Tenet Partners

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the director of marketing and communications for an infection prevention company providing disinfectant, sanitizing  products, and skin antiseptic. While I work in the healthcare division, we also provide similar products for the restaurant and contact manufacturing industries.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Tenet Partners?

We worked with them on a couple of different projects. Our first engagement was multifaceted. We leaned on them to help brand and launch a new product.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We determined how we wanted to position the product and they helped us come up with a name. We worked on them for our marketing materials for our ad campaign, including collateral and sales support items.

Recently, we acquired another company and were looking to integrate them underneath our branding. They helped create a more meaningful message for our tagline and helped us reposition that externally to our customers.

They helped with our messaging for ads, for both print and online.

What is the team composition?

We’ve worked with 5–6 people, including their creative director, strategy group, and account management.

How did you come to work with Tenet Partners?

Our sister company engaged with Tenet Partners a few years before we did and recommended them. We were in the process of vetting them and really liked their strategic approach. They methodically thought about the products and programs that we’re bringing to market.

How much have you invested with them?

Across all of our projects, we’ve spent between $250,000–$500,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

The project started in October 2016 and is ongoing. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The product came out in 2017 and it shifted perceptions. As a whole, sales and adoption are high. Our most recent project hasn’t officially rolled out yet, but our internal team has been really happy with it.

How did Tenet Partners perform from a project management standpoint?

From a communication and project management standpoint, they’ve been great. They consistently follow up with me, which has been very helpful since I manage so many other things. I’m constantly in communication with them over phone and email. They know what our deadline is and drive to meet that deadline.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They’re tenacious. Given the market we’re in, things change really quickly and they always roll with the punches. No matter what, they look to create a product that meets the needs we have. That speaks to their character. They power through no matter what we throw at them.  

Are there any areas they could improve?

There’s not a ton they can improve on.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Involve them in the planning upfront. They bring a lot of value to the strategy piece, and that’s where you’ll get the most out of them.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the co-founder and CEO of Storylines, a residential cruise line.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Tenet Partners?

We had a second-hand cruise ship and a business plan. We had all of the pieces, but we didn’t have a brand to go to market with.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Tenet Partners started from scratch to create the brand. They did name creation, designed a logo and the brand, worked on the brand promise and positioning, and worked to understand our customers. They also developed the website and developed a web strategy.

What is the team composition?

We mostly dealt with Hampton (CEO), and we also interacted with Larry (Senior Partner, Digital) and Nora (Lead Manager, Client Partnerships). 

How did you come to work with Tenet Partners?

We spoke with five top firms in New York, and Tenet Partners was the one that showed the most ability to think outside of the box. They also understood what we wanted.

How much have you invested with them?

We began working with them in December 2017. They’re still doing some ongoing work, but the bulk of the work was completed in about 6–9 months. They help us with edits and critiques.

What is the status of this engagement?

We spent around $350,000.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We’ve received a tremendous amount of positive feedback from consumers and other people in associated industries on how we positioned the brand and what the brand means. This is important because we’re creating an affordable luxury lifestyle brand, which is very niche.

Tenet Partners hit the nail on the head in terms of what the logo means and all of the associated collateral. It all tells a story, and that’s ingrained in everything else we do. We haven’t changed anything that they put together because their work has stood the test of time over the past three years.

How did Tenet Partners perform from a project management standpoint?

Nora was my day-to-day contact. We had regular virtual meetings, and we also had in-person meetings in their offices where we did power sessions for various tasks. Overall, project management was handled well.

Tenet Partners’ ability to have us come into their offices and work intensively from there propelled the project forward because only so much could be done from a distance. We had 2–3 teammates at the power sessions, which was important because we had a lot of work to do. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their well laid out approach to how they went about their work was impressive. Sometimes it didn’t work out for me because I wanted to get things done immediately, but I trusted the process and it ultimately made sense. Tenet Partners knew what they were doing.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They could’ve improved some of their external task management in terms of transferring knowledge across. For example, the team used Basecamp, but they could’ve better explained how to use it.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Meet with them face-to-face because you can get a lot of work done. In the creative space, it’s hard to articulate your ideas via Skype or Zoom. Being face-to-face for a couple of times during the engagement is critical, especially at the start, mid, and end points.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

My company works in the commercial, military, and business aviation market. I am the marketing manager, and I focus on our business and regional systems market segments.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Tenet Partners?

