Toast Studio

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Director of PR, social media and content of a transportation company

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

We connect people as an airline and tour operator.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Toast Studio to accomplish?

• Help our team in establishing the foundation of our content strategy
• Help me as a manager establish a clear vision for our content and my team
• Search engine optimization

SOLUTION

How did you find Toast Studio?

• Online Search
• Referral

Why did you select Toast Studio over others?

• High ratings
• Close to my geographic location
• Great culture fit
• Referred to me
• Company values aligned

How many teammates from Toast Studio were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

Describe the scope of work in detail. Please include a summary of key deliverables.

We mandated Toast Studio to help us establish the foundation of our new content strategy, which includes both written blog content and social media. More importantly, they supported me, who oversees the team, in establishing a clear vision for content as well as for our team structure and processes. Toast provided a window to have in-depth conversations with its team and content experts and really helped us in grasping the true power of SEO and how to leverage it better.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What were the measurable outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

• A clear vision for content for my team 
• SEO progress 
• A new approach to creating content for our external partners

Describe their project management. Did they deliver items on time? How did they respond to your needs?

Project management was solid, with the team proactively providing information our team needed. Never late to a call or meeting!

What was your primary form of communication with Toast Studio?

• In-Person Meeting
• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

The people who work there. Everyone on the team is amazing and easy to work with, which makes everything easier.

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

There seemed to be misalignment when we first started working together but that was really a result of our team not properly briefing the agency and not reacting fast enough when information was requested.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Senior Advisor, Communications and Public Affairs of Early childhood Observatory

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

We communicate the current state of knowledge in order to promote informed decision-making on the subject of early childhood in Québec. Our goal is to ensure that every young child living in the province has access to conditions that will enable them to develop their full potential, regardless of where they were born or where they are growing up.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Toast Studio to accomplish?

• Create a podcast to raise awareness about the role of the housing crisis on the well-being of toddlers, as well as the issues that toddler families are currently facing in terms of housing, through concrete stories of families and the knowledge of the Observatoire des tout-petits on the issue.
• To reach new audiences who do not know us through a partnership with Radio-Canada.

SOLUTION

How did you find Toast Studio?

• Clutch Site
• Other

Why did you select Toast Studio over others?

• Referred to me
• Other

What was the size of Toast Studio’s team?

2-5 Employees

Describe the scope of work in detail. Please include a summary of key deliverables.

• Scope of work : The agency was responsible for the production of the podcast, writing the scripts, sound and video recording of the episodes, post-production and sound finishing, mix and music.
• Toast was also responsible of hiring a relatively well known QC animator and and conducting the pre-interviews with participants.
• Deliverables: 5 podcast episodes of 20-35 minutes each and 1 x teaser of 30-60 sec.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What were the measurable outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

• Number of downloads of episodes
• Number of views of the videos
• Variety of audiences reached

Describe their project management. Did they deliver items on time? How did they respond to your needs?

We found in Toast a real expertise in the production of podcasts, but above all a team capable of listening and completely dedicated to delivering a quality product. A wonderful collaboration.

What was your primary form of communication with Toast Studio?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

I was impressed by their agility and open-mindedness.

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

Provide more guidance to the hired facilitator so that he comes better prepared for the recordings.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m a marketing manager for a contract research organization.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Toast Studio?

I needed help creating new videos and designs for our business.

SOLUTION

$What was the scope of their involvement?

For our primary project with Toast Studio, they helped us create some short videos. First, the team created a branding template for the videos. For one of the videos, they shot video content in our lab and handled the editing and audio mixing process to deliver the final product. For the other three, we provided them with B-roll footage, which they used to produce animated motion videos. 

The final deliverables were two 30-second videos and one 2–5 minute video. They’ve also helped us create social media posts by writing copy and creating visuals.

Now, the team is redesigning our corporate pitch deck. We’ve provided them with our existing deck and brand guidelines and shared our vision for the final design. They’ve submitted a first draft, which we plan to continue iterating. 

What is the team composition?

We’ve worked with a project manager, designer, copywriter, and three people from the video production team. 

How did you come to work with Toast Studio?

I believe they were referred by another agency we work with. 

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve invested $25,000–$50,000 CAD (approximately $19,000–$37,000 USD) 

What is the status of this engagement?

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

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Toast Studio’s efforts have increased our visibility, and we’ve published the videos on our social media channels several times. People have reacted positively to some of the videos and negatively to others.

