Woden

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

UpMetrics is a tech platform that targets impact organizations. Our key verticals are foundations, nonprofits, and impact investors, but it could be any corporation that works in their communities to drive change or impact.

We collect and analyze qualitative and quantitative data to identify new areas of opportunity for these organizations. We see the impact they’re making and how that might affect how they talk about themselves to raise money or attract volunteers, or to see if they’re really making a difference where they intend to.

I’m the head of marketing, so I’m in charge of every facet of it. I work on branding, which is where we engage and do awareness work. I also work with sales, solutions, marketing, demand, retention, and more.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Woden?

I started with UpMetrics in the fall of last year, and we were originally thinking about working with a more traditional agency. However, nobody knew us, so we were trying to start the journey of identifying our brand and increasing awareness.

It turned out we didn’t have any sort of data that would allow us to do that in an effective way, so we had to take a step back and ask ourselves who we wanted to be and what our core verticals were. We had to go through that, decide what we wanted to be known for, and really double down there. That’s why we pivoted toward Woden, who had more of a storytelling approach.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

When we initially talked to Woden, they explained their trademark approach. They work with clients to build a story that follows the traditional hero’s journey. Then, they apply that story in different formats to all of the different touch points.

We started with a robust discovery period, which was exactly what we needed. They interviewed our clients and internal people to find out what they were saying about us, and they did competitor and general market analysis. Woden presented all of this information to us, which was very helpful.

From that, we got to the high-level story, where they told us what our mission, vision, unique value proposition, and client situation were. We engaged in collaborative sessions. The whole concept of storytelling and any marketing concept built from this idea of selling your brand through a story was very new to us.

Woden was very good at facilitating conversations, bringing in thoughts, starting questions, and having collaborative notes so that we could hear from everyone involved. We went through that exercise, and they went on from there to translate everything to a few core elements.

We’re currently working on the implementation of some of those items, and they support us in that regard and in the few areas where we need help with the next steps.

What is the team composition?

Hannah (Brand Strategist) is our main point of contact with the team. She’s great, and she’s very accessible via email. We’ve been through quite a few rounds of feedback with her, asking for clarification in her notes and so on.

They have different designers, copywriters, and people of various expertise to provide suggestions. We also had a pretty direct line of communication with one of the managing partners who took us through the importance of narrative and storytelling versus a more traditional branding campaign.

How did you come to work with Woden?

It was through a referral. I've gone through a few rebranding exercises in my past roles in different organizations. I've gone through it when I was in a tech company, and again in a nonprofit. I also did it when I was in publishing. While I was going through the pitches from other traditional agencies, I realized that we didn't have the information when we were going through those rebranding efforts. Some of them didn't go very well; we ended up not taking a lot of what was done because we didn't ask those key questions in the beginning and get that alignment across the organization.

The reason why I chose Woden is because they had a baseline information. Also, they traditionally work a lot with sales which is my key internal partner. Revenue is my biggest indicator of success.  I made sure that they were really brought along the ride in other organizations I've been in. It's more marketing and leadership, maybe PR, who does this branding effort, but that does not come across the organization in terms of transparency and collaboration.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent around $25,000–$30,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them in January 2021, and the relationship is ongoing. They just launched a new offering where they’re available for additional help. In our case, since this is new to us, I think we have to go through the internal implementation to get that buy-in, but they do offer it. They’ve also recommended a service that they have, and they’ve connected us with third parties that they’ve worked with for things like website design.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

There are a few things that have immediately improved thanks to their work. First, we were inconsistent about how we talked about ourselves on the website and other sales places, and it was a pretty immediate advantage to have those conversations and internally decide how we wanted to categorize ourselves. Otherwise, it’d be a bit harder, since we’re still in the rollout stage.

Also, I’m using the main themes and points that came out of their exercise in new campaigns. I’m hopeful that those will resonate. Finally, we have been really taking advantage of their work to pin our pain points. The internal and competitor insights they provided directly translated into pain points that I’ve been able to map as different problem statements, and that’s informing all of our customer communication. There aren’t any metrics yet, but those are things that we didn’t have before at all.

In terms of implementation, we’re still a little early in that stage, but the branding has resonated really strongly. We knew what we did before, but we were able to nail down our unique differentiator and use their language to create a slightly more urgent variation that we really needed. We’ve definitely seen higher engagement in response to that.

How did Woden perform from a project management standpoint?

