| What has been your role in the new business efforts of the agency? | |
|---|---|
| Rulivia Wong Vice President, Account Services | Writing RFPs/RFIs, In-person presentations, business contacts from relationships |
| Matt Senna / Creative Strategist | I have been designing and helping Amy put together the decks and presentation materials over the last few months. |
| Catherine Farrell - Sr. Production Manager | Some ideation, budgeting, logistics |
| Samantha Delagardelle, Account Manager | Though I've only been with A2G for a month or so, I have had the chance to work on an RFP for an Audi executives event. |
| Sasaneh Graham, Creative Strategist | N/A |
| Catherine Farrell - Production Manager | Help with ideation, budgeting and logistics for pitches |
| Amy Cotteleer--Founder, President and CCO | I'm involved in every new business pitch. I'm mainly responsible for winning new business |
| Jennifer Kaplan, Account Manager | Provide background information and past case studies that apply to RFPs. Design and assisted with content for creative deck. Create the proposed budget for certain pitches / projects. Attend client pitch presentations. |
| Brett Yost (SR Production Manager) | Research capacity for pitches, execution of approved activations/programs for new clients |
| What is your background, in terms of agencies, accounts, and client-side experience? | |
| Rulivia Wong Vice President, Account Services | 18 years of Consumer Marketing, Promotions experience Agency - 1 year at A Squared Group (Gap, Nintendo, Paul Frank, Seattle's Best, Progressive etc...) 6 years at Catapult Marketing (Mars Petcare, Mars Food, Del Monte, Clorox) Client-side - 5 years at Nestle Chocolate and Confections/Senior Manager of National Consumer Promotions; 1 year at Nestle Petcare/Account Specific Manager Warner Bros - Domestic Manager of Theatrical Promotions, Promotions Manager for Global Brand Management Event Management - Expo'86 Corporation and ABC Sports /1988 Winter Olympic Games |
| Matt Senna / Creative Strategist | I worked for 5 years working on some personal projects and taking on clients on my own for brand identity and some retail design as well before working with a small agency in Los Angeles called Innerspin to help them land Walgreens as a client through an RFP as well as a few other smaller brands before leaving and coming to A2G. |
| Catherine Farrell - Sr. Production Manager | Prior to A Squared Group, I worked as an implementation manager for MICROS, Systems installing POS Systems in restaurant. I worked directly with the client. |
| Samantha Delagardelle, Account Manager | I don't have much client-side or agency experience, however, I do have extensive experience in relationship management. Previously, I managed alumni relationships and engagement for five years on behalf of professional schools at UCLA. |
| Sasaneh Graham, Creative Strategist | TBWA\Chiat\Day - Planning Group *Kraft, Grey Goose, adidas, Pepsi, Crate&Barrel |
| Catherine Farrell - Production Manager | Worked closely with the client and PR agencies in the beginning of A Squared Group, previous job as implementation manager worked directly with client. |
| Amy Cotteleer--Founder, President and CCO | Self-taught agency side. I had never worked at one until I started one. Learned as I went. |
| Jennifer Kaplan, Account Manager | I started my career in event production at a small agency called Stoelt Productions, which catered to fashion, beauty and luxury lifestyle clients. I handled various accounts on both the client and production side. The projects were one-time special events (launch events, fashion shows, entertainment and branded parties). I helped pitch new business, created client decks, prepared the budget and oversaw the production process. At A Squared Group, I manage the Gap retainer account as well as certain special projects for non-retainer clients. Once the project is signed on, I manage the client relationship on a day-to-day basis. I would help occasionally on new business pitches depending on what other projects I have on my schedule. |
| Brett Yost (SR Production Manager) | I have worked at A2G basically since its inception and have worn pretty much every hat at one point or another as we have grown. Mainly on the production side now but still have exposure to clients, mainly on the ground/in the field. Account manager for Progressive Insurance. |
| As if you were writing to a prospective client, describe the agency in no more than 3 sentences: | |
| Matt Senna / Creative Strategist | A Squared Group is an integrated strategic marketing agency that specializes in experiential and word of mouth marketing. We create strategic brand platforms that leverage authentic experiences to drive the most honest and trusted form of marketing, word of mouth. |
| Rulivia Wong Vice President, Account Services | A Squared Group is an integrated marketing agency focusing on consumer engagements that amplify advocacy. As an award-winning agency that specializes in planning and execution of innovative campaigns, A2G has nine years of experience with work ranging in social media initiatives, pop-up environments, mobile tours and product launches. A2G is committed to providing high impact business solutions that meet brand strategy and objectives. |
