Strategic Objectives

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

Right now, I’m working at a cosmetics company that encompasses four separate sub-brands. I am the director of external communications, public relations, and social media.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Strategic Objectives?

I’ve worked with Strategic Objectives not only in my new role, but also at a past role with a separate cosmetics company based in the UK. In my current role, I wanted to work with Strategic Objectives to help us to better manage our social media platform within one of our sub-brands.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

What I love about Strategic Objectives is that they’re a seasoned group of professionals. Everything that they present is always buttoned up to the tee. Before hiring them to work with my current company, they came down and gave us a presentation of their capabilities deck. They showed us what they were able to do for our sub-brand and they also highlighted what they as a company have been doing over the last 30 years.

What was really refreshing was that they kept their presentation at a very high level and tailored it to results. At the end of the day, we are really interested in determining how we are going to address the success of these campaigns once we’re done with them. I like that they were able to hit every nail on the head beginning with coming in very well prepared, giving us a proposal that makes sense, and then tracking their results to ensure that we met or exceeded our expectations.

The process was a lot of back and forth. We wanted to come up with an influencer social media campaign. Strategic Objectives came in to put together a list of influencers that we then had to approve with our team. We really appreciated that they are actually in the field day in and day out, talking with the different influencers. We were really leaning on them heavily to give us good recommendations when it came to influencers. The fact that they were managing those relationships made it that much more interesting for us as well.

What is the team dynamic?

What I love most about Strategic Objectives is that Judy Lewis [Founder, Strategic Objectives], who is one of the presidents there, is heavily involved in everything, including all of the projects that we’re working on. For me, that makes me feel much more secure because I know that she knows exactly what’s going on with all of our projects. We also work with Adriana Lurz [Vice President, Strategic Objectives] who’s the vice present and we’ve also been working with Vanessa Powell [Account Manager, Strategic Objectives].

How did you come to work with Strategic Objectives?

I had worked with Strategic Objectives at a prior cosmetics company. With that company, their brand was really built on public relations and Strategic Objectives had been working with them for over 30 years which I think is quite exceptional in this day and age. I was able to work with them while doing PR for about four years.

When I was moving into my current position, I was not considering any other PR firms besides Strategic Objectives. What I love about them is that not only do they specialize in PR, but they also do social media. They are just an extremely seasoned agency.

How much have you invested with them?

We've spent about $50,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

I just started working at this new cosmetics company about three months ago. I think it’s safe to say that it was roughly three months ago that we started talking with Strategic Objectives and we awarded them the business on two of our campaigns. Our partnership with them is still ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

At this point, we do not have any metrics just yet because our campaigns are still in motion. However, while I was working at my past firm, there were numerous campaigns that we worked on with Strategic Objectives. One of them was a campaign we did to stop sex trafficking of children and young people. We had a huge media event in Ottowa where our president at the time did a press conference. There were tons of media outlets there and we went to Parliament Hill to really work towards changing the law in the effort to stop sex trafficking of children and young people.

Through our company's efforts and through the public relations we did with the help of Strategic Objectives, the government actually said that they were willing to invest $25 million over the four years to really put a plan in place to stop sex trafficking. We feel really proud of that event because we really helped to elevate the voice of that campaign and we also won an award for that campaign. It was a big moment for us as a brand and as collaborators.

How did Strategic Objectives perform from a project management standpoint?

They’re extremely quick. They’re on it. With PR, we need be reactive and extremely fast in sending out an email and getting a reply, whether it be 7:00 PM Saturday night or first thing Monday morning at 9:00 AM. Strategic Objectives understands the way we have to work which is an extremely fast paced environment. They love it.

We mainly correspond over the phone and through email.

What did you find most impressive about them?

What I really love about Strategic Objectives is that they are an award-winning agency. There are not too many agencies out there in PR and social media that could really say that they continuously win awards. If I’m not mistaken, I think they won agency of the year for the last five or six years which I think is pretty impressive. That alone I think speaks volumes for them as an agency.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Sometimes I feel that the way they go about managing their business might be a bit too corporate. I think they could relax a bit in terms of the way they handle themselves as an organization. With Strategic Objectives, you definitely get the sense that they are serious about their business, but sometimes it can be perceived as too corporate.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Digital Marketing Manager of Cuisinart Canada

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Cuisinart specializes in innovative kitchen appliances, including food processors, blenders, coffee makers, and cookware, to enhance culinary creativity and efficiency at home.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Strategic Objectives to accomplish?