We were trying to understand the moving map features, capabilities, and preferences, from both the perspectives of a passenger flying on a commercial airline jet and in-flight entertainment managers. Those are typically the people responsible for the passenger experience within all of the individual airlines. We needed help obtaining market research and qualitative and quantitative information.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They started off by interviewing personnel on our team that have knowledge of the industry and its inner-workings. Then, they put together two different surveys: one that addressed the passengers, and another that addressed the in-flight managers. We conducted surveys and then received reports of what the findings were, whether they were qualitative or quantitative.

What is the team composition?

There were a finance person and an account manager. We also worked with a lead from a research perspective; they put the questions and the reports out. There was another person who was more of a utility player. I had contact with all four of those team members. The owner of the company was also in a couple of meetings, both at the beginning when we were going over the proposal and work scope, and then at a couple of the report outs as well.

How did you come to work with Tenet Partners?

My company had done some work with them in the past and spoke highly of them. They had done some larger, more corporate-level strategies projects that got a lot of attention, so that definitely drew my eye to their capabilities. I did go out to bid with a couple of companies for the project.

How much have you invested with them?

In total, it was about $170,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

Our project began in August or September 2019, and it ended mid-April 2020. We lost a bit of participation in the airline personnel surveys due to COVID.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

I’m very content with the amount of information that we were able to get from the surveys, and we’re using it on almost a daily basis. The measure of success for this particular project was just getting a better understanding of the industry, and we did achieve that. Our market is very particular and unique, and they asked all of the right questions in order to understand not only what we wanted to achieve from the report, but also the language within our market. 

We were looking to get a lot of information out of the project. In retrospect, we probably wanted too much, so this was a learning curve from our side. We got some good information to at least take us into some next steps on some projects that we’re looking at. COVID has changed some things for us, so the lesson learned on our side is better understanding this particular market that we operate in and trying to focus a bit more in the next go at it.

How did Tenet Partners perform from a project management standpoint?

They were very diligent. Natalie (Project Manager) responded to us really quickly; I could email her on a Friday afternoon, and I’d get a response back within the hour, if not 10 minutes. Sometimes, we had to jump on calls, and they were very attentive. I believe they used some project management tools, but none were apparent to me when we were working together.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their attentiveness set them apart. The way that they managed the project was highly professional, and I very much appreciated that. While working with Tenet, we were working on another project in a different market segment that we’re in. If I were to compare that project to the Tenet project, Tenet outshined them by leap years in terms of the professionalism, the types of questions they asked, and the output of the data that we got from them.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Given that this was my first set of projects working on market research, I don’t have enough experience to give that constructive feedback to Tenet at this point.

Any advice for potential customers?

If someone internal comes to me, I’m going to point them in Tenet’s direction every single time. I believe they’re working on some projects with our other internal groups. Their level of professionalism in working with a company as large as ours checked all of the boxes.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We’re a small consumer packaged goods company in the health care industry. I’m responsible for sales strategy in the organization.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Tenet Partners?

We wanted to be more strategic in our thinking and relationships with the retail community. We wanted to better tie our value proposition with the retailer’s value proposition to improve engagement.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Tenet Partners initially held a workshop with our entire team to understand our value proposition. Their team wanted to learn what our brands brought to the table.

They then did extensive interviews with brokers from our top customers to better understand their value proposition and what they wanted to bring to their ultimate customers — consumers. Then, their team held a second workshop with us to discuss how those propositions mesh. Afterward, they made a final presentation of their overall findings and recommendations.

What is the team composition?

We worked with probably four people in total from Tenet Partners. Our main contact was Sean (CFO & Managing Partner).

How did you come to work with Tenet Partners?

My boss at the time knew Sean and believed that Tenet Partners would be a good fit for this project.

What is the status of this engagement?

The engagement officially kicked off in January 2020 and wrapped up in April.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Our objective was to strengthen our relationships with our retail partners. Our sales agents and partners like the new ways that we’re approaching our brands and their connection to them.

During the initial phases, there were many people involved on our end who all had their own ideas. Tenet Partners meshed our ideas together into a proposal that satisfied everybody. The result was impressive because they had to take many different viewpoints into consideration. Their team delivered more than what they committed to.

How did Tenet Partner perform from a project management standpoint?