How did Toast Studio perform from a project management standpoint?

Toast Studio has orchestrated an organized project management process. They deliver items on time, and we communicate via email. We used Trello at the beginning of the project, but only for a short time. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

Toast Studio’s project management skills are their biggest strength.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They could push themselves more when it comes to design.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the marketing director for an aerospace company that sells private jets. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Toast Studio?

We’re not always perceived well in our home market, hurting our recruitment efforts and employer brand. Because of that, we’ve brought Toast on board to help us get closer to our home market.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We’ve hired Toast to help us improve our corporate image by producing videos we can promote on traditional and social media; the videos can also be used internally by our employees. We produce around 200 videos per year, and the Toast team is one of our suppliers. 

Typically, the ideation process is handled by our team, and we bring Toast in when we have specific needs for a video or other assets. We give them a brief, and they then make a proposal and give us a storyboard. For production, they send us their crew and produce the first version of the video. We give our comments, and the iteration goes back and forth until we have the final product. 

Generally, we steer away from voiceovers and go light on scripts because the videos need to be translated into many languages — we try to let the image tell the story. Toast makes the music for the videos, and we often ask them to change the music or find other tracks. 

Meanwhile, the promotional videos are not animated. They often talk about one of our facilities, products, or a particular event we’re doing. Given that, Toast sends their production team to whatever we’re promoting. 

For example, we’ve been promoting our service centers a lot lately. Toast sends a videographer to the service center with our VP of communications, who then conducts interviews to feature the service center. Their team takes that footage and edits it to be more impactful while working with us during the approval process until we get a good first draft. 

What is the team composition?

We work with many people from Toast. Our main points of contact are Julie (Executive Producer), Sandy (Co-General Manager), and David (Design Editor). Some managers are working with them, too. 

How did you come to work with Toast Studio?

We asked for bids from various agencies and wanted to go with the team with the best cost and competence. Toast acquired many of these briefs over the last year and a half because we liked their flexibility, product team, and production value. 

How much have you invested with them?

So far, we’ve spent $200,000. 

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with Toast in July 2021, and the engagement is ongoing. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Our videos get published everywhere — they’re on our website, social media calendar, YouTube channel, and internal sites. We also use them in meetings. We have great view rates for these videos, and we’re pleased with how they perform relative to our other campaigns. The open rate is around 50%, while the view-through rate is about 30%, which is above average in our market. 

How did Toast Studio perform from a project management standpoint?

We’re truly pleased with Toast’s project management; they run a tight ship. They use a video-sharing tool to manage the videos. To communicate, we use 70% email, 25% phone calls, and 5% in-person meetings. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

Toast has competitive pricing, and they take the time to get to know our company and requirements. They want the project to be reflective of us, and the team knows they have to understand us for that to happen. 

Moreover, they’re great at filming and showing the human side of things. For comparison, the other producers we work with are good at showing products, while Toast is great at filming human elements. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, there aren’t any. There’s always room for improvement, but they’ve made many great improvements in the last six months. As a result, we’re pleased with what they’ve been doing. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Spend some time getting to know the Toast team so they can get to know you. They do their best work when they’re integrated well into another team. 

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the head of branded content for CBC/Radio-Canada, a public media broadcaster.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Toast Studio?

We needed someone to develop and produce a reality TV-inspired web series.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We worked closely with Toast Studio on several projects, most notably for the development of a large-scale nationwide reality TV-inspired web series. They provided us with good storytelling and project management to produce a multilingual series, and they were involved with the pre- and post-production, as well as the translation for English and French.

Furthermore, they helped with the casting, budget management, client management, and research for legal transparency. 

What is the team composition?

We worked with Julie (Executive Producer), Isabelle (Producer), Roch (Director), two researchers, and a full production and post-production team.

How did you come to work with Toast Studio?

We chose to hire them based on their understanding of our editorial code, the latest trends, and the needs of their client.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent around $500,000 CAD (approximately $390,600 USD).

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked together from August 2020–January 2022.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Toast Studio was really helpful in identifying areas we can improve. They provided step-by-step details on how to achieve our goals and made sure had a firm grasp on what we’ve learned from the production — we were very pleased with the collaboration.

How did Toast Studio perform from a project management standpoint?

Because of the COVID-19 mandates and regulations, we had to delay and revise the production schedules but despite all that, they were still very accommodating and flexible so we trusted them to take care of the entire operation all the way through.