Our main communication method is email. We’ve used Google Drive to share documents so they can go through them and have a better idea of where we are and what needs to be improved. Otherwise, there have been a lot of phone calls, and I’ve had a few check-ins with Hannah. Most of the process has been pretty self-explanatory to me.

It’s been more about getting feedback and identifying where we’re stuck and want to go, which has been challenging for us. It’s been a big educational period; Hannah has actually joined an internal meeting to go through all the competitive research in order to be helpful across teams.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I think sales are their strength, and also applying templates to how we’re talking about ourselves and what we can do for content, social events, fundraising, and so on. We’re soon going to raise more funds for our organization, and they’ve done a really good job at bringing in examples and actual content that will be tremendously useful.

Also, they presented our competitors in a pretty interesting light, which made it easy to see how we compare to them. Those abilities on insight and sales were their biggest strength for me.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Some of the marketing recommendations were a little robust to adjust, like on paid ads and content. However, it’s hard because we’re not paying them on retainer, so it’s not meant to all be done right at once. That’s why the recommendation is so large. Nonetheless, I think it would have been helpful to break it out.

Furthermore, I think ad copy could be a little stronger, but I think it comes down to their whole specialty. Telling a story is less direct-response than an ad, but we still kind of need it.

Any advice for potential customers?

Definitely think ahead of time of what internal coordination needs to look like. Think heavily of that strategy so you can figure out how to get people on board internally. Since I was somewhat new to UpMetrics, I was a little challenged at first.  I hadn’t worked with an agency that provided me with so much information, which has been great.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the current president of Clear Path Paper, and we’re a brand of consumer cardstock paper. We manufacture packs of cardstock for consumers in the crafting space who do things like card making, scrapbooking, and other types of crafting activities.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Woden?

We were founded in 2016 and we wanted to better articulate what our brand was about, and identify our core, positioning, and brand values.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Woden provided us with a high-level brand strategy.

What they delivered is what they call a “story guide” — which is basically a brand standards document. Their process was to do a series of interviews, to try and learn how we’ve been talking about our company, brand, messaging, and value propositions. They also wanted to figure out where we were trying to take the brand in terms of perception in the marketplace.

They then internally worked in what’s called a “story kernel” — a type of marketing, branding, positioning, and value proposition statement that’s uniquely focused on narrative. They used this concept called “the hero of the story”, where you, as a service provider, are helping the customers accomplish what they need to fix their problem.

Going through a narrative process and coming out with a document that’s over a hundred pages long, is a really interesting process. The document really talks about our brand and how it can relate to our target customers through a narrative approach. They have a framework they work through, but it was highly personalized to our company and brand.

What is the team composition?

Outwardly, we worked directly with 3–4 different people, that included one of their principals, a project manager, and two writers.

How did you come to work with Woden?

They were referred to me personally by other people that I trusted. This is important because I tend to put a lot of stock in good referrals. Then in terms of the decision to do business with them, I liked their approach. A lot of times in the world of marketing and branding, things tend to be a little academic. Their approach appealed to me in a stylistic way — it’s much more humanistic, because it’s centered around the idea that your relationship with your customer is an ongoing story.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve invested approximately $15,000 in the project.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked together from August–December 2018.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Brand strategy tends to be more qualitative than quantitative. However, I do have quantitative numbers, and our business has been growing since working with them. In 2019, our gross sales were up by as much as 67%. Obviously, the partnership contributed to part of it, but it’s hard to make a direct 100% association.

However, in the world of qualitative response, every time we worked with another creative resource — whether it’s a design firm or an advertising agency, the first thing I do is mail them a physical copy of my book that Woden developed. If they want to understand how they are going to convey the company’s message, they have to go through the guidebook.

We’ve gotten really good feedback from people saying it’s a unique and helpful way to communicate our brand. It tells other service providers what our brand is about and how they can approach it. The book also gives us a perspective on how to build an internal corporate culture. I still reference it frequently even though I already finished it almost two years ago.

How did Woden perform from a project management standpoint?

We typically communicated through email and phone. Back then, we used to meet in person. Luckily we happened to live in the same city located in Philadelphia. I’m not aware of what they used for project management, our engagement was all just done through emails with the project manager.

What did you find most impressive about them?

We were impressed with how they approach a project, because it allows them to really get in-depth with the brand quickly. I realize it’s kind of a broad statement, but if you think about your brand as a narrative in a story, you very quickly get into the things that are important. It can convey emotions, how you want people to feel and think about your brand in a meaningful way — as opposed to a quantitative way.

