Tenet Partners

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

For 24 years, I was head of marketing for an aviation and aerospace component manufacturing company. I recently left the company to go out on my own and do independent marketing consulting for small businesses.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Tenet Partners?

We needed to establish a narrative and brand for our connected solutions to gain market share in the space.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We started with a discovery phase. Tenet Partners tried to understand the current state of the company and where we were coming from. Then, they helped us define what we’d do in the connected aviation space and how we could separate our voice from the marketplace. Tenet Partners interviewed several key stakeholders in our business unit, reviewed our web content, and got briefings on our products and services. They also analyzed the competition in the marketplace to understand how we could be differentiated. Then, they presented their discovery findings, and we mapped out the next steps.

Tenet Partners came up with a good strategy to work along some key themes and narratives to help us position ourselves. First, they delivered some web content to create our web presence. Over time, they jumped in to help us develop content based on the strategy. 

What is the team composition?

We worked with four teammates in particular. Natalie (Account Manager) was our coordinator, and Hampton (CEO & Managing Partner) was the principal lead on our account. Additionally, we had someone working on strategy and writing, and a creative person.

How did you come to work with Tenet Partners?

We’d been working with Tenet Partners for 15 years, so it was natural to come back to them when we chose to take on this project.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent between $50,000–$75,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them on this project in November 2021, and they wrapped up in July 2022.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Tenet Partners brought a fresh perspective on how we might look at our services. We tended to think inside the box, and they helped us see how to extend more broadly and look at all the areas we touched to bring that to life. Moreover, their work was always top notch; it resonated with our stakeholders, our team, and the market.

How did Tenet Partners perform from a project management standpoint?

They always met the deadlines and stayed within the budget. We typically communicated through Google Meet or Microsoft Teams. Our meetings were more frequent as we moved along.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They got to know us deeply. Tenet Partners worked to understand our goals.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, I can’t think of anything.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Be open to doing workshops with your team; they’re really beneficial. You bring in key stakeholders, and Tenet Partners leads them in a discussion to guide the development; it’ll immensely help the quality of the output.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the chief communications officer at a financial services organization with 50 billion in assets.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Tenet Partners?

Our company was acquired by another financial services organization, and our company’s name was chosen as it had greater potential for the combined organization’s future growth. Therefore, we needed to create a new brand that would successfully integrate elements of both legacy companies and resonate with both sets of teammates and customers.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Tenet Partners helped us create our new brand, including a new logo, brand identity and brand guidelines as well as a new company culture (vision, mission, values, and behaviors). Tenet undertook a thorough discovery process involving quantitative and qualitative research, data gathering, a competitive analysis, interviews of internal and external stakeholders, and surveys, which informed the creative process. 

Tenet Partners' approach provided the necessary insights into developing a brand that would resonate with our teammates, customers, and communities. Tenet Partners also helped us launch our new brand and culture internally through a brand immersion training program led by a team of brand ambassadors.

What is the team composition?

We worked with various people and teams from Tenet Partners depending on the needs at each stage of the project. All were highly skilled and qualified.

How did you come to work with Tenet Partners?

We researched and evaluated approximately 30 brand and culture agencies across the country and shortlisted a few of them, including agencies we had previously worked with. We conducted an in-depth review of these agencies’ approach and services, and we ultimately chose Tenet Partners.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together around July 2021 and fully launched the new brand in October 2021. Our engagement is ongoing as we intend to have Tenet Partners to help us refine our brand immersion training program for new hire orientation in 2023.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Tenet Partners was instrumental in successfully launching our brand internally, reaching over 6,500 employees. Moreover, since fully launching the brand in October 2021, we’ve received overwhelmingly positive feedback from teammates, customers, and community members, as well as an award for best visual identity in the financial services sector. Our rebranding campaigns are still running, so we are still in the process of gathering metrics to evaluate success.

How did Tenet Partners perform from a project management standpoint?

Tenet Partners was very flexible and accommodating to our needs, and they delivered assets on time and within budget. They kept us well informed through weekly status meetings and notified us in advance of any delays, which were few and not material to the timing of the overall project. 

