Unusual

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CMO of JackRabbit Mobility. We manufacture e-bikes.

What challenge were you trying to address with Unusual?

We needed some help with our digital marketing so that we could be more efficient in that regard. Additionally, we were trying to figure out who our primary customer was. At the time, we were growing from a Kickstarter brand to a more evolved brand, and we were interested in a few different customer personas.

Still, we needed to define the biggest and most lucrative market niche so that we could refine our messaging and make it more efficient so that our digital marketing spent was more efficient as well. Therefore, we reached out to Unusual.

What was the scope of their involvement?

Unusual helps us with our paid advertising on Facebook and Instagram. Initially, we provide them with a lot of briefing documents on the e-bike market, our company strategy, our business goals for the year, a list of our competitors in the market, and a history of our previous marketing efforts on Facebook and Instagram.

In addition to paid advertising, Unusual helps us with organic marketing. Additionally, they help us with social media management, focusing on user engagement. I usually provide them with a lot of raw videos and imagery, and they take and edit those materials to create more refined static photos and marketing videos.

What is the team composition?

I work with four people from Unusual.

How did you come to work with Unusual?

I had worked with Unusual’s CEO at a different agency. I really liked what I saw and the work that they did, so I contacted them again for this project.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent around $50,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in August 2022, and our engagement is ongoing.

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

Unusual made an immediate difference in our efforts when they joined. Our main goal was to keep our return on ad spend (ROAS) above 3.0, and Unusual has consistently achieved 2–3 times that result. We’ve also noticed that our ROAS continues to grow every week.

Moreover, our site traffic has at least doubled since we started working with Unusual, and we’ve also seen a 2X–3X increase in our conversion rate. They’ve not only met our goals but exceeded them by continuing to make our creative assets and messaging more efficient as we continue to learn more about our primary customers.

We had a Facebook breach in November 2022, a week before Black Friday, and Unusual went above and beyond to try to get our account back. Unfortunately, we weren’t able to get it back, so they created a new account from scratch under a pretty tight timeline. Thanks to their timely help, we were able to achieve our best month in direct-to-consumer sales in November.

How did Unusual perform from a project management standpoint?

Unusual’s project management is excellent — it feels almost as if I were their only client. They respond immediately to any questions and queries and keep me up to date on timelines and deadlines. We use Slack to communicate.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Unusual’s team comes from top-tier creative agencies, so they’re top-notch on the creative side and really know how to provide great customer service.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I don’t have constructive feedback for Unusual.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Brief them thoroughly, and they’ll hit the ground running. Unusual is a very smart and capable team, so the more information you provide them with, the quicker the results will be.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the owner of Cry Baby Ranch, an e-commerce retail company.

What challenge were you trying to address with Unusual?

I’m not very tech-savvy, but I was looking to establish our company’s digital presence so I needed someone to help me with digital marketing.

What was the scope of their involvement?

We engaged with Unusual for their web development, design, and social media marketing services. They built a Shopify-based platform and implemented various core features and functions to better serve our customers.

The main digital channels they utilize for social media marketing are Facebook and Instagram, because they’re the most profitable platforms to get our products in front of the consumer.

What is the team composition?

Our main point of contact is Bethany (Founder & COO).

How did you come to work with Unusual?

I came across Unusual through word of mouth.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent somewhere between $25,000–$30,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We’ve been working together since June 2019.

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

Bethany handles everything related to the website and they’ve exceeded all our expectations, so I’m 100% satisfied with their work.

How did Unusual perform from a project management standpoint?

The project is managed professionally, and Unusual has been a dream to work with.

We schedule meetings to make sure we’re on the same page, and that mostly takes place through email and text.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They do everything exceptionally well, but we’re particularly impressed with their customer service. They have a warm, professional, and easy-going personality that enables us to share our vision clearly.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I can’t comment on this as it doesn’t really apply to our experience.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

I advise you to trust their capabilities and experience and let them guide you throughout the process.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the founder and chief design officer of a consumer products company.

What challenge were you trying to address with Unusual?

We wanted to craft a brand and go-to-market strategy that would allow us to accelerate our business after launch. 

What was the scope of their involvement?

