SGK

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Product Marketing Manager of Hexagon

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Hexagon creates, captures and delivers value across cities and nations, defense, buildings and infrastructure, manufacturing, industrial facilities, mines and farms.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire SGK to accomplish?

• To create an interactive experience to educate and engage customers on our Mining Technology.
• To create a sales tool that integrates our sales platforms.

SOLUTION

How did you find SGK?

Referral

Why did you select SGK over others?

• Great culture fit
• Good value for cost
• Company values aligned

How many teammates from SGK were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

Describe the scope of work in detail. Please include a summary of key deliverables.

SGK's mission is to create a digital experience that allows users to take virtual paths that dig deeper into the routine facets and everyday challenges in mining materials from the Earth, and see how Hexagon’s solutions aid mining operations to increase safety, sustainability and profitability through increased productivity, efficiency, safety measures and more. Furthermore this tool would evolve into a sales tool that is fully integrated with CRM platforms used by Hexagon. 

Key deliverables are: 

• An online interactive experience based on Mining workflows and scenes that make up those workflows 
• Full integration with all platforms already in use by Hexagon (Salesforce, Highspot, Vidyard and Pardot) 
• A version of the interactive experience that will work offline for tradeshows and traveling sales pitches

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What were the measurable outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

Number of visitors online as well as tradeshow users. Leads created online also increased.

Describe their project management. Did they deliver items on time? How did they respond to your needs?

SGK teams are incredibly flexible and react quickly to changes and needs as they come up. They deliver on time and are always aware and responsive to tight timelines.

What was your primary form of communication with SGK?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

What did you find most impressive or unique about this company?

The creativity that SGK brought to this project and speed at which they captured the complicated technology details of our offerings were impressive. We continue to work together to find creative and innovative ways to expose our offerings.

Are there any areas for improvement or something SGK could have done differently?

No improvements come to mind in our dealings with SGK so far.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the global graphics manager at AstraZeneca, a pharmaceutical company. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with SGK?

We needed global artwork for our packaging. 

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We first outsourced this engagement two decades ago; SGK is our first supplier for global artwork. All the artwork was used for our products and packaging. 

How did you come to work with SGK?

We found them through a tender. 

What is the status of this engagement?

Our ongoing partnership with SGK began in June 2009. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

SGK consistently met our key KPIs: average lead times and error rates. They consistently deliver artwork that meets our needs on the first try. 

How did SGK perform from a project management standpoint?

They have excellent project management. As well as Quarterly Business Review meetings we connect with SGK through email and Microsoft Teams. We’re in daily contact with SGK. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

SGK is very collaborative and proactive. They always deliver what they say they will — we have a very positive relationship. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

I have no issues with SGK. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Any advice I’d give would depend on the project a customer is working on. In general, it's good to have open conversations with SGK — the more information you provide, the more likely they will provide what you need. 

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the program lead of the global rebranding project for the division Bioprocess & Services. We are a supplier for the biotechnology and pharmaceutical industry and provide equipment, systems and consumables for pharmaceuticals production and development.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire SGK, and what were your goals?

Our company decided to have new face to our customers visible in new company design. Therefore, we had to rebrand all our products and product components. SGK was hired to help us in rebranding our existing Product Marketing Assets.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

We found 3 companies and asked for budget and management of that project part. We defined some criteria (budget, project experiences, online tool for exchange, size of project members, already in contract with us, timeline) to compare the offers.

Describe the scope of their work in detail, including any steps and the final deliverables.

To start, we had a team meeting to introduce each other and to explain what and how the rebranding of marketing material shall be done. They got a training of our brand design. We provided an overview of all material to change, with a priority and the data packages. They gave us a training of there online tool and how to communicate with them.

SGK had to take the templates and old data and have to make the rebranding - this included text, images, tables, graphs within different material types (application notes, datasheets, guides, brochures etc.). They created a report overview for us.

How many people from the vendor's team worked with you, and what were their positions?

