THIEL

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm the Marketing Director of a plastic lumber firm. We use recycled plastic to create lumber profiles that are used in outdoor applications where customers need strength, durability and aesthetics.

For what projects/services did your company hire THIEL?

Our company had grown by acquisition and we needed a new corporate website to tie our companies together. The current corporate site was also outdated and required an overhaul. We hired Thiel to develop a new corporate site that accurately presented our integrated company and brand, as well as copywriting services for the site.

What were your goals for this project?

Our goal was to have a site that amplified our company and brand message. We wanted to take the best of our previous sites and merging them in a way that made it very clear who we are, what we do and how we're differentiated from our competition. We have a very high amount of inbound leads from our site each month and it was important that the SEO that drove those leads was maintained or even improved.

How did you select THIEL?

We searched for top firms in our area and came across Thiel. We interviewed and got proposals from three different agencies. We felt that Thiel's proposal was the closest to meeting our requirements and their team the best suited to partner with. We also liked their strategic approach and integration of UX into the site build.

Describe the project in detail.

Our site was built on WordPress. We had a kick-off meeting where we discussed site goals and shared sites we inspired to be like. This kicked off weekly meetings where we discussed site functionality and UI/UX. Once the site design was finalized, it went to development and launch.

What was the team composition?

We worked with three people directly. We worked with an account executive, head of digital strategy and UI/UX developer.

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

We recently launched our site and have received incredibly positive feedback from all layers of our organization. We're still evaluating our analytics, but so far have seen stable traffic, which is incredible considering it's a brand new domain with no equity. The site did an incredible job of blending our companies together and touting the strengths of each former site and company.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

We had weekly meetings and communicated via email during the week. They were very responsive to our emails and additional questions throughout the week.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

The team has a very strategic and creative approach, which was rare and I was very impressed. They were able to take our loft, aspirational goals for a site and make it a reality. The site was not only beautiful but was also built with SEO and UI at its core.

Are there any areas for improvement?

I don't believe so. There were a few minor glitches after the site launched, but they were very responsive in fixing.

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the Marketing Director for one of the largest cosmetic surgery and medspa's located in the greater Milwaukee area. I oversee all of our marketing and rebranding, including social media and website.

For what projects/services did your company hire THIEL?

We had two large cosmetic surgery centers in the Milwaukee area merge together to form the largest surgery center, with 6 board-certified plastic surgeons, 2 on-site surgery centers, and 2 physician-supervised Medspas. We hired Thiel to do all of the rebranding, website, and marketing/advertising.

What were your goals for this project?

Our goal was to continue the awareness of the well-known physicians and create a new exciting brand that would showcase the expertise of not only the surgeons, but all of the Nurse injectors, laser technicians, and Aestheticians in our Medpsas.

How did you select THIEL?

My team had interviewed about 4 agencies and was referred to Thiel from a mutual acquaintance. Thiel immediately stood out from the others in every aspect of our research, from the first initial phone consultation throughout each presentation.

They took the time to get to know the company background and what we needed before we even decided to hire them.

Describe the scope of their work in detail.

Thiel began the process by interviewing our plastic surgeons and researching our competitors. They got a sense of the vision of our brand.

The first thing we had to decide was a new name, which was a difficult process being that the 2 companies that merged had their respective names for over 30 years. and from their designed a brand package, including a new logo, colors, and marketing materials.

What was the team composition?

I worked with their brand consultant, who built a whole team ranging from creative, design and digital support.

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

We are still ongoing with Thiel and will continue our marketing with them. We love our new name and brand, including the new color scheme and overall look/feel. Although it has been fairly recent, we have been receiving many compliments and new patients due to this new look.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

we continue to touch base weekly and for some bigger projects, monthly. All of the Thiel team are easily reachable and so helpful when needed. So far, the process has been extremely smooth.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

The whole team is very attentive and passionate about our company. they really go above and beyond to make sure we succeed.

Are there any areas for improvement?

Not as of yet, we will continue to use them for our marketing and look forward to a long relationship.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I work for a real estate management corporation as a regional manager. 

What challenge were you trying to address with THIEL?

For our most recent project together, THIEL designed a custom website for one of our clients.

What was the scope of their involvement?

They did website design, a number of estimates regarding marketing, assisted with logo development, and did a Google Ad campaign. They set up a proposal for establishing a stronger online presence on Facebook Marketplace and other things like that.

What is the team composition?

We’ve worked with three team members.

How did you come to work with THIEL?

I believe they were a referral from a co-worker. We had used them for a different client and were really pleased with the results there, so I reached out to the main sales rep and took it from there. 

How much have you invested with them?

The last project was probably over $10,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

It’s been a couple of years now; this last project wasn’t the first one I did with them.