We approached the project in three phases with Unusual. The first phase was all about brand strategy and positioning, and it was done over a 3–4-month period. The second phase was focused on our content and go-to-market strategies. 

At present, we're in phase three — the final phase. It’s focused on our launch strategy, and Unusual provides support services for us on an as-needed basis. 

What is the team composition?

I mainly work with Tim (Founder) and Javier (Founder & Creative Director).

How did you come to work with Unusual?

We found Unusual through a referral. 

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve invested between $150,000–$300,000. 

What is the status of this engagement?

We started the project in March 2021, and the engagement is ongoing. 

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

We don’t have statistical feedback yet, but we have qualitative ones. The feedback we’ve received from individuals who’ve seen Unusual’s work has been positive — it’s better than what we initially expected. 

How did Unusual perform from a project management standpoint?

Their project management skill level is great. Unusual has used several management tools with us; in fact, they’ve also helped us find a project manager for our own team. 

On top of that, they’re involved in many of our proposals, each of which has its own subset of proposals that articulate dates, times, and deliverables. Drafts and Gantt charts are also available. Currently, we’re using ClickUp as our main management tool to streamline our internal processes. To communicate, we use Slack. We also have regular check-in meetings on Zoom. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

Unusual is extremely open to feedback, and they can deliver something that exceeds our expectations. They don’t mark their work as “done” until we’re truly happy. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

We have our internal project management practices, and we’re becoming more sophisticated. Given that, the Unusual team can work on making it easier for our resources to be on the same page. For instance, they can reduce the need for Zoom or Slack meetings to look at updates. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Be involved in the process and have a well-defined feedback structure and communication. In our engagement, we can tell Unusual when we’re not happy with the results they produce. We also tell them how they can improve them — we’re truly engaged in the process. As a result, the team can go above and beyond our expectations. 

Introduce your business and what you do there

I'm an independent consultant working with educational institutions.

What challenges were you trying to address with Gush?

One of the institutions I was working with was looking to promote their innovative teaching methods, so I needed help creating an ad campaign. The goal was to explain chemistry to students. 

What was the scope of their involvement?

Gush worked with me on an ad campaign. Specifically, they handled the creative and visual aspects of the campaign. The Gush team designed graphics and printed materials and produced animations. They also used AR to create interactive experiences. To make it engaging, they developed a complete set of characters to explain the topic.

What was the team composition?

I worked directly with 2–4 people, but I'm not sure how many teammates were involved in the project.

How did you come to work with Gush?

Someone referred Gush to me. I checked their portfolio and loved their work, so I reached out to them and asked if they would work on this project with me.

How much have you invested in them?

I spent around €25,000 (approximately $29,000 USD).

What is the status of this engagement?

The project lasted from January–March 2020.

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

Their work was amazing. Gush exceeded our expectations and came up with great ideas that used animation, graphics, and AR. The kids loved the characters the team created. The campaign also made a great impression on parents, who found it very inventive. 

Overall, Gush succeeded in depicting the level of innovation that the school wanted to convey. Everything worked perfectly.

How did Gush perform from a project management standpoint?

Their project management was excellent. The Gush gave us a timeline and finished each step on time. We primarily used email to communicate, but we also had a couple of Zoom calls and in-person meetings. Everything went smoothly — we were able to provide our feedback and opinions. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their creativity and innovative solutions were the best things about them. I had never seen such original ideas in advertising.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, I honestly don't have anything critical to say about them.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

What worked best for me was giving them complete freedom, so my advice is to let them surprise you with a fantastic idea. Give Gush the space to be creative, and they'll come back with an outstanding proposal.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the founder and CEO of a social wine app.

What challenge were you trying to address with Gush?

We wanted a bright, aligned brand identity to target our users.

What was the scope of their involvement?

Gush designed the app, brand identity, and marketing materials for the website and social media posts. The app was for both iOS and Android, and they helped us with social media marketing for Instagram.

To start the project, we discussed the concept, UX, and overall app features and functionality. Then, we provided documentation such as research, competitor analysis, similar apps in other industries, some wireframes, and the user journey and profile.

What is the team composition?