Their communication and ability to meet deadlines were excellent. We were a small group, but we were a disparate group. They pushed us to complete tasks and participate. Their team translated outcomes into concrete action steps, which made a big difference.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I found their knowledge and thorough research into our retail community impressive. My boss and I have worked in this industry for a while and Tenet Partners communicated ideas to us that we hadn’t considered. Their background research was amazing.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I wouldn’t say there were any areas for improvement

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Start with them early in the process to help define the project. That involvement turned out to be invaluable to us. We came in with an idea of what we wanted, and they provided great advice upfront to set up the project.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the marketing and PR manager at a government agency. We serve our region and do cooperative purchasing on a national level. We also offer technology implementations and products to schools at a national level.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Tenet Partners?

At the time, our name was an acronym and our colors were red, white, and blue in a market where our competitors had the same colors and had acronymized names as well. So, we needed a way to differentiate ourselves.

We brought Tenet Partners in to look at the marketplace and at our company to figure out a brand that would resonate with our audiences who are primarily government organizations. We wanted visual and strategic help.

Our organization had a lot of stakeholders who we wanted to be involved in the process to get their buy-in and to make sure that their part of the organization was represented in the new brand.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Tenet Partners brought the stakeholders in to do multiple workshops during our engagement to help them understand the strategy and value proposition and to make sure that all of the pieces came together in the end.

They did an initial discovery within the organization and did an external delivery in the marketplace with our audience and competitors. From there, the team worked through all of the various pieces of the brand platform.

This included messaging, differentiators, and our brand promise, and they figured out how each of those resonated with the stakeholders. Finally, they built out the visual identity of our brand.

What is the team composition?

When we started working with Tenet Partners, our main point of contact was Caroline (Partner, Strategy). We’ve also worked with Andrew (Senior Partner, Creative Director), Annick (Design Director), and Rene (Account Director).

How did you come to work with Tenet Partners?

They were recommended to us by some of my professional connections.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent upwards of $500,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

Our engagement began in 2016, and it’s ongoing. We’ve since asked them to help rebrand in another organization in which we’re investing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

When we first set out on this engagement, we did a brand awareness study with our old brand to see what kind of equity we already had. The result was that about 62% of the cooperative purchasing market knew who we were and what our brand stood for. 

We then did a follow up to that awareness survey about 18 months after the launch of the new brand, and the result was well over 70%. We had come back to where we were in the marketplace and had built on it as well. 

We were incredibly happy with that. Having an experienced and confident organization like Tenet Partners to help us through the process went a long way in terms of creating internal buy-in. 

How did Tenet Partners perform from a project management standpoint?

They used a dashboard of some sort that we could log into and see all of the charts they had set up. Rene often communicated with us through email and in person, but she also had reference points with timelines. They are very responsive.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Tenet Partners is really strong in their strategy work. We got some incredible perspective, not just from the marketplace and competitive analysis, but also from a brand standpoint and best practices.

As we were deciding on whether to use a master brand structure or how to create divisions within our group, the team had strong recommendations that were based on great business strategy thinking. 

One of the reasons we continue to engage with them is that they are able to look at our business strategy and figure out how to connect it well with our marketing strategy from a brand perspective.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, nothing comes to mind. We’ve had a great experience all around. Everything has been of high quality.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Be open-minded because Tenet Partners brings a point of view that is educated and based on data and their own marketplace, audience, competitive, and internal culture investigations.

They were able to come into our organization and help us have a perspective on the internal work that needed to be done.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the president and CEO of a property-casualty insurance carrier.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Tenet Partners?

We wanted to refresh our branding and update our website.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Tenet Partners provided creative services. Their team created a new brand. They revised our colors and created promotional materials such as brochures and advertisements. They also refreshed our trade name. Collaborating with our technology vendor, they updated our website's functionality and look based on our new branding.

What is the team composition?

There were 5–6 people assigned to the work.

How did you come to work with Tenet Partners?

We searched online for companies with the expertise and experience to successfully accomplish our goals. Tenet Partners was one of three finalists.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent between $100,000–$200,000 on the project

What is the status of this engagement?

We started the project in 2018 and wrapped up in 2019.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We got a great number of compliments on our revised branding and name. Our independent agency base—our main channel of distribution—and our policyholders—our main customers—paid us a significant number of compliments. Additionally, our employees were proud and excited about the new brand and refreshed website.

How did Tenet Partners perform from a project management standpoint?