Moreover, Tenet Partners was incredibly communicative and responsive. We always knew where our project stood. Our collaboration was entirely virtual, so we communicated via Zoom and email.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Tenet Partners was an exceptional agency to work with. They were flexible and creative, and they provided us with great strategic guidance throughout the process. They are strong on both the research, data and analytical aspects as well as the creative side, offering a great blend of art and science that resulted in an inspiring brand for our combined company.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I wouldn’t change anything about Tenet Partners’ work — it was a great partnership.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Consider them an extension of your team and work closely with them. If you’re able to engage with them closely and intentionally, and provide them with the information they need, you’ll get a better result in the end.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm the founder and a managing principal of a consulting firm providing financial management services to the Department of Defense

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Tenet Partners?

We wanted to establish a more professional looking website both graphically and content wise. We hired Tenet Partners to support website development as well as content creation for website and thought leadership pieces to publish within industry magazines, Linkedin, etc.

SOLUTION

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

Vendor was selected based off of other clients I had interacted with that used Tenet for similar work.

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

After initial kick-off, Tenet helped determine scope and make recommendations on how and when to tackle what for my business based on the stage of maturity it was at. As the project progresses we are working on the next steps to help grow the business in a professional manner both in a digital sense and content that can be leveraged for marketing.

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

Typically there are 3-4 resources from the vendor's team that work with me. They include an editor/professional writer, graphic designer, project manager, and website developer.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Our clients have provided positive feedback on articles/thought leadership pieces Tenet Partners have supported us with as well as a more professional website presence our clients find appealing.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

The workflow has been very efficient from their side of the house. I'm typically the bottleneck if there is one when there are workflow issues. We were meetings on a fairly regular basis. As time has gone on the meetings have been less frequent due to client requirements overtaking ability to work on products in coordination with Tenet

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

Adaptable, professional, smart, efficient.

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

Make more recommendations on items that could be useful they can help with based on experience with businesses my size in order to help it grow

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CMO of a financial services organization worth around $50 billion with over 400 locations across 10 states.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Tenet Partners?

Around a year and a half ago, our bank and another bank joined together to create one organization. We adopted the name of our bank to use moving forward, but we hired Tenet Partners to build a new branding that represented our combined organization.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Tenet Partners has helped us create our new branding, logo, mission and vision statements, values, and brand identity. First, they helped us with a thorough discovery process, which included a lot of research and data gathering, background research, reviews and evaluations, stakeholder interviews, customer interviews, and surveys. This exercise aimed to understand our footprint across our different touchpoints to create an informed strategy around the rebranding’s creative process.

After that process, Tenet Partners was in charge of creating all of our new brand guidelines to establish our new brand. Currently, they help us create marketing materials and elements to be consistent with our new identity, including preliminary texts for trademarking. Additionally, they support our internal training and education, as well as other different projects.

What is the team composition?

We’ve worked with various people from Tenet Partners throughout the project, depending on the needs at each stage. Their team has included partners, creative directors, members of their creative team, writers, people from the accounting side, and teammates involved in research and evaluation.

How did you come to work with Tenet Partners?

When we were evaluating the approach that we would take for this project, we did broad research and shortlisted different agencies we had worked with in the past. However, we also had a membership to a research, education, training, and development service, so we opened up a ticket asking them to help us research for potential branding partners. We gave them the criteria, and this company found about 20–25 potential partners, among which Tenet Partners was. Thus, we evaluated around 30 different vendors in total, ultimately selecting Tenet Partners for this project.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in June 2021, and our engagement is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

As general feedback, Tenet Partners has been an exceptional partner for us; they’re one of the best agencies I’ve worked with over my 20 years of working in financial services marketing. They’ve helped us navigate and manage our initiative, bringing our two organizations together and figuring out how our new brand needs to look and what strategic approach we need to apply. I’ve also been extremely pleased with their deliverables and services, and we have heard nothing but positive feedback about their work.

We haven’t fully launched our new branding yet — we just did a soft launch at the New York Stock Exchange back in January 2022 — so we only have soft metrics to share. Of course, we’ve seen more business views and user engagement, but we won’t see significant results until we completely launch our brand.

