Spectacle Strategy

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the marketing director of Goodwill of Colorado, a nonprofit organization.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Spectacle Strategy?

We recently merged two separate goodwill organizations into ours and wanted to unify our brand. There were various challenges because the organizations were separate entities, and we needed to unify our message and branding and bring our employees together.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Spectacle Strategy did branding services to create a visual identity that could crisply communicate our mission and help people understand the impact of it when they shop and donate with us. They adapted to our non-negotiable brand parameters and focused on qualitative and quantitative research, brand positioning, messaging, customer personas, campaign concept, and marketing strategies.

For the marketing plan, they created everything based on our requirements for the scope. Still, we also wanted to employ a data-driven approach, so they undertook several research-based initiatives, like going into our stores and visually evaluating our existing branding and interactions with our staff. In addition, they did a series of interviews with our leadership to have a good understanding of our business landscape.

What is the team composition?

We worked with Michael (Founder), Lori (Managing Director), Lindsey (Senior Strategist), and Hugh (Strategist).

How did you come to work with Spectacle Strategy?

We developed an RFP document that we sent to several Colorado-based agencies.

How much money have you invested in this partnership?

For this project, we spent $150,000 with them.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked together from December 2021–September 2022.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The project as a whole was a good experience for our marketing and retail teams — they listened and understood our challenges and provided actionable recommendations and adjustments to reach our goals. Internally, we had a positive reaction among our executive leadership around their deliverables, which helped us communicate our company’s mission in a clearer and more resonant way.

How did Spectacle Strategy perform from a project management standpoint?

Project management was excellent in terms of communication, meeting deadlines, and staying on budget. Their team was proactive in sharing milestones, asking for deliverables from us, and collaborating efficiently — I couldn’t be happier with the experience.

Regarding communication, we had weekly Zoom and in-person meetings for creative brainstorming and discussing the final brand strategy.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They have an incredible depth and knowledge in marketing, research, branding, collaboration, and creativity.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I didn’t think there was anything they could improve on — I’m excited about the possibility of continuing to work with them because I have high praise for their work.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Be very focused and clear on the objectives of your rebranding project.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the lead designer of Regard, a health tech company. We create applications for doctors to use within the EMR.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Spectacle Strategy?

We renamed our company from HealthTensor to Regard. We did that with another firm that specialized in naming, but then we needed branding centered around the new name.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Spectacle Strategy did a complete branding, including logo, color schemes, tone of voice guidelines, messaging maps, visual identity system usage, and website. Initially, we had a kickoff call to let them know about our company. They gave us a proposal with the strategy they’d be taking. From there, they had multiple stakeholder calls with the CTO, other co-founders, and me to get to know where we wanted to take our company’s vision. They filled out a plan to address the rebranding so we all could be on the same page.

Towards the middle of the project, we had a creative meeting to see the branding and logo proposals. They did a bunch of research with key opinion leaders and users — Spectacle Strategy recruited many people within the health system, such as doctors, clinical leaders, nurses, physicians, and assistants. They deep-dived into the industry to test different messaging with them. All in all, they covered all the bases, so they nailed it right away. 

What is the team composition?

We worked with four people. We spoke more with Lori (Managing Director) than with Michael (CEO & Founder), but both were very involved. Emily (Content Strategy Director) did all of our copy, Laura (Senior Designer) was the designer, and Maggie (Brand Strategist) was the strategist.

How did you come to work with Spectacle Strategy?

They were a referral. We looked at many different companies and liked Spectacle Strategy’s approach and how thorough they were.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent between $50,000–$100,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked on the project from January–May 2022.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We don’t have exact metrics for the website. However, it’s been nice for us to present a professional and clean image. Moreover, the team was thorough. Every detail was taken care of, and everything they touched was great. When they put together our tone of voice and messaging plan, they took our name and tied it into how we communicate internally and externally. We enjoyed that.

How did Spectacle Strategy perform from a project management standpoint?

They were great. In the beginning, they gave us a whole plan with the estimated delivery dates, and everything worked right on schedule. Some things took a little longer, but it was mostly on our end. 

We had weekly and biweekly meetings to stay on track with everything. Most of our communication was through Slack, but we also used emails and Zoom calls.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their thoroughness was outstanding. They thought well about the strategy, were open to ideas, and engaged in learning about our users and the space we work in. Also, they had some experience with health industry companies.

