Takt

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the principal at Inn Ventures Hospitality Corp., a hotel and resort consulting company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Massive Media?

We engaged Massive Media to help us create a brand for one of our resort developments in progress.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We had a name already picked out, and Massive Media validated it and created a logo and icon. They've also helped us create the brand story and we plan on working with them to develop additional collateral that will include digital, print, and video.

What is the team composition?

We work directly with three members on their team.

How did you come to work with Massive Media?

I knew the principal of their firm before he started working at Massive Media. After we interviewed their team, we felt comfortable working with them based on the questions they asked us to help us develop our strategy and brand statement.

What is the status of this engagement?

We've been working with them since June 2018 and the relationship is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Massive Media effectively articulated what we wanted to say into a compelling brand statement. They took the time to understand our market and needs through an extremely helpful analytical process.

How did Massive Media perform from a project management standpoint?

They've been great about staying in constant communication with us and delivering ahead of schedule.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their initial strategy of taking the time to understand our company and goals sets them apart.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No. They have a great team and handle projects well beyond our expectations.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Be brutally honest with them when providing ongoing feedback and assessments of their work.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I’m the financial controller at an industrial auctioneer company. Our headquarter is in Vancouver, B.C. with multiple offices in Canada, the US, Germany, and China.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Massive Media?

We needed Massive Media to create a new website for us. Our existing site was outdated, and a majority of our users visit the site on mobile devices, which our site does not accommodate.

What were your goals for this project?

We want to have a user-friendly site that functions across multiple platforms. The site has to be capable of displaying all necessary information during our hundreds of annual auctions.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

One of our partner companies had their site redesigned by Massive Media, and we were impressed by their work. After hearing their proposal, we committed to them for the project.

Describe the project in detail.

We began the project with several discovery meetings to discuss main objectives. From there, they spoke to all of our stakeholders and staff to better understand our business model. They incorporated all of this information into their design drafts and content flow. We had a round of feedback on aesthetic changes and finalized the site’s look. Now, the focus of the project is on tweaking the site to accommodate our proprietary auctioneer software.

What was the team composition?

Massive Media provided their entire team for this project. They also supplied a project manager.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We’ve received a mock-up that we’re thrilled with. We don’t need to change anything about it, so we can proceed with the integration process on our backend and launch the new look of our company.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Under Massive Media’s advice, we have a primary manager on both teams, which makes communication smooth. All questions go through the project manager, and if they can’t answer it, they’ll internally forward it to the right person. Additionally, their entire team is present during every meeting, which gives each side a mutual understanding of the project. There is no back and forth on the small things, and our sessions are condensed and fruitful because of their management style.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Their participation on a daily basis and high level of knowledge in our industry are valuable to us. There are some instances where they educate us on our customer base, rather than the other way around.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m a client services coordinator for a commercial real estate company, specifically for the high technology facilities group.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Massive Media?

Our team profile on the corporate website wasn't terribly enticing or exciting. We were looking to brand ourselves outside of that corporate box in order to reach our tech clients.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Massive Media held a few meetings to get to know us and understand our needs. They drilled down on some possibilities, and then came back to us with a proposal. The majority of our clients are in the tech world and they speak a very specific language. It’s a small and tight knit tech community here in Vancouver. They helped us brand ourselves by creating a new website, which also gives us a bigger reach.

What is the team composition?

We primarily worked with the CEO and the CXO. We worked 1–2 other people on occasion.

How did you come to work with Massive Media?

They were a previous client of ours. They knew our language and who we were trying to target, as well as were able to interpret our needs.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent $10,000 CAD (approximately $7,600 USD).

What is the status of this engagement?

We signed the agreement in June 2017 and launched the new website in February 2018.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

They absolutely listened to what we wanted, and delivered exactly what we needed. We’ve had a lot of good feedback from our clients. They nailed the look and feel of the website. It speaks the right language at a level that other people can understand. They went above and beyond by recommending photographers and organizing a photo shoot as well.

How did Massive Media perform from a project management standpoint?

