Ologie

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I’m the Assistant Vice Chancellor of Marketing at the University of Pittsburgh. Our team is responsible for marketing and communications across the University including news, web, social, visual, and print materials.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Ologie?

We hired Ologie to partner on the development of a University master brand. This is the first time the University of Pittsburgh has developed a brand, and it’s going to be an important piece in helping us raise awareness nationwide.

What were your goals for this project?

Our goals were to increase our brand awareness regionally and nationally, improve our reputation and our rankings, and positively affect enrollment and fundraising.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

We established a university-wide committee to select a vendor. After a thorough RFP process, we selected two partners. We chose Ologie because of their strong creative.

Describe the scope of their work in detail.

Ologie began by conducting individual and group interviews with more than 70 senior administrators across campus and members of the Board of Trustees. The team also toured the campus and spoke with an archivist to get to know us deeply. Further, we provided them with quantitative research results from our other partner, which were used to develop brand concepts for testing.

Moving forward, they conducted an on-campus workshop to explore concepts, voice, tone, and personality. That information was then used to build positioning and brand style. After integrating our feedback, they provided two creative concepts. We narrowed it down to one, which is currently being refined to serve as part of a wider brand strategy and a major advertising campaign next fall.

What was the team composition?

My primary contacts are a project manager and an account director. We have weekly calls, and they are my touchpoints for questions and requests. I also have a good relationship with the principal, who has shown a personal and vested interest in our work and success. Their design and strategy teams have also visited campus to deliver concepts and talk through options in person.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We recently received the final creative concepts and were excited by what we saw. The concepts are decidedly different, but both could work. Several of our team members had emotional reactions to the creative, which is what we wanted. We feel confident we'll have something outstanding to roll out internally and take to market.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

We meet with the project manager and account manager weekly and communicate mostly via email. We've had to adjust the timeline a few times, but they always provide updated schedules. The on-campus interviews with senior administrators were very well organized as well.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Ologie's creative is among the best in the business. They push boundaries, yet keep their creative rooted in truth.

Are there any areas for improvement?

Ologie's typical process doesn't include quantitative research, so we have to push them on that at times. When they’re provided research from other partners, however, they roll it into their creative.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the vice dean and director of marketing and communications at a university. Our office is responsible for evaluating and selecting the incoming undergraduate class each year. I manage a team that focuses on our marketing and communications efforts, specifically as prospects move through our application process.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Ologie?

When the dean of admissions brought me on board, he tasked me with a branding project. Our university is decentralized as we have twelve graduate schools and four undergraduate schools. Our office is one of the few that is tasked with describing the totality of that system. As our admissions people were recruiting candidates and trying to convey the benefits of an education with our university, we described each of the four undergraduate schools as opposed to starting with a common story and understanding of what the whole experience of our university is.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement? 

We chose Ologie to partner with us and help us articulate our brand and examine the messaging and thinking about the university and do so with a strategic eye toward our positioning with our competitors.

The first year was a strategic internal market research effort. They put together a process and interviewed more than 100 of our students as well as a multitude of our faculty, senior administrators, admissions officers, and our dean. They conducted a thorough and organized research process to help us better articulate and understand what the university represents. During that process, they also helped us understand our competitors’ brands and messages. Then, they helped us determine what was unique and valuable about the university, and what the market was lacking. Ultimately, the main deliverable was a robust set of brand guidelines. 

Phase two was a creation of visuals and an exciting brand story that addressed the strategic findings. We went through a multiple-round process to make those choices and finalize a way to express the brand. 

From there, they worked with us in phases to bring the brand to life which included a new suite of printed materials. It also included helping us to reimagine our information sessions. Our internal graphic designer and team used the brand guidelines successfully to work on a multitude of deliverables. We also used what we created with Ologie to build a new website as well.

What is the team composition?

We worked with around 10 people in total, but there were five people on the core team who we worked with on a more regular basis.

How did you come to work with Ologie?

We conducted an extensive RFP process. We were looking for a partner that could be data-driven, and Ologie had just finished a study and had a set of data that could inform our choices regardless of where we ended up with the project. We knew that they had a lot of expertise. We were looking for a firm that was going to bring best practices from outside the higher education industry. We felt that they would lead us through an effective process, especially in terms of strategic positioning. We invited several firms to come in and meet with us, and we unanimously felt that Ologie was the right partner.

How much have you invested in them?

We spent over $200,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked with them from January 2017–July 2018.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Internally, we received the university’s Models of Excellence award. Our work was recognized for its quality and impact by the president and provost of the university. 

One of the essay questions we ask in our application process is why students would like to attend our university and what they see themselves pursuing here. This year, we had many students who directly pointed to references from our branding and key themes and messages that they had heard in the info session. It was clear to us that students were absorbing the ideas that we designed the platform to communicate. 