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

A lot of the marketing, web design, and online world is a bit over my head and my clients’ heads, since it’s just not what we do. Ryan (Principal & Interactive Director) with THIEL is my number-one, go-to guy. He can really break everything down in layman’s terms so that I can get an understanding of the behind-the-scenes operations and why certain recommendations take priority over others. He breaks things down in such a way that my client and I can digest.

How did THIEL perform from a project management standpoint?

We don’t use any project management software directly with THIEL. Ryan is more than willing to hop on the phone, and he’s flexible – we can do a Google Meet, a Webex, a phone call, or an email. They set us up with our Google Ad campaign and gave us a dashboard to look at. The team meets deadlines.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I’d say their team; they’re very quick to respond, they’re available, and they’re professional and friendly. There’s better communication and less follow up, so that’s one thing that is always great. Also, their design team is awesome; we’ve never been displeased with anything they’ve put together.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I don’t think so. There’s nothing identifiable that I’d say they need to work on.

Any advice for potential customers?

Pick up the phone and give them a call, because they’re very helpful.

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the Vice President of Marlin Technologies, which designs and manufacturers customer electronic controls for severe duty environments.

For what projects/services did your company hire THIEL?

Thiel helped us create a new brand identity. The project included a new logo, company messaging, website development, trade show booth, product branding, videos, SEO, and social media. Thiel was very effective in all these areas and exceeded expectations.

What were your goals for this project?

The goal for our project was to position ourselves for the future. We wanted to put the pieces in place to ensure we were reaching our customers with the right message. Thiel's approach was to conduct internal and external interviews to understand who we were as a business from our employees and customers perspective. This was a critical exercise in which we learned a lot and helped tailor their work into the result we have today.

How did you select this vendor?

We interviewed multiple branding/marketing agencies and Thiel stood out amongst the others because they always dug deeper into who we were/are as a company. They will always ask "why" do you do something to ensure they fully understand the intention and they use that create messaging that illustrates they "why".

Describe the scope of their work in detail.

Thiel first met with key stakeholders at Marlin and then setup interviews with employees (from all areas), existing customers, lost customers, and potential customers. The interview process took about a month but was worth the time and energy as the results were critical to the overall projects success.

Once they summarized the results they created a brand profile that is the center piece of their development. They will setup recurring meetings and will keep you on track. each project would have a launch date and they hit each date.

What was the team composition?

Thiel assigned a upper level project manager who was invovlved in every step and continues to be our contact as our relationship continues post project. We also had a dedicated brand developer that worked with our project manager who was also in constant contact.

For the specialty areas, such as web development, the project manager would bring in the specialist and we would all work together. The key was having one constant contact person. At this point in our relationship Thiel feels like an extension of the Marlin team.

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

Overall we have had a lot of positive feedback on all visual aspects of the Marlin brand. At trade shows we have people stop and ask who created our videos, the layout and branding and I always share their name. With regards to SEO, each month we are seeing better results. We have monthly meetings to review SEO and PPC to ensure we are hitting our intended targets.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

This was very easy. Process was setup early on and evolved as necessary.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

What stood out most was their desire to understand why we did things. I believe their ability to always question why we do something is what makes them successful.

Are there any areas for improvement?

Not at this time.

Please describe your company and your position there.

Empire Painting, professional painting service provider. I am the Sales and Operations Manager.

For what projects/services did your company hire THIEL?

We hired Thiel to develop a custom website and help improve our SEO.

What were your goals for this project?

New, user-friendly website that is suitable for mobile devices and desktop.

How did you select this vendor?

Referral.

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

Custom website build, marketing consulting, SEO consulting.

What was the team composition?

We had a stable contact person who oversaw the development of the entire project. He was assisted by a team, two of whom we interacted with over this time span.

Can you share any information that demonstrates the impact that this project has had on your business?

We launched fairly recently so there's not much significant impact we can yet measure. However, having an immediately improved website presence for mobile searches is a big benefit.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

Project management was clearly scheduled and outlined.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

THIEL takes each client into its family and goes beyond providing services. They become a thoughtful spokesperson for the brands they represent.

Are there any areas for improvement?

The launch deadline was met and we are pleased with the overall results.

Please describe your company and your position there.

I worked at Alegeus, a cloud-based HSA, FSA, and HRA benefits administration platform. I was the creative manager and directed brand strategy, web presence, and look-and-feel of market-facing campaigns, events, and materials.

For what projects/services did your company hire THIEL?

Thiel was originally selected to create the Alegeus brand and develop the corporate website. Due to the strength of their initial contributions, it became clear that they would become an incredibly vital on-going partner.

What were your goals for this project?