Overall, we enjoyed working with them. Communication was excellent. They always answered quickly and were willing to work with us on anything.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Nothing; they were great.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

I recommend participating as much as possible — working together is worth it. They’ll want you to get involved in their many questionnaires and interviews. Their team values any information they can get from stakeholders to incorporate into their work.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CTO at Healthtensor, a company that helps physicians with writing their clinical documentation. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Spectacle Strategy?

We hired Spectacle to help us with our business strategy, mission, and branding. 

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Initially, we engaged Spectacle to understand our needs and market space. They conducted interviews with the people from our company and with the physicians that worked with us. The goal was to understand the problem statement in our market and how we could approach our mission. Our teams had back and forth conversations, and we then came up with various options that resonated with us. 

After that, Spectacle worked on our name and logo. On top of that, they designed a new website for us. They pretty much gave us a whole branding and design package. 

Meanwhile, we wanted a brand that was cohesive; apart from being a visual resource, it should also align with our mission. As a result, our teams prioritized the completeness of our brand instead of focusing on a single branding element. Spectacle also helped us with trademarking. We applied for a trademark separately, but their team also helped us figure out if the brand name was even usable. 

What is the team composition?

We worked with UI/UX designers that worked on the site’s design, while project managers made sure all the project’s pieces were moving correctly. Other people worked on ensuring our copy was strong and that our mission statement was well-honed for the company. In total, we engaged 5–6 people throughout the process. 

How did you come to work with Spectacle Strategy?

We found Spectacle through a referral. 

How much have you invested with them?

We spent around $65,000. 

What is the status of this engagement?

Our engagement lasted from February–May 2022. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We haven’t released the branding to everyone, but those who have seen it thought that the branding looked good and the positioning was smart. It was a big upgrade for our investors and employees. Overall, people liked it.

How did Spectacle Strategy perform from a project management standpoint?

Spectacle’s project management was great. The project lasted a little longer than expected because of us; our team spent time trying to figure out exactly what we wanted for the brand. Meanwhile, our communication with their team was fantastic and clear. They joined our Slack channel, and the project managers kept everything moving forward. 

In terms of tools, Spectacle used Figma to share resources. They also made PowerPoint presentations to share information. To communicate, our primary tools were Zoom, Slack, and emails.

What did you find most impressive about them?

The high quality and care that Spectacle put into their work were impressive. They delivered a product that was consistent and cohesive on all levels. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, there weren’t any. Everything went smoothly and I had no major feedback for them.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Attend the meetings and touchpoints that Spectacle provides. Work with them to understand what feedback is useful to give at what stage. They do a good job of guiding clients through the many stages of the project, so make sure you engage them when they ask.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m an executive at a mortgage bank.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Spectacle Strategy?

We needed someone to develop a one-day program for our offsite executive leadership team meeting to help engage them, get them thinking out of the box, and get them moving all day.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Spectacle Strategy did leadership training and development for us; they provided us the program to do that, and we led the whole thing. Their team came up with a lot of ideas, like hiring a guest speaker to bring his expertise and putting together a step-by-step script so our team could lead the program. Additionally, they worked with me in the logistics area to ensure that we had all the materials we needed to execute their program flawlessly.

What is the team composition?

We worked with three members of their team, including two program developers and someone in charge of logistics.

How did you come to work with Spectacle Strategy?

Someone from our team had worked with them in the past; she liked how that partnership went, so she hired them to work with us on this project.

How much have you invested in them?

We spent around $25,000 with them.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked together from October–November 2021.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Their communication was great, and we got positive feedback from everybody — it was an excellent experience for everyone.

How did Spectacle Strategy perform from a project management standpoint?

They were excellent with project management in terms of communication with us and sticking to budgets. Also, their team was receptive to feedback and open to adapting their methods to ensure that everyone on our side was comfortable with the process. Regarding tools, we used Zoom and Excel spreadsheets for the logistics.

What did you find most impressive about them?

The way they took ownership of the project was outstanding; most vendors only wait for directions after hiring them, but Spectacle Strategy immediately took off with the process, created something, and asked for our feedback to proactively take the lead. It was a collaborative process where we only provided the scope, and they narrowed everything down to give us options and pivot based on our requirements. In addition, they had a good pace of the project; their team had us doing physical tasks to get our minds working again, instead of just sitting in a meeting all day long.