They’re smart and talented people too, but the approach they brought was impressive and they were very professional. We could tell that their principal, Ed (Managing Partner), had a goal and drove the project towards that. Which was nice because, in high-level brand strategy situations, you could go off into the ether, and you’d be lost. I didn’t feel that way at any point in this project.

Are there any areas they could improve?

When I was working with them, I requested to have more of a structured follow-up to the process. It would’ve been nice to continue working with them in the future because the story about our brand is always evolving.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Always make sure you have everybody, including the important stakeholders, involved and that they’re actually bought into the concept of the project in general — whether with Woden or anybody else. Since this project is qualitative, what you produce and what you pay for will just sit on a bookshelf if you only have one person who’s really enthused about it. It wouldn’t be effective if most of your team aren’t motivated to use or engage with it.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the CEO of STIR Foods, a B2B manufacturer of sauces, dressings, soups, and marinades for industrial customers. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Woden?

We were a relatively new company, and we bought several companies who had their own identity. We were bringing them all together and looking to build a singular culture and team.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Woden’s work involved interviewing our internal staff and some external people, including me, my leadership team, and a customer — our ecosystem, if you will. We also came out to California to meet with their team in person. 

We went through multiple documented iterations, which helped us write the story. They researched our industry, got to know our competitive space, and learned how our competitors shared their own narratives online and in other marketing materials. They used that perspective to help us craft our narrative and the company story we’d share internally and externally. 

What is the team composition?

Ed (Partner) was my primary contact. We also worked closely with Hannah (Brand Strategist). 

How did you come to work with Woden?

I needed something to help me tell our story, which I wasn't doing well. At the time, they somehow tracked me down after I clicked through on something. They had a white paper that spoke of the challenges I was wrestling with, and their story resonated with me. Their offer was an opportunity for us, so we hired them.

How much have you invested with them?

We invested around $20,000–$30,000. 

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked with them from May–September 2019.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Woden's work around the narrative of our business was timely. Ed and Hanna were good partners, and the product was very useful. I didn't use it word for word by any stretch, but we were able to take it and use a language that was more specific to us. Their business process forced me and our leadership team to spend time focusing on what we wanted to be and how we wanted to share our story. 

We tweaked the narrative a bit and made it our own. They were great in helping us spur that process on and give us something to work off of. They quickly understood who we were and did a great job of capturing what we were trying to do for our customers. 

How did Woden perform from a project management standpoint?

Their project management was great. They stayed on timelines and were great at turning things around. I was the one who took longer to give feedback. We communicated via emails and conference calls. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

They were very approachable, personable, and easy to talk to. I was also deeply impressed with how quickly they understood what we did and were able to speak our language. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

There wasn't anything that they needed to do differently. There were times where the language felt too different from our voice, but this was a fairly quick project. It wasn’t a long-term and expensive engagement. They could get into our business pretty quickly, but some parts of it were a little hard for them to understand remotely and without knowing our people. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Invest time in working with Woden because customers are going to get more by putting in more. It’s going to help the team understand them better as a customer.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We’re a professional services firm that contains a large law firm, a financial services consulting firm, and an investment bank. We’re a lobbying organization in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. I’m the entire platform’s chief operating officer. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Woden?

We hired Woden to develop our brand messaging. 

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Woden interviewed about 50 of our clients that we specifically identified for them. They surveyed all of our revenue-producing professionals. 

In addition, they made a report based on the information that was collected from the survey. They produced a rather lengthy statement called a story kernel to summarize and capture all the information they obtained. 

Ultimately, they put together a brand book, which set forth how we would implement the brand both internally and externally. 

What is the team composition?

We worked with a couple of people. Occasionally, we’d have video meetings, and there’d be a team of 2–4 other people.

How did you come to work with Woden?

I’d interviewed and hired them for another firm where I was a consultant. Then, after I left that firm, I remembered my positive experience with Ed (Partner & Co-Founder). When our company was considering hiring a professional for branding, we brought them into consideration.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent around $40,000. 

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked together from September 2019–January 2020. The project has moved on to a design phase now, and we hired a different vendor to do our website. We haven’t used Woden’s consulting services. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

They did a very good job for us. The story kernel was very good in its positioning and identifying several attributes that made it easier for us to plan the implementation of the brand. 

