Theory SF

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the founder of Ovis, a news network powered by blockchain technology. We’re dedicated to incentivizing the truth and ending fake news.

What challenge were you trying to address with Theory SF?

We needed a marketing campaign that simplified our processes. Our goal was to get people to engage with our company.

What was the scope of their involvement?

Theory SF built a marketing strategy for us. After a few meetings with the founders, the team proceeded to conduct a market research study. They eventually came up with a brand tagline and an ad campaign to help people understand what we do in very simple terms. The campaign was designed for both digital and traditional media.

What is the team composition?

We worked with the two founders.

How did you come to work with Theory SF?

Someone recommended them to us.

What is the status of this engagement?

The project lasted from May–September 2021. 

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

The team delivered the metrics themselves, and we were happy with it. Theory SF fulfilled everything in the scope on time. We believe that the campaign they created for us will be effective. 

How did Theory SF perform from a project management standpoint?

Theory SF did an excellent job in terms of project management.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They possessed a genuine enthusiasm for our vision and didn’t just focus on getting paid. Since Theory SF truly believed in our mission, they did a fantastic job. Furthermore, the team had a good understanding of the cryptocurrency space.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Our team is full of journalists, so we easily noticed a few typos in their deliverables. Other than that, they did a good job.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Be very honest about what you’re trying to achieve and answer all of their questions. It makes a big difference in the results if you’re completely transparent about your problems. Once they know about your weaknesses, they’ll turn them into strengths.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m a brand consultant for New Age, Inc. Our company has a number of health and wellness product lines including food, beverage, and even skincare products. 

What challenge were you trying to address with Theory SF?

Because our division was so small, we were looking for a creative agency that would be flexible with our team and treat us as partners as we marketed our product.

What was the scope of their involvement? 

Theory SF is responsible for coming up with a creative marketing platform for our products, such as a catchy tagline that would resonate with our consumers and accompanying assets for our campaigns. We’ve also done a lot of testing to make sure our direction made sense. All in all, it’s a ground-up project.

What is the team composition? 

I’ve worked with Chip (Chief Creative Officer & Partner) and Russell (Chief Strategy Officer & Partner) the most. 

How did you come to work with Theory SF?

We screened about 13 companies, keeping our budget in mind along with each company’s portfolio, past work, and pitch ideas. 

There was actually another award-winning company that we’d considered. They looked good on paper and we were ready to go with them after our first two meetings. Then, I squeezed in a meeting with Theory SF at the last minute, and they ended up taking the project because they were just so good. They stood out heads and shoulders above the rest.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent $65,000 to date.

What is the status of this engagement?

The project started in September 2020 and will wrap up in December 2020.

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

They’re always available with us, even on weekends. If I have an idea that I need to vet, I can just text them and get a response. 

How did Theory SF perform from a project management standpoint?

Our project has worked out so well because we need so much flexibility — our dates keep changing, but they’ve been with us all the way through. We communicate mostly through email and text.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Theory SF is super creative. The way they think about our product has been unlike any other agency that’s pitched to us. They’ve managed to turn something that’s very mundane into something fun. It blew my mind!

The team is also easy to get along with. They’ve had to work with some of the other agencies in our company, and everyone thinks that they’re a pleasure to work with.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, I don’t have any criticisms.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Don’t waste your time interviewing 13 companies and just give them a call. I’ll definitely use them again because they’re some of the best partners I’ve come across in my career.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the senior director of user acquisition for a cybersecurity company. 

What challenge were you trying to address with Theory SF?

We wanted to grow our brand and ensure peoples’ awareness of our offerings.

What was the scope of their involvement?

Theory helped us put together a brand message and creative materials that promoted our overall brand. Their team created pillars and then we sectioned our brand into them. They also created digital and radio campaigns, podcasts, sponsorship opportunities.  

Theory also produced a 30-second video with the goal of engaging customers. They focused the content on helping customers learn about us and our space.

What is the team composition?

I primarily worked with Russel (Co-Founder & CSO) and Chip (Co-Founder & CCO).

How did you come to work with Theory SF?

They were already working with the company when I was brought into the project. The people who hired them are no longer with the company, so I’m not sure of the process or why they chose them, specifically.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent between $250,000–$300,000 on their services.

What is the status of this engagement?

We collaborated between April – July 2020.

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

Their witty writing translated well across the board. We see more traffic, conversions, and purchases. In fact, our click-through rate’s significantly higher than industry standards.