Overall, it was an interactive experience, which we appreciated.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I don’t think there’s anything they can improve on — they planned everything beautifully, and everything went great.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Let them do what they do best; that’ll allow them to get you thinking outside the box. They must take the lead to help you build a good program.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the head of global sales performance for Ravensburger North America, a company focused on jigsaw puzzles, children’s games, and more. As part of the sales team, I work on e-commerce and data-driven strategies to improve our sales performance.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Spectacle Strategy?

We were looking to do qualitative research into our adult jigsaw puzzle customers to understand them and the market deeper.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Spectacle Strategy ran the research project for us. First, they consulted with us to design the questions and the techniques for this exercise. During this process, we provided them with a lot of background information about our business and goals.

Then, they facilitated the whole process, including the recruitment, the product distribution, and the interviews. They also filmed some videos to share with us, summarized the outcomes, and talked with us about some strategies and next steps after this research.

What is the team composition?

We worked with four people from Spectacle Strategy, including the CEO, the leader of the research team, and two more team members.

How did you come to work with Spectacle Strategy?

Spectacle Strategy had reached out to us around a year before this project started. We had a few conversations, and we were interested in working with them, but we didn’t have the right project for them at the time.

When this opportunity came, we thought about them, so we talked to them and set everything up to move forward. They seemed to have a really good understanding of the product category that we were in, and they offered a cutting-edge approach to getting some of the answers to our questions.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started talking with Spectacle Strategy around October 2020, but we waited until mid-2021 to start working on the project. Now, this project is wrapped up.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We recently finished the project, so we’re now discussing internally how to implement the strategies and ideas that came out of this exercise. However, we don’t have any metrics or statistics to share.

How did Spectacle Strategy perform from a project management standpoint?

Spectacle Strategy’s project management was great; we were very happy with their work. We communicated via Zoom meetings, and we used PowerPoint and PDF presentations. They also used a tool to manage the research, where participants could record videos for us to see.

What did you find most impressive about them?

We had a really positive experience working with Spectacle Strategy. However, this was the first time I worked on a project like this, so I don’t have points of comparison for their work.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No. They were great, and we were very satisfied with the result.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Be very involved and guide them through the initial details. Although Spectacle Strategy is very flexible and competent enough to work on their own, it all comes down to your goals and how involved you want to be in the project.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I lead the food brand marketing for branded products in North America for Kerry. We’re a global ingredient provider.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Spectacle Strategy?

There were two projects that I worked on with them. The first one was creating a new brand strategy from one that didn’t differentiate us in the marketplace.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We worked with them on two completely different projects, but the second was working with another established brand we had. We needed that to be updated because we only had a logo and product, no selling story or brand positioning. With our product being priced at a premium, it is hard to sell a more expensive product when the sales team can’t talk about why it’s great.

I sent them a whole bunch of information on just the background of what we were trying to do. Then we had a kickoff call with the internal stakeholders. We did some internal questionnaires with our sales team to ask them questions about the changes we were making to both of those brands.

For the larger brand, we actually put together a survey that went out to our brokers to ask them questions about changes we were thinking of for packaging and positioning.

We had the kickoff, getting internal stakeholders involved, and then the project began with our teams. I believe we presented two times for each project after the initial kickoff.

For one presentation, we were looking at the project up until that point, and then the last presentation was the final presentation. Those two branded projects were done completely separately, so there was a total of three big check-ins with the first brand and second brand.

What is the team composition?

We worked with the same three people for both projects. We worked with Michael (CEO & Founder), Lauren (Strategy Director), and Lori (Managing Director).

Michael kicked everything off but then played a background role and came in for the presentations. He was involved in the meetings I would have with them, but Lori led one project, and Lauren led the other.

How did you come to work with Spectacle Strategy?

I actually found them through a referral. I had reached out to someone I had worked with in the past that had done consulting work for me at another company. He wasn’t available, and their rates were above what I remembered. He then recommended Michael and said he would trust him for this role.

I reached out to Michael, and I was very impressed with their background. It turned out that we worked at the same company previously, but never met.

I was receiving the talent that I would get at those major consulting companies and agencies. I wouldn’t have had the same caliber of people working with another agency. I got better quality with the right background for a price that we could afford.