Their communication was excellent. They never canceled or postponed a meeting. We told them from the beginning that the website would never be a priority for us. We asked them to push us to deliver what they needed. They did a great job of keeping on top of us in a very warm way. Even if we were late, we were able to deliver the materials because of their effective communication.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They listened to us, which was key. We had a sense of what we wanted to do but found it hard to paint that picture. They delivered on our vision even though we weren’t able to specify what it was we wanted.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, they did a great job. We made their life difficult, but they made ours quite easy.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm a digital project manager, formerly with Force Four Entertainment, a production company based in Vancouver, Canada, where I was involved on two CBC documentary series.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Massive Media?

We were looking for a vendor to facilitate and execute our digital campaign strategy and report on metrics and performance.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Their team developed our social media strategy for the first series, and our digital ad campaign strategy for both shows, running an ad campaign for each. They provided insight on our target audience, stakeholders, and messaging. Taking into account the sensitivity of the issues we were covering in the two series, Massive Media helped us navigate conversation around the topics on social media. Their team also designed and created all digital assets, including social media ads for Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Google.

What is the team composition?

Lindsay Smith (CEO and Founder, Massive Media) and René Thomas (Partner, Massive Media) were very involved in the overall strategy. We were assigned a Project Manager and worked with a few other resources at different levels of the project as the task required.

How did you come to work with Massive Media?

Our series producer had worked with them before and loved their work, so we reengaged them for this project.

How much have you invested with them?

We invested under $100,000 CAD (under $80,000 USD) for both campaigns combined.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked with them on the first show from July to December 2015, and the second from January to May 2017.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Massive Media conducted an incredibly successful social media and digital ad campaign, resulting in a lot of public engagement. Our broadcaster and everyone involved was very happy with it.

How did Massive Media perform from a project management standpoint?

Their team remained professional, insightful, and responsive throughout the engagement. They were quick to send back drafts and iterations on creative and their agility made the whole process seamless.

Since our shows involved sensitive subjects, Massive Media had to help us react quickly to online social media engagement and issues as they arose—they were 100% available throughout.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I'm most impressed by their personal touch and insight. Being responsive and available to us throughout each campaign was incredibly important.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No. It was such a joy to work with them and I felt comfortable knowing they were always there for us as we needed them. I wouldn't change a thing.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Be as honest and open about what you want as possible, regardless of your experience with digital ad campaigns. Their highly knowledgeable team can help you navigate the work regardless of your level of knowledge in this space.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm a partner at a real estate agency.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Massive Media?

We have a corporate parent brand and a collection of niche brands that we use for marketing different styles and products. Our sub-brands had become fairly disconnected from a parent brand, but we wanted them to talk to each other rather than exist in their own space. We were looking for a company to tie those brands together and create a new brand identity that would exist along with multiple web presences.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They developed a global website to house our corporate brand and act as a portal to all the sub-brands. After that, we didn't need seven different websites because everything was linked to one location. They created logos and branded entities for the sub-brands and for the parent brand. They also did all the print collateral: magazine style brochures, client guides, and marketing materials for specific properties. We have someone in-house who handles social media, but Massive Media provided guidance on social media strategy.

What is the team composition? 

We worked with 5–6 team members directly.

How did you come to work with them?

Our marketing manager interviewed 4–5 different companies and Massive Media stood out to us.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent about $150,000 CAD ($119,440 USD).

What is the status of this engagement? 

We started working with them in February 2017 and the project was completed in November 2017.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The quality of print materials and advertising was very high. The traffic to our website has increased and the quality of user experience has improved dramatically. The separate websites that used to operate in their own space now complement each other, driving traffic to one another.

How did they perform from a project management standpoint?

They're great communicators: they outlined, scheduled, and budgeted everything at the beginning and made sure we stayed on track. We discussed our goals in detail, so we didn't have any issues after the project started. We communicated via phone and email, but they also gave us print materials.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They have an outstanding grasp of storytelling: they took their time to understand our story and expanded it exactly like we wanted them to. I talked to other agencies, who were capable and passionate, but the storytelling piece wasn't there. Also, Massive Media is the right size for us – they have enough resources to implement big project, but at the same time they're agile and responsive.

Are there any areas they could improve?