I worked directly with one person. I gave my requirements to him, and he took care of the rest.

How did you come to work with Gush?

A common friend introduced them. I saw some of their work and thought it was pretty good, so we started working with them.

How much have you invested with them?

The whole package was $10,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We began working together in January 2021, and the project lasted two months. We don’t have anything ongoing right now, but we’ll work with them again in the future.

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

We tested the app with users, and the feedback was pretty good. Thanks to the design, around 300 people signed up on the website. Also, we started from scratch and now have about 1,000 followers on Instagram.

How did Gush perform from a project management standpoint?

They were good. The communication was excellent, and we had weekly updates. I was pretty happy with the overall time management. Everything was delivered as expected.

We typically communicated through emails and phone calls.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They were great at translating the idea into the actual design. However, the best part was how they communicated with us, interpreted our needs, and delivered successfully.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, I think everything went well, and I was happy with their work.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Give as much information as possible and set the expectations from the beginning. Overall, make sure that everything is aligned between both parties.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m a self-employed musical artist.

What challenge were you trying to address with Gush?

I needed help with figuring out the visual aspects of my music.

What was the scope of their involvement?

Gush interviewed me and figured out the point of my project. They helped me with the logo, the brand identity process, and general design efforts. 

What is the team composition?

Javier (Creative Director) is my main point of contact, but around 1–3 people from their team are involved in the project.

How did you come to work with Gush?

I found them on Behance, and I reached out to them because they had a good look and feel on their pages.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent around $25,000 with them so far.

What is the status of this engagement?

We’ve been working together since August 2020, and the engagement is ongoing.

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

People are mind blown by the work that Gush does for me — that’s exciting.

How did Gush perform from a project management standpoint?

They do really well; they’re perfect in taking control of my ideas and bringing them to life. I can text them with thoughts for my business, and they’d synthesize them together into solid concepts. In terms of communication, we also use email.

What did you find most impressive about them?

It’s been a personable experience, and they’ve been great at identifying the message I’m trying to deliver and putting that in a brand. They’re concerned about the heart of what we want to do and figure out how to communicate that through our brand. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

It’d be great if they could expand and get more designers on their team. If their team gets bigger, they can adapt to several different styles.

Any advice for potential customers?

 Make sure that you have a communicative partnership; provide them with a clear vision of where you want to go, and they’ll be able to take care of it.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the founder and president of a startup that's focused on golf accessories, training aids, and similar things.

What challenge were you trying to address with Gush?

I'm more of a product development person than a sales and marketing worker. As a result, I’ve used Gush for the marketing side of the startup and for knowing how we’re going to approach the market, who our customers are, and what our branding will look like. We’re also changing the name of the company, among other things. Overall, they’re the strategic marketing arm of what I’m trying to do. 

What was the scope of their involvement?

I didn’t have to provide anything to kickstart the project. They had access to my products and to the website. We had a number of conversations, but I didn’t provide any documentation; this has been a blank-canvas project. 

In the first phase of the engagement, Gush researched the marketplace for the type of products that I designed, which were mostly golf training aids. They defined who our customers were through interviews and research. 

In the second phase, which we’re working on right now, we’re laying out everything based on the research we’ve conducted, including the branding and graphic look of the company. Our teams are finding out how we’ll get customers to respond to us after we’ve done the branding. We’re even renaming the company to present to the customers that we appeal to. So far, the team has done a lot of work, and we have more work to do. 

What is the team composition?

We have a graphic designer, a creative writer, and a project manager. Tim (Founder)  is also heavily involved, while some people have come in and out of the project at different times.

How did you come to work with Gush?

A friend of mine knew Gush and Tim’s background. As a startup, I didn’t want to go to a huge marketing and advertising firm; it wasn’t cost-effective. Gush had that background, but they were a much more boutique type of company that could focus on what I need. As a result, partnering with them made very good sense and was much more economical than going with other large advertising groups. 

What is the status of this engagement?

We’d been talking for about a year and a half, but I didn’t pull the trigger on getting things started until November 2020. The engagement is ongoing. 