What is the status of this engagement?

We began in September 2020. This was a new model for Kerry to use an outside agency for strategy.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Spectacle Strategy has been so well-received at our company, and they’re now the go-to for brand strategy work that needs to be done.

I don’t know if there are really concrete metrics. They provided brand positioning, strategy, tone of voice, and then they partnered with our internal team to create style guides. We’re now in a situation with one of those brands where we are building out our communication platform using everything Spectacle had put together.

Since these projects had been completed and the feedback at our VP level was very positive, they have actually kicked off other projects at our company with our beverage brands team in North America. My counterpart here at Kerry who works on beverage brands said he loved what we had done with Spectacle Strategy, and they wanted to hire them. He then worked directly with them to do branding projects for the beverage brands that he is responsible for here to Kerry.

From our side, we’re still in the middle of the project even though we aren’t working with them anymore. Their piece of the puzzle is done and now the rest of it falls to what our internal team can do. We will officially launch with the information that they provided us within the first quarter of 2022.

How did Spectacle Strategy perform from a project management standpoint?

We did weekly video calls and text messaging. There were a lot of emails, and then we had a file-sharing site where we would drop in files that we were working and partnering together on.

We used them more as an extension of my internal team, which is just me. I play probably more of an involved role than typically you might with an agency. That was discussed upfront because if I would’ve had more in-house capabilities and knowledge, we probably wouldn’t need to do something externally.

Their team was the best option for us, and it allowed me to still be involved in the project. It’s not like I handed the project over to them, and then they checked back in and showed me where they were at. We actually collaborated together, and I really liked that.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I was impressed with their collaborative nature, their professionalism, and thoroughness.

Are there any areas they could improve?

There were some key learnings that we took from the first project just in terms of how we would work together, and the end documents that we would want to have that we could show to leadership.

We worked through what that should look like in the first project, so then it was very seamless for the second project. I don’t know if I would really say it is an area of improvement because we already did improve it. I believe it’s the same format for our beverage team as well.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

For our beverage team, I think I provided the feedback that Spectacle Strategy are great. The beverage team had seen the work that we had put in. In general, I would say to trust the process.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the co-founder and CEO of a technology startup. We provide one-on-one digital fitness coaching using all kinds of technology around digital watches, tracking, and more.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Spectacle Strategy?

We were looking to fully rebrand our company and change our name, brand, visual design, and pretty much everything from the ground up.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

First, we had a research phase to determine what our customers wanted to get out of the rebrand. Then, Spectacle started creating the new parts of the brand. The first deliverable was the new name, which was presented throughout several ideation sessions. We picked favorites and came up with more ideas.

Once we had the name, the following deliverable was the visual identity. It included the logo, color palette, and fonts. Then, they delivered a brand strategy guide, which had the guidelines for the brand’s voice, core beliefs, how to present it visually, and so on. Finally, Spectacle put all those things together into one cohesive presentation about the new brand.

What is the team composition?

We had four core members working for us. One of them was the manager, and another was the creative director; she worked on all sorts of design issues. Then, we had a visual designer and someone to make all the presentations and tie everything together.

How did you come to work with Spectacle Strategy?

We met them through a recommendation from another startup. They’d gone through a whole rebrand with Spectacle and were happy with their services. That was one of the reasons we ultimately decided to go with them.

Also, we’d talked to many branding agencies to see who was the best fit. Other companies focused on just one part of the brand, while Spectacle had a clear plan with the five things we needed for a new brand, and they could do all five for us.

How much have you invested with them?

The complete rebrand was $110,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We began working with them in May 2021. The branding project ended in July 2021, but we’ve already started other small projects with them because we were happy with their work.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Although we’ve only been live for 20 days, the rebrand is already positively impacting our business. We’ve taken this new identity to many existing and potential investors, and the general reception of this brand is stronger and much more powerful than the one we had before. We’re definitely happy from an investment standpoint.

Also, we’ve started to attract many new customers, and they’ve said they like how accessible and welcoming the new brand is.

How did Spectacle Strategy perform from a project management standpoint?

It was pretty good overall. We had a few bumps on the road, but some of them were our fault. We finished the project about three weeks later than expected because we got held up on some steps. However, it wasn’t Spectacle’s fault; it just took longer than we had anticipated, so we had to push things back.