Ed has been very friendly, approachable, and facile. He has deep experience in companies and industries that are of interest to me personally. I’m an entrepreneur on the side, and Ed is someone that I will count on for advice in the future.

How did Woden perform from a project management standpoint?

Woden performed very well, and they had a set process, which they communicated to us. They followed it very closely and were clear that this was the process they use for all their clients. However, when we needed them to deviate, they were able to do so. 

We asked them to do an executive summary in lieu of a more unabridged branding book, and they were able to do it. They were happy to do it, though we knew that fell outside of their normal process. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

We are a professional service firm, and we have two constituents. We have our partners who are the needle-in-the-haystack experts that we seek to recruit to build our practices. Then, we have our clients. 

We wanted to create an environment in which our partners can deliver differentiating services to our clients. 

Woden came up with a branding structure that addressed our branding needs to both those constituents. It was brilliant and clearly demonstrated that Ed gained an understanding of our professional services firm very quickly. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

At the outset, they should’ve asked more questions about the nature of our business at the outset when they were doing their due diligence. 

Operating a law firm where your assets are your professionals makes the business rather unique and certainly different if you’re more used to emerging technology companies. I guess every executive says their business is unique, but we do have a unique business. 

I could’ve provided more information at the outset, but I certainly didn’t understand it without experiencing how important it would’ve been to have more conversations about the unique aspects of our business. 

Having said that, they were able to develop the brand message that I described. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Ed makes all of his brand books and a lot of them are available. I’d suggest people read them with an eye toward deciding whether they can implement them in their organization or not. Try to convey the unique aspects of their industry, so the ultimate product could be better.  

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the founder and president of Bri-Tech Inc. We’re an electronic systems integrator in the New York metro area.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Woden?

They did an evaluation and story-based branding for us.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We received a 180-page document after their process of interviewing our clients, looking at our competitors, and speaking to our employees. This included a summary and a story format of content to use in our marketing and help develop and maintain our culture.

From the beginning, I wasn’t sure if we had a “special sauce” per se, but Ed (Partner) told us that, if we’d been alive 30 years, which we have been, he guaranteed that we had a special sauce and that they were going to find it and find a way to explain it to people. They didn’t reinvent us. Rather, they told our existing story. It was very genuine.

The book also included cut-and-paste content we can put on our website and social media. It was a comprehensive deliverable.

What is the team composition?

We worked with six people, including Ed. There were a number of people in different specialty areas. There was a project manager, Hannah (Brand Storyteller) as well.

How did you come to work with Woden?

At the end of 2019, before Coronavirus, we were looking to do some marketing to up-level ourselves. Everyone I spoke to (about five, some of which were outside recommendations and some I’d worked with before) had a different recommendation, and it was what each one of them was best at. If they were best at digital or social media, they would advise us that we needed those channels. I felt very uncomfortable moving forward when everyone had a different opinion.

I knew Ed and had seen his work with a large international nonprofit, so I looked him up online. I read his story book, which he gives out for free, and felt that going with them was what we should do.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent between $30,000–$40,000 with them.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked with them from March until September 2020.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

They went more in-depth than just our brand. Their work gave us a deep understanding of who we are. Rather than creating a brand for us to become, they analyzed who we were and put it into words that are going to help us get our message across.

How did Woden perform from a project management standpoint?

We had a high level of trust that they were moving forward properly. There were touch-base meetings, but we took a leap of faith, for the most part.

Every two weeks, Hannah ran us through a PowerPoint that detailed where they were and what they’d be doing next, as well as mixed in graphics and information.

What did you find most impressive about them?

The results are the most impressive. Everyone seems to be smart, intelligent, and on-trend. They really have a current approach, which a lot of marketing experts don’t have.

The document they produced is easy to understand. In the past, the market research we’ve had done has been very boilerplate. Woden’s work feels more contextual and specific to us. Their work was tailored, even though they do work in an established system.

Are there any areas they could improve?

It’s hard to say since I’m not an expert. I’d be reaching, right now, if I said anything needed to be improved.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

The key is to put time into the project. They’re not going to come up with the best solution and content if you don’t talk to them. Your organization has to understand that storytelling is important. If someone signs on with Woden and doesn’t give them the time, then that person is wasting their money. Give them as much access as they need. Be as open with them as possible.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

Bush Hog is in the agricultural equipment manufacturing industry. We also do roadside maintenance equipment and zero-turn mowers. I’m the VP of sales and marketing.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Woden?

