It was a smooth process from start to finish. We communicated mostly through email, in addition to a few conference calls. Their style was both relaxed and professional, so it was easy to work with them.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They put their clients first, always listening to our feedback and our input. They were extremely focused and time-efficient on the day of filming.

As a nonprofit, we don't have huge budgets, and we didn't want to feel lost working with a big agency. The Miller Group made us feel like we were a critical project for them. They did a terrific job and were wonderful to work with.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I can't think of anything.

Any advice for potential customers?

Keep the lines of communication open, and respond to them as quickly as possible. Stay on top of the back-and-forth communication required in a collaborative engagement.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m a former marketing communications manager for a nonprofit organization.

What challenge were you trying to address with The Miller Group?

People only saw us as a nonprofit retail store, but we served companies in addition to the average consumer. We needed help targeting the right media and communicating our mission through marketing campaigns.

What was the scope of their involvement?

The Miller Group worked with us to strategize and develop marketing campaigns. The advertising efforts included on-air commercials that they’d film at some of our flagship stores. Then, they’d pay to run the spots on television. They were crucial to developing our radio ads, both in facilitating media buys and writing creative ad copy. They also assisted our print, outdoor, and point-of-sale advertising by providing design concepts.

What is the team composition?

Their creative director was involved in the decision-making and attended most meetings. There were always 3–4 people working with us at each juncture.

How did you come to work with The Miller Group?

I put together the RFP and submitted it to numerous vendors that seemed to fit our scope and creativity requirements. The Miller Group met our criteria regarding budget, proximity, and a successful track record. Also, we quickly developed a good rapport.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent between $200,000 and $1 million.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked together September 2008­–September 2009.

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

We saw sales increase in correlation to the new advertising, especially when commercials or radio ads were released. The Miller Group was directly responsible for one of our most successful Halloween campaigns. They designed a series of Halloween characters that used our logo and it was very clever. It was done with a low budget and ended up winning a lot of creative awards. More importantly, it captured the attention of not just our particular market, but grew into a national campaign.

How did The Miller Group perform from a project management standpoint?

They were very efficient, met deadlines, stayed within the budget, and their creative work always exceeded expectations. Reliably accessible by phone, they were patient as this was the first time our company outsourced advertising work. As a result, they had to go through a rigorous procedure of presenting to executive-level staff and guiding us through the learning process. Overall, they were fantastic.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They’re extremely versatile as they covered nearly every aspect of our marketing efforts and often proposed new solutions. I can't imagine they could’ve slashed budgets any more than they did. They gave us more value than what we paid. Their unique ideas were edgy, but never distasteful. The deliverables felt modern and brought the company’s marketing efforts to the next level.

Are there any areas they could improve?

The challenge was adapting the practices of an advertising agency with the bureaucracy of a nonprofit. However, they did great. I can’t recommend any improvements.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

During the initial meetings with their creative director, provide an honest assessment of where your company is and what your goals are. After that, let them take the lead and that’ll make the project work for you. They’re definitely equipped to handle it.

Please describe your company.

PSAV is a $2 billion enterprise focused on event technology, providing specialized equipment, and the trained experts who operate it. PSAV operates from more than 1,500 global locations.

What is your role at the company?

I am the director of marketing and communications.

What was the business challenge that you were trying to address when you approached The Miller Group?

We needed their help determining how to differentiate the brand of a particular operating unit.

Please describe the scope of their work, what specific services did The Miller Group provide?

The Miller Group interviewed internal stakeholders to determine the true nature of the project, and then established further research with external stakeholders. Using the information they got from these interviews and desktop research, TMG proposed a new set of iconography that would bring a currently underrated service to the forefront of the market. The proposal included recommendations on the artwork, launch, and promotion of the new "brand."

What was your process for selecting The Miller Group?

Before this project, I'd had a rich and lengthy experience of successful projects with The Miller Group. I originally found them through a trusted colleague at the Marketing Executives Networking Group (MENG).

Can you give us a general estimate of the size of the initiative?

The project was between $20,000 and $50,000.

When did the project begin, and when was it completed?

We started March 1, 2015 and finished on the beginning of June.

What were the results of the project, and are there any metrics you can share?

The project resulted in a unique approach to publicizing our creative services branch to customers and prospects, and may eventually result in building new services offerings from this business unit. We expect to launch the results officially in September, after some test marketing and final adjustments to the new messaging in August.

How did they perform in terms of the quality of their work?

Very well. The Miller Group is a multi-talented team focused on quality research, interaction, planning, and creative presentations on final recommendations.

What differentiated The Miller Group from other companies?

The Miller Group tends to challenge us with penetrating questions. They take the time to know our business and understand our objectives, they expose challenges and opportunities we didn't know existed, and they back up their recommendations with data.

Looking back on the project, do you have any constructive criticism? Is there any area that they could improve or you would do differently?

A very minor complaint: they started with one point of contact but, as the project evolved, we started having multiple contacts. I would have preferred to keep it at one.

Please describe your company.

Before I retired I worked for The Wolf Range Company, a manufacturer of commercial refrigerators, ovens, and cooking equipment used in the food services industry, hospitality industry, schools, et cetera.