Nonetheless, they kept us well informed. We had a weekly call to explain what was happening, what dates we were waiting for, and the next deliverables. All of that was pretty well run, so project management was always clear.

For communication, we used Slack for most of our messaging. One time, they flew out to our offices to meet us in person for a day, but we usually used chats and video calls.

What did you find most impressive about them?

It was their depth of thought. They put a lot of time into thinking about why we should do things instead of making a cool logo and calling it a day.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Our organization tends to move fast with internal projects because we’re an early-stage startup, so the overall timeline felt a little long. However, they were transparent about that and told us it would take a long time from the beginning. It just seemed to us that the entire project could’ve been condensed to be a bit shorter.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Be open to spending time in the research and discovery phase. When we went into it, we wanted to rush through that at first, but they were good at slowing us down to discuss it more to understand our business and what we were trying to do.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I work for a family-owned company that has several entities, and I’ve worked with the development arm companies since I joined. In the last year, our companies have all merged. Now, I’m the director of marketing and communications for the entire company, but we’re still in the process of completing the integration and defining what that would look like.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Spectacle Strategy?

As we’re a family business, we weren’t sure what we wanted to call ourselves and how we wanted the brand to look like. We hired Spectacle to flesh out our ideas and do the necessary research with our stakeholders and the family to come up with a concept that we all could onboard.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Spectacle worked with our key stakeholders to get a really good sense of what was important to them in terms of the name and brand. They did a lot of research and came back to us, the four-member team that we’re working to define this, with a number of presentations that were thought-provoking, intended to come up with the name and a branding strategy.

We went through a series of exercises to come up with a name and strategy, both internally and externally. We also worked with them to come up with the logo and other branding materials.

What is the team composition?

We worked directly with three people from Spectacle. We also used their design and PR teams for consultancy.

How did you come to work with Spectacle Strategy?

I did Google research to find Spectacle. We interviewed three companies and made our decision based on how well we felt that those companies responded to our needs and questions. We also evaluated how customizable their branding package was.

Some of the companies that we interviewed, including Spectacle, came back with a branding package that exceeded what we wanted to spend. However, Spectacle was willing to work with us to find exactly what we needed and only charge us for that.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent around $65,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in October 2020 and finished around March 2021.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Spectacle really listened and reflected that in the work that they delivered. They engaged with us in a complex way because family companies have a lot of history.

They were really good at negotiating those challenges. Every time they gave us feedback, I found myself taking that feedback and making changes that were right on point.

How did Spectacle Strategy perform from a project management standpoint?

We held regular meetings in which Spectacle put together PowerPoint presentations. I’m not sure if there were project management tools on their side — if they were, we didn’t interface with them.

The greater part of the project was defined by a schedule and timeline. Spectacle reached the deliverables in each meeting.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Spectacle was creative and progressive in their design and thought processes. They had an experience that more closely aligned with what we were looking for.

I haven’t worked with other branding agencies, so it’s hard for me to make a direct comparison. However, we felt that Spectacle was the right fit for the direction we were looking for.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I don’t think there’s anything they could improve on. We were a unique case, so we provided them with a lot of input and feedback. Spectacle did a really good job understanding and picking out the important pieces of information from all the feedback.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Ask for specifics on what you would get and what they would do for you — that’s really helpful in working with branding. Having a really solid understanding of what the deliverable is makes it really easy.

Additionally, give them free rein in creativity and work with them in a partnership. Starting out with them having that expectation is really helpful.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the director of digital marketing at an agile market research company. I handle our online messaging, content strategy, and lead generation strategy.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Spectacle Strategy?

Our company has changed a lot in the last few years. We wanted a more in-depth offering than we’ve had in the past. We wanted to launch a new brand that’s more reflective of the innovative spirit and the next generation of service we have to offer.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Spectacle Strategy helped us execute a full rebrand. They’re helping us figure out our brand from a visual representation and messaging standpoint. They started by interviewing different stakeholders in the organization, including our CEO, chief research officer, and product team. From there, we collaborated and made sure they understood everything.

In a matter of two weeks, they turned around the first phases of our visual identity and messaging strategy. They’ve gone through countless rounds of feedback for us and really put together a thoughtful approach.