How did Tenet Partners perform from a project management standpoint?

Tenet Partners’ project management is perfect. They’re incredibly flexible around timelines and deadlines, adjusting to any changes needed for the project. So far, we haven’t had any issues with them, and they’ve offered a very buttoned-up service. Overall, their project management has exceeded my expectations.

Throughout the rebranding process, Tenet Partners used a project management system, but we didn’t have access to it directly. Additionally, we had weekly status meetings, check-ins, and ongoing communication with our main contact points to talk about the project’s progress. Our work sessions were very productive, and the meetings were very buttoned-up. Although we spent a lot of time working with them during the first months, I never felt that they were wasting my time.

Given that the rebranding project took place during the second year of the pandemic, we had a virtual collaboration, using Zoom, Google Meet, and Microsoft Teams to communicate. If it weren’t for COVID-19, we would have worked in person, especially for heavy planning sessions.

What did you find most impressive about them?

One of the aspects we’ve liked the most about Tenet Partners’ approach is that they create a good blend of art and science. They’ve been able to deliver great information from the data, research, and analytical standpoint, and they’ve also been very strong on the creative side. They’ve been exceptional in both areas, which is usually rare to find. Other agencies might be strong in one area or the other, but Tenet Partners is strong in both.

Another aspect we like about them is that, although we have our primary contacts, we also have access to people from different areas of their company to ensure that we get the best of them for what we need.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, I wouldn’t change anything about their work. We’ve worked very well together, and they’re very flexible. Thus, whenever we’ve seen a change needed, they’re very willing to change and accommodate our needs.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Work with Tenet Partners as an extended member of your team; that’s how you will get the most out of your engagement. When they’re included and have information on what’s happening, they can deliver to the best of their ability.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the director of corporate branding for a chemical manufacturing company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Tenet Partners?

We wanted to measure the value of our brand as well as brand awareness and favorability. As a result, we partnered with Tenet Partners to gather data about our brand value.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Tenet Partners does a core brand analysis every year of the Standard and Poor's 500 (S&P 500), and they collect that data regardless of whether or not we buy it. In doing so, brands like us have the opportunity to assess our brand value, awareness, and favorability not only within our industry, but as well as against top brands like Apple, Microsoft, and Amazon.

The data then gives us a benchmark based on our communications spend versus our results. Before the data is presented to us, we have specific objectives at the outset so that their team can gather the data we need and read out against our objectives. Once the data is available, two people usually walk us through it. 

We’re also currently working on a branding project with them, and we’re looking at the value of creating a brand architecture around our sustainability offering. The team is helping us with how we should position our sustainability offering to the market against the brand awareness and favorability goals that we have.

On top of that, we’ve been able to create brand strategy decisions around our sustainability offering based on the data they have. In addition, they’re engaging in interviews and proposals as well as working sessions with our executives, marketing teams, and businesses to make recommendations on our ongoing project.

What is the team composition?

We typically engage with about two people.

How did you come to work with Tenet Partners?

Tenet was very well recognized as an expert in brand value assessment.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent in the ballpark of $100,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We began working together in January 2007, and it’s ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We’ve been with them for 15 years, and their work has had a huge impact on our brand and campaign strategies because of the historical data they’ve been able to provide. Their data shows us our campaign investment, target audience, and results. Due to their data and insights, we know exactly if our actions are making movements in the area of brand favorability and brand value.

How did Tenet Partners perform from a project management standpoint?

Their project management is excellent; they’re very responsive and easy to work with. They’re also good listeners. Above all, they don’t just take directions, but they internalize our objectives and help us carve the right path forward.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They have a keen focus on ROI, which allows us to optimize our resources to meet objectives.

Are there any areas they could improve?

We haven’t worked with Tenet Partners in other areas, but I imagine they must have some kind of offering around creative services. It will be helpful if they offer full service around creative service offerings.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Think about what you want to achieve because you can lean on Tenet Partners to develop the strategy around what you need to do. Once you come into the engagement knowing what you want, their team will help you get to where you need to be.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the chief commercial officer of a consumer health and biotechnology company. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Tenet Partners?