What is your role and responsibilities, please?

I was president of the company. 

What was your goal for working with The Miller Group?

Our goal was to increase our company’s market share.

Please describe the scope of their work.

They were responsible for developing our marketing plan. Our campaigns were mostly focused on print advertising, brochures, flyers, programs etc. (This was back in the nineties, and we were hardly doing any online marketing.) They also worked on the sales pitch and the training programs for our manufacturers rep, which was hugely important to our success.

What was your process for selecting The Miller Group?

I honestly don’t recall how we found them, but we interviewed at least five or six agencies. We chose them because we felt a strong compatibility with their people. We felt they would be a fit, and that proved to be correct.

Can you give a sense of the size of the initiative?

It was well above $200,000 annually.

What were the results of the project?

The results were fantastic. During the six years we worked with The Miller Group, we increased our company’s market share every year, and they deserve a lot of the credit for that. 

Is there anything unique or special about The Miller Group that really makes them stand out?

Originally, we saw them as our ad agency, but they evolved into something much more than that. They really became a part of our marketing team, and they performed a lot of services above and beyond the normal advertising agency.

They became a sounding board for our marketing department, and became an integral part of it.

In addition, I think what also set them apart was Renee Miller herself. She has one of the most intuitive marketing minds of anyone I've ever worked with. Her team was great, but Renee was above and beyond.

Looking back on the work so far, is there any area that you think they could improve upon or something that you might do differently?

No, not really.

What advice would you give a future client of theirs?

N/A

Please describe your company.

The company I was with when I worked with The Miller Group was the regional bank based in southern California, focused primarily on the consumer market.

What is your role and responsibilities?

I was the senior vice president of marketing.

What was your goal for working with The Miller Group?

We were opening some new branches in different areas of California, and we brought The Miller Group in to help with the rollout.

Please describe the scope of their work.

It was really a multi-faceted campaign. We did direct mail, on-air advertising, print work, some outdoor, and radio. It was a wide-ranging campaign that was coordinated by The Miller Group.

What was your process for selecting The Miller Group?

I interviewed a lot of different agencies. I'm not sure how I came to them to begin with, but what interested me was that they were small enough to be easy to work with, so I knew I'd get the attention I needed yet large enough that they could do everything I needed them to do. I know it's cliché to say that, but it's so true.

Can you give a sense of the size of the initiative?

The overall campaign was more than $2 million. I'm not sure what portion of that went directly to The Miller Group for their services.

What were the results of the project?

The results of the project were very positive. All the branch openings were successful, and the branches went on to do very well in their marketplace. I think everyone agreed that the strategy we devised with The Miller Group was the right one. The rollout happened during the course of several years, and we continued to work with The Miller Group through the whole process. 

Is there anything unique or special about The Miller Group that really makes them stand out?

In addition to all the basics, such as being adaptive to our needs and meeting all of our timeline and budget goals. I think it's the depth of their expertise that sets them apart. They've been around more than 25 years, and can really do everything, from the strategy and concept work, all the way through the implementation. They have a deep understanding of marketing, they're not just an ad agency. They're truly a strategic partner, which is great. 

Looking back on the work so far, is there any area that you think they could improve upon or something that you might do differently?

Not that I would see. It was a wonderful relationship, and we did well together.

Please describe your company and your position there.

Our company is an online and mobile app software developer, currently our focus is on simplifying booking and registration process for business clients and consumers. I am the founder and CEO of Explorer Enterprises.

For what projects/services did your company hire The Miller Group?

The Miller Group has been tasked with refining our company and product image, as well as providing key market strategies and guidelines on how to be effective in our approach with investors, business clients, and consumers.

What were your goals for this project?

Our goals were to refine our marketing content and branding to speak more effectively to the product we provide and the market we serve. The Miller Group has been fantastic in providing information for us, responsive and adaptable to feedback on designs, and extremely attentive and focused on meeting our needs for our advertising and marketing.

How did you select The Miller Group?

The Miller Group came through a personal recommendation and they have been absolutely flawless in their execution.

Describe the scope of their work in detail.

Conducting market research, strategizing on messaging and worded content, refining marketing decks, assistance on storytelling and crafting narratives that fit our organization, tell the benefits our company provides in the simplest forms and connects with our audience in a more relatable fashion.

What was the team composition?

3 people have been involved from the Miller Group, Bill Williams has done incredible market research and crafting of language to help push us forward. Renee Miller has been a guiding source of wisdom and strategic partner consistently, and Elaina Baker did design and creative work for us.

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

We saw an uptick in our sales as we became improved on our messaging, and we have been more effective in our communication with investors.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Extremely effective, they are on top of it, clear about when to expect completion of items, attentive to business needs if time is an issue, and extremely professional, which we value greatly.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

The most impressive piece is the personal attention, our team is currently small and can't be a huge portion of business for them at this time, but regardless they still have treated us with incredible respect and attentiveness that can be uncommon for a small team like ours. They actually care about our success, and it shows.

Are there any areas for improvement?

At this time no, there is honestly nothing we could have improvement on. They have worked with us so closely and responded so effectively that I always trust that if there is anything that needs to be addressed they do it immediately. If there was an area I would say it.