They used project management software. The timeline for the website was tough but their team met our expectations as far as time management.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their creativity stood out amongst other providers. The thought process and detail that went into refreshing our logo was impressive. We also found how they took the refreshed brand and implemented it across our various marketing and advertising materials impressive.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, not I can think of now.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Don’t be afraid to maintain robust channels of communication. The more information you share with them the better job they’ll do.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We’re an institutional money manager that handles money for pension funds, endowment,s foundations, and sovereign wealth. Our company manages about 50 billion dollars in glocal assets. I’m the chief marketing officer here.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Tenet Partners?

We have legacy products that have defined us in the marketplace. It was important to us to refresh the brand to align more closely with some of the newer products that are growing our business.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

There were three distinctive parts to the engagement. The first part was a qualitative research study. We conducted that research with prospective and former clients as well as their consultants. When that research came back, we outlined a brand platform based on the results. They sat with our senior leaders to go through the findings. We undertook several exercises to get to a brand platform. Then, we went through the implementation of a creative redesign to get us to the platform that we had settled upon. 

What is the team composition?

We worked with about a dozen people. 

How did you come to work with Tenet Partners?

I worked with them in a prior role. In that effort, one of my colleagues closely worked with and recommended them. They were in the mix of people that we evaluated to bring on and were the right fit. 

What is the status of this engagement?

We started our engagement in late 2016 and launched the product in October 2017.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Because it’s still relatively early in our brand relaunch, we haven’t checked metrics against those from past years. However, the solution has been well-received by our parent company, consultants, and our clients. The level of activity is appreciably higher in our sales pipeline, and I’d attribute some of that change to their work. If the project wasn’t successful, we wouldn’t see that pipeline growth. Give our 2–3-year sales cycle, we’re just now beginning to see the results from their work. 

How did Tenet Partners perform from a project management standpoint?

They were always on task and on target. Their team was professional and met tight deadlines. They always followed up and documented everything. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

It sometimes felt like we were working with a large-scale consulting firm. Their thoughtfulness and ability to grasp our complex business quickly were remarkable. We have employees that take two years to understand our practice, but they figured us out really quickly. They were guiding the business as well as the brand work. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

They were patient with us and did a great up all around. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Have your ducks in a row on your end because they’re going to hit the ground running. You’ll get the most out of the group if you’re organized and meet them halfway.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m a director for a nonprofit membership society for health care professionals. We offer numerous products, events, and advocacy services to our over 100,000 members.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Tenet Partners?

We had a house of 35 internal brands and 69 components, each with unique branding. Members gave us feedback that they valued the benefits we provided, but often had a hard to identifying that these benefits were provided by the association; many didn’t associate each component with our broad organization and had trouble navigating our communities as a result. We decided to bring the organization under a branded house that articulates our value to members in a more accessible way. 

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Tenet Partners helped us build our brand architectures and helped us solve our visual and verbal brand challenges. 

They started by doing an audit and assessment of our current brand and brand platform. They then organized a brand architecture workshop with key stakeholders from our organization and component organizations. The workshop was to inform the future visual and verbal architecture of our brands. Once we determined what that would look like, they designed the visual system that would support the brand architecture. 

Tenet Partners also created the association’s new logo along with the logos, brand guidelines, and brand assets for 40 of our sections and chapters.

What is the team composition?

I work with four people on a regular basis. Renee (Account Director, Tenet Partners) is our main point of contact.

How did you come to work with Tenet Partners?

While I was at a different organization, they were hired to develop a brand center website for that organization. When I came to this nonprofit, I included Tenet Partners in the RFP process for this project.

What is the status of this engagement?

The partnership started in October 2018 and is ongoing. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Tenet Partners has excelled at developing the logo suites for our chapters and sections that choose to align with the brand. Their team is very good at staying on top of multiple projects happening at once with multiple stakeholders. Our internal team is very happy with their work.

How did Tenet Partners perform from a project management standpoint?

They’ve done an excellent job. We have a weekly check-in meeting over the phone, and we communicate regularly through email and Basecamp to manage our projects. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their professional can-do attitude stands out the most. Tenet Partners also isn’t a huge agency. Their team is approachable and easy to work with. We feel like we can rely on them as a partner that supports us.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, I can’t think of anything at the moment.

Any advice for potential customers?

Like with any agency, consider if your timeline is feasible for your project’s scope. Our project was massive, and it exploded because of how well it was received. We moved really quickly, and Tenet Partners was able to move quickly with us. I can’t say enough good things about how well they responded to the influx of work we gave them. 