The video has an 82% completion rate, which was previously unseen. During a focus group, we showed seven-times the norm for unaided brand awareness and a 150% lift in unaided brand awareness. We have seen more traffic to the site, more conversions, and more purchases. We’re very satisfied.

How did Theory SF perform from a project management standpoint?

When I came on board, they shifted to work with me. Their team also handled all of our directional changes well. Theory worked weekends to make deadlines. They arrived at meetings prepared and understood what we wanted to see. We talked daily prior to launching the campaigns.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They clearly understood what we wanted to accomplish and how we wanted to accomplish it. Their team presented concepts that most of us loved.

We had major organizational changes happen during the engagement. This caused us to request totally different concepts without extending the timeline. Twice, they put together entirely new concepts. Their team nailed the concepts on their first tries each time, which I hadn’t experienced with any other agency.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Although they put together timelines, they could improve by giving firm delivery dates. Their team’s hesitant to do so because they don’t want to disappoint. However, we need to give solid answers to our clients.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Write a good brief for them to read. Have an initial discussion to ensure everyone is on the same page and then, let them work.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the VP of brand at Avast. We’re a cybersecurity firm based in the Czech Republic.

What challenge were you trying to address with Theory SF?

The challenge was to raise brand awareness in the US.

What was the scope of their involvement?

Theory was familiar with our brand as we previously worked on other projects together. We started the process by bringing them up to date on our latest challenges and activities. They also met a few new team members.

Their team then helped to create a multifaceted campaign that included video. The campaign was to run on all digital platforms and TV. 

What is the team composition?

My main point of contact was Russell (Co-Founder & Chief Strategy Officer. I also closely worked with Chip (Co-Founder & Chief Creative Officer).

How did you come to work with Theory SF?

Initially, we sought a smaller, local agency. We interviewed probably 7–8 agencies but Theory’s pitch blew the rest of them out of the water. We also felt that their team would be a good partner for us long-term.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent probably $200,000 on this project including all of the asset development.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started this project in February 2020 and wrapped it up in July.

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

The project just launched, but it was well-received by a tough internal audience. Their team spectacularly managed the unique challenges of the time. They ensured the images were appropriate for this moment, taking into account all of the cultural factors.

How did Theory SF perform from a project management standpoint?

We had regular Zoom meetings and texted each other. In the event of an emergency, we called each other’s cell phones. They were incredibly responsive, so I never worried about when I would hear back from them. Their team also delivered on time every single time.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Theory works as if it’s their own business that they’re trying to affect. They were a part of our team. Their team brought passion and spirit to the table. They were willing to jump in and pivot at any moment. Theory was our partner, not just another agency.

At every step of the way, I worked with the agency’s partners. I didn’t work with a junior teammate. In that respect, there wasn’t a lot of overhead for account management that we would encounter in a larger agency.

Are there any areas they could improve?

In our first project, we learned some lessons and calibrated with each other. I wouldn’t ask for anything to be different in this case.

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the Director of Corporate Partnerships for the Institute for Cybersecurity, Virginia Beach, VA.

For what projects/services did your company hire Theory SF?

We are a start-up cybersecurity solutions provider that needed help with overall branding and messaging to our highly selective target audience. The product line/offerings is ahead of market acceptance and we have tried to build demand and launch in parallel.

What were your goals for this project?

We had both short term and long term goals that we mapped out with TheorySF. the first time sensitive goal was to capture the identity of the Institute for Cybersecurity and parlay that into a video engagement for the Gartner conference. Second to that, we had a long term branding proposal that outline market research, auditing and creative development to help us bring our band to life.

How did you select this vendor?

We selected TheorySF after liaising with Clutch. Clutch provided us a short list of marketing firms that we filtered through and selected TheorySF for the overall brand work.

Describe the scope of their work in detail.

Our short term deliverable was kicked off with a series of discovery telecons and interviews with our SME. Theory SF worked with their own internal team to create the visual story and messaging that we used in a trade show. The ongoing branding work is underway.

What was the team composition?

We worked directly with their principals and creative team. TheorySF used their expertise to involve additional team members as they developed and produced the video.

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

Since working with TheorySF we have amplified our marketing collateral that resulted in increased brand recognition to our target market. This was the first and most important step into building our sales funnel.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

We had very good synergy between the two teams. Mainly we used screen sharing and telecons to meet with regular cadence to meet the deliverables. TheorySF was responsive to pivots we made and meet all deadlines.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

TheorySF brought a creative energy and a curious nature to our marketing needs starting with the first engagement. They had done their own research and understood our challenges from an outside perspective. They were able to clearly assess our product lines and capabilities and identify areas of commercial opportunity. They reinforced our own internal beliefs in the value of our offerings.