Additionally, we have been tracking qualitative and quantitative data and the net promoter score (NPS) of our information sessions since we flipped over to the new format. We have seen improvements and an increase of between five and eight points in the NPS ratings since we flipped.

In both anecdotal and quantifiable ways, we have seen great impact. Applications continue to be slightly up from where they were last year. Last year was a record high that we attributed to the change in the SAT, and seeing the application volume remain strong this year was also incredibly encouraging.

How did Ologie perform from a project management standpoint?

They were great. We changed project managers several times and we reached a point where that became a challenge for us. I respected that when it had become something we needed to talk about, their most senior person was on the phone with me and they immediately staffed us with solutions. They were proactive and accommodating, and they did everything you would want someone to do if you brought something to their attention. The solution we came to was the best one possible.

For the most part, the quality of everybody we interacted with was strong. We always felt good with the people that were staffed on our project.

What did you find most impressive about them?

We continue to be extremely proud of the work we came up with. The process that they ran for the strategic positioning work was a meaningful and important process, knowing that when we were going to have to speak to a lot of faculty and that we would end up with a data-driven result. I felt confident, no matter who I was in front of, whether they were a college faculty member or the provost, to show them this process and the steps we took to end up where we did. They can see the process and how it is informed by logic. When the project landed, we knew we had landed on something that was going to be great.

The creative process with them was a lot of fun. When we pushed them to give us interesting things, they truly did that. I don’t think our work looks like anyone else’s which is where we wanted to end up. The part of the process that needed to be data-driven and logical was, and the part of the process that needed to be creative and out of the box and exciting was that as well.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I don’t know that they could have prevented having to have a few project managers on our team. I was satisfied that they took our concerns seriously and made sure that we felt comfortable and had what we needed in order for the project to be a success. All in all, I felt satisfied with that conclusion.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

We had a lot of trust and faith in the process they ran because it was so clear stepwise and was a smart business process. I would imagine that giving them that same sort of freedom would pay off as well. It’s challenging with a lot of stakeholders, but we benefited from giving them some latitude.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the assistant director of advancement for the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum. I manage our annual giving and membership programs, as well as budgeting, gift processing, and special advancement projects. I served as the contracting officer’s technical representative (COTR) for this contract, which means that I managed the selection of the vendor and continue to oversee the contract.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Ologie?

They were brought in to create a unique identity for a campaign. We needed to raise $250 million to fund a major building renovation that would transform the museum’s galleries.

What were your goals for this project?

We wanted to create a suite of unique, compelling, and inspiring fundraising tools for our leadership and advancement team to use with donors and prospects. In addition, we wanted to make sure that the messaging would appeal to both individual and corporate donors.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

Since we are required to follow federal procurement guidelines, we went through an extensive selection process. Out of all the firms that responded to the RFP, Ologie's proposal really stood out. We also liked the work they had done for other clients. What’s more, every single one of Ologie's seven references made a point to follow up with me and provide positive references about working with their team.

Describe the scope of their work in detail.

During the discovery phase, they met with the museum’s core team and interviewed key members of our leadership, the board, and our donors. They also reviewed the extensive information we provided them, including previous campaign materials, newsletters, exhibition renderings, etc.

Next, they identified key audiences and their important attributes. After this, they moved on to the create phase, which involved reviewing two different creative concepts for the campaign. They also reviewed drafts of the campaign name, tagline, and visual identity. Next, we're going to tackle the website, campaign video, case statement, etc.

What was the team composition?

The project involves their creative and copy team, but we work directly with two account managers. Their director of strategy is also closely involved in the discussions and onsite presentations to our board.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We don't have any metrics to share at this stage, but the response from everyone we've shared their work with has been incredibly positive. The campaign has been received favorably by our board—which includes many aerospace CEOs and business leaders—the Smithsonian national board, the museum leadership, and key donors. We are very pleased with campaign identity and the direction in which we're heading. It is really exciting to see the top-notch work that they have provided.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

So far, I’ve been incredibly impressed with their process. They have all the steps down to a science. They are the utmost professionals about scheduling and communication, which is done via weekly calls. Not only are they always very responsive and prompt, they’ve explained each phase of the process very clearly. Overall, they are great partners to work with and handle feedback very well.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

I’ve been impressed with everyone that I encountered. Their professionalism, creativity, and dedication are top-notch. I also think that their handle on the process is outstanding. Most organizations don't go through this type of work very often, so we appreciate the thoughtful way they’ve led us through it.

Are there any areas for improvement?

Not that I can think of.

BACKGROUND

Please provide a description of your company. 

West Virginia University is a public university, serving over 30,000 undergraduate and graduate students.