• Boosting Brand Awareness: Elevating the visibility of the Cuisinart brand and its Indoor Pizza Oven among potential customers.
• Engaging Target Audience: Creating meaningful interaction and engagement with the target demographic through relatable and appealing content.
• Increasing Sales: Driving direct sales of the Indoor Pizza Oven through promotional activities and influencer endorsements.

SOLUTION

How did you find Strategic Objectives?

• Online Search

Why did you select Strategic Objectives over others?

• High ratings

How many teammates from Strategic Objectives were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

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

In 2023, Cuisinart partnered with Strategic Objectives to launch our Indoor Pizza Oven in Canada, focusing on a national influencer campaign to boost awareness. Targeting food enthusiasts and families across major cities, we engaged audiences with unique promotions like the Ultimate NYC Pizza Experience TikTok Contest and exclusive giveaways. The campaign, aimed at enhancing at-home cooking, significantly outperformed KPIs, generating 104 content pieces, over 11.4 million impressions, and increasing our social media following by over 4,700.

This effort solidly positioned our oven as a must-have kitchen appliance.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We're thrilled to share that our campaign not only met but exceeded our initial goals, showcasing the effectiveness of our strategy and the appeal of our Indoor Pizza Oven.

Highlights include surpassing our target with over 11.4 million impressions against a goal of 4.9 million, collaborating with 6 ambassador partners to surpass our target range of 4-6, producing 104 social posts which doubled our goal of 56, and hosting 3 giveaways alongside a unique NYC Experience Contest. Our cost per click (CPC) was 0.0070, significantly outperforming the industry standard.

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

Strategic Objectives demonstrated excellent project management, delivering all campaign elements on time and adapting swiftly to our needs. Their proactive approach ensured seamless execution and prompt responses to any adjustments required, aligning perfectly with our objectives and timelines.

What was your primary form of communication with Strategic Objectives?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

Strategic Objectives impressed us with their ability to seamlessly blend strategic insight with creative execution. Their unique approach to engaging with audiences, particularly through the innovative use of contests and ambassador partnerships, was noteworthy. Their adaptability and commitment to exceeding KPIs, while fostering meaningful connections between our brand and our customers, truly set them apart.

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

Strategic Objectives delivered outstanding service with no areas needing change. Their expertise and execution were exemplary, fully meeting our project's needs without any adjustments necessary.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Communications and Social Media Manager of a non-profit company

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

A national initiative that shares the best available science in creative ways to stop the spread of misinformation.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Strategic Objectives to accomplish?

• Content Creator Campaign
• Knowledge Translation
• Brand Recognition

SOLUTION

How did you find Strategic Objectives?

• Online Search
• Referral

Why did you select Strategic Objectives over others?

• Great culture fit
• Company values aligned

How many teammates from Strategic Objectives were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

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

• Develop a content creator campaign with 4 English and 4 French creators.
• Share credible scientific knowledge in a creative way to capture the attention of social media users
• Inspire evidence-based decision-making through partnering with trusted voices with loyal audiences
• Teach and empower Canadians to be misinformation fighters, with a focus on COVID-19 vaccines and boosters

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

• Influencer ambassador program generated strong, branded coverage and total impressions surpassed the industry standard by 11x

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

S//O delivered deliverables on time and helped our team stay on task and target

What was your primary form of communication with Strategic Objectives?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

Very prompt and effective communication. Lots of creativity in developing the ambassador program.

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

We were satisfied with our experience in working with Strategic Objectives.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I was the marketing executive of ennovision which is an IT firm. I look after all the marketing activities of ennovision

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

We wanted to create a good brand image for our foreign clients but did not understand how we should start

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

We searched on the internet and checked SO's website. We find them good to work

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

They first gather all the information about our company and what was our objective in the global market then they created a strategy

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

total 5 people worked with us including the project manager, PR specialist, and digital marketing executives

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

After working with them we got an amazing response from our sales team in acquiring global clients

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

They are very professional in terms of accomplishing tasks, attending meetings, and maintaining deadlines. We used to communicate over zoom

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

They had an excellent understanding of PR and brand management.

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

Did not find any