| Sasaneh Graham, Creative Strategist | A Squared is an experiential marketing group that concepts and produces brand-sponsored events. |
| Catherine Farrell - Production Manager | A Squared Group is a full service experiential marketing agency, specializing in optimizing brands through social media and hands on experiences, from creative to production. |
| Samantha Delagardelle, Account Manager | A Squared Group is a creative experiential marketing agency with an expertise in generating word of mouth buzz throughout social spaces. We produce a variety of creative campaigns for all of our clients, including promotional events, product launch experiences, mobile tours, and viral video movements. |
| Jennifer Kaplan, Account Manager | A Squared Group is an award-winning creative agency specializing in brand strategies and consumer experiences. We have successfully created and executed experiential marketing and digital campaigns for brands such as Gap, Nintendo, Motorola, Seattle's Best Coffee, Kate Spade and Progressive Insurance. |
| Brett Yost (SR Production Manager) | Since I'm on the production side and involved with our core business of experiential marketing (and not involvded in the digital aspect of the business)..........A Squared Group is an experiential marketing agency that strategically designs and executes elevated consumer experiences in environments where people connect with brands. |
| Stuart Elliott, who covers agencies for the New York Times, decides he is going to write an article about your agency. After spending a day at your offices, and then going back to write the piece.... what would the headline be? | |
| Matt Senna / Creative Strategist | A (not so) squared group. |
| Rulivia Wong Vice President, Account Services | The little engine that could. |
| Sasaneh Graham, Creative Strategist | The Biggest Little Team on the Block |
| Samantha Delagardelle, Account Manager | Well, I would assume we would want it to be Advocacy Amplified. Based on my limited impressions, though, I'd say something along the lines of 'Redefining something you don't quite know the definition of...' |
| Jennifer Kaplan, Account Manager | A Brand's Secret Sauce: The One-Stop Shop Agency that Not Everyone Knows About but Should. |
| Brett Yost (SR Production Manager) | Good things come in small packages |
| Now bring the agency to life. You have certainly been through this exercise, however applying it to your agency agency can be quite revealing in understanding more about your "DNA". If the agency were a car, what kind would it be? What color? Why? | |
| Matt Senna / Creative Strategist | hybrid Lexus RX350H We have a good engine that runs tightly and has longevity, we are a quality product but not everyone knows that our type exist. We are higher quality than your average agency our size and have a slightly feminine tilt. Our brand product is luxury but doesnt currently have the sex appeal of a sports car. |
| Rulivia Wong Vice President, Account Services | BMW - M3 |
| Sasaneh Graham, Creative Strategist | White Toyota Camry No frills, just what you need to get the job done, dependable/reliable, you don't see it coming but somehow it got there before you |
| Catherine Farrell - Production Manager | A black Prius - small, efficient, cool, not flashy, on trend, cutting edge. |
| Samantha Delagardelle, Account Manager | An orange Tesla circa 2012 because A2G is at the forefront of something big, they just have to get the more traditional folks to buy in. |
| Jennifer Kaplan, Account Manager | Volkswagen Tiguen - the crossover SUV in white. Just like the VW brand, we appeal to the masses and are very approachable but we have a clear point of view on who we are. We create beautiful consumer environments without compromising the quality. Because we are able to execute under various conditions, the SUV gives us that durability than a more conservative (though good-looking) sedan. Also, when you look at VW drivers, they fit our agency demographic age wise and our agency appeals to brands with consumers in a pretty wide range in household income. The white color fits our agency aesthetic as well: bright and cheery but not overtly obnoxious. |
| Brett Yost (SR Production Manager) | Jeep Wrangler.....reliable, great value, can go anywhere, not too flashy upon first glance but yet can put the top down and remove the doors when needed. |
| What agencies do you most admire? Why? | |
| Matt Senna / Creative Strategist | Sagmeister & Walsh : Because of their smart creative approach and ability to convince their clients to let them do what they want and go against the grain. R/GA : For their ability to constantly push interactive. Mucca Design: because their aesthetics are flawless. Commune: Their clients trust them, even when they dont know what they are doing. Wieden Kennedy : Nike CP+B : for their disruptive approach wether it works or not anymore. TBWA Chiat Day : For their ability to be consistent over the years, the work they have done for Apple and Gatorade. Hillman Curtis : For bringing back emotion simply and beautifully when things were getting to digital feeling. Pentagram : For their diversity of work from architecture and way finding systems to print and brand identity. Wonderwall inc. : Some of the most innovative retail spaces ever seen. |