No one in our company could market our products. We needed someone to help us with communications, marketing, and branding.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Tenet has been building our communication and marketing strategy from the ground up, involving our team throughout the process. They are creating our brand’s structure.

What is the team composition?

I work with at least six people, including marketing and communications specialists.

How did you come to work with Tenet Partners?

Someone referred Tenet to me through word of mouth. We got on a call, and they explained their services and processes. We found them to be entrepreneurial, someone who would listen to our problem and come back with a solution, so we chose to work with them. 

What is the status of this engagement?

We’ve started working together in August 2020, and our partnership is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Tenet’s work has been outstanding, and it has received overwhelmingly positive feedback from our global customers. They’ve helped us grow our business. 

How did Tenet Partners perform from a project management standpoint?

Tenet is very organized and excellent in project management. They are timely, and they even work during weekends. Our partnership has been very good so far. We collaborate through PowerPoint, Miro, and phone calls. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

Tenet’s hands-on approach and ownership of the project are impressive. They behave like an extension of our team. Additionally, they are very strategic and systematic. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

I can’t think of anything. Tenet has been great.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Have a retainer model instead of paying a set amount. Unlike other agencies, Tenet is honest. If they say there’s more work to do, there are really tasks left to be completed. You’ll get the best out of them by working that way.  

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the senior marketing manager at a transportation company. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Tenet Partners?

We hired Tenet Partners to assist with our marketing efforts.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We’ve worked with Tenet Partners on various marketing projects that span several different initiatives including branding, messaging, and content development.

What is the team composition?

We usually work with a core team of three, but they bring in additional resources as necessary. 

How did you come to work with Tenet Partners?

A colleague had worked with Tenet Partners previously and recommended them to me.

What is the status of this engagement?

Our partnership with Tenet Partners began in June 2019, and our engagement is ongoing. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We’ve continued to work with Tenet Partners for the last few years because their work is outstanding — the Tenet Partners team is meticulous and their content creation is outstanding. Tenet Partners has been a fantastic partner: they are easy to work with and consistently deliver to or exceed expectations. 

Tenet Partners has been able to help us differentiate our products so we can better compete in the market. Tenet Partners has definitely helped us focus our initiatives, consolidate messaging, align on information, and introduce new concepts that have been successfully adopted in-house. 

How did Tenet Partners perform from a project management standpoint?

Our team at Tenet Partners has excellent project management skills. We mainly communicate with Tenet Partners via email and weekly status calls. Tenet Partners is responsive and flexible. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

Tenet Partners has powerful capabilities when it comes to creating impactful messaging. They can distill down complex topics to create 2–3 key points and articulate them powerfully in their content. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

I’d advise customers to be transparent with the Tenet Partners team; customers should provide Tenet Partners with as much information about their business and goals as possible. Regular cadences are also crucial to maintain constant communication and align on the project. 

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the senior VP of marketing at a financial services company. We provide financial solutions to everyday people who prime lenders often overlook.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Tenet Partners?

We had two new consumer-oriented financial service products and needed help with naming and brand mark development.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Tenet Partners helped us build the branding for two of our products. For the first product, we gave them the name we wanted to leverage to work off of. They then proceeded to work on its brand mark, which is the identifying feature that sets it apart from other competing products.

Afterward, the Tenet Partners team helped us name the second product. We gave them product specifications to help them, and they came back with a name and a logo.

The team also provided general brand guidelines. Additionally, they designed some templates to help us market the two products.

Before submitting their deliverables, Tenet Partners first conducted stress tests to ensure that they were all effective.

What is the team composition?

We engaged with six people: a project manager, a creative director, a copy director, and three other teammates involved in creating the deliverables.

How did you come to work with Tenet Partners?

I found several vendors through market research and boiled it down to four firms with extensive experience in the financial services space. 

Ultimately, what drove us to select Tenet Partners was their long-standing relationship with Mastercard. They were proficient in the credit card industry, which differentiated them from other vendors we had talked to.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent between $100,000–$200,000. 

What is the status of this engagement?