What did you find most impressive about them?

We were very impressed with how they were able to manage this large-scale production with a lot of components. They had strong expertise when it came to storytelling, conceptualizing, and budget management.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I can’t think of anything they could improve on.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

I would advise you to be clear on the parameters of your project and make sure you know what you’re doing.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the communications and marketing director at the Union des producteurs agricole (UPA). The UPA's main mission is to promote, defend and develop the professional, economic, social and moral interests of agricultural and forestry producers in Quebec.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Toast Studio?

Toast's mandate was to help us develop a content strategy for the launch of the Kasscrout video game, aimed at elementary school children and their families.

SOLUTION

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

Toast is an agency that is recognized in the industry. We came across a free social media training document offered online by the agency. This showed us the extent of their expertise and the depth of their approach. So we decided to approach them to ask for a quote. Meetings with the team were always very professional, from start to finish.

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

Toast supported us with the content strategy and the deployment strategy for the game; creation of the editorial calendar and content intentions. The deliverables were:

• Creation of the editorial line, content pillars and content series
• Creation of a tone and manner for content creation
• Development of content calendars (before, during, after)
• Creation of a monitoring grid, for community management adapted to the campaign
• Deployment strategy including: the recommendation of distribution channels, the creation of audiences, the definition of KPIs and the conversion tunnel, media distribution recommendation, monitoring during the campaign if questions.

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

• 1 Director Strategy Performance and Consulting
• 1 Content Strategy Manager
• 1 Digital Advertising Campaign Manager

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The campaign exceeded expectations in terms of impressions, clicks, click-through rate. The conversion rate of people brought to the game from the campaign is 8%.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Everything went well and we felt confident.

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

Their expertise, listening skills, and openness were impeccable.

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

No.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the deputy director of a higher education institution. Our organization works mainly with different students regarding career development and alumni for networking opportunities.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Toast Studio?

We wanted to have more impact on our social media efforts, so we needed someone to provide us with social media and content strategy.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Toast Studio provides us with social media marketing consultation and presented us with the tools to create content. They first did an audit to see the state of our digital presence and what our competitors were doing. 

They analyzed everything while we were in the process of changing our brand and gave us a strategy of how we can make better use of our digital channels.

What is the team composition?

There are always four people in the meetings, but we mostly communicate with the director and project manager.

How did you come to work with Toast Studio?

We searched the internet for vendors who can help with social media strategy and asked for proposals from at least three different companies. Toast Studio came out with the best one because they really understood where we were coming from and where we were at that moment.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve invested around $25,000 CAD (approximately $19,700 USD).

What is the status of this engagement?

The ongoing partnership started in April 2020.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

So far, Toast Studio’s work has had a positive impact on our efforts to publish content every day. We now have a more structured and meaningful approach to social media marketing, so the engagement from users is much better.

How did Toast Studio perform from a project management standpoint?

They perform very well and as a matter of fact, we’re the ones who slow down the process most of the time. We typically communicate through email and have meetings through Google Meet.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I like that they really understand what our needs are.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They once proposed an idea on how to acquire more audience, but they didn’t get the opportunity to explain it better. We need more context to understand so maybe they could provide us with a bit more information regarding their ideas.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

I personally like working with Toast Studio, so my advice is to just go ahead and work with them.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the co-founder of SparkTrain, an e-learning platform that offers training on soft skills and suggestive selling for people who work face-to-face with customers. It’s a web-based application. Users learn through short videos and quizzes.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Toast Studio?

We were looking for someone who could write our content.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We hired them to make our videos and content. We gave them our objective and the goals of the program. We talked with them, and then they wrote 12 white papers for us. We went through that with them and confirmed we were on the same page. After that, they took the white papers and transformed them into 12 scripts. We wanted to make sure it matched perfectly with our vision.

We cast a comic for our videos. They’re corporate training courses, but we put a little humor in it. Toast Studio wrote the script, did the filming and put the video together. 

What is the team composition?

We worked with Julie (Executive Producer), Sandy (General Manager), Catherine (Project Manager), Mathilde (Project Manager), and Shawn (Managing Editor). There was also a sound person and someone who filmed.

How did you come to work with Toast Studio?

We found them on Instagram. We made an appointment with them. We realized they could not only create content, but they could make videos too.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent about $200,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in August 2020, and our engagement is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The quality is fantastic. We did a video project with another company before, and we feel that Toast Studio has a lot more experience. They coach us and always know what to do. They understand what we want. They took time at the start of the engagement to get to know us and understand our needs. They work quickly, and they’re thorough.