| Rulivia Wong Vice President, Account Services | TBWA - Chiat Day - original thought leaders in designing the disruptive model and has come out with some of the most iconic campaigns for Nike and Apple. |
| Sasaneh Graham, Creative Strategist | Weiden + Kennedy Everything they do is good. Deutsch Their creative in broadcast is very good and memorable |
| Samantha Delagardelle, Account Manager | N/A |
| Jennifer Kaplan, Account Manager | Droga5 for their creative and unconventional approach in advertising. MKG on how fast their company has grown but also their roster of clients. |
| Brett Yost (SR Production Manager) | I don't really admire any. I'm intrigued by the boutique design houses that are starting to pop up in places like Portland (Official Mfg Co, Crack, The Guild, etc). They all blur the line between design studio/branding house/ad agency and stress artisanship/craftsmanship knowing that quality brings profit. In the world of experiential, the shift seems to be away from connecting with people in places they least expect (because now people expect it and avoid it). Now it seems the stores are becoming the experience, and I think these firms get that. |
| List the top few agencies that you do/will compete against most often. | |
| Matt Senna / Creative Strategist | Grow marketing , matter inc,edleman. |
| Rulivia Wong Vice President, Account Services | R2 Social Media, Ignite, Creative Event Marketing, Euro RSCG, Jack Morton Worldwide, Tracey Locke, Satchi |
| Catherine Farrell - Sr. Production Manager | Grow Marketing Marketing Arm MKTG |
| Sasaneh Graham, Creative Strategist | I just joined, so I don't have a clear eye into the competition. |
| Samantha Delagardelle, Account Manager | Golin Harris and IDPR are the only two I've come across, though they are agencies of a different nature. I would suggest that we regularly compete with them for Nintendo's attention. |
| Jennifer Kaplan, Account Manager | Grow Marketing, MKTG, Grand Central Marketing, MKG, The Marketing Arm. |
| Brett Yost (SR Production Manager) | I honestly don't know |
| In the eyes of clients, what do you provide of value, that none of your competitors do? | |
| Matt Senna / Creative Strategist | I dont know if or clients fully understand what we do currently. I also feel like many clients feel like these kind of agencies (not just us) are disposable until we do something that helps them keep their job, so I think we need to do a better job of making the client feel like they need us rather than we need them. I just dont know if the understanding of what we do for them is there yet because it is a fairly new arena and unconventional space so education is important. |
| Rulivia Wong Vice President, Account Services | Unique Creative ideas and strategies; execution within a very short time frame |
| Catherine Farrell - Sr. Production Manager | Competitive pricing, dedicated staff, creative ideas. |
| Sasaneh Graham, Creative Strategist | Important for me to know, but unfortunately, I don't know |
| Samantha Delagardelle, Account Manager | Just based on my limited research on other agencies, I'd say that for Nintendo we uniquely manage Brand Ambassador communities and get the most out of their work online. |
| Jennifer Kaplan, Account Manager | We are essentially an extension of their departments. When we work with our clients, we don't only focus on the project's end result but we make sure our clients look good in front of their bosses and teams. We support them to make sure their objectives are met and equip them with information to get the resources we need for a successful project. |
| Brett Yost (SR Production Manager) | Extraordinary perceived value in the end product. Unlike large agencies, we don't bill back or issue change orders for every hicccup that comes up...we assume there will be bumps in the road and they are built in. This allows us to appear to be extremely flexible along the path from idea implementation to fullfilment. In the current world of higher corporate turnover, you have more people afraid to make decisions on their own. So lead times quickly evaporate as approvals get passed up and down the chain of comman. Therefore agencies like ours that have this flexibility to meet tight deadlines have the value. But in the end, it is all about execution and perceived value, and that's where our real value lies. Our end product (no matter how bumpy the road) is usually pretty flawless. If something costs us $50k to produce but the client pays $100k, the client thinks they are not only getting their money worth, but actually getting a deal. I think we are very good at creating this high perceived value. |
| In the eyes of clients, what do your competitors provide of value, that you do not? | |
| Matt Senna / Creative Strategist | I honestly think a lot of them believe we are all the same. |
| Rulivia Wong Vice President, Account Services | Insights, research, more indepth ROI |
| Catherine Farrell - Sr. Production Manager | Run of the mill mall tours, sampling and lead generation. |
| Sasaneh Graham, Creative Strategist | N/A |
| Samantha Delagardelle, Account Manager | N/A |