As we were growing, we kept throwing more work at them and changing the scope on the fly, so the communication sometimes was challenging. But everything was resolved with no major issues.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Be clear on what you're trying to accomplish with your project and communicate your story to them.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m Director of Marketing and Communications at a performing arts venue.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Massive Media?

Our website’s design was antiquated. We were also having issues with the backend, like not being able to process ticketing in an efficient way.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They managed a branding and design effort as well as setting everything up for us technically.

On the design side, they did our website as well as other marketing materials. They designed the website around the creative work they did for the season. They developed the creative for the season with one set of creative for each show and one conglomeration of all four of our performances. They used black and white photos and chose to use orange, which is our main brand color, as the unique identifier to pull in all four shows. They were able to showcase some of our photography highlighting visual and musical arts. They did some additional photography for us with props and such that we could reuse.

For the website, we came to them with a list of non-negotiables – like creating an API for ticketing and making the frontend of ticketing beautiful. Another requirement was a functional calendar so that shows and performances would be displayed properly in a way that’s easy for people to understand and purchase tickets.

What is the team composition?

I believe there were anywhere from four to six people—including project managers, designers, and developers—depending on what we had going on.

How did you come to work with Massive Media?

I had used them while at a previous employer. In that experience, we had done an extensive search for a partner to run paid search and they did a really great job. They were budget conscious, had really understood what we were trying to do, and provided really great work. It seemed like a natural fit for the performing arts venue.

How much have you invested with them?

The website overhaul was about $20,000 CAD ($16,000 USD).

What is the status of this engagement?

We started in February 2017 and the vast majority of the work was completed in June and July. They still step in whenever we have an issue.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We see a much faster path to ticket sales. Instead of the four clicks that it would take for ticket sales, it now only takes one or two, depending on where you land. Therefore, we're having a lot more people navigate into our ticket processing system, which is the goal. The more eyes on the ticket processing systems, the better. We saw a 15%–20% increase in that.

We had a lot of feedback on the creative and everybody really loved it. That’s not just website users but also the people who sell our printed brochures, because that creative was ultimately done by Massive as well. We’ve also had a lot of feedback on the ease of use of the website and the calendar functionality, which we didn't have previously. People like being able to see what days of the week events are on instead of having to look it up.

How did Massive Meda perform from a project management standpoint?

We communicated via a project manager and, from time to time, we would liaise directly with the developer or designer. We had a direct line to the creative director who did the photos, for example.

They kept up on task. We would typically be the ones dragging behind on things like content and approvals. They were also really good at letting us know when we were out of scope. When we had additional requests that we hadn’t thought about before, they would let us know that it wasn’t in scope but that we could add it later. They were really efficient in that way.

What did you find most impressive about them?

The awareness of digital combined with the awareness of branding combined with cost efficiencies. It seems like everyone says that they can do digital and branding, but I don't think there are a lot of agencies that truly can. They often have to outsource one or the other so you have to split the work between agencies. The great thing about Massive is that they can do all of it. They understand that your brand is seen more online than anywhere else. To be able to combine those two things is something that not many agencies can do, particularly with knowledge of the technical backend, API, things like that. It’s not something you’re going to find with a regular branding agency.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Not really. Not that I can think of off the top of my head.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Really think about your scope of work. This is with any agency, not necessarily just with Massive. You really need to think about your scope of work and the things that might pop up mid-project that you hadn't considered. Really consider what needs done because sometimes things cost more to add later.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

Our company will be an MGA (Managing General Agent) within the insurance industry. I am the President, CEO of Vailo Insurance Services Ltd.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Massive Media?

Name creation, website design and other branding requirements

What were your goals for this project?

Create a name that is unique, cool and forward thinking - something different than your traditional insurance company name

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

We found them on a google search. Once we met the team in person we knew it was going to be a good fit with our organization.

Describe the project in detail.

Create a name for our company, design our website, help with our branding, policy documents, video etc

What was the team composition?

We have had access to all their team members which has been great.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We love the name VAILO and the branding behind it. We are so confident that our customers are going to love it as well.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Excellent - it seems like we are always aligned.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Massive has great vision and leadership. Their company culture seems to align with ours, which makes working with them an absolute pleasure. We hope to have a long term relationship with their office.

Are there any areas for improvement?

No - they are great.