We wanted to put together a cohesive brand to put in front of customers.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

The initial step was interviews with internal people, both at an executive and mid-management level, as well as some of our territory salespeople so Woden could build an understanding of our company and culture. They also interviewed dealers we sell through and end-users to identify that group’s thoughts about Bush Hog.

They then came back to us and showed us what they’d learned about our culture and brand. Moving on, they did market analysis and competitive analysis and looked at our current online and hard-copy branding. Their first pass on their “story kernel” (a term they use to label what they believe we’re trying to be) went well. Then, Ed (Partner, Woden) ran us through all the information they gathered, asked our executive, sales management, marketing, and customer service management teams lots of questions.

The deliverable was a several-hundred-page book called the Story Guide. It starts with the Story Kernel and then makes recommendations on branding and different aspects of the sales and marketing process.

What is the team composition?

Ed was our main point of contact.

How did you come to work with Woden?

They utilize the hero’s journey as the basis of their business. They talked about how the customer is the hero of the story, rather than our company. Bush Hog acts as a mentor to the customer. The customer is Luke Skywalker and we were Obi-Wan Kenobi. Most marketing firms try to make their client the hero, rather than the end-customer, but not Woden.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent a bit over $24,500 with them.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked together from September 2018 until January 2019.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The first thing that was really good was that they came up with the perfect tagline for us. Everyone says so. It reflects our unique position in the industry, and they came up with it early in the process.

It’s hard to point to a specific metric we gained through during what they recommended because our business is very dependent upon weather and the agricultural industry. I will say, however, that this year we’ve had more orders than any year since 2007 or 2008. It’s been a very good year, even with COVID.

Everyone has been very complimentary regarding the things we’ve implemented that Woden has recommended. They’ve certainly strengthened our brand, making it more cohesive where it was disjointed.

How did Woden perform from a project management standpoint?

They were great. They laid out the timeline and they very much followed through on it. We mainly spoke through email. There were four milestones, so it wasn’t a real in-depth long project.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They’re very creative and they dig very deep into your business to understand it. Their unique story guide and story kernel, utilizing the hero’s journey stand out as well. It worked very well.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I don’t know of anything they could have done differently that would have made the project better. It was a very strong engagement.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Line up other managers to be sure they’re engaged because it’s not just a sales and marketing engagement. It’s a whole company engagement. Our team wasn’t excited about Ed coming and running a six-hour meeting but their tone changed afterward. They wanted to do it again. Everyone realized their value.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CEO of Savida Health, an outpatient addiction treatment provider. We treat patients with substance use disorder, and we provide medical care and behavioral health services to that population.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Woden?

We had started with a small acquisition, and we wanted to rename our business and work on our customer-facing digital presence.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Woden helped us with our website and related customer-facing elements. They created data and materials for us to use in order to tell our story. They talked to several of our team members and patients and looked at what competitors were doing. They then prepared a package of materials that we could use on our website, in brochures, and in presentations to various constituent groups, insurance companies, and the like. 

Their output was a lengthy report where the key feature was the Savida story that Woden put into words for us. We’ve used some of their work for content on billboards and radio ads.

What is the team composition?

I would say that we worked with 3–4 people at Woden, but this was close to two years ago.

How did you come to work with Woden?

We have a private equity sponsor, and one of the other portfolio companies had worked with Woden and had a positive experience. That’s how we found out about them.

How much have you invested with them?

I believe we spent around $20,000 with Woden. Woden provided very good value for what they did. 

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked with Woden from about March–June 2018.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We evaluated the success of the project by looking at their output and developing opinions about how well-suited their work was to the purposes that we hired them for. They were very good at researching and proposing a variety of names to us. We ended up changing our company name. 

The key feature of their output was something called a StoryKernel, which was a relatively brief, multi-paragraph summary of the Savida story. We thought that they did a good job with that. The other elements of their report were very useful, and we’ve certainly incorporated much of what they did in our external facing presence since the project concluded.

How did Woden perform from a project management standpoint?

