Disruptive Advertising

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the founder and CEO of an online international marketplace for artisan shoes.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Disruptive Advertising?

I contracted with Disruptive Advertising for paid social media advertising.

What were your goals for this project?

I hoped to build awareness of my brand, which would drive consistent and increasing sales.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

I read their reviews on Clutch.

Describe the scope of their work in detail.

I intended to have Disruptive Advertising coordinate advertising for my target audience. I provided a $2,000 per month budget for ad spends.

What was the team composition?

I was initially told four people would be involved, but one was a salesperson, and one was a manager, so I truly only dealt with two people.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

How did your relationship with Disruptive Advertising evolve?

After agreeing to a contract, they said they would aim for a 1:1 return on advertising spend (ROAS), which is quite low. I determined that I needed to be closer to 2.5:1 to break even and merely pay for the services. For the duration of the engagement, we were consistently hovering around that 1:1 level, but we sometimes dipped as low as .60:1. I spent a lot of time babysitting them. I never saw their team take the initiative to test new strategies. They never made changes without me forcing the issue.

What problems arose and what did Disruptive Advertising do to address them?

In addition to operating outside the confines of my stated budget, their team targeted an audience in a country that my company does not sell to. I was constantly auditing their work and finding problems. I never received satisfactory reasons for their missteps—I only received apologies. When I reached out to break the contract and end the engagement because they did not achieve the results they promised, I received no response. I contacted each of the four people involved at the beginning of the project, but nobody responded.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

They are very poor communicators. Although they were always very polite, I never believed that I was being told the full truth.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

I was convinced through the Clutch reviews that Disruptive Advertising would be a worthwhile vendor. My experience did not match those expectations.

Are there any areas for improvement?

First and foremost, their communication must improve. And they must become better at tempering time and cost expectations until they can adequately execute what they are hired to do.

Company Responses

At Disruptive Advertising our goal is that even if the end result didn't meet expectations, that anyone we work with would still be willing to recommend us based on their working experience with us and clearly that did not happen here.

The reality of digital marketing is that it's impossible to predict outcomes from the onset of any engagement and we've taken the time to review this situation to ensure we learn and grow from it.

In this situation, we were starting with a new and unknown brand which presents a big variable in our ability to predict results out of the gate. Given the uncertainty of the situation the client and our team agreed that a 1X goal out of the gate was the right place to start a 90 day trial of working together. We hit and exceeded the 1X goal for the first month and actually achieved 1.94X and then a 2.7X the second month.

The CEO, who was not involved in the initial conversations or expectations, started participating in the calls and decided our success metrics were not in alignment with the business and prematurely ended our 90 day trial agreement. 

What we learned here is that we should have required executive sponsorship before beginning the engagement to ensure strategic alignment.

When we explained that given the resources we've already assigned to the trial period of working together, we expected them to honor their agreement is when we received three charge backs and this review.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the executive VP of a company that designs and manufactures electric bikes. We sell them directly to consumers online.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Disruptive Advertising?

We hired them to improve the efficiency of our online advertising spend. We also wanted to add new functionality to our website.

What were your goals for this project?

Our goal was to bring more people to our website and improve our conversion rates. We wanted our product to be seen by people who are in the market for an electric bike. We also wanted to streamline our online experience so that more customers complete their purchase. This means fewer customers leave an abandoned shopping cart.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

A friend in the industry highly recommended them.

Describe the scope of their work in detail.

To achieve our goals, we needed to build an online advertising strategy from the ground up. Our relationship with Disruptive Advertising began with us handing over the keys to our PPC advertising. They assigned a team to each advertising channel.

What was the team composition?

We are in close contact with each team lead and an account manager.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The results were incredible. Within 2–3 weeks of our kickoff meeting, Disruptive Advertising had increased traffic to our site by a factor of 2.5, all without increasing our ad spend. We were expecting results like these to take much longer and to cost much more.

The funniest thing is that after their ads began running, we suddenly received a flood of solicitation from other online ad agencies. Presumably, they had never heard of us until Disruptive Advertising turned our brand from invisible to visible online.

