Startling Brands

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the creative director of a ready-to-wear streetwear influenced fashion brand.

What challenge were you trying to address with Startling Brands?

We hired Startling Brands to assist with our overall brand identity.

What was the scope of their involvement?

For our brand identity, the team at Startling Brands created a logo, thank you cards for customers, and invoice templates.

What is the team composition?

We had one point of contact, Mario (Creative Director).

How did you come to work with Startling Brands?

I found out about them through Shortlist, a platform that connects small to mid-sized agencies with graphic design needs. I was looking for a relatively-small and reasonably-priced agency. I spoke to Mario. We had an exciting conversation about our brand’s focus, and Mario understood our vision better than other agencies we were in talks with. I knew right away that he was the guy for this project.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve invested $8,000–$9,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked together from September 2019 to January 2020.

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

Working with Mario has been a real pleasure. He’s extremely easygoing, remaining on time for updates and deadlines. They went the extra mile, thinking about the bigger picture and improvements.

How did Startling Brands perform from a project management standpoint?

Every deadline was met unless stated otherwise. If there were any delays, they were communicated well in advance.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Like I said previously, they truly go the extra mile in the best interests of their customers. Mario always thinks three or four steps ahead.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They could offer more services. Mario focuses on brand identity, but someone in his office has some basic knowledge about animation.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Have an idea of what you want to work on. Mario isn’t going to do all of the heavy lifting if you don’t have a good idea. He thinks creativity and will give you his best. Make sure your communication style is in line with his. He makes notes and gets to work after brainstorming.

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the CEO of Gulec Chemicals, a chemical company based in Nuremberg, Germany. We’re a leading producer of next-generation, non-halogenated flame retardants with additional laboratories, production facilities, and offices in the Netherlands, Turkey, and China.

For what projects/services did your company hire Startling Brands?

Our company has been steadily growing, reflecting the increasing worldwide demand for safer flame-retardant solutions. That led to the launching of Gulec China in 2016. We needed a full-service agency to help us with the strategic and creative side of our branding and marketing.

What were your goals for this project?

Our primary goal was to increase the industry awareness about safer flame retardant alternatives. As producers of an innovative and market disruptive product, we wanted to partner with an unconventional and dynamic agency that could disrupt the conventional B2B flame retardant market. We wanted our agency partner to deliver an integrated B2B branding, design, and marketing solution to help boost our further expansion in Europe and Asia.

How did you select this vendor?

We searched online for European agencies with B2B branding and marketing experience. After narrowing down the list, we contacted a few to set up initial meetings. From the very first meeting with Startling Brands, they showed a genuine passion for learning about our industry. We knew they would be an ideal match for us based on their decision to suggest a creative workshop instead of just a pitch session.

Describe the scope of their work in detail.

Mario (Creative Director, Startling Brands) led a series of workshops to understand our business and the disruptive nature of non-halogenated, next-generation flame retardant solutions. In exchange, they helped us to recognize and formulate our unique marketing positioning potential within our industry. The result of these workshops is a robust strategy roadmap on which they built the branding of our products. Those products include a new multi-lingual website and exhibition booths. They also lead strategy, planning, and execution of online marketing and advertising activities. 

What was the team composition?

We work closely with Mario who oversees creative strategy, design, and content. We also work with Florian (Technology Lead, Startling Brands) who oversees our digital applications and programmatic advertising.

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

From the initial launch of our updated visual identity, we have received very positive feedback on Startling Brand’s branding work. Their excellence shows most clearly in the B2B online marketing campaign. It’s lead to a dramatic increase of high-quality leads in our top target markets in Europe and Asia. They also effectively increase engagement with our brand on social media, as well as teaching us how to use these channels as primary tools in our B2B marketing.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

The communication is excellent. We talk weekly over Skype to discuss future activities. Most importantly, we have access to their project management system. It allows us to oversee the production and completion of tasks in real time. The Startling Brands team is reachable after office hours, and always completes everything that must be done.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Startling Brands has genuine passion plus creative, analytical, and strategic excellence in branding and marketing. On a monthly retainer, we get a remote, autonomous design and marketing department that generates and executes ideas as if they were part of our on-site team. Startling Brands is skilled at delivering the integrated, full-service solution we need in order to increase awareness of our product in a robust industry.

