DeSantis Breindel

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the VP of a financial services business focused on plugging operators into businesses going through growing pains or an existential crisis. We’re a team full of operators with CFO and CEO backgrounds that operate businesses.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with DeSantis Breindel?

We needed a revamp of our website and marketing materials. We had a website set up in 2018 when our firm had three people. Now, we have a team of about 50 people, and we’re looking to have 100 people in the next year or two. We want a more professional and dynamic website with updated colors, logos, and photos. We want to be ahead of the growth in terms of marketing.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

DeSantis Breindel helped us revamp our website and marketing materials. Initially, we gave them our website and branding guidelines. We also had a few follow-up calls to level-set on what was currently existing and what we were looking to do. We shared our vision with them.

DeSantis Breindel designed our website using Figma. They came back with a whole new wireframe that showed us the color palette they were thinking of using. It was pretty similar to what we were currently using, with a few tweaks. They also requested an updated font that we could use throughout our internal and external marketing materials.

In addition to the design, DeSantis Breindel helped us write copy for some of the pages. We used that copy as a reference to write the text for the rest of the pages. They did a lot of the initial heavy lifting when it came to writing copy.

Our old website had a lot of mountains and pretty pictures. We wanted to elevate that, but we didn’t want to go for a full corporate New York skyscraper look. We wanted something in between. We partnered with owners of businesses that usually go through their worst day every day. We wanted to show that we’re professional and have Wall Street backgrounds, but we’re also in the weeds with our clients. We’re not afraid to get on the manufacturing floor and work if need be. That was the vision we shared with DeSantis Breindel.

What is the team composition?

We worked with 5–7 teammates from DeSantis Breindel. There were two project managers, but only one worked full-time. The initial project manager went on maternity leave, and a new project manager came in. The rest of the team focused on the design aspect of the website. One individual focused on the copywriting.

How did you come to work with DeSantis Breindel?

We talked to a bunch of companies. Our head partner on this engagement had either used DeSantis Breindel with a prior company or was familiar with a website they had put together for another client. He knew their work and liked it, so that was ultimately why we decided to go with them.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent around $180,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them in June 2025, and our website launched in January 2026. We’re still in communication with them, but they’re not doing anything right now.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Everyone was happy with their recommendations regarding the new branding and color palette. From the beginning of the process through the actual publishing of the website, DeSantis Breindel provided a lot of really good ideas. We couldn’t implement those ideas at launch because we didn’t have the information to publish those things on our website. However, those ideas allowed us to grow into that as we became more professionalized and grew our team.

Overall, DeSantis Breindel met our expectations.

How did DeSantis Breindel perform from a project management standpoint?

We shared a lot of to-dos via email and Word documents. When we got to the development phase, we had a website-based camp where we could access and provide feedback. That was a little easier to keep track of.

We had plenty of phone calls and Zoom meetings. DeSantis Breindel was very gracious with their time and answered the phone anytime we called them.

What did you find most impressive about them?

DeSantis Breindel’s ability to take our scattershot view of what we wanted and consolidate it to produce something that checked all the boxes was impressive. We had a lot of type-A personalities that shared a vision but also cared about the presentation. None of us were marketers; we were all finance people. We all had slightly different views on what we wanted.

DeSantis Breindel did an amazing job of taking the feedback and producing content that really aligned with how we thought about our vision and future.

Are there any areas they could improve?

My only complaint was some of the project management. Sometimes it was a bit unclear to me who had ownership on their side. We were a little lagging on the timeline. We launched the website later than anticipated, but that was partially due to them and partially due to us. We were a little slow in getting them some information.

However, the team was pretty responsive for the most part. We had to keep providing the same information and pointing them to the fact that we had already sent it to them three weeks ago. The person who worked with us initially was a much better communicator than the one who worked with us throughout the rest of the project.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Maintain an open line of communication. DeSantis Breindel was really responsive for the most part. Even when we didn’t give them clear guidance, they were pretty good at using their creativity to come back with multiple suggestions.

It’s totally fair to push back and disagree with what they propose. At the end of the day, they only know what they know. We went through a couple of different iterations on deliverables until we got to where we wanted to be. DeSantis Breindel was great throughout that process. We took part of what they recommended and tweaked it. They took part of a new proposal and pieced it all together.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the marketing director of a corporate tax consulting firm in the greater Philadelphia area. I've been here for 12 and a half years.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with DeSantis Breindel?