We've found Disruptive Advertising to be competent in every direction we take our marketing strategy. It's easy to give them autonomy because their ideas and capabilities are better than ours. Whatever we're trying to do, they have a solution for us. Plus, the cost is a tiny fraction of the expense of building out a comprehensive marketing department in-house.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Right now, Disruptive Advertising is putting a lot of work into our marketing infrastructure, so there's a lot of communication back and forth. We interact directly with the people doing the work, mostly through weekly meetings. Ideas and feedback flow rapidly in both directions, and we've covered a lot of ground in a short period. They think like engineers, using data analysis to back up every decision. This philosophy resonates with our team.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

I can't believe the level of trust I have in an outside consultant to manage a project so critical to my company's success. Working with Disruptive Advertising is better, faster, and cheaper than doing things on our own or getting another provider.

Are there any areas for improvement?

No.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I’m the vice president of sales at GetOutPass, a fun-pass subscription company. We have a presence in five states in the western US.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Disruptive Advertising?

We needed social media marketing assistance to build our brand visibility. We wanted to cut costs by outsourcing the advertising campaign instead of hiring more internal staff.

What were your goals for this project?

We wanted to further develop our brand by expanding to the national market through this project, while also increasing sales in our current market. Ultimately, we wanted GetOutPass to become a household name in our area.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

A member of Disruptive Advertising had used our product in the past and reached out to us about our digital marketing strategy. Other agencies approached us, but after researching Disruptive Advertising on Clutch and other sites, we decided to meet with them. Compared to the complicated process with other agencies, this team won us over with their persistence, availability, and professionalism.

Describe the scope of their work in detail.

Initially, we had several meetings to discuss goals and determine the scope of the project. In this meetings, we set the budgets, outlined the advertising strategies, and created timelines for each phase. Once we had the details laid out, Disruptive Advertising immediately began the campaign. It was operating within a few days, and we had a series of weekly meetings to ensure everything aligned with our plan. We’ve started having meetings less frequently as they’ve grown more comfortable with the campaign, so we now focus on other elements of our business.

What was the team composition?

Though the size of the team fluctuates based on the needs of the task, we typically work with a group of five. They assigned a dedicated consultant to our project, and we have access to anyone in the agency.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Since beginning the project with Disruptive Advertising, we’ve seen a significant increase in sales coming from the digital marketing side. We’ve experienced a higher conversion rate on the site, and our cost for acquiring new customers has lowered from $65 to $27.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

The consultant they assigned to us has been extremely easy to work with. He’s been readily available and provides weekly reports on the project through email and slack. They also work directly with our development team through slack when installing coding. Additionally, we have bi-weekly meetings with the entire team dedicated to our project.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Since the beginning of this engagement, they have felt like a part of our company. They’ve kept us involved in every decision and have been flexible with our budget. They are always on top of everything, and we’ve never had to push them to be faster. The Disruptive Advertising team are masters of their craft and know the ins and outs of the digital ad industry. Their ultimate goal is to achieve success for the project, and they’re phenomenal at what they do.

Are there any areas for improvement?

Like other agencies, Disruptive Advertising tries to upsell some of their other services, but they are very understanding when you want to pause or discontinue some of their work. It's good to have the options, but it could be more beneficial if they only offer the services a company truly needs at the time.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I founded a subscription-based "fun pass" that partners with local entertainment venues to offer free entry to customers.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Disruptive Advertising?

We wanted to grow quickly, build our brand, and sell passes locally. We hired Disruptive Advertising to handle our paid social media ads on Facebook and Instagram.

What were your goals for this project?

We wanted to experiment with advertising types, target audiences, and get an idea for the ideal spend to hit a target customer acquisition cost.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

One of their marketing consultants, who was a customer, talked to us about how great it would be to work together on such a cool, unique idea. We were talking to another digital agency, but loved his enthusiasm for our company and decided they would be a great fit.