Are there any areas for improvement?

We’re delighted with their work. I’d recommend them to any company that needs to boost their B2B or B2C sales. They’re autonomous in generating ideas, but sometimes their proposed solutions overflow the existing plan. That’s why it’s good to be involved directly to help steer their creative and analytical energy towards the highest priorities tasks.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m with Jilana, a SMB joint-stock company established in 1774. We produce and sell nonwoven and technical textile fleeces for a variety of industries.

What challenge were you trying to address with Startling Brands?

Our new owners decided that our brand and marketing needed to be restructured to better reflect our modern identity.

What was the scope of their involvement?

Startling Brands redesigned our entire corporate aesthetic. They modernized our old logo, letterhead, and website, and applied these designs to marketing materials, including billboards, flyers, and business cards. They also provided new internal forms, including data sheets and technical lists.

How did you come to work with Startling Brands?

As marketing director at the time, I was tasked with finding a suitable vendor. I found Suitable Brands online and was impressed by their past work.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent 600,000 Czech korunas ($30,000 USD), a huge investment for us.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked together between January–December 2013. We plan to update the visualizations this year, so we’ll be reaching out to Startling Brands again.

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

The new logo is perfect, as it’s a clever take on our brand. They’ve helped categorize our business, highlighting our range of products. The new website has allowed us to enter new markets in the Netherlands, Germany, South Korea, New Zealand, and South America, increasing sales by 30%. The revised forms have also improved our internal efficiency.

How did Startling Brands perform from a project management standpoint?

We were new to this process, but Startling Brands guided us every step of the way. They were very organized and gave us clear instructions about the text and product specifications we needed to provide.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They’re a very creative agency that produces quality results. They also have the patience to endure a long-term project.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They could be better understanding of clients who are new to the branding process.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Give them the freedom to develop their ideas. They’re experts in their field.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the co-founder of Dacha Media. We’re a small media startup that provides English-language content and translations for some of the largest newspapers and magazines in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. We also manage English-language websites for major German-language publications.

What challenge were you trying to address with Startling Brands?

We needed to create a branding concept and website. These needed to convey our unique position as a provider of translation services from a journalistic point of view and stress our ability to work on sensitive subjects in a professional manner. We wanted a modern design, but because our clients have existed for decades, we also wanted to be grounded in tradition.

What was the scope of their involvement?

They created a visual concept for our company and the language to convey our brand. We worked together to created our logo, which is meant to resemble a periodical. They then developed our entire website, incorporating the new designs. They also created our business cards, stationary, and brochures.

What is the team composition?

Mario [Dzurila, Creative Director, Startling Brands] is our main point of contact, though we’ve also worked with a programmer, Travis [Robertson, Interactive Design, Startling Brands]. They worked collaboratively with three people on our end.

How did you come to work with Startling Brands?

It was critical that we hire a vendor capable of creating a brand that reflected the professionalism of our larger clients. Mario was recommended by friends and colleagues, and I was so impressed by his past work that Startling Brands was the only vendor we considered.

How much have you invested with them?

Around $25,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

The bulk of the work took place between May 2015–May 2016, though our relationship is ongoing.

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

We’re very pleased with the results. They provided modern design that still honors tradition and conveys respect for journalistic institutions. The website has received tons of positive feedback and generated new leads.

How did Startling Brands perform from a project management standpoint?

It was a very strong collaboration that yielded excellent results. Mario is extremely good about communication, and his reliable team is responsive to feedback while still meeting deadlines. While there were some delays on our end, Startling Brands was always quick to realize our concepts.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They have a very international background, so they’re able to adapt to clients in a variety of markets. This was a major benefit to us, as we’re active in a number of European countries.

Are there any areas they could improve?

We had good synergy, so there were no significant issues. I would strongly recommend them.