Modern Craft

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the head of marketing for HAVEN, a company that focuses on Active Air Management through environmental sensor data and automations to help homeowners take control of the air within their homes. Additionally, we work with HVAC contractors to provide our services to homeowners across the US. As head of marketing, I lead our marketing team and marketing initiatives.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Modern Craft?

We were creating some confusion for our customers due to our two brands - our corporate brand (TZOA) and the brand that encompassed our products (HAVEN). Our aim was to revamp our overall branding and focus on HAVEN as the primary customer facing brand going forward. 

As part of this effort, we also wanted to revamp our branding, create a new brand essence, and update all of our visuals to achieve a more professional look. Before, we created all of our branding assets in-house, but we were ready to go to the next level and provide our clients with more clarity about who we were.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We worked with Modern Craft to strengthen our foundation and bolster the basic building blocks of our customer-centric business. They helped us define our brand strategy, as well as clearly identify our customer segmentation. The latter was a very important part of the process because our audiences are professionals and homeowners, two very different customer types. Additionally, Modern Craft brought in a consultant to work with us on developing all of our visual elements, including our logo, color palette, and more.

What is the team composition?

We worked directly with Randy and John (Partners & Co-Founders), and they brought in the consultant to work on the creative part of the project.

How did you come to work with Modern Craft?

We looked for and interviewed about eight different local brand specialists, including Modern Craft, and they came out on top. We felt like hiring someone local because we wanted to support local businesses, as well as to have the opportunity to work in the same time zone. I’m not sure if they came as a reference or if we found them during an online search, but they ended up being an excellent team to work with.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent around $60,000 CAD (approximately $47,000 USD).

What is the status of this engagement?

We started our initial discussions around February 2021, but we kicked off the project in April 2021. We had a very defined deadline because our business relies heavily on seasons, and we wanted to launch our new brand along with the launch of a new product. Thus, we ended our collaboration on August 1st, 2021, the set launch date.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Thanks to our new brand, the amount of attention we’ve received from investors has been incredibly positive, which has been very important to us. Additionally, everyone who has recently come in touch with us has said very positive things about our entire brand essence, strategy, and presence — we’re very happy with the results.

How did Modern Craft perform from a project management standpoint?

Modern Craft offered very buttoned-up project management, and they were great at letting us know about the deadlines. They put together an entire work schedule from the beginning so that we had full visibility into the upcoming milestones and project requirements.

Our marketing coordinator and I had a weekly Monday meeting with John and Randy to touch base and discuss any bottlenecks that we needed to focus on during that week. The branding team consisted of Modern Craft and six HAVEN employees across different departments and were very involved in the project, so we also had multiple workshops and feedback sessions involving this broader group.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Modern Craft’s high-level human approach distinguished them from other providers. They truly cared about our project and wanted the best possible outcome for us. Additionally, they were very candid about some things and challenged us on others, which helped us establish a trustworthy relationship. Furthermore, they were very flexible and understanding, as well as incredibly supportive.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No. Any delays and challenges were on our end, so there was nothing they could have done better. I’ve actually recommended them to others a couple of times, and we will not hesitate to work with them in the future.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Trust them, let them lead the project, and be open to feedback — they’re the experts.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the VP of marketing and communications at OneGoal, a national organization that works to close the college degree divide. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Modern Craft?

OneGoal had been around for about 15 years, and we traditionally had a direct-to-student model, partnering directly with public schools. It was an impactful model, but we were exploring ways to scale. 

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Initially, we needed help coming up with a new model that would create partnerships at a district level. Modern Craft helped us understand the market, and they developed a go-to strategy for the new way of delivering our model.

After a year of implementation, our campaigns were successful. We partnered with three districts, but the model remained classroom-based. As we rolled the new service, we recognized that there was a demand for a different product — something that involved leadership coaching and support. 

We started providing this on an ad hoc basis with our partners, but we realized it was a product in and of itself. We collaborated again with Modern Craft to help us frame and develop a go-to market plan for this new product. 

In all our projects, they’ve helped us understand the landscape. They’ve detailed what our peers and competitors are doing as well as our audience’s needs and motivations. They’ve also helped us develop our value proposition, messaging, and brand strategy. 

Ultimately, Modern Craft has built a tactical go-to market strategy that encompasses everything from PR to digital strategy to conferences. 

What is the team composition?

We’ve worked with 3–4 resources, including Peter and John (Partners).

How did you come to work with Modern Craft?

A colleague recommended Modern Craft to me. We had a conversation with their team, and it was clear that they knew our sector and market. We also felt they would bring value immediately and were great at project management. In addition, they had good references.

We saw a path forward with Modern Craft in a way that I knew they could lead us. They wouldn’t be a passive partner, and instead they would be proactive. Their expertise was clear, and they were very flexible. All of that made us decide to work with them.

What is the status of this engagement?