Describe the scope of their work in detail.

Disruptive Advertising developed an advertising funnel, created content, and began pushing ads. They've created some videos as well. They closely monitor our ad spend and results, fine-tuning our audience and costs to achieve our targets.

What was the team composition?

We worked closely with two marketing consultants to create the groundwork and strategy. We've tested other services along the way, but mainly work with them.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We've been able to lower our customer acquisition cost dramatically and adjust our spending with the seasons. Customer awareness of our services has certainly grown.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

It's highly effective. They're great communicators, keeping us in the loop and frequently conveying updates about changes and results. We love meeting in person every other week.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

They're personable; they make us feel like their best and only client. They take a major interest in what's best for our company and treat it like their own.

Are there any areas for improvement?

Some of the other services we've tested didn't garner the results we expected, but we're still trying to achieve a clear, significant ROI from them. We would love to see a results-based compensation plan, or even a short trial period before committing to a new service.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m a marketing associate at a counseling company for small colleges. We have between 70–80 employees, counting both in-office and remote staff.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Disruptive Advertising?

In terms of outreach strategy, our company mainly relied on community grassroots efforts stemming from our various office locations. Looking to build some online visibility, we decided to implement several SEO and PPC campaigns, and we needed help managing them.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Disruptive Advertising primarily works on optimizing our digital advertising and marketing efforts, using programs like Google AdWords, Google Analytics, and Bing Ads. They did some social media work, but it wasn’t very successful. Additionally, they conducted A/B testing on our new website.

So far, we’ve planned both national and local marketing campaigns that target students searching for college admission counseling services. The country-wide strategies cast a wide net, while the local approaches target specific audiences according to each of our unique office locations. We’re trying to determine the most profitable strategies­—it’s a trial-and-error process.

What is the team composition?

We work with a digital marketing specialist, who handles all of our advertising efforts. Previously, we had another resource who managed the A/B testing initiative.

How did you come to work with Disruptive Advertising?

Our chief marketing officer hired them before I joined the full-time team, so I wasn’t part of the decision-making process.

What is the status of this engagement?

We began working with them in July 2017, and it’s an ongoing partnership.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We’re impressed with the ROI we’ve experienced so far. Based on our success, we’ve been able to better prioritize our funding, allocating more resources to the most profitable campaigns. We continue to see great results. The team was able to decrease our cost of acquisition, and our volume of leads has skyrocketed.

How did Disruptive Advertising perform from a project management standpoint?

They are excellent in terms of project management, specifically regarding response time. I work with quite a few teams, and Disruptive Advertising is one of the most responsive. When I reach out with a question or comment, I can expect an answer within a couple of hours. We have a scheduled weekly call to dive into the project, discuss our progress, and make important decisions.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They’re very receptive to feedback. Because digital marketing is new for our company, we have to be careful when communicating internally because a majority of our staff isn’t familiar with the new processes. They realize this and alter their language to better accommodate our needs while still suggesting great ideas.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I can’t think of anything right now. They’ve been a very easy team to work with.

Any advice for potential customers?

Set clear expectations for communication and scope from the beginning. By establishing these metrics, Disruptive Advertising will be able to complete the project.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the social media marketing manager at a mortgage and real estate company based in Salt Lake City, Utah.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Disruptive Advertising?

We wanted to create a video marketing campaign to broaden our reach in the Salt Lake Valley and generate interest for our services.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Disruptive Advertising created a video campaign, which we released on all of our social media channels. We were so pleased with their work that we also asked them to redesign aspects of our website. They conducted A/B testing and redesigned our mobile platform and desktop site. This included mostly minor tasks such as changing colors or locations for certain buttons and information.

What is the team composition?

We work with a digital marketing specialist and a project manager.

How did you come to work with Disruptive Advertising?

Our CFO introduced us to Disruptive Advertising. I am not fully aware of the selection process, however.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent around $75,000 to this point.

What is the status of this engagement?