10-15 people, including 1 project manager, 1 quality controller, 1 graphic designer, text and layout specialists

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We could rebrand ~ 4500 marketing materials within 1 year. Roughly 10% might to be retouched again due to unclear product brand at the time we changed the marketing materials. But keeping in mind the overall situation of the project on our side this is abig successs for me.

Describe their project management style, including communication tools and timeliness.

We had a weekly meeting with the project manager, the quality controller and the graphic designer to speak about the status and next steps and also topics which rose during the last week. Additionally, we were in close communication via e-mail, ms-teams, phone to ask and answer questions. They reacted promptly and implemented the answers quickly. We had to expand the timeline for 3 months but that was not a big issue for us as the overall project is still running. Overall timeline for that propject was okay.

What did you find most impressive or unique about this company?

Their commitment to adjust and react immediately to our demands was impressive, which unfortunatley changed sometimes durign the course of the project. I was very impressed by their patience and openness towards us and our business requests.

Are there any areas for improvement or something they could have done differently?

I'd preferred to get a more structured overview of their project schedule. Data exchange can be improved by direct data download from their online tool. Communication needs to be more structures, but that was also an issue on our site. I wished a higher quality by reviewing our comments - we had soemtimes a large number of correction loops.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m a digital marketing analyst for a financial services company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with SGK?

We needed help with our trigger-based communications. These communications ensure that we’re targeting specific groups of people and making sure it’s as relevant as possible.

The opportunity was to optimize a whole suite of communications. There were 38 different versions in total. It was a large-scale, long-term project.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

In the beginning, it was really to understand how we might want to communicate because we had some outdated existing communications that weren’t capturing the way that our customers interact with our business.

The first task I wanted SGK to help me with was understanding what needed to change to make it relevant and targeted for what we know our customers are doing. The second piece was proposing a number of changes in terms of messaging and the way we communicate this with the things we say and how we structure the information from a technical and build perspective.

The deliverables ultimately were to come up with proposals and design templates for each of the trigger communications. There were six categories in total. In each category, we have a number of different email variations - with 38 deliverables in total. Each of these emails then had to be handed over to another agency to be deployed.

They were able to look at the existing communications we have and use their external perspective, having worked on lots of different brands. 

The other piece is they do have a lot of familiarity with our business, having worked with numerous parts of our global company. That really helped to make sure they understood our brand and how we want to communicate to our customers because we are a specific type of company. Having that knowledge and expertise really helped them shape the recommendations so that they were completely on brand and innovative.

They were also really able to bring the innovation piece. There was no idea too crazy. It was really about how we bring it to life through email, via our communication and messaging structure.

What is the team composition?

We work predominantly with three people. There was the main copywriter, the account director, and the lead account manager.

How did you come to work with SGK?

I had worked with them for a number of years, and they’ve done a lot of email and communication builds.

I had taken over someone else’s role, and they had always been the agency used by various members of the team. They were always great to work with, and they turned around work quickly.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve invested between £50,000–£90,000 (approximately $68,000–$123,000 USD).

What is the status of this engagement?

Our engagement with SGK started in February 2020.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

SGK was completely invested in our agenda and driving innovation. I really liked them because they did the whole strategic thinking and put together the recommendations and told me how to build the email in the right way, so people are interacting with it and driving action.

We’ve had constant feedback throughout the process. One thing that’s really helped is having deadlines and milestones we try to reach. Throughout the process, there are many different areas of feedback and channels we have to get through our company.

People have really enjoyed the communication and different strategy. It’s definitely a different direction we’re taking. It’s a lot more modern and relevant to our customers. The proof is going to be when we launch and see the difference between them. Early results have already shown a significant increase in open rates and click-through engagement, so we're excited to see full results soon.

We’ve had a lot of chances to talk between the teams, make sure we meet deadlines, discuss when things maybe didn’t go to plan, and try to work together.

How did SGK perform from a project management standpoint?

It was a pretty big project with several processes and guidelines to follow. The team was really tech-savvy which helped because they could give the context on how to build and make sure every single email looked great.

Seeing them manage it and help us to meet the deadlines we needed has been really impressive. They were able to manage everything very efficiently and effectively.