We’ve been working together since September 2020, and our relationship is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Modern Craft has helped us successfully launch our projects and maintain partnerships.

How did Modern Craft perform from a project management standpoint?

Modern Craft has been wonderful in project management. We collaborate through emails and virtual meetings.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Modern Craft’s expertise and market knowledge are impressive. We also appreciate their project management skills and their strong vision. They are able to lead us into achieving our goals. In addition, they’re a true partner that’s committed to quality and authenticity instead of profit.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I can’t think of anything. Even when things don’t go as planned, the way they’ve approached issues is impressive. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Take the time upfront to talk about your goals and needs. Working with them will require your team’s commitment, too. This means you should prioritize meetings with them.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the VP of brand development and innovation at Freybe, and we’re a consumer-packed goods (CPG) company. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Modern Craft?

We needed help formulating a brand strategy.  

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Modern Craft has created our brand strategy, developing a plan integrated with all our business units. Throughout the process, they’ve ensured our overall business priorities remain aligned. 

Notably, we’ve worked with Modern Craft on a road mapping project that prioritizes and operationalizes a year-long review of our department goals. They’ve structured our objectives, which have been disjointed and siloed. 

I’ve since hired them again for other projects, and we’re on a project-by-project basis depending on our needs.

What is the team composition?

I’ve worked with John, Peter, Randy, and Nathan (Partners). 

How did you come to work with Modern Craft?

I was introduced to Randy at a previous job through a mutual contact. We went through an RFP process, but we ultimately decided to work with Modern Craft. 

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent over $100,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We’ve been working together since May 2020, and our relationship is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Modern Craft’s work has had an incredible impact on our business. They’re great at helping to create business alignment and clarity while operationalizing efficiently. Additionally, their work is integrated into all our other departments. I’ve been really happy with their work. 

How did Modern Craft perform from a project management standpoint?

Modern Craft excels at understanding the levels of approval required at various stages of the process. 

They’re good at working with everybody from executives to associates and understanding their needs — they can communicate and engage really well. They can get a big picture perspective while connecting with foot soldiers who are executing everything. In addition, they’re super flexible, tailoring their offerings to what we need. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

Modern Craft doesn’t operate in a typical agency model, and they integrate really well into an existing system. They’re good at understanding our partners and pushing into our existing relationships to make things better. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

I can’t think of anything. Modern Craft has hit the mark in everything, and there isn’t anything glaring that I can say.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Be upfront about your business needs. They’re fantastic problem solvers that deal with chaos really well. If your organization is disorganized, you shouldn’t shy away from working with them — they’re there to sort out the mess.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the senior director of marketing and communications for a nonprofit called New Classrooms. We provide personalized learning solutions to help middle school math students.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Modern Craft?

We were launching a new product in the education marketplace, and we brought in Modern Craft’s expertise to help us create a new brand identity as well as a go-to-market launch plan.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Modern Craft initially provided consulting services, helping us navigate our big ideas and identify a brand strategy. They did a lot of industry research (that was informative and actionable) and helped us put together a go-to-market plan. They also helped us launch the plan by providing direct services or connecting us with other vendors to help.

What is the team composition?

We’ve worked with 3–4 different folks from Modern Craft, and our main contacts are Peter (Partner) and John (Partner & Co-Founder). 

How did you come to work with Modern Craft?

Our CEO found them through a referral. When we met with them, we saw that they had the right experience in the education space. It was critical that we have a partner who wouldn’t just hand over a plan but actually help us implement it, and that’s what they offered to do. 

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve invested within the $50,000–$100,000 range.

What is the status of this engagement?

Our partnership began in June 2020, and our new product was launched in fall 2020. We now engage them on an ongoing basis for various other projects.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The number of students that we serve has tripled as a result of our joint efforts with Modern Craft.

How did Modern Craft perform from a project management standpoint?

They’re incredibly organized and thorough, and kept us on time and on budget. We mostly communicate via email and Zoom.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Compared to other agencies, Modern Craft is really talented at keeping a global view of your brand strategy and business goals in mind when developing and executing marketing strategies and tactics that ensure the product comes to life.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, I honestly can’t think of anything they can improve on. It’s truly been a great experience. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Make the most of your time with their team. Have clear goals, but be open as well to how Modern Craft might go about achieving those. They’re very goal-driven, so be sure to define what success looks like for your organization. 

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the president at the North American Pediatric Renal Trials and Collaborative Studies (NAPRTCS). We started off as a volunteer registry for centers caring for children who had received a kidney transplant, in 1987. That registry expanded to children who were treated with dialysis and who had chronic kidney disease but who did not yet need dialysis or transplant. We currently have more than 30,000 enrollments, and we're now an internet data-based collection service.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Modern Craft?

We realized the registry system was extremely antiquated and wanted to minimize the registry for this online platform. The centers and people who were participating didn't have access to the data in real-time. We decided to update the platform to try to start capturing more contemporary, user-friendly data. 