The project started in February–August 2021.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

They were able to scale to meet our needs. They finished the project in half the time it would’ve taken us to complete on our own. We honestly don’t know if we could’ve done it without Tenet Partners’ expertise.

How did Tenet Partners perform from a project management standpoint?

Their project management skills definitely get high marks. Tenet Partners was a very well-run organization, and the team was thoughtful and willing to take our feedback.

In terms of communication, we had weekly status calls. Additionally, we used email and phone calls.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their people were very good — everything from the sales process to the onboarding went seamlessly. 

The Tenet Partners team’s attention to detail and industry knowledge was valuable to us. We didn’t have to educate them on how the market works and what we do — they already had an appreciation for how our niche worked within the financial services space.

Their robust process also really stood out to me. Not only did Tenet Partners use their creativity to introduce a different perspective, but they also conducted stress testing for the color palette and so on. 

Overall, we were pleased with the brand marks they designed and the thoroughness of their testing phase. We would love to work with them again.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Some of their ideas weren’t suitable for a retail environment. However, it didn’t end up being a roadblock, and it was just a normal part of the ideation process.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Dedicate the appropriate time to creating a detailed brief and provide pointed directions and guidance. The more information you can give, the better their deliverable will be. Overall, we highly recommend them.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the Vice President of Marketing. Our business, ASC Engineered Solutions is defined by quality,—in its products, services and support. With more than 1,500 employees, the company’s portfolio of precision-engineered piping support, valves and connections provides products to more than 4,000 customers across industries, such as mechanical, industrial, fire protection, oil and gas, and commercial and residential construction. Its portfolio of leading brands includes ABZ Valve®, AFCON®, Anvil®, Anvil EPS, Anvil Services, Basic-PSA, Beck®, Catawissa, Cooplet®, FlexHead®, FPPI®, Gruvlok®, J.B. Smith, Merit®, North Alabama Pipe, Quadrant®, SCI®, Sharpe®, SlideLOK®, SPF® and SprinkFLEX®. With headquarters in Commerce, CA, and Exeter, NH, ASC also has ISO 9001:2015 certified production facilities in PA, TN, IL, TX, AL, LA, KS, and RI.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

We recently merged two businesses with strong brand equity in the market. We needed to retain our market equity while paving a clear path forward as a combined company. All of our stakeholders, including our employees and customers, needed a clear identity and vision of the future.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

We conducted a thorough online search to start vetting the top 5 candidates out of a pool of about 15 potential candidates. We then conducted a round of interviews to understand capabilities and cultural match to each. We eventually met with our top two candidates face to face to meet their team, further understand their capabilities and understand how they were going to help us accomplish our goals.

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

One of the reasons we selected Tenet was due to the detail and structure behind their information gathering. The spent several months interviewing internal and external stakeholders, deploying surveys and truly understanding our business. We then moved into strategic design which was informed by the work that Tenet did up front. This led to a high confidence in the strategy we developed, which ultimately led to the development of a full brand package - everything from messaging to a corporate mission, vision and values.

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

We worked directly with two partners on the team, plus key strategic brand developers. In addition, we worked with their project manager and sales director. All of whom knew us and our business very well by the end of the project.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

This project has laid the groundwork for us to attack our strategic priorities with clarity and purpose. It has enabled us to begin to bring desperate brands together under one name and open the door for increased opportunity as our stakeholders begin to associate our new image with any one of our 15+ product brands.

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

From the onset, we had a timeline and held each other accountable to the deliverables. There are always unexpected issues that pop up in projects this large. We were able to dive in with the Tenet team and make adjustments as needed to ensure we stayed the course while also delivering the final product. We were never short of obstacles but the Tenet team never stopped reacting and adjusting to the changes.

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

One of the deciding factors for us was the employee engagement program that Tenet proposed. We knew that empowering our employees with the new brand and creating a new vision for everyone was critical to our success moving forward. We were able to execute on an effective engagement program that jump started the new brand at launch.

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

Moving forward I think the team can always work to better understand timing and cost implications of changes up front. This way there are no surprises when the inevitable change in scope happens.