The team offered a new look and feel for our graphics, colors, fonts, and logo. They’re also helping us redesign our website. We’re still in the process of creating a messaging framework that includes our tone, brand pillars, and a customer value proposition.

What is the team composition?

Lori (Managing Director) is our main point of contact. We also work with Michael (CEO & Founder) and Maggie (Associate Strategist).

How did you come to work with Spectacle Strategy?

My VP of marketing found them. They were looking at different agency options. We knew we wanted to do this project; we just didn’t know who we’d partner with. We’re both based in Denver, which had a big influence. They got what we were trying to do immediately. We interviewed three agencies altogether and Spectacle had the attitude and track record we were looking for.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in December 2020, and our work is ongoing. We plan on putting them on retainer for the next couple of months because they understand our brand so well.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Spectacle really understood our vision and what we do. They really take all of our feedback to heart when we give it, which is really important.

How did Spectacle Strategy perform from a project management standpoint?

The team worked with us to meet our important milestones and deadlines. For example, they prepared materials so we’d be ready for an industry event and another webinar deadline.  We’ve been able to roll things out to our internal team on time, too. We have a status meeting once a month. We also have a lot of brainstorming meetings over Zoom. We also use email as needed.

What did you find most impressive about them?

The experience has been awesome. They listen to us and implement feedback. Spectacle is really fun to work with. They’re really personable people.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, nothing comes to mind.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

If you’re looking for a new branding partner, they’re great. Schedule meetings, pick their brains, ask for advice, and talk through things with them. I’ve learned so much from them that I couldn’t have gotten from a PowerPoint presentation.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the head of consumer products at a food tech company. We use end to end robotics, AI, and IoT to automate the indoor space. We have plants that are grown fully contactless in a vertical bio-farm. We’ve raised over 30 million dollars to date and are venture-backed with multiple products in the market.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Spectacle Strategy?

When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, we had a strategy that was predominantly focused on the food-service channel. Given the global situation, we needed to adjust our strategy to fit consumer needs.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Spectacle Strategy helped us create a product line and marketign strategy to fit the needs of our consumers. Customers needed something prepackaged and contactless that could be delivered to their door. Their team helped us come up with a line of salad kits.

Their team was involved in creating the new product from concept to prototyping. They then helped us find and hire food designers to create the product packaging. They also helped us determine how to position our product in the market. Spectacle Strategy helped us pivot from one product to another in the midst of a global pandemic using an innovation roadmap. 

Their team helped with segmentation and consumer research. This research informed our product strategy but is also used in investor presentations. Spectacle Strategy also ran our billboard advertising campaigns, which they came up with the concept and design for. 

What is the team composition?

We worked with six members of the Spectacle Strategy team.

What is the status of this engagement?

Our ongoing engagement began in February 2019.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Our line of salad kits was successfully launched. The salad space is really growing but it’s also quite competitive. We received not only glowing reviews on our salads but also met our distribution metrics of expanding our salads to over 100 retail locations in 3 states. From a national data perspective, our products consistently are located within the top two-thirds of all produce products.

How did Spectacle Strategy perform from a project management standpoint?

Project management is one of Spectacle Strategy’s strengths. I never have to worry about how the project is going. We have regular status updates and keep me in the loop. They’ve never missed a deadline. 

I create an Excel spreadsheet timeline and then share and review it with the Spectacle Strategy team. We use an overall project tracker, which we review weekly to make sure our teams are on the same page. Outside of this weekly meeting, we probably meet with their team every other day. We all ideate together, which is a huge advantage. They got emotionally involved in our brand.

What did you find most impressive about them?

The way Spectacle Strategy engages with their clients blew me away. I’ve worked with multiple consulting agencies, but they put in a level of time and detail that is unparalleled. They are always available to work with us.

Their ability to manage projects without missing any deadlines is also incredible. It helped us build a lot of trust between teams. Even working under tight timelines, we know that we’re all aligned and marching towards the same goal.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, everything has been great. I know they’re expanding their team, which is great. Right now, they’re really excelling at everything they offer, but I’d love to see them offer more services. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Be as transparent as you can, it’s only going to benefit you in the long run. We’re super open and honest with them, from our challenges to our successes. It helped us build a much more robust plan. If you aren’t as forthcoming, you might not get as creative of solutions.