DDW

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the creative director of Amazon’s private-label consumable brands. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with DDW?

We’ve engaged them for multiple projects. We are creating new brands within the consumable product category, and DDW offers a wide range of conceptual design solutions for our product needs. They’re tasked with keeping the exploration scope wide, and then we start testing 6–9 of the different concepts. 

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They do everything from exploration to design to execution. We give DDW a product category, and they know they have to deliver within the range of that category. First, they do a category assessment by taking a look at all the other brands within that product category, and they deliver a comprehensive study and conclusions of those brands, including logos, packaging, and trends. Then, we go into the design exploration phase, which usually has one touch point. They start their exploration and we kick off the project. Half way through that step, we have a phone call to make sure that we’re tracking our ranges widely enough and to discuss whether we should explore more or cut some products. Then, we transition to the execution of testing assets on the range of concepts. At that point, it’s a waiting process. We make our deductions, and DDM delivers a product rollout based on our chosen concept across a set number of products. They do all the pre-press work and deliver the actual files.

I work directly with the creative director. They also have a business director, a product management team of two or three people, and a design team of up to four people.

How did you come to work with DDW?

I worked with them in my past role as a creative director for the Starbucks design group. At Starbucks, we had a large internal team and couldn’t take on the work to redesign a coffee line, so we started fielding RFPs from other design firms. DDW’s portfolio attracted me. I found I had a connection with the creative director when he was telling me about their design team. We came up with a strategy to work differently on that project from our setup at Amazon. We co-directed his team through that creative project. They came to Seattle, and we did a bunch of design process steps. When they went back to San Francisco, I visited their location and embedded myself in their team. It was a great working relationship, and we were able to work through a wide range of products for testing quickly.

How much have you invested with DDW?

We’ve spent $250,000 since February 2017.

What is the status of this engagement?

They’ve been working with Amazon for a long time, but I joined the team in February 2017. I have completed four projects with them since that time. Our relationship is ongoing. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any evidence that would demonstrate the productivity, quality of work, or impact of the engagement?

We create a product range that goes into an online click-through and purchase-intent test. All of DDW’s work that gets through this testing process has passed the recommendation and is on par with their benchmarks that we use for testing. I think that 100% of the products that we’ve produced with DDW had to pass this data-driven process to get to market.

How did DDW perform from a project management standpoint?

Their project management team communicates clearly and stays on top of the schedule. We mostly interact through phone calls and emails. They ask all the right questions and are very thorough in giving us updates.

What did you find most impressive about DDW?

I've been lucky enough to work with their design team, so I know their designers and trust them. They’re always willing to push the limits of our concepts. They’re super easy to work with and open to feedback. They’re always giving us ideas that go beyond our expectations.

Are there any areas DDW could improve?

No, I haven’t had a bad experience with them. 

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m a brand manager of a large coffee brand.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with DDW?

We wanted to do an entire graphics redesign for our whole bean, ground, and K-cup business. We have a long history of different packaging on the brand and wanted something that was more modern, stood out on the shelf more, and would help grow the business. We usually use an in-house design studio, but they didn’t have resources to support this particular project.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They came to our office and did a brand overview workshop with us. They quickly concepted some initial designs and went above and beyond looking at the logo. We didn’t think we wanted to change the logo but we ended up changing it a little bit. It was a smooth and quick process with them. They came up with 40 or 50 packaging files in six months. Our design studio still wanted a say in it, so it was an interesting model where DDW did all the work, but connected with our design studio in-house to make sure they felt good about the directions they were going in.

How did you come to work with DDW?

We put out an RFP to a number of companies we’d worked with in the past and also those that were suggested by our creative studio. Someone internally had heard of DDW and suggested them. They were outstanding from beginning to end. They impressed us with their presentation and the work they’d already done in CPG (consumer packaged goods). We felt like they had a strong background and had worked on some pretty large brands. We felt comfortable with them and their pricing was pretty great. It just felt like a good fit from a team perspective.

How much have you invested with DDW?

We spent between $100,000 and $200,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them in May 2016, and the project was completed in October 2016. We liked the work they did so much that we kept adding on other projects. They still might be doing some work for that team. I’m not on that team anymore.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any evidence that would demonstrate the productivity, quality of work, or the impact of the engagement?

We did package testing prior to the launch with a couple of the designs. We saw increased purchase intent with this particular design. The expectation is that it will lift sales itself. It was a soft rollout that just happened this spring so I’m unsure about all the results. Everyone loved the design. It was a great mix of our history and heritage in a more modern look and feel. We get compliments from the different teams. I know DDW has been hired to work on a package refresh for another brand that the company owns.

How did DDW perform from a project management standpoint?

Their project management was excellent. We had a dedicated project manager who was very committed. We used a lot of email and DDW used Box to send files and share information.

What did you find most impressive about DDW?

I’ve worked with a lot of agencies in different capacities over the years. Their customer service was excellent. They were on top of it and exceeded expectations. They would deliver above and beyond. I had a wonderful experience with them.

Are there any areas DDW could improve?

I don’t think so. We got everything out on time even with a lot of twists and turns on our end.