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

The golf market is a big market; around 25 million people play golf, but only around five million people are avid golfers — these are the people that we’re after. The research that Gush has done on those people is good and clear. Everything is laid out in a 50-page PowerPoint presentation that goes from what we’re trying to do all the way to potential advertisements on social media. On top of that, the graphics of our website are also done. Overall, Gush delivered a lot within our project’s timeframe. 

I’m a retired CEO of a multinational medical device company, and I’ve developed literally billions of dollars of products over the years. What Gush has accomplished for me has defined where I’m going to go now and how I’m going to get there. When I started this company, I thought it was going to be product-driven. Now, we can be a brand-driven company, like Nike, because of the branding that the Gush team has developed. This shift that they’ve enabled has opened up a lot of opportunities that we didn’t have before. 

How did Gush perform from a project management standpoint?

We communicate with Gush by phone, text, and email. We’ve done a couple of in-person meetings, but those are rare because they’re in LA and I’m in San Diego. Nonetheless, they’ve been very responsive, and since they’re a boutique company, I’m like a bigger fish in a smaller pond. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

The best part of working with Gush is their creativity, and it isn’t something that the team already had — it’s something that they’ve worked on and developed. They’ve created processes to develop their creativity, and they’ve brought it to what I’m doing. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, there aren’t any. The timeframes have been tight, but Gush has been able to stick to them for the most part. One of their members had a baby, and that threw things off by a week. Other than that, the whole team has been timely and responsive. The product is great, and I can’t pick on it too much. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

The more information you bring to Gush, the better they’ll work; they’ll be more efficient that way. On top of that, keep your hands off of their process — let them do their thing. Don’t try to steer them; let their creativity in different things develop. 

Give them space to do what they do, because they’re very good at it. You don’t have to second guess what they do. In the end, if you like the product, that’s great. If you don’t, then they’ll tweak it a little bit for you. I’ve had almost no tweaks at all to what they’ve done for me. 

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m one of the co-founders of Friction Labs. We make athletic chalk products to help athletes get better grips. Until recently, we’d sold pretty much exclusively to rock climbers, but we recently expanded into more traditional weightlifting, tennis, gymnastics, and more.

What challenge were you trying to address with Gush?

In mid-March when the pandemic hit, we started developing a new liquid chalk product that would be a combination of chalk and hand sanitizer. We tried to follow the FDA’s guidelines in creating chalk that’s as close as possible to genuine hand sanitizer. This would help gyms as they begin to reopen. 

We created the product and realized that we needed to market it. In order to get the word out, we’ve relied on Gush for social media marketing and video production.

What was the scope of their involvement?

Gush produced videos that have now been posted on our Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube accounts.

They spearheaded the full-scope of production; first, they pitched us some concepts for approaching the product from a humorous angle. We reviewed those ideas and decided which ones to pursue. They then scripted videos for three different audiences.  They similarly handled everything after that, like the actual filming and post-production effects.

On top of the videos, they came up with hundreds of conversion assets that launched alongside the video campaigns.

What is the team composition?

We worked with three people. Tim (Founder), Evan (Media Specialist), who managed our social media, and Chris

How did you come to work with GUSH?

Tim is the younger brother of a very close friend of mine. He was launching his agency at the start of the pandemic, and reached out to ask about any projects I might be interested in. We happened to be developing our product, so it was just the right timing.

How much have you invested with them?

The video production cost around $9,000, and their ongoing social media management and minor content creation comes to around $3,500 a month.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in late March, and the project is still ongoing. They’re still running the ads which have launched, and they’re now working on expanding our audience-targeting efforts.

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

Their work has been exceptional, and we’ve had a fantastic experience with them. They’re incredibly detail-oriented and thorough in what they’ve produced. It’s obvious that they’re putting in a tremendous effort to make this campaign as successful as it can be. They’re creatives who are professional yet fun to work with. They have a keen sense of how to combine genuine comedy with a smart business approach that’ll successfully convert.

On the quantitative side, our target ROI was two dollars for every dollar spent on our ads. So far, they’ve been able to hit that. In terms of meeting deadlines and overall communication, they’ve been very, very good.

How did Gush perform from a project management standpoint?

