Nebulous (formerly Mutant Unicorn)

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the chief development officer of a mass transportation startup.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Mutant Unicorn?

We wanted assistance with marketing. We have three different types of customers: governments, private entities, and riders. We wanted to focus on how our messaging can speak to each of these parties.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They helped with rebranding including developing a company name, logo, artwork, content support, and putting together a web page. They also generated graphic assets for the website and provided supporting marketing materials. 

Their work aligned our messaging both internally and externally through the use of branding exercises. They met with all of our employees to construct a unified narrative for our brand. 

What is the team composition?

It varied, but we mostly worked with David (Founder & Director of Brand Strategy). There was another teammate that visited our office, and there were several more people behind the scenes. They also had a film crew that we worked with. 

How did you come to work with Mutant Unicorn?

I’ve worked with David before, and I’ve always been impressed by his drive. He understands how to define business goals and plan a project accordingly which is important for startups. 

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked together from May–August 2019. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

I’ve worked with other marketing firms before, and many charge by the hour so they weren’t as motivated to help us reach our goals if we didn’t provide clear deliverables. However, David is focused and driven by success, not money. 

How did Mutant Unicorn perform from a project management standpoint?

It was really good. They brought an unrelenting focus on our core value proposition. They also brought in additional consultants to help with all of our needs. David was excellent at managing different tasks, making him a one-stop-shop. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

The focus and clarity they bring to their work are most impressive. They can lead the discussion which is especially important if you don’t have a marketing background. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

It would be nice if they could grow their team. They have a lot of potential to expand their business. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers? 

Don’t be afraid to push and ask questions. They’re there to help you grow your skillset and act as a valuable resource. They can help you learn more about marketing. 

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the former VP of product management at Opya. However, as all startups go, I wore many hats.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Mutant Unicorn?

We were looking for a rebranding firm. It was a big undertaking, and no one in the company had the expertise. We had the humility to know we needed someone who knew what they were doing and could pick the right elements so we could focus on growing the company.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Mutant Unicorn handled our entire rebranding process. It required a lot of exploration during the discovery phase. They conducted interviews around personas and what we wanted our logo, voice, tagline, etc. to be. Their team created our new name as well as designed graphics and marketing collateral. They also helped us define our identity.

After rebranding came the website. First, the Mutant Unicorn team helped us identify what was wrong with our former platform and what we wanted to change and include in the new one.

The final product was a WordPress website that was intricate, it wasn’t just contact us and about us pages. There were resources such as autism intake forms, a blog, and a simple questionnaire. I’d conduct interviews for our blog posts, and their content writer cleaned them up and made sure they were ready for readers.

We also focused on inbound leads. Mutant Unicorn designed the platform in a way that’d attract parents to visit the website and read our information. In the medical field, things are complicated so we had to get approval. The tech details took longer than we expected because we were following the guidelines.

There were also elements of marketing in the project. Mutant Unicorn handled our Facebook Ads. They also made a four-minute video of our company and what we do. The difficulty was explaining what we did to investors and individuals who were not close to the problem of interacting with someone who has autism.

What is the team composition?

There were about 3–4 people on their team including a content writer, designer, and my main point of contact.

How did you come to work with Mutant Unicorn?

They came as a recommendation through a source that I really trust.

How much have you invested with them?

We invested between $100,000–$120,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

The engagement lasted from December 2017–August 2018.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Our website traffic significantly increased, and there was a large overall positive impact. The high-quality production and execution of the video was definitely a highlight. I was very happy with it, and a lot of investors understood our mission when they saw it. It became much more appealing to them at that point.

Mutant Unicorn’s work is pretty fantastic and cutting-edge. Their team has won awards for the website, and they're great storytellers; that’s exactly what we needed. They just got it. Because our main contact was a parent, he understood our message. It was helpful, and he was motivated to work with us; that was rare.

It’s hard for people to understand what this is and also difficult to break it down for someone who’s not going through it. It’s hard to translate that, and they succeeded in helping us do so. Their skills are off the charts, and they have really good design aesthetics. Our new brand and website definitely changed the conversation after Mutant Unicorn came in.

I flew out to Seattle, and my main contact frequently came here to see us. We had a close-knit, good working relationship. The designs were top-notch, so much so that it became expensive to produce the multi-layer coloring. This is something we could have easily solved by reaching out and asking for a flatter version.

How did Mutant Unicorn perform from a project management standpoint?

Project management went really well. All of their documents were very detailed and the milestones were very clear. The delivery was pretty much as expected. We didn’t slip or miss anything. Everything was clear and predictable.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Mutant Unicorn has an open mind. They really want to understand the story and aren’t trying to tell us what to do or give us generic deliverables. Their team really wanted our company to shine and have its own voice. Across their work, all their designs are unique. It’s not the same thing over and over again. Creativity is their strength. Also, they’re not a short-term team. They’re in there for the long haul. Mutant Unicorn delivers and does an awesome job.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, I can’t think of anything. I’d absolutely hire them again, there’s nothing they could have done differently.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Their style and my style meshed really well together. I had no interest in micromanaging their work, and they enjoyed that. Their team had enough freedom, and I wasn’t picking on every last pixel. The rapport we had worked well for us.