What is your role and responsibilities, please?

I’m vice-president for university relations. I oversee the communication and marketing efforts of the university, which has recently included launching a new brand and a new creative campaign.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What was your goal for working with Ologie?

We didn’t have a clear picture of who we were, what we stood for, and what defined us. We wanted to carve out our niche in the marketplace, but not at the expense of creating a brand around what the university should be, rather than what it is. Our goal with Ologie was to define the university in a way that would allow us to have the foundation to consistently communicate our message, both visually and verbally.

SOLUTION

Please describe the scope of their work.

Their process was comprehensive. In the months leading up to our project with Ologie we had conducted internal research on our brand, which we handed over to Ologie, but they also did plenty of their own due-diligence. They spent a lot of time on campus, meeting with students, teachers, and administrators to get the pulse of the university: what were our strengths and weaknesses, what did we love, what kept us up at night, etc. They came back and offered two different voices for our campaign. Both were great, but we landed on the one that we felt defined us best and was the direction we wanted to go moving forward. After that meeting, they started building out the brand guidelines and creative for us.

What was your process for selecting Ologie to work with?

I had worked with them before when I was at another university, so I had a history with them. For this project, I think we sent out five RFPs. We put them up against each other on the metrics of quality, how much experience they had in the field, what kind of work they did, price, all of those considerations. Unanimously, the group landed on Ologie. Even though I went into the selection process a little biased, they certainly won over the team as well.

Can you provide a ballpark dollar figure for the size of the work that they’ve done for you?

In total it was between $100,000 and $200,000.

Can you tell me about the timeline of the project?

We began to work with them in July of 2014, and had landed on a final campaign by October. We approved that through our Board of Governors in early November, and launched the brand in February [2015].

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Do you have any stats, metrics or general feedback from the project?

The quality of the work was excellent; I think they nailed it. I’ve had nothing but good response. As far as the general mood, acceptance of the campaign, and brand explanation, people have been really excited about it. You can only sell a brand so much. At some point, people either feel it or they don't. The brand we created with Ologie connects with people. They hit the mark perfectly, and it has been well-received across all levels of the university.

In terms of feedback directly for Ologie; they are absolutely fantastic to work with. They did a great job balancing some of the more stubborn aspects of the projects from tight timelines, to differing views from various stakeholders. I was very appreciative of the way they really listened to what we had to say, and always took that into account, but at the same time weren't afraid to give us push-back and challenge our thinking, in a very healthy way of course.  They truly are partners, I never felt like they were salesmen. They were here to help us do what we needed to do. 

Is there anything unique about them that really makes them stand out, compared to other companies?

They have a really great methodology for discovering a university's brand. Instead of just giving us a cookie cutter format, they came on campus without any assumptions and really got a sense of what makes the student's heart beat, versus what makes the alumni's heart beat, and what it is about the faculty and staff here that makes them different from other universities. They're able to pick out what is unique about a university really quickly.

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, I cannot think of a single negative to share.

BACKGROUND

Please provide a description of your organization. 

I work for a public university serving more than 40,000 undergraduate and graduate students.

What is your role and responsibilities?

My title is senior vice president for university relations and chief marketing officer. So, I oversee marketing, communications, alumni relations, and government relations. Essentially, all of our external facings stakeholder relationships are part of my portfolio. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What was your goal for working with Ologie?

We were facing a couple of challenges. Most significantly, we didn't have a unified brand for the University as a whole. I came here in the spring of 2013, and there was no brand platform or messaging strategy. 

One of my first responsibilities was to launch an exploratory committee into creating the largest capital campaign in the university's history. I quickly realized the first step to launching the capital campaign would be developing a new, unified brand strategy. 

SOLUTION

Please describe the scope of their work.

I brought them on board to do marketing research, and build out a brand strategy, and subsequently to develop and design our advertising and messaging platforms as well. 

What was your process for selecting Ologie with which to work?

I've worked with them previously. I was the CMO [chief marketing officer] for another university, and had hired them to do some branding strategy there as well. So I was familiar with their work, and when I launched a selection process here, I, of course, asked them to submit an RFP [request for proposal]. 

The quality of their work is first rate in my mind, and I've been pleased with the working relationship and all of the creative output up to this point.

Can you provide a ballpark dollar figure for the size of the work that they’ve done for you?

Overall, it's been in the $250,000 to $500,000 range.

Can you tell me about the timeline of the project?

We initially engaged with them in June 2013, and they finished most of the work by April 2014. We recently brought them back to work on our various websites. They're redesigning several of our websites and doing some other web-related work. But, the bulk of the brand positioning work was done in those 11 months.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you talk about the results of the project and how you feel they performed?