They were very good. They delivered on time.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Woden was able to come up to speed on Savida and what we were doing quite rapidly. They had a very good understanding of what it means to be an addiction treatment provider.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Their final report was very comprehensive — both the soft version and the paper copy were about 300 pages. It could’ve been better synthesized because we had to dig through the document to find the immediately useful components. Their output was great and comprehensive, and I don’t think they missed anything. However, it wasn’t as synthesized as it could’ve been.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

I’m an enthusiastic supporter of Woden. For any new business, merging companies, or company that doesn’t have a well-established brand and identity that they’re fully happy with, Woden is a very good choice to help modify and improve a company’s story and presence.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the CEO of a renewable energy company. We're a seller, distributor, and financier of solar home systems to off-grid communities on a pay-as-you-go basis in sub-Saharan Africa.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Woden?

We hired Woden to develop a strong and internally aligned understanding of our brand identity, our purpose, and how we speak about it to all of our stakeholders.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Woden developed a story kernel and story guide. They also facilitated a full-day story seminar with our whole team.

What is the team composition?

There were about five people working on their team. Ed (Partner) was more of a relationship manager as well as the project manager that I dealt with on a day-to-day basis. There was this other person and she had people behind her that I dealt with less directly. There were graphic designers, copywriters, and strategists.

How did you come to work with Woden?

I can’t remember how I found them, but I might have gotten an email from them. I was intrigued by how they presented their email with a brand storytelling approach.

How much have you invested with them?

We invested $20,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We’ve worked with them from March 2018–January 2019.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Woden delivered a fairly impressive document and deliverable that's useful for us.

How did Woden perform from a project management standpoint?

The project management aspect of it was very well done. They were very diligent at scheduling meetings and calls to share drafts and get my feedback and turning that around. They delivered on time. I can recall that their model depends on them being very well structured and being able to turn things around in a timely manner, and they followed through on that pretty well.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Woden’s insight into the use of storytelling to talk about our brand is very powerful. I think the product was very compelling. They were a group of very smart, creative, and motivated folks.

They worked very diligently and hard to understand our company and the environment that we operate in and turn around something that was relevant and practical for us in a professional and slick package.

Woden’s project management and discipline was obviously something that they'd done before and they had a very systematic approach to completing these kinds of projects. The way that they executed very systematically was interesting and impressive.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I think we would have gotten more value out of this if we had been willing to invest more and go something a little bit more in-depth and bespoke.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Know that it isn't a full-service, bespoke, and in-depth brand identity and development service that they provide. Setting your expectations is important and it was something we lacked.

As an organization before you invest, you need to have the assurance and the confidence that you’re going to be able to implement the stuff effectively after they deliver their deliverables.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

Checkpoint Surgical is a medical device company based in Cleveland, Ohio. Our devices are used intraoperatively by surgeons looking to locate, assess, and/or protect nerves. It’s used in complex procedures where nerves are at risk.

We have an outside sales team tasked with identifying surgeons that complete procedures within our space and getting them to try the product in an upcoming procedure.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Woden?

We hired Woden to help us tell our story more effectively. Before Woden's enlistment, our focus had been more on factual or procedural based information about the devices. It was a very clinical approach to marketing and sales.

We wanted Woden to help us craft a story to invoke a more emotional response from our customers.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We first worked with them to craft our story, which involved a one-day checkpoint on a more emotional level. We talked about the why behind the device and the background. One of the stigmas we deal with within our industry is the perception that nerves could be sacrificed in a procedure for a greater good, like saving someone’s life. The reality is that there doesn’t have to be a choice – nerves can be protected, and lives can be saved.

The story now explains that on a more personal level. The deliverables impact our organization internally and externally. Their team did a comprehensive review of all elements within our organization and told us where and how the story could be incorporated into these elements and how we could weave it into daily life.

They gave us around 40 specific suggestions – some were incredibly actionable, and others would take much longer to execute.

What is the team composition?

We had heavy contact with Ed (Partner), and we worked with support people who reviewed our collateral and provided insight.

How did you come to work with Woden?

Our CEO received their pitch piece. He came to me and asked me what I thought. We were looking for a more holistic marketing approach, and we were interviewing a myriad of traditional marketing firms. Woden seemed more out of the box, and we liked it.

We presented the various proposals from different firms to our executive team, and everybody liked Woden’s approach. We invited them to give an in-person presentation. After that, we decided to go with them.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them in March 2019.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The feedback has been very positive. Our purpose was met; we received a checkpoint story and message that we could clearly articulate to our customers and internal team. Woden delivered many outstanding ideas that we probably should have thought of ourselves. They made those ideas into actionable projects for our organization.

Our need for them has reduced, but we still communicate with them periodically on a consulting basis.

How did Woden perform from a project management standpoint?