The pandemic has slowed down some of our timelines. We keep constant communication. When we first started, the team put together a project plan. We have head regular catch-ups each week. That has helped us to stay on track with the milestones.

We’ve become very close, which has made it that much easier to work together because we understand how each other works. Keeping those constant lines of communication has been great. We have regular video conferences and emails. They were really great about documenting everything important to me. They had project plans throughout so we could see where we’re tracking.

What did you find most impressive about them?

The team takes feedback on board very well. They’ve been great at taking a step back to understand what we need before making calls or suggestions. When things haven’t been prioritized with the pandemic and other processes, they’ve always been patient.

The team at SGK is adaptive and flexible. They’re very attentive to the way these processes don’t always go to plan.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They just need to continue on the trajectory that they’re on to make sure they understand the landscape of the different brands, processes, and elements we work with.

Their team should continue to ensure we’re efficient with our costs. I feel that way about any agency I work with. Because of this past year, we needed to make sure they’re a bit more flexible since efficiencies are more important.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Make sure you provide them with as much context as possible. They love data and being able to look into the landscape. They need to understand where they can make a difference.

If you see something you think would be interesting to try but you think it’s crazy, go to them with those ideas. SGK is great at bringing those to life. Don’t go in feeling restricted because they can help you think outside the box.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m an innovation manager for a food & beverage company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with SGK?

SGK was assigned to do packaging architecture and design work.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

The team helps with content development for innovation ideas. They’ve done some prototyping, provided strategies and insights, and designed concepts. SGK also helped with packaging architecture in the different areas of our product portfolio while allowing each to keep their own identities.

Overall, we’re collaboratively exploring different packaging ideas to excite consumers and enhance their experience through new formatted pack designs.

What is the team composition?

Jenny, (Client Coordinator) is our main contact. If she is unavailable, I work with Zoe (Senior Account Manager). They have a designer that I request for most of our projects and I also interact with Kimberly (Client Services Director).

How did you come to work with SGK?

I had worked with them at my previous company and they produced great results. I appreciated the relationship we had built and wanted to work with them again.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent $50,000 – $60,000 in one year.

What is the status of this engagement?

We began working together around October 2019 and we continue to collaborate with SGK on our projects.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

They go above and beyond anything I ask them to do. For example, if I present a brief and ask for 2–3 ideas, SGK returns with 5–6 great ideas.

How did SGK perform from a project management standpoint?

SGK is always available and responsive. We have a written brief and go over it on the phone. They’re very transparent regarding delivery time and have never gone past a deadline. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

SGK is very strategic and their relationship building is one of their best skills. They manage their clients brilliantly. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

They could improve on showcasing the services they offer more clearly.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

They have a specific way of doing things. Trust them, they know what needs to be done in order to achieve the desired results.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

Iam the brand manager, marketing. My company sells herbs and spices and baking aids for food retailers.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire SGK?

We have this big brand in Portugal for herbs and Spices. Facing environmental changes, we decided to move our plastic sachets to a more sustainable option - paper-based. SGK was hired to design the new sachet based on transparent window lost and vibrant colors

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor and what were the deciding factors?

It was an internal recommendation.

Describe the project in detail and walk through the stages of the project.

The project:

• 1st get to a final design concept
• shooting and approve all real ingredients/bowls
• pack copies
• repro files
• design with zip lock for large

How many resources from the vendor's team worked with you, and what were their positions?

At least 5 members from SGK: Ruth DESIGN DIRECTOR, Belinda SENIOR ACCOUNT MANAGER , Justine ACCOUNT MANAGER, Michaila ACCOUNT DIRECTOR and Lisa SENIOR ACCOUNT MANAGER

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Not yet. This should be on the market in March 2022

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

As a summary went pretty well. In the final sprint i just felt there was missing some answers to my emails. I needed to forward a lot of emails to have some feedback from Michaila: key contact.

What did you find most impressive or unique about this company?

This was my 1st time being part of this type of project. Actually, I totally believed in SGK's work and ways of working. They were collaborative and flexible.

Are there any areas for improvement or something they could have done differently?

Sometimes things could move faster.