Their work is just top notch. They built a secondary color palette for us. They did all of the logo lockups. You can imagine an institution of this size that didn’t have a brand platform in place, just a lot of the individual colleges were all kind of doing their own thing, in terms of messaging and material. So, they helped us standardize all of our marketing materials. They built a number of templates for us to use for advertising, both print and digital.

The work they've done for our website has also been really important to our brand. They did a lot of work with us to revamp the home page, and help us build out a better navigational structure for a lot of our sub pages. Not all of that work is done, but the home page redesign is complete, and it’s been really well accepted and embraced across campus. 

If you talk to anyone in higher education, you'll hear that decentralization is a real challenge, and getting people to buy in to central platforms can be a tough sale. So, I think it speaks not only to the efforts that we undertook to make sure many different stakeholders were included early in the process, but also to the quality of the materials that Ologie produced, that people were inspired to use them and really get on board. 

We’ve won several [American Advertising Awards] using the platform that they built for us. So, overall, the results have been fantastic.

Is there anything unique about them that really makes them stand out, compared to other companies?

I’ve worked with a lot of big agencies. I spent most of my career in financial services marketing with insurance companies, so I’m used to the big agencies like DDB [Worldwide] and BBDO. Ologie is a smaller boutique agency, and the quality of the relationships I've formed with their team is much better than what I experienced with other agencies. In addition, to the quality of the relationships, it's also the level of people who are engaged in your day-to-day work. Often in the bigger agencies, much of the work is assigned to more junior folks on the account, who maybe don’t have the depth and breadth of experience to bring the work to the next level. Ologie has great account managers, but you're also dealing with the leadership of the company, and you can't replace the value that brings to the project.

I think it goes without saying that in the higher education space, we obviously want to be working with really intelligent people. Everyone at Ologie is extremely sharp. I don't know how they handle their hiring process, but they obviously attract really well-educated, intelligent people.

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. I didn’t experience things like scope creep, or lack of clarity in billing, or any of the things that are somewhat common with agencies. 

Being a smaller agency, one challenge I think they will face in the future is as they expand in areas like health care and higher education, they need to make sure they continue to build differentiated platforms for all the clients in the same category. I think they do a great job of that now, but it's definitely something they should keep an eye on.

BACKGROUND

Please provide a description of your company. 

Hartwick College  a traditional liberal college with approximately 1,550 students. We’re located in mid-state New York.

What is your role and responsibilities?

I'm the president of the college.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What was your goal for working with Ologie?

When I became president, I looked at the way we were selling the college to our prospective students, and I felt that we weren’t making the value argument very effectively. We have an excellent education, high quality, and delivered well, but we just weren’t telling that story in a very compelling way. When we did tell it, it was inconsistent.

This is a small example, but we had at least 25 different kinds of business cards that our administrators were using. It's the little things that really tear away at the edges of your brand and what you’re trying to communicate.

SOLUTION

Please describe the scope of their work.

Initially, I wanted them to come in and take a deep dive into our identity as a college, and help us develop those clear, crisp talking points about who we were and what we offered. They took a deep dive into the experience people have at [the college]. They did a lot of interviewing, and talked to many of our stakeholders. In addition to brand strategy, Ologie helped design our marketing materials and corporate identity system. Recently, we've brought them on to do a brand refresh and redesign our website.

What was your process for selecting Ologie with which to work?

This is actually the third time I’ve hired Ologie. Originally, I hired them when I was an administrator at Ohio Wesleyan. At that time, I had carefully screened all the major players in branding and felt Ologie was the best choice. They did a great job for us [previously], and so it was a no-brainer to bring them on here.

Can you provide a ballpark dollar figure for the size of the work that they’ve done for you?

Our relationship with Ologie, has extended across several projects. In total, we've spent in the ballpark of $300,000.

What was the timeline of the project?

Our initial project with them was back in 2008. We've recently engaged them to do a brand refresh and redesign our website. I expect this project will be wrapped up within three or four more months.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Do you have any statistics, or metrics, or general feedback to show the success of the project?

The work they did for us really helped us sharpen our pitch to prospective students. The materials they helped us to produce communicated our message much more clearly. 

In the last six years, we’ve been able to grow our applications significantly. We've almost tripled the number of applications that we received from the time I came on in 2008. I feel certain we wouldn't have been able to do that, without the work Ologie's done for us.

Is there anything unique about them that really makes them stand out, compared to other companies?

Every time Ologie looks at you, they do so with fresh eyes. While they work with a lot of colleges and universities, they are exceptional at honing in on what makes each one unique. They don’t try to short-cut and do the same things they’ve done before. They’re team is really smart and thoughtful. I feel like I'm getting their best work all the time. 

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?

Nothing comes to mind. I’m extremely happy with them.