VOCAB Communications

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the marketing director for Bramalea City Center, a shopping center.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with VOCAB Communications?

We were looking for PR assistance for our cause awareness campaign.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

VOCAB Communications provides a variety of PR services, including creating press releases and announcements based on initiatives and promotions. Their team worked to announce any type of holiday promotion of changing holiday hours. Anything that was important to communicate to the public they had a hand in. 

They assisted with retail-driven campaigns and not for profit campaigns. We were also looking to increase our word of mouth marketing so they helped us create a strategic influencer campaign that aligned with our objectives.

What is the team composition?

I worked directly with Chrissy (Founder, VOCAB Communications) and one other member of the team.

How did you come to work with VOCAB Communications?

I worked with VOCAB Communications on a collective PR initiative with several of my colleagues at other properties. We were looking for a PR agency at the time and after working with them in that setting, I reached out to them to continue on a one on one basis.

How much have you invested with them?

We have invested between $50,000–$60,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

Our ongoing engagement with VOCAB Communications began in July 2018.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We have definitely seen good results in terms of engagement. We’re now able to formulate better results for our overall social media objectives.

How did VOCAB Communications perform from a project management standpoint?

VOCAB Communications has an effective system for project management. The team is communicative and reliable, there have never been any issues. They understand our needs and wants and make sure our teams are always on the same page.

I get regular reports from the team as our projects more along. If a newspaper or media outlet picks up our press releases, they notify me instantly. At the end of the project, I get a full report of all of the media coverage and complete analytics about the release.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They understand the challenges I’m faced with and work to provide the best possible solutions. VOCAB Communications is well versed in what’s going on in media. They have good contacts and relations with media personalities. I’m always made aware of something new going on in our landscape.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, everything has been great. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

They have great experience in the PR world, take their advice. They’ve always been reliable and adaptable.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m one of the co-founders and presidents of a Canadian craft brewery. We produce, market, sell, and distribute craft beer and cider in Ontario, Canada. In addition to that, we help other breweries and cideries do the same.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with VOCAB Communications?

My mom and I were launching a new brewery called Old Tomorrow. We engaged VOCAB Communications to help spread the word that a new brewery was launching and its first product would be the Canadian Pale Ale. We tasked their team with getting as much press and social media coverage as possible as well as getting the media and consumers excited about the new launch.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

VOCAB Communications handled our PR efforts. The deliverable was a meilleur rapport qualité prix (MRQP) report and a summary of all the PR coverage. They secured us a great deal of tier-one media, including print, TV, and radio. We were on a lot of different platforms and did 5–6 live TV interviews across several major stations. Their team provided social coverage line-ups, radio interviews, and some online print interviews as well.

This coverage helped get our launch going. VOCAB Communications managed our media and helped us build relationships with people. They designed media mailers, invitations, and similar kinds of copy. We built a fact sheet about our company that was used as a media onboarding tool. VOCAB Communications provided input, but we designed it ourselves.

What is the team composition?

My main point of contact was Chrissy (Owner).

How did you come to work with VOCAB Communications?

We came to work with them through a recommendation from a mutual contact. My team reached out and met with Chrissy. After interviewing her, we got to know her more and really liked what she could do. We were up-and-coming and so were they, so it was a great fit.

How much have you invested with them?

We invested between $5,000-$10,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

The engagement lasted from November 2014–May 2015.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Because of VOCAB Communications, we received over 10 million digital impressions and had an MRQP positive score of 90%. On the whole, all our PR coverage was really well-received. We didn’t have any bad coverage at all.

Chrissy’s ability to secure those top-tier slots and coverage really helped to legitimize and provide extra credibility to our brand. Because we were on so many prominent stations and publications, we really got noticed. VOCAB Communications was definitely a significant part of our launch. Chrissy did a great job.

How did VOCAB Communications perform from a project management standpoint?

We moved very quickly and worked well together. There were no issues at all because it was a really managed, smooth project. Chrissy was always available and easy to talk to. She always picked up as well as could jump on a phone call at any time to answer our questions or clarify things.

What did you find most impressive about them?

VOCAB Communications is really resourceful. We appreciated that they were a smaller company because we knew they’d help us get the most out of everything. Chrissy worked really hard and was able to make an impact. Budgets are getting smaller and smaller every year, even for bigger companies, so we needed someone who really knew how to make the most out of everything. Chrissy certainly did that; she deserves a lot of credit for it.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, I can’t think of anything. VOCAB Communications over-delivered on our expectations. I don’t remember any major friction points or challenges that we didn’t overcome. We moved very quickly on a very limited budget and got a lot of great coverage out of it.