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We reached out to Modern Craft to help us select a vendor to develop the data entry platform, the data maintenance platform and then a reporting platform. They started by doing a needs assessment and interviewing stakeholders with an RFP. Next, they guided the NAPRTCS leadership through the selection process to select a vendor. Then, they remained engaged and assisted with the development and implementation of that data platform and reporting system. They interpreted our needs for a technical vendor and doing vice versa for the vendor responses back to us.

What is the status of this engagement?

We began working together in 2016, and our engagement is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

They were incredible to work with. They were dealing with physicians and nurses who have very limited technical experience. Nathan and his group walked us through that process and made it possible. Their work was so valuable and crucial to the successful launch of our new and improved system. Since the launch of the platform, the number of enrollments and participating centers have increased substantially.

How did Modern Craft perform from a project management standpoint?

Modern Craft exceeded our expectations. They were reliable and provided ongoing metrics to show where they were in the process. They also included clear and concise metrics for the time they spent on the project, which added accountability. It has been one of the best experiences we've had with any company.

What did you find most impressive about them?

It’s remarkable how they were able to crystallize the complex needs that we had in a succinct and clear format. They don't have a medical background but they were still able to understand what we needed then we could ourselves.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, they've been great. We continue to work with them because of that and I don't know how we survived without them before that.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the CMO for a Canadian destination marketing company. We work with the tourism industry, providing research and insights. We also do sales and marketing for 10 markets around the world.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Modern Craft?

We hired them to help us understand a better strategy for our digital ecosystem.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

The biggest project was addressing our digital ecosystem from a strategic point of view. This included design work on our mobile and web platforms. We wanted to make them bright, easy, and quick to use so that the traveler’s interest is quickly pushed to the right segment. The process was strategic development, then design, then they managed the development.

They also worked on our mobile and websites to help us ensure best practices for SEO. They also helped with change management as we moved from subject-matter specific teams to cross-functional teams. They also helped us with project management, setting up support and process to have a more agile culture.

How did you come to work with Modern Craft?

We looked to them for the initial project and then kept them on for additional projects.

What is the status of this engagement?

I worked with them from September 2015 onwards.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We actually won an award for the design. We also saw user experience scores increase dramatically. Both quantitatively and qualitatively, we could see the improvements we sought.

Also, they’re not on retainer. I do an annual review with them and have kept them on for project after project — the best testament to their work. They’re our ideas and strategic support agency. When they can’t help us, they actually recommend talent and facilitate the process to find people to do the tasks that they can’t.

How did Modern Craft perform from a project management standpoint?

They hit their high watermark when they had their team members provide individual coaching to some of my managers who could use the additional support. They’re great project managers.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They only say something when they know they can deliver.

Are there any areas they could improve?

When they say they’ll deliver something, they’ll deliver. They could be more forceful pushing back when we’re not being a good client, although it’s always tough for a vendor to push back against a client.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

Our organization is a sales and use tax company that’s based in Seattle with multiple offices all over the world. We help customers calculate sales tax and remit that to the state, county, and federal levels. I’m the director of marketing technology, which means I lead all of the lead generation marketing systems, websites, and any development that supports the growth of the company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Modern Craft?

We brought in Modern Craft to help with two sets of work. Several years back, it involved conversion rate optimization efforts for a landing page strategy. The next stint with them involved a refresh of our website.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

The engagement started with a three-month effort that involved content analysis over the key website conversion pages. All of the CTAs were evaluated and reviewed. That audit yielded an update to a brand style guide and other web style & treatment visualizations. Then their team provided a content recommendation around redesigning the content around our product sets. The web refresh involved a small taxonomy, navigation work, color schemes, and improving the UI.

What is the team composition?

We worked with an account rep, senior strategist, designer, and a content author.

How did you come to work with Modern Craft?

I had experience with some of the employees of Modern Craft at another company. Before they started working with Modern Craft, I had a previous relationship with one or two key people there.

How much have you invested with them?

In total, we spent around $200,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked with Modern Craft from November 2017–March 2018.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We got the listed return we were expecting. Our overall site conversions improved. The current site is yielding the look & feel that Modern Craft defined. The new design left our users with a whole experience instead of a more fragmented one that we had previously. We also experienced an increase in our SEO rankings.

How did Modern Craft perform from a project management standpoint?

They nailed the project management. We used Slack and Google Docs.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their key strategy led by Peter (Managing Partner, Modern Craft) was very articulate. A good portion of our business strategy for the site was figured out by them. We received positive results because of their team.

Are there any areas they could improve?

We were pretty reliant on email-based communications to keep everything moving. When there were more than 20 people on the project that became difficult, I think we would’ve benefitted with some form of communications & project management tool to ease the process. Email was tough because it had to be frequently checked, and if people replied, sometimes others wouldn’t get it.