We were embarking on our 30th anniversary and wanted to come out with a refreshed look and bolder, more elevated messaging. We engaged DeSantis Breindel for the logo redesign, core messaging, and website design, architecture, and messaging.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

The team managed everything related to our brand messaging, new website, and its content. DeSantis Breindel started by reviewing documentation we had previously prepared.

We had some client interviews done before we engaged with them, so they reviewed that material and interviewed some of our key executives. Through that, they prepared a brief for us to review, showing their understanding of who we are and where we want to go.

From there, they developed a proposed new logo. Each logo had a messaging theme, which helped us quickly decide the direction we wanted to go.

As part of the design process, DeSantis Breindel also developed a new firm overview slide deck, one-page collateral, social media templates, and business cards. We made small tweaks to everything.

What is the team composition?

We worked with around 8–9 people. We had a key project manager who kept us on track. Three individuals were on the design side at varying levels, two were on the strategy side with messaging, and two to three teammates were on the website side.

How did you come to work with DeSantis Breindel?

Historically, we have always used firms very local to Philadelphia. We found DeSantis Breindel through Google searches. Their website really stood out to me; it looked a little bit bolder, which is where we wanted to go. That prompted us to engage in a quick conversation to see what it would take.

DeSantis Breindel’s proposal was slightly more expensive than some of the other proposals, but we could immediately tell that they took a more elevated approach. That’s why we continued to explore the conversations with them.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent around $200,000–$250,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked together from October 2024–July 2025.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We just launched the website, so it’s hard to say definitively whether engagement has increased. However, we definitely recognized an increase in engagement and excitement about the brand internally. We also noticed an uptick in orders of new logo merchandise. The logo's theme was very clear, succinct, and easy to follow.

We received a lot of great feedback from our clients and internal stakeholders, who love the new logo. We also received a lot of good anecdotal feedback, but it’s too soon to tell the quantitative impact. The team met our expectations 100%.

How did DeSantis Breindel perform from a project management standpoint?

DeSantis Breindel met deadlines and stayed within our budget. They let us know if anything fluctuated. In fact, DeSantis Breindel made it incredibly easy to work with them.

Moreover, we had weekly status calls. We also had two in-person meetings when we went to their office in New York and worked together. That's where they presented the logo options and did a website content strategy session. Everything else was virtual.

What did you find most impressive about them?

DeSantis Breindel’s understanding of our needs and their approach were impressive. They handled any questions that came up; everything was very smooth. Their professionalism was impressive — they knew what they were doing. Everything they did for us was very clear, elevating them from other vendors. Their performance really stood out.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, there's nothing for them to improve. We were incredibly impressed by DeSantis Breindel.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

If you have a clear understanding of what you want, that will help. At the beginning, set the stage and ensure you’re all on the same page. Stay in constant communication, and that will make everything else that follows incredibly seamless.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the director of marketing for capital markets at a global financial services company. We provide a variety of services, including wealth management, private equity, investment banking, equity research, and asset management. I oversee the marketing and branding for the business units that serve in the capital markets area.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with DeSantis Breindel?

We hired DeSantis Breindel to revisit our employee value proposition (EVP) from an external recruiting perspective. We wanted to have a greater impact on communicating what made us different and better to work for as an investment bank with prospective junior investment banking talent.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We started with a healthy level of intake, where they asked us to do an information dump on them. This included everything from brand guidelines to examples of current recruiting materials. They did interviews with different stakeholders to better understand what we currently go to market with as it relates to recruiting talent.

The second step was that they initiated external research through a market research provider. They recruited individuals that fit our target audience and did hour-long focus group-type interviews with them to understand how they think about and make decisions about where to apply and ultimately accept a job offer. We took that information and started to sketch out what needed to be a part of the EVP and what was lacking.

They provided two potential paths for the updated EVP. We debated that heavily and discussed it internally and with them. We selected one of the two, and from there, they built out some messaging matrices for how to apply that EVP to the core audience, along with some recommendations about how we think about different channels.

What is the team composition?