Are there any areas for improvement?

We had an A+ experience with TheorySF and will be executing an additional contract and Statement of Work for more extensive campaign and brand work.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm a consumer insights contractor for a pharmaceuticals company.

What challenge were you trying to address with TheorySF?

We needed to become educated in the competitive marketplace of supplements very quickly.

What was the scope of their involvement?

TheorySF conducted extensive market research within the supplements industry, providing an audit that included their insights and strategic frameworks for analysis. The final deliverable consisted of a report about 60 pages in length. 

What is the team composition? 

Russel (Partner and Chief Strategy Officer, TheorySF) was our main point of contact. Although we never met in person, we frequently spoke via phone and email throughout the engagement. 

How did you come to work with TheorySF?

Our VP of consumer insights knew one of the co-founders at TheorySF, so they had been in touch about the different capabilities they could offer our company. Before we decide to contract them for any design work, we wanted to see how they performed from a more strategic thinking standpoint, so we gave them this project to start with.

What is the status of this engagement?

The project took place between December 2018–January 2019.

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

TheorySF provided very thorough market research that has allowed our team to build valuable business frameworks. We feel very confident in the direction we'll choose to follow based on the competitive knowledge we now have. 

How did TheorySF perform from a project management standpoint?

They were very detail-oriented, on time, and easy to get along with. I never had any trouble reaching them; they were readily available via phone and email. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

I appreciated their intelligence and experience in research and design the most.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Although they work very quickly, it would be great if they could've shown us how they generated results (i.e., their thinking process and strategies for gathering information). 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Give them the freedom to do what they do best–their expertise in research and design is hard to beat. 

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the vice president of marketing for a very large cybersecurity company.

What challenge were you trying to address with Theory SF?

We needed an agency to help develop an interim campaign to raise brand awareness and visibility for our main consumer products.

What was the scope of their involvement?

This started as an interim project, but we were pleased with their work and transformed the collaboration into our full-blown 2019 campaign strategy. Elements of their creative concepts will appear in our website, programs, social marketing, branded properties, video, trade shows, and a few other aspects of our brand strategy.

What is the team composition?

We work very closely with their principals.

How did you come to work with Theory SF?

Our advertising lead reached out to her colleagues and resources, and built a list of about a dozen smaller agencies. We spoke with several agencies, and most were highly qualified, but we really connected with Theory SF and liked their philosophy.

What is the status of this engagement?

We engaged them initially at the end of August 2018 and started working in earnest in September. The work is ongoing.

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

A lot of their work is just about to launch at the start of our campaign in March. We don’t have any metrics yet, but we’re expecting great results.

One challenge we face in the U.S. is brand recognition. They gave us a strategic platform that was even bigger than what we asked for, and their work enables us to go above and beyond our original scope.

How did Theory SF perform from a project management standpoint?

I like to work with them; they’re good people. We primarily communicate through email, but frequently speak on the phone or via video conference. We’ve also met in person.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I appreciate their passion for our business. They are genuine, honest, and a true partner. They’re creative, accessible, and always ready to support us.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Some small things occasionally slip through the cracks, but we’re a demanding, complicated business. I don’t focus on the small things, as the big picture is so good.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the VP of marketing for a large cannabis company.

What challenge were you trying to address with Theory SF?

Operating within a rapidly changing industry, we wanted to reconceptualize certain parts of our business. We needed a solid strategic agency to understand our corporate "DNA." We also needed a top identity, branding and packaging agency.

What was the scope of their involvement?

Theory SF is helping us innovate new-to-world brands to better take advantage of opportunities within valuable consumer segments.

What is the team composition?

We regularly communicate with both company principals. Beyond that, we work with the packaging team and several creative resources.

How did you come to work with Theory SF?

I don’t recall the actual introduction, but we had a strong connection with them from the start. They considered it critical to understand all parts of our business before rushing to complete a project. That set them apart from similar vendors.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in October 2018, and the engagement is ongoing.

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

They’re helping us build a national brand that we’re incredibly excited about. We’re getting close to announcing the final product, and they’re handling everything down to the SKU level. Everyone within our organization is absolutely thrilled with Theory SF’s work. Not only do they excel in pure brand strategy, but they’ve also completed some cooperate branding work for us as well.