| Jennifer Kaplan, Account Manager | The problem is that most of our clients think we're only an experiential marketing agency...that we only build structures and make things look pretty. Each client comes to us for something different: Nintendo hires us to handle their online community and digital efforts, whereas Gap has a separate agency for that. Gap hires us to create and execute consumer experiences only. |
| Brett Yost (SR Production Manager) | Greater in-house capacity to execute design-heavy projects...not layering on costs of outsourcing to various vendors. |
| Are there any negative perceptions that prospects might have about the agency that could hold you back in new business? | |
| Matt Senna / Creative Strategist | I think that they view us as a production company. Even when we explain what we do a lot of the time they dont believe that we can do all that we say, so I think this holds us back big time. |
| Rulivia Wong Vice President, Account Services | too small, too focused on experiential marketing |
| Catherine Farrell - Sr. Production Manager | Not that I'm aware of. |
| Sasaneh Graham, Creative Strategist | Creative should be king. We are mostly account people and project managers here. We need more creatives to take us to the next level. |
| Samantha Delagardelle, Account Manager | For Nintendo, we seem to be pigeonholed into smaller tactics and I think the reason is because often times the ideas proposed are much different than anything they've ever heard of. I'm not sure if it's so much of a negative perception, but maybe more of not understanding what we do and how we could possibly pull certain ideas off. |
| Jennifer Kaplan, Account Manager | They may think that we're too small. We're also not great at self-promoting so they may think we don't have much going on. |
| Brett Yost (SR Production Manager) | I think size is always an issue when it comes to perception...more people thrown at your project make some clients feel better. But from experience, more people equals more cost and usually you don't get a proportional return on that investment...if anything you get greater inefficiencies when more people are involved. |
| What are the top 3 road blocks that most hold you back with new business? (check only 3) | |
| Matt Senna / Creative Strategist | |
| Rulivia Wong Vice President, Account Services | |
| Catherine Farrell - Sr. Production Manager | |
| Sasaneh Graham, Creative Strategist | |
| Jennifer Kaplan, Account Manager | |
| Brett Yost (SR Production Manager) | |
| Specifically regarding Competitive Pitches/RFPs, when you lose, what are typically the top 3 reasons? Consider both the client's expectations and how you compare to your competitive set. (check only 3) | |
| Matt Senna / Creative Strategist | |
| Rulivia Wong Vice President, Account Services | |
| Catherine Farrell - Sr. Production Manager | |
| Jennifer Kaplan, Account Manager | |
| Brett Yost (SR Production Manager) | |
| When you win a Competitive Pitch/RFP, what do think are typically the top 3 reasons? (check only 3) | |
| Matt Senna / Creative Strategist | |
| Rulivia Wong Vice President, Account Services | |
| Catherine Farrell - Sr. Production Manager | |
| Jennifer Kaplan, Account Manager | |
| Brett Yost (SR Production Manager) | |
| Bottom line, what do you think the agency most has to do to improve at new business? | |
| Matt Senna / Creative Strategist | A more solid consistent presentation direction and simplified explanation of what we do. I believe that some times we lose clients by getting to tactical, But at the same time I feel there need to be that fine line of tactics and overall work to explain what we do because like I said earlier, often times we are perceived as a production company rather than a strategic partner. |
| Rulivia Wong Vice President, Account Services | Develop a new business strategy plan (financial goals for group, categories/industries to pitch, how to select appropriate RFP/RFI to participate etc...), creating a template capabilities deck that is reflective of A2G, training of new business team to be able to dynamically and cohesively present capabilities and presentations in general and consider recruiting a new business development director whose expertise is focused this effort. |
| Catherine Farrell - Sr. Production Manager | Better PR for our agency, more awareness of what we do, better website (practice what we speak with FB posts, website, emails). Can't rely on business coming to use we need to go out and find it. |
| Samantha Delagardelle, Account Manager | Better define ourselves and highlight the variety of work that we do. |
| Jennifer Kaplan, Account Manager | Once we determine what kind of agency we are and how we define ourselves, we need to create a process on how we approach new business. Since there's no current plan, we are always very reactive to an RFP and we are all all exhausting our resources to meet the deadline. |
| Brett Yost (SR Production Manager) | Continue to excel with current clients, as they typically become future clients when they make career moves. Or they pass you along to other departments for new opportunities. Continue to build a cohesive pitch team and standard pitch materials so that the bulk of the sole focus can be strategy and creative of the idea presented in the RFP, versus spending a bunch of energy tracking down stats/pics/etc from past projects |