From a project management standpoint, they’ve been excellent. We had no issues. If there were delays, they were likely on our side.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their ability to come into an organization that they knew nothing about and diagnose opportunities quickly was extremely impressive. The team found ways to communicate our story, engage our customers, onboard employees, and present design ideas effectively.

Are there any areas they could improve?

This might’ve only been visible to me because I’m familiar with this type of work, but I would’ve liked a little bit more personalization. I could tell that they worked off a template.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

We engaged with Woden. We pushed back on some of their ideas and edited their work. At the end of the day, it was a collaborative process that allowed us to come up with something very good.

The best way is to become extremely collaborative. If you don’t agree with something, then push back. If you have a better idea, present it and make them then defend their way. In that type of environment, you come up with something great.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CEO of Nielsen-Kellerman Company. We design and manufacture niche electronics that are for consumers and professionals, predominately in the weather and environmental monitoring field, as well as sports performance measurement spaces.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Woden?

We’d made two acquisitions of companies that made weather stations. One company imported stations at consumer price points, predominately from China, and the other made high-cost stations in Maine. We intended to market one of those from under our weather brand we already had in place. Neither of those companies had any marketing to speak of so we wanted to get our arms around the story for those two acquired companies. This would help us align our efforts as we started marketing and outreach. Quickly, we decided to include our own brand in this project to establish the key differences in the stories.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They did a lot of research, which was tremendously valuable. They’re really good customer researchers and use a variety of techniques including direct outreach, web scanning, and search. They figured out what customers already perceived and believed about the three firms since all three had been around for a while. They also analyzed where there might be opportunities to capitalize on that existing thinking.

After presenting their research, they crafted all three brand stories. This took the form of long-form discussions of the role of the brand and the products in the “hero story.” They follow the “hero” model; it’s a customer-centric model where you talk about how the brand helps the customer succeed, rather than just talking about the brand.

We had meetings to tweak the stories, and focusing on the differentiators between the three brands. They also delivered slogans and keywords for each brand, as well as a roadmap for implementation, marketing, and customer outreach efforts.

What is the team composition?

I worked with 4-5 people on this. Hannah (Brand Storyteller) and Rachel (Creative Team Manager) acted as the lead researchers, and Ed (Partner) was on all the teams. There were two story people as well. They got impressively familiar with an area that they knew absolutely nothing about on the frontend. A couple of other people helped with research as well.

How did you come to work with Woden?

We’d previously worked with another firm on brand stories. I knew we needed to get these new brands off the ground quickly. I ran into them on LinkedIn, and, after viewing their website, I knew we would align. I reached out to them and we created a fixed-price deliverable. I preferred that over an open-ended retainer.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent around $65,000–$70,000 with them.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked together from February until June 2020.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

It would be challenging to track it statistically, as it’s being employed across a broad range of marketing activities. Anecdotally, it’s definitely helped my team get their feet under them in terms of messaging and differentiation, since they’d never done anything with weather stations before.

A lot of our focus has been on social media activity for the ambient product, as well as PPC on Amazon and the wider internet. In this year, they’re up over 10% YoY. I don’t know if I can directly attribute that to the story work but it for sure helped my team execute our plan.

We haven’t used the other brand much yet because we’re still finishing the product, but it will get used significantly. They’re producing launch materials right now.

How did Woden perform from a project management standpoint?

They’ve had excellent communication and have stuck to their schedule. Working with three at once was a lot but they stuck to it. That’s the advantage of having a standardized process.

What did you find most impressive about them?

We started at the front very well-aligned in how we thought about the project: it really matters what the customers think and how we’re going to help them. They were able to stay focused on that and what they heard from customers and turn it into actions and words, incorporating even the potential negatives. They were quite specific, which I find that younger marketers have a hard time doing. Woden dug in and really understood why weather stations were important by the end of the project.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I don’t think they’d ever done a project where they were working with three similar products before. Initially, all three story guides were kind of the same, but they took the input and participated in the discussions to learn how to differentiate the three brands. We didn’t know how we were going to do it either in the beginning, so it was a group discovery process.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

It would be somewhat challenging for an organization with no internal marketing team or marketing chops to take what they do and use their work effectively. If you need someone to take over your marketing and do I for you then they’re not the right choice. If you need exceptionally good customer research, customer insights, and story guide distillation, however, then they’re a great choice. They’re also very cost-effective compared to most outside marketing firms in my experience.