The Savage Bureau

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there. 

I'm the senior creative director for Trailhead at Salesforce. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with The Savage Bureau? 

We were looking to expand our online marketing presence.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement? 

The Savage Bureau creates banners and landing pages for our events and programs. They do the creative and the visual design. They also work on our site architecture and page flow, providing UI/UX solutions. 

What is the team composition? 

We work with a project manager, a business strategy lead, and then a creative director who comes up with suggestions based on our identified needs. 

How did you come to work with The Savage Bureau?

I used to work with them at a previous company. I knew that they did good work and were incredibly capable, so I sought them out. 

What is the status of this engagement? 

Work began in July 2016 and the engagement is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We've seen an overall increase in our audience. The Savage Bureau has helped us grow our core audience of developers, administrators, and architects. We've also captured a broader audience and gotten more podcast listeners.

How did The Savage Bureau perform from a project management standpoint? 

We agree together on a workflow, and then they execute that plan. The Savage Bureau sets timelines based on the scope of work. It's a very collaborative process. We mostly use email to communicate or Quip, which is one of our proprietary tools. 

What did you find most impressive about them? 

Their expertise is most impressive. The Savage Bureau has a proven track record and they’re just very good at what they do. 

Are there any areas they could improve? 

No. I'm enjoying the relationship as it is. I'm looking forward to working with them on more projects. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers? 

No, I can’t think of any advice.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the head of marketing for Chewse, a corporate catering service.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with The Savage Bureau?

We hired Savage Bureau to support a variety of projects, including a site redesign and marketing campaigns.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We’re working with Savage Bureau on several projects. We had just finished a brand refresh and needed their help evolving our website. Their team sat down with many key stakeholders to understand the platform and its functionalities. They then updated our tools and features based on the information we gave them. 

They also helped implement Pardot into our site, support our SEO efforts, and discover the best type of content to include. Additionally, they’ve worked on creating collateral for a prominent event we were participating in. 

What is the team composition?

Derick (President & Founder, The Savage Bureau) and Matthew (Creative Director, The Savage Bureau) are heavily involved. Michaela (Project Manager, The Savage Bureau) and other teammates have been contributing, too. Several coders, copywriters, and designers also support the projects. 

How did you come to work with The Savage Bureau?

I had done some copywriting and creative work for their company as a contractor in the past and had a positive experience. Even though I come from an agency background with a deep network I could have considered, Savage Bureau was the right partner for our needs.

How much have you invested with them?

All things considered, we’ve spent close to $70,000. 

What is the status of this engagement?

Our engagement has been ongoing since February 2019. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

In terms of hard metrics, we’ve seen our traffic grow by 25% week over week. Users are spending more time per page and our bounce rate has decreased. Regarding lead generation, we’re ramping up our inbound leads. Whereas we used to have about 5% of opportunities created by inbound leads, we’re now at 50%. 

Anecdotally, the work they did for the event we participated in was very well-received. Our team still wears the t-shirts we designed and the materials have been great for internal morale.  

How did The Savage Bureau perform from a project management standpoint?

They’ve been great about staying on top of the workload and managing various projects. Their team has gotten to understand our business and needs, so they’re able to quickly identify any issues or roadblocks. We’re in close communication, so if anything comes up about our budget or timeline, we’re informed. Our teams use Slack and hold regular meetings at our offices. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

Overall, they’re just a team of fun, enjoyable people. They offer great transparency and communication, making a strong, personable relationship easy to maintain. Embarking on a project of this length, it’s important to establish a good connection and they’ve done that.

Are there any areas they could improve?

There have been times where it would be helpful if they informed me of changes in scope quicker. After addressing this with Derick, the process has been smooth going forward. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Come to the table prepared with a thoughtful brief and give them access to as much of your team as possible. Allow them to manage the work and give them the resources needed for your business. 

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the director of digital marketing systems at a company that manufactures precision GPS systems for surveying, construction, and agriculture markets.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with The Savage Bureau?

We weren’t satisfied with our vendor, so we wanted to hire a new web design and development partner for ongoing support.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

The Savage Bureau redesigned and expanded the UX for our support site, which our previous vendor built. They also lead the UX development for our mobile sales application—updating and integrating our backend business systems.

Partnering with our marketing team, The Savage Bureau developed a number of interfaces to help software users manage their accounts, register products, and activate purchases. They’re simplifying our marketing website, bringing it into compliance with our new brand standards. Their team also built from scratch a software website that included marketing material and purchase flow.

What is the team composition?

There are three business leads who’re our primary points of contact. I know there are design and development team members at The Savage Bureau, but I haven’t worked with them.

How did you come to work with The Savage Bureau?

I was familiar with several members of The Savage Bureau. When I heard they were forming their own firm I decided to partner with them because I knew the quality of the work they produce.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent hundreds of thousands of dollars over the course of our collaboration.

What is the status of this engagement?

We began working with them in July 2016 and it’s ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Although I don’t have hard metrics, The Savage Bureau’s work is gorgeous. The redesign of our site increased our web traffic and the amount of time users spent on the site. Their improvements to the interface help us manage our data more successfully. They built features that allow us to track user data, which we were unable to do with earlier designs. They deliver code that is clean and tested.

How did The Savage Bureau perform from a project management standpoint?

The Savage Bureau developed a flexible model to execute projects more rapidly given our company’s changing internal requirements. We meet twice a week to discuss strategic design and development projects. Their team generates a monthly burn report, communicating openly about budget and progress. They make strategic revisions to optimize our websites’ capabilities.

What did you find most impressive about them?

You can’t find their combination of skill, talent, drive, and transparency elsewhere; they’re a committed partner. The team has a down-to-earth approach that sets them apart from competitors. The Savage Bureau puts their client’s interests first and works really hard to successfully achieve goals.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, I don’t think there’s anything they could improve.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Listen—they have good advice.