We began working together in October 2017 and have ongoing work.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We experienced a significant increase in the click-through rate on our website, and on the video has over 1 million impressions on social media. We remarketed the video to those who had seen it, and that’s when we started generating leads. These leads are generally more expensive than our regular leads, but they were of a much higher quality.

How did Disruptive Advertising perform from a project management standpoint?

Project management is an area where our side really struggles, but Disruptive Advertising makes sure we have a steady workflow. They keep the project on track when we cannot. Because we’re both based in the same area, that affords us the luxury of meeting in person at times. Otherwise, we receive weekly email updates on conversions and progress.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their accessibility and willingness to help whenever necessary are always much appreciated. They even assist with smaller tasks outside of the regular project scope. Also, they are transparent when we're not seeing conversions and explain the reasons, but they always work to change that.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I cannot think of anything that I haven't been pleased with.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the president of Jazz Heating & Air. We work with residential and commercial equipment.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Disruptive Advertising?

We wanted to increase the number of leads and grow our online presence. We were paying about $350 per lead when we were doing it on our own, so we started looking for a company to help us with client acquisition.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They’re currently managing Google AdWords for us and we're planning to add Facebook and Instagram. They've also helped us set up Google Analytics, so we can track everything properly.

The type of a campaign we're doing depends on the weather. Currently, our focus is on air conditioning insulation and repair. We also have promotions and specials. For example, one of our manufacturers is providing cash rebates for a full system insulation, so we worked out some campaigns with them to feature them online consistently and be able to grow business for our company. We're updating campaigns and keywords every week. Right now, as the weather is getting colder, we're starting to do advertising on the furnace side.

What is the team composition?

We mostly work through a project manager.

How did you come to work with them?

We did a lot of online research and met with a few different companies. We liked the team at Disruptive as well as their ideas and their attitude, so we chose them.

How much have you invested with them?

We spend $20,000–$25,000 a month.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them in May 2018 and the relationship is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Our cost of acquisition per lead used to be $300–$350, but it went down to about $150. We also get about 60-70 phone calls that come from advertising per month. We have online submission forms that people can fill out and a lot of those leads have been generated by advertising as well.

How did they perform from a project management standpoint?

We've had a wonderful experience. We have weekly phone calls and they send us regular reports. They're very responsive and make themselves available when we need them. It never takes them more than 24 hours to implement our requests.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They're great communicators, but their biggest strength is the work they do behind the scenes to make us stand out. Some of the ads are so good that our competitors are calling us and asking how we're making it happen.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No. They're knowledgeable and do a great job explaining everything to me in a way I can understand. We worked with other advertising companies, but all of them fell short of our expectations. Disruptive is the first company we are truly happy with.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Have a clear idea of what you'd like them to accomplish and let them do their work. I usually like to control every situation I'm involved in, but I've given up some of my control to them. They've done an amazing job.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm marketing manager at an e-commerce business that sells office products. We are dedicated to providing the cheapest price and the best quality. I primarily deal with large sales channels.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Disruptive Advertising?

We hired Disruptive Advertising to handle our Google Shopping campaign. 

What were your goals for this project?

Our goals were to boost traffic to our main website, increase our conversion rate, and reduce our advertisement spending. 

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

We searched online and found Disruptive Advertising. After a phone interview, we were impressed with their experience and confidence. We felt they would be easy to communicate with and that they could personalize advertising to our needs. I managed the selection process, but my supervisor made the final choice.

Describe the scope of their work in detail.

We discussed a lot of the work before agreeing to deal with them. We had multiple phone conferences to clarify our goals and needs. They gave us a quote and we agreed.

Disruptive Advertising mainly manages Google Shopping campaigns. They compile great weekly reports with helpful, important advertising data. They also schedule monthly conference calls to answer questions and continually discuss whether to modify our goals or plans. 

What was the team composition?