How did Toast Studio perform from a project management standpoint?

Project management is excellent. For timelines, we work with Julie and Mathilde. They follow the timeline, show us where we are, what we’ve done, and what we need to do. We’re totally satisfied. They’re amazing. If every partner we had worked like that, it’d be easy.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They really understand our perspective. They’re professional without being too corporate. They’re respectful and always ask how we feel at the beginning of each call. Since we’re a startup, if we’re late in making payments, they always understand. We have trust in them, and they trust us. We feel really important to them. They give us advice. They challenge us if we have an idea, but they hear our idea.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, there’s nothing I’d have them improve.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Don’t hesitate. I recommend talking with Julie and Sandy. They’re amazing. They are there to help you.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the general manager of FounderFuel at Real Ventures. We’re a venture capitalist firm that invests in startups.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Toast Studio?

We hired them to orchestrate our demo day, which is a four-month accelerator at the end of FounderFuel. We have eight companies that we invest in and the companies present at demo day where they pitch to investors. Because of COVID, we had to reinvent that process which ended up being a live stage production that was then broadcasted over a big intercom platform. All of the investors and the community were able to watch the live pitch.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Toast Studio brainstormed with us to figure out what the creative narrative and digital platforms would be. We explored doing a drive-in and then broadcasting that. We also looked at a variety of physical locations and platforms. They helped us architect what the coming together of the tech and physical platforms would be. Video production also covered how our founders lived at home during the last few months. Conducting a lot of creative behind the scenes, they did a lot of videos, including teasers. We landed on doing a Michael Bay, adventure theme. During demo day, we had three production cameras on-site live broadcasting the event on a live stage.

They did a lot of the logistical backend and then afterward all of the post-production, which entailed cutting all of the pictures into videos because those are what startups use to send investors to watch their pitches. Outside of helping with all of the creative thinking, production, lead-up, and content, they also helped us manage all of the different rooms we had investors in.

What is the team composition?

We worked with  Alex (Co-Founder), Isabelle (Film Producer), and about 5 other people.

How did you come to work with Toast Studio?

I met Alex in 2015.

What is the status of this engagement?

We’ve been working together since March 2016 and the collaboration is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Their quality of service is excellent and they are willing to do crazy things.

How did Toast Studio perform from a project management standpoint?

Toast Studio has excellent project management skills and they make sure we are always on top of it. We stay in touch by either emailing or speaking.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I like that they’re willing to experiment with me and are very daring, creative, and audacious. Remaining solutions-oriented, they’re super flexible and accommodating.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Sometimes there are just too many people which can get confusing with email, which is why I usually end up just calling everyone.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

I would say just go for it when working with them and make sure every piece of your budget is really tied down because it can increase very quickly.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the marketing manager for Hydro Quebec. We provide utilities for the province of Quebec.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Toast Studio?

We wanted to overhaul our content on social media in order to better reach our audience.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They provided strategy. They came up with ideas of different ways to share content, such as energy efficiency, and how to engage customers on social media, specifically Facebook and Instagram. 

There were several brainstorming sessions where they listened to our insights and familiarized themselves with our internal structure and methods. From there, they created a playbook as a main reference for future social media messages. They made a three-month calendar, implementing their proposals.

What is the team composition?

There were five people, including the project lead.

How did you come to work with Toast Studio?

Their president holds conferences on content marketing. We heard him speak and reached out for some help.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent between $50,000–$199,999.

What is the status of this engagement?

We began working together in February 2020, and the relationship is ongoing. We expect to wrap it up by December 2020.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The content hasn’t gone live yet. They helped integrate their strategies, and challenged us to innovate. They saw the importance of our message and assisted us in becoming organized, turning around our social media messaging. 

How did Toast Studio perform from a project management standpoint?

They were great. There was constant communication, and they made sure to move at our pace. We had regular meetings to discuss progress and worked collaboratively when delays arose. We used Google Docs and communicated via phone, email, and Zoom. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

They quickly understood where we wanted to go, and took us even further. They made great suggestions and were very creative. They helped bring humor into our messages to be more appealing. They have reasonable prices. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, I can’t think of anything.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Get a good briefing, and figure out what you really want, before meeting with them. It will save time. Be prepared for them to push you.