We wanted to develop a brand with a clear, yet distinct identity in the healthcare finances industry. Additionally, we wanted to form a long-term relationship with a creative agency that was able to learn and speak our voice in every creative project, whether it be video, digital marketing, direct mail, or email.

How did you select this vendor?

I wasn't involved in the initial selection process, but the excellence of their on-going work made it clear that Thiel was the only creative vendor we'd consistently work with.

Describe the scope of their work in detail.

Regardless of the project's complexity, Thiel always asked the right foundational questions to ensure the project would successful.

What was the team composition?

The team's composition would vary project to project because Thiel always pulled-in the right expert for the job. However, Ryan Robers was a consistent point of contact who managed our projects flawlessly and became a critical extension of our team.

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

Our internal team and marketing-facing prospects would routinely comment on the quality of our campaigns and marketing materials. We undoubtedly received more incoming leads because of Thiel's contributions.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Thiel was responsive and there when we needed them. They truly felt like an extension of our team.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

THIEL always had our back, no matter what.

Are there any areas for improvement?

Nope. Keep doing what you're doing!

Please describe your company and your position there.

Marketing Director for Manitou North America

For what projects/services did your company hire THIEL?

Digital Target Marketing to assist our dealer network

What were your goals for this project?

Brand awareness and drive sales leads for our dealers

How did you select this vendor?

Interview multiple vendors prior to making a decision to select Thiel as our agency.

Describe the scope of their work in detail.

Support our dealer network with online target marketing to help them grow their brand and customer base in their regions.

What was the team composition?

Worked very closely with the principle of Thiel to help them understand our business, brands, and products. They also met with our dealers individual to understand the needs of their business and their regions. This is very important because each dealer has customers with different needs and buying behaviors.

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

Within 6 months our brand impressions increased by over 2 Million impressions from only about 10 select regions.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Very easy. The Thiel team was very hands-on always analyzing every project to make sure we were getting the best value for our money. If something wasn't working well, they were quick to change the strategy to make it more valuable for our dealer and the brand.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Their professionalism, knowledge of digital marketing, and determination to understand what our goals are. Also their commitment to dedicating their staff to help us achieve our goals for our brands and customers is impressive.

Are there any areas for improvement?

The Thiel team is very resourceful and reactive to our needs.

Please describe your company and your position there.

Rockwell Automation is the largest company in the world that is dedicated to industrial automation and information. Across the globe, its flagship Allen-Bradley® and Rockwell Software® product brands are recognized for excellence. As for me, I'm the Head of Global Talent Brand and am responsible for our company's recruitment marketing and employer branding.

For what projects/services did your company hire THIEL?

We asked THIEL to help us create a Year in Review video showcasing my team's work over the past 12 months.

What were your goals for this project?

Our goal was to take pride in and showcase all the great work that's been completed over the past 12 months.

How did you select this vendor?

I saw some of THIEL's motion graphics work online on LinkedIn. I reached out and inquired about their services. One meeting led to the next, and then we we hired them to take on this project.

Describe the video(s) and the process in detail.

The video was complex because we had a lot of assets to highlight and needed it to hit the appropriate points of the music track. We also needed to give the viewer context so we included words to describe the project and needed it to be succinct enough so that it didn't irritate the viewer if it moved away too quickly.

What was your vendors' project management or feedback process?

It was great! I knew where things were at every step of the way. They allowed me to weigh-in and make changes mid-way through the project.

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

We needed the video done before the end of the month that we initiated the project and it was completed by then. Anecdotally, I've heard nothing but positive reviews of the video from colleagues and people on LinkedIn where i posted it.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Very effective. We communicated clearly and often. We shared files with no issues. We also reviewed content at all the appropriate phases.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

They were easy to work with, they listened well, and they executed even better.

Are there any areas for improvement?

No, this team was great.

Please describe your company and your position there.

Alegeus is the market leader in consumer directed healthcare solutions, offering the industry’s most comprehensive platform for the administration of healthcare benefit accounts, the industry’s most widely-used benefit debit card, and powerful engagement solutions to help consumers maximize savings and optimize spending for their healthcare. Over 300 clients – including health insurance plans, third party administrators and financial institutions – leverage Alegeus’ deep expertise and proven technology to administer benefit accounts for more than 29 million members and process more than $8.9 billion in consumer healthcare payments annually. As the healthcare and benefit markets continue to evolve, Alegeus delivers solutions that enable clients to advance their service offerings, operate their businesses more efficiently, and focus on their customers.

For what projects/services did your company hire THIEL?

I have personally worked with Thiel for more than 15 years on various projects, and my current firm has worked with them for 5+ years on a variety of content projects - many of them video and multi-media. Most recently, we partnered with Thiel to deliver a general session video for our client conference event.