We primarily deal with one consultant. His team shares ideas that have succeeded in the past. Sometimes the monthly meeting includes our consultant's team leader, who is extremely knowledgeable and helpful.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Due to their smart bidding strategy, we've dropped advertising costs significantly while raising our click-through rate. We're happy with the results and look forward to further improvements.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

When they identify useful key trends, they always communicate or schedule a meeting. After analyzing their progress, we agree on our next steps and focus. That's how we manage the workflow. Even if we give them no direction, they still meet our expectations.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

The greatest thing about this company is their communication, which is key in any business relationship. We're glad that we can count on a quick reply to any concern or question.

Are there any areas for improvement?

I would like discounts for letting Disruptive manage multiple platforms.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the administrator and one of the owners of a private duty in-home care agency.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Disruptive Advertising?

We did PPC advertising through Google AdWords and other self-managed options for several months. We understood the principals of paid advertising but felt we could be more efficient with the money we spent if we worked with a specialist company. We looked at other firms but wanted someone who could explain their methods and be effective.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They do PPC work for us and some retargeting. We wanted to increase our revenue and our client base. The goal is to find as many appropriate clients and potential caregivers as we can to get the most out of our advertising budget. We also wanted measurable results. We used Google Analytics when we did this ourselves, but transferred to Disruptive’s reports.

They set up a system that improves the quality of our leads. We’ve reduced the number of generic search terms we use, which limits the mistake calls we get. They’re generating more meaningful inquiries through different landing pages and better marketing.

What is the team composition?

We have a dedicated account manager.

How did you come to work with Disruptive Advertising?

We did an online search. They partnered with another company we’d worked with and explored them through that connection.

How much have you invested with them?

We started working together around February 2018. We’re working on ongoing campaigns with them.

What is the status of this engagement?

We pay them about $1,000 each month for their services and spend about $4,000 for monthly campaign expenses.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We measure our work in hours per week. When we started working with them, we did about 900 hours per week and are currently doing around 1,800 per week. Not all of that can be attributed to them, but they helped us double our revenue. It certainly helps to have them on our side.

How did Disruptive Advertising perform from a project management standpoint?

They do a fantastic job. They clearly explain spending and our expectations. If we make any changes, they are quick and responsive. They send weekly reports and answer our emails in the same day, sometimes within a couple of hours. If our account manager is ever away, they let us know and set up an alternative point of contact. It’s very well organized.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They’re strong in communication and understand what we want in our PPC campaigns. They show me where my money is going and help me refine my spending each month to make it more worthwhile. They show us their results each week, analyze incoming phone calls, and give us more quality leads. It’s the ideal experience. They break down a complex system and make it understandable and manageable.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I can’t think of anything they should change. I’m very pleased with their work in the last six or seven months and am happy to work with them.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Have a plan for what you want to spend and what you want to accomplish. They will help you shape your ideas and will work within your budget.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm a sales manager for a construction company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Disruptive Advertising?

We needed help managing our paid advertising campaigns, and understanding what direction to take or how to monitor and adjust our approach based on performance.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Disruptive Advertising helped us first understand the type of customers we wanted to target to help guide their advertising strategy. They oversee all of our paid advertising campaigns, including Google AdWords, and monitor our Google Analytics.

What is the team composition?

We mostly work with a marketing consultant and an analytics product manager.

How did you come to work with Disruptive Advertising?

I searched online for some vendors with good reviews and decided to work with Disruptive Advertising based on what others had to say about their work.

How much have you invested with them?

We've invested $8,000–$10,000 thus far.

What is the status of this engagement?

We've been working together since May 2018.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Disruptive Advertising has helped double the number of visitors we receive on our ads. We're seeing consistent growth each month, so we've been very happy with their results.

How did Disruptive Advertising perform from a project management standpoint?

We only need to meet once or twice a month, but they're very responsive whenever I need to reach them otherwise. I typically get responses back to my emails within five minutes. If I decide to change the direction on an ad, they're flexible and willing to adjust it at the last minute if necessary.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Try to understand that the relationship is a partnership and requires some of your time and willingness to collaborate with their team for the best results. Be open to feedback and possibly changing the direction of a project—they're the experts, so it's worth taking their advice to heart.