They’ve been very good. We had an aggressive timeline, and while we didn’t hit it, it was okay. We maintained constant communication, and they succeeded in churning out content quickly.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They know funny. If you want to take a funny yet fundamentally sound approach to ads, they’ve got you covered.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They’ve could’ve improved their initial communication regarding the deliverables. We went into it thinking that we were simply going to receive three marketing videos. As the process went on, they were insistent that in order for them to be successful, there had to be a variety of supporting conversion assets.

Those conversion assets significantly boosted our campaigns’ performance, but I did wish that I knew the full scope of what I would be getting, earlier on.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Have a really clear idea of what markets you’re trying to go after, and what level of comfort you have with trying to be funny and taking risks. Communicate your expectations to them, especially regarding your ROAS.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

After 30 years in the corporate world, I left my job and began traveling, working with nonprofits, and writing a book. The book I wrote is about showing gratitude to people in your life, which has led me to a new initiative to raise awareness about extending gratitude to loved ones.

What challenge were you trying to address with Gush?

I hired Gush to develop the branding around my initiative. 

What was the scope of their involvement?

Gush created a brand for my initiative. They designed and developed a brand new website and helped with social media. The team also handles public relations. 

What is the team composition?

I work with Tim (Founder), who’s my main point of contact. I’ve interfaced with a few people, but for the most part, Tim manages the team.

How much have you invested with them?

I’ve spent about $25,000 so far, and expect to go up to about $50,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We began working with them in May 2020, and the work is ongoing.

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

Gush is very unique in the way they approach creative projects. They collaborate very well and they’re fantastic listeners. Also, the feedback on the website has been fantastic.

How did Gush perform from a project management standpoint?

Tim has handled the project excellently. I’ve noticed a lot of fragmentation with other creative firms I’ve worked with, but he always knows who to delegate tasks to. It’s made working with Gush very easy. They’ve met all deadlines. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their creativity, speed, and affordability all come to mind. I don’t have time to waste, and I trust them to get the work done. Also, Tim’s capacity to listen, collaborate, and organize a great team is outstanding. Gush is a wonderful, capable team.

Are there any areas they could improve?

The one area for growth I would like to encourage is for Gush to appreciate how good they are. If they knew how good they were, they’d be more confident. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

The right person to engage Gush is the one who doesn’t want to do traditional things. They’re too creative for that. If you want to think outside the box and be a little edgy, they’d be perfect.

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm the founder of Levy Electric, a direct-to-consumer electric scooter company.

For what projects/services did your company hire GUSH?

We started working with Gush in the spring of 2019 to establish our brand presence in New York City, just as we were getting started selling and renting out our electric scooters.

What were your goals for this project?

• Increase Brand Awareness
• Free PR (by creating interesting content)
• Differentiate from other scooter companies (through funny / edgy marketing tactics)
• Get people comfortable with riding scooters when they might otherwise be apposed to being seen on a vehicle like this.

How did you select this vendor?

We knew Tim from earlier projects we had known him to be working on. We thought his creativity and personality he brought to companies like ours was perfect for what we were looking to do.

Describe the scope of their work in detail.

We started by brainstorming ideas for the overarching brand we wanted to present ourselves as. Gush came up with several concepts that we reviewed together at the start of the kickoff. Once we had a solid theme around #ScooterStigma and "Own It", Tim started working on coming up with creative concepts that would elaborate on this theme.

Mainly we were working on engaging video content that would reach thousands of people in our target market through organic sharing. We were involved in the storyboarding along the way, and Gush was responsible for directing, producing, and hiring a crew to product the content.

What was the team composition?

Myself and Tim

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

Through the content we produced we amassed over 10,000 collective youtube views. We had been mentioned in 4 major publications including The Observer & Mashable. Traffic to our website increased 300% in the weeks after this was released.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Very fluid and collaborative. Gush had a strong vision but was flexible in taking our feedback into consideration.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Creativity, mainly in terms of coming up with very new ideas that other companies weren't doing. The branding / adversing aspect was far from vanilla, and the content got people taking about the company. Most agencies would not be bold enough to come up and execute the ideas that GUSH had.

Are there any areas for improvement?

I believe Gush could use additional members on their team so they can expand the scope of the services they provide.