What were your goals for this project?

At this year's conference, we unveiled a prototype of our "next generation" smart HSA product - which is a major milestone for the company, and the foundation of the next phase of our growth. Leading into the actual unveil, we wanted to create an asset that would foreshadow what was coming and build excitement. We also wanted it to be an asset that could be re-used after the event as we speak to the market about this new innovation.

How did you select this vendor?

Thiel has been our go-to resource for video creation for almost 5 years... so when we decided we wanted to do this, I didn't think twice about who to call. Ryan and his team are always ready to take on new projects - and work with us to meet our goals, even when timelines are tight. We are always very happy with the output of our work together.

Describe the scope of their work in detail.

On video projects, Thiel is typically at the table from the very conception of the project... we typically will explain the context of the project, the goals that we're trying to achieve with the content, how it will be used, key concepts/messages that need to be communicated, tone and style that we are envisioning... and then the brainstorm begins. We've worked together on many video projects where they've written the script, they've suggested the creative style (sometimes even convincing us to go in a different direction than we were initially envisioning - for the betterment of the content), they storyboard the whole video from start to finish (seeking our buy-in along the way), they begin with a few scenes to ensure we're aligned... and then we work through rounds of feedback until we have a finished product.

What was the team composition?

Ryan Robers leads their multimedia team and is our point of content - and we love him. He's been such a great partner to lead us through these initiatives. As issues arise (which inevitably happens over the course of a long term relationship), Ryan is always quick to respond and take action. Behind the scene, he has a team of folks that do amazing work. I have also had occasion to work with some of the principals of the firm over the years, and they are also great strategic partners. And beyond their work, they are all just quality people who are fun to be aroudn.

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

We have had great feedback about the content Thiel has created for us over the years - including this latest conference video. Most of the content we've created together resides on our website, and has received high volumes of clicks and views. And beyond that, our direct sales and account teams make use of this content direction with clients and prospects. They are great tools to reinforce our story, and to generate excitement about our market views, our strategic direction, and our solutions.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

I value working with smaller agencies because you really feel the "personal touch" and have the ability to build strong relationships. The team we work with now is the same team we've worked with for years. We know each other well, so we all kind of know what to expect when we take on a new project together. Through a combination of face-to-face, phone and email collaboration... projects flow smoothly and efficiently. If I have a fire drill project with a short fuse, I can always count on Ryan and his team to step up... even if it requires weekend hours (which has happened). They work tirelessly to meet our goals.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

I think we enjoy the people that we work with over there the most. It's nice to work with people that share your values, put the client's need first, and overall are just great human beings that you like spending time with.

Are there any areas for improvement?

We've had growing pains over the years, like you do in any relationship. There have been times when the initial drafts weren't quite "on message" or what we were expecting... but we operate in a very niche, complex market - and with it's own language. Some of our own people struggle to communicate our messaging sometimes. I think the most important thing is how they respond when those challenges have occurred... they take constructive feedback really well, they are able to reset and get the project back on track. I've worked with other agencies that struggle to receive and apply feedback - that is not the case here.

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm the founder of an entertainment company that services the Midwest.

For what projects/services did your company hire THIEL?

We started working with THIEL to develop custom software that would simplify the process of engaging and working with our team.

What were your goals for this project?

Simply put, our goal was to make our clients happy by providing them web applications that made doing business with us easier.

How did you select this vendor?

After conducting some initial searches, we had a number of software companies provide us with a proposed statement of work. We selected THIEL because we felt they understood our expectations and the needs of our customers and prospects.

Describe the scope of their work in detail.

Their team has provided us with a variety of services, including custom application development, social media and digital marketing, database management, voice of customer research, and print advertising material creation.

What was the team composition?

We have a project lead that communicates with us on a regular basis. We’ve worked with a variety of other team members throughout our partnership.

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

THIEL’s work has transformed our business. We now have the best digital tools in our industry, and we’ve witnessed our competitors try to duplicate their products. Our clients are pleased with our products, and we're capturing more of the market. Our partnership with THIEL has been an enormous success.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Their project management has been fantastic. Before we started working with them, I was worried about partnering with an agency in a different state. Within the first week, my mind was at ease.

At the outset, our teams frequently communicated through Webex and Asana, and we’ve had multiple in-person meetings. Their team is skilled at providing detailed reasoning for every technical and design decision they make. Also, they're receptive to feedback, and make sure to align their work with the methods and tools that are best for our end users.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

I’ve been impressed with their strategic approach. Their team is constantly thinking of ways to grow my business and provide value to my customers and prospects.

Are there any areas for improvement?

THIEL could do a better job of communicating all of the services they provide. We didn't know they could help us with voice of customer research until a year after working with them.