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am a brand manager at W.L. Gore & Associates.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Tenet Partners?

Our company is divided into multiple divisions and we needed to come up with one brand identity for both internal and external purposes.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Tenet Partners provided branding services. First, their team completed an audit, looking at our internal and external communications. Next, their team set up a war room to develop a single, consistent, authentic identity for us.

What is the team composition?

We work with less than 15 members of the Tenet Partners team, including an account lead. 

How did you come to work with Tenet Partners?

We initially looked for agencies with a primary focus around identity, and Tenet Partners came up during that search. After narrowing it down to three agencies through the RFP process, we chose to work with Tenet Partners.

What is the status of this engagement?

Our ongoing engagement with Tenet Partners began in July 2017.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

During the audit, we surveyed panels on our old identity versus ideas for the new. We’re in the process of going back out to survey people on the new identity. We launched the branding internally in June 2019. However, we’ve already recieved positive feedback from the internal team and customers. 

How did Tenet Partners perform from a project management standpoint?

It went very well. We agreed to have a clear expectation of who was going to lead the project in order to make the most of our time. Our teams had a weekly meeting to identify the path forward.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Tenet Partners develops a true partnership with their clients. They’ve become a part of our team. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

The biggest challenge with a project like this is successfully communicating that some pieces of the old identity will be around for quite some time. We can’t convert everything over at once. We ran into some difficulty communicating that message consistently.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Tenet Partners exceeded our expectations, that’s why we’re continuing to engage with them. I would recommend them to anyone looking to rebrand.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I work for Edwards Lifesciences, which is a large medical device company focusing on heart valves.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Tenet Partners?

Their specialty is strategy and helping us design content that we couldn’t have on our own. They ask questions to assist us in our effort to uncover the insights needed for marketing.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They’ve worked on a direct-to-consumer initiative where we’re reaching out to people with heart disease about heart valves and trying to help patients become educated on the disease. We also disseminate information regarding disease treatment options. For that campaign, they helped us build messaging, creative, and strategy, which is typically what we work on together.

We’ve had several new product launches in the last few years, and they’ve helped us build initial brand strategy, messaging, and creative for those products.

What is the team composition?

The team usually consists of 3–5 people. Their team always includes strategists, creative specialists, and personnel focusing in other particular areas.

How did you come to work with Tenet Partners?

They’d done work with our critical care team in the past with dynamic monitoring systems. In addition to their years with them, the team built our corporate brand, which is impressive and strong. They worked with our corporate communications in that effort. Our surgical team found out about them through that project and began working with them. So, we were connected by a recommendation.

How much have you invested with them?

At this point, we’ve spent close to $800,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started the partnership in about 2009 and still work together.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We track specific calls to action and KPIs, depending on the campaign. For instance, we planned some social and paid search ads for our patient initiative. We tracked the response to that and tailored our creative around it. Our team also tracks in-market awareness to assess how well a campaign has done in raising awareness. We’re very focused on our goals and putting forth a strategy that will best achieve what we need.

Tenet Partners helped us achieve great awareness and adoption of our product during our patient initiative. Their team also helps examine how well our campaigns are resonating with the audience as part of our market research before and after campaigns occur. Our team is good at testing the content afterward to ensure they’re performing well. Right now, we’re interviewing several surgeons about their experience with a campaign we’ve been running for the last several years. Their input will guide our efforts to change it in the near future. Tenet Partners has become part of that process.

How did Tenet Partners perform from a project management standpoint?

They’re great at regularly following up and asking the right questions to understand our aims. Their ability to remain level-headed in fast-moving situations is appreciated and a key to our account management. The team is able to work through problems without overreacting.

Additionally, we have a consistent collaborative partner in them. Even if something doesn’t go as expected, they don’t let emotions or other issues get in the way of a good relationship.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their experience in our industry and familiarity with our brand went far in ensuring our success. They built our brand, so I don’t have to worry about them not being up to speed on our guidelines. The amount of experience they have with heart valves in this particular market is very strong.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Because they’ve been working with us for a while, stepping outside the box and thinking creatively can sometimes be challenging for them. They’ve truly become part of our team, which has the potential to stifle creativity. However, all of their creative work has been great. I do see them having difficulties getting to that point, though. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Be honest about your true needs and goals. Then, let them do the work.