How did Theory SF perform from a project management standpoint?

I consider them my right-hand partner. We interact on a daily basis, and they’re always responsive to our needs. Theory SF dug deep into our business to understand our priorities. They visited our office from the onset and met with all of our key stakeholders throughout the process. Their ability build strong relationships across departments created a powerful relationship at the onset.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Theory SF is a strategic team capable of developing industry-changing ideas. They’re a full-service agency that can work within any industry. Specifically, their branding and packaging work is off the charts. It’s a true partnership.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No. It has been a great experience thus far.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CFO of Forge, an architectural firm that focuses primarily on corporate interior design and ground-up architecture.

What challenge were you trying to address with Theory SF?

After 37 years, we wanted to rebrand our company with a new name and logo. We were transitioning ownership and wanted a brand that more closely aligned with our projects, relationships, and clients.

What was the scope of their involvement?

Theory SF ran us through a series of programming exercises to gather conversations about our identity and how we represented ourselves both internally and externally. They gathered this information from our owners, management teams, and 20 of our top clients and then funneled it back into creating a compelling new name and brand. They currently work on a consultation basis.

What is the team composition?

We work with the co-founders.

How did you come to work with Theory SF?

We were introduced by a mutual colleague. We weren’t looking for a branding company, but we had a great initial connection, and they clearly explained the value they could add to our business.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent about $40,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We’ve worked together since March 2016, and the work is ongoing.

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

We thought there’d be quite a bit of disruption because the project was so intensive, but the rebranding was seamless. Our internal staff loves the brand message, and our clients speak positively of it, too.

The refreshed brand attracted press attention, and we found ourselves in local publications and being inviting to more speaking engagements. We’ve been able to utilize more social media channels and have more of a presence than we did before the rebranding.

How did Theory SF perform from a project management standpoint?

They’re responsive and always deliver on their promises in a timely manner. They articulate their process and goals well, making it easy for anyone to understand what they wanted to accomplish.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their performance and delivery are exceptional; all of their work is high quality and has a personal touch, making the partnership productive and enjoyable. Branding and design can be a hard thing to get right, but they did a great job.

Are there any areas they could improve?

We mainly work with the co-founders, but it would be helpful to see their talent more clearly, so we could see what else they can do.

Do you have any advice for future clients of theirs?

Have an internal conversation about your brand identity in advance. Theory SF does great work, but it’ll be best if you provide a starting point of what you want.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm a partner and one of the owners of an executive search firm called Spark. We're a relatively new company—only starting operations in January 2018. We conduct targeted executive searches for architects and engineers nationwide.

What challenge were you trying to address with Theory SF?

We required branding services for our company. The recruiting industry generally carries a negative connotation because people believe it's expensive, dishonest, and allows unqualified candidates into consideration. We believe our process is different. We feature a targeted approach to focus on a specific industry that we have experienced. We wanted to be portrayed well, be differentiated from other firms, and develop a unique visual presence.

What was the scope of their involvement?

We began the engagement with no name, logo, or brand history. We only had an idea of how to be different. We met with Theory SF and briefed them about our goals. They asked in-depth questions to learn more about our personalities and how to have them reflected in our branding.

For our name, we wanted something short and punchy that captured our process. Theory SF presented us with an extensive list, maybe 30-40, and we voted on each one to narrow the options. To develop the logo, they crafted several options featuring different color schemes and designs. We chose the logo we liked best and tinkered with it until it was perfect. Currently, they are in the process of building our website. We recently supplied them with some general web copy, which they edited into a draft and returned to us, and now they’re incorporating it into the design.

What is the team composition?

We worked with both of the managing partners at Theory SF.

How did you come to work with Theory SF?

They were referred to us by another company that had used them in the past. That company arranged a meeting with Theory SF for us, and we found them to be personable and knowledgeable. We were confident in their abilities.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent around $40,000 to this point.

What is the status of this engagement?

Our work began in February 2018 and is ongoing.

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

They have absolutely met our expectations. This was a very thought-out process, and we thank them for that. It was not overwhelming to the point where we had 10,000 name options. It was narrowed down to start, which allowed us to make quick progress.

How did Theory SF perform from a project management standpoint?

They have been as communicative and available as we could have asked for.

What did you find most impressive about them?

We respect their honesty and their knowledge. Part of their process was detailing the psychology behind consumer decision-making. Having that perspective in this process is quite valuable.