There were up to five individuals from their team working on the project at various points.

How did you come to work with DeSantis Breindel?

We did an RFP process, where we went to Google and other colleagues in the marketing and communications department for references of firms that might be able to help with the type of work we were looking for. We cobbled together a list of about eight or nine potential firms. We put together an RFP document and went to all those agencies to ask if they were interested.

From there, we engaged with the DeSantis Breindel team. They did some additional follow-up, asking questions and seeking clarification about what we were looking for. They ultimately submitted a proposal along with other firms. After that, we whittled it down to the top two options and had those two firms pitch for the business. DeSantis Breindel was the firm we chose to work with based on their pitch.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent just under $200,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked together from September 2024–February 2025.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

There was no way that we could've done this work on our own. We absolutely needed an outside partner to manage it and help us recognize our blind spots. We're in a really unique industry, and there's a little bit of skepticism about how much impact this would have and whether this partner would understand our industry and the current situation. DeSantis Breindel more than demonstrated their knowledge of the industry and was extremely thoughtful about crafting a scope of work that would help us get the information we needed and couldn’t get for ourselves. Overall, they put us on a path that I think will get us to a better place.

How did DeSantis Breindel perform from a project management standpoint?

We used Zoom for conference calls and emailed them back and forth.

Are there any employees from the service provider's team that you would like to give a shout-out to in this review?

Chelsea did a great job of keeping us on track, thinking in advance about different milestone dates, and working backward from a timetable. This was particularly important because we had a lot of internal stakeholders who needed to know some of what we were doing but not all the details. She was a great partner as we navigated that component.

Shannon was often involved in conversations at critical milestones, wherein we had broader conversations with everyone, from our COO to the heads of the business unit, asking very tough and pointed questions. She did a great job of answering those questions very thoughtfully and helping them understand.

What did you find most impressive about them?

We were impressed with their ability to use market research to articulate clear learnings and themes and then boil them down into very resonant and memorable messages.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I honestly can’t think of anything. We started a little bit slower when we first engaged with them, but they adjusted pretty quickly.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

They are worth solid consideration as a partner primarily because they are incredibly thoughtful and smart about how they approach work.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the VP of marketing for Berkeley Research Group, a global consulting firm.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with DeSantis Breindel?

We needed to update and elevate our brand.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

DeSantis Breindel has helped us define the project's scope, which is articulated more as a brand refresh. Their initial work with us has been to refine that.

They have taken us through a discovery process to understand where we were, with many different workstreams to understand different aspects of our brand and audiences. We've moved through to creative development, new messaging, and a refreshed visual identity at the corporate and various levels within the organization.

Out of that work, they have designed the creative concept for an awareness campaign and planned training and activation for the refreshed brand internally and, ultimately, for external audiences. They have also worked on developing new web pages for our career content.

What is the team composition?

Depending on the different workstreams, we've had between five and ten people at any time. Shannon, the head of strategy, has been the lead individual on the project from the start. Chelsea, the account director, has overseen the whole process. We've worked with several people on the messaging and verbal identity.

The executive creative director and the verbal identity director have led the verbal identity throughout the project. Various other individuals have worked on web development.

How did you come to work with DeSantis Breindel?

We'd worked with them five years before on a previous brand project, and they did a great job. We chose them particularly because of their experience in professional services brand work, working with firms in our sector, which is quite specific. We knew they had a really strong record of working with professional services firms and financial services organizations.

What is the status of this engagement?

We've been working together since June 2024, and the engagement is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The quality of the work is excellent. Over 800 people have completed brand training, for which they developed the communications. Internal employees have given very positive feedback on their reaction to the refreshed visual identity and messaging.

In terms of comparisons with previous projects like this that I've been involved in, I'd say this is at the very top end of the scale in terms of what they've delivered and the quality of that. We're just launching the work that they've done, so it's difficult to quantify it in any other way, but we're very happy with what they've delivered.

How did DeSantis Breindel perform from a project management standpoint?

They've been excellent across the board in terms of project management. They've delivered the work on time and within budget and communicated well with us. We use Microsoft Teams calls and emails to communicate and Microsoft SharePoint for file sharing.

Are there any employees from the service provider's team that you would like to give a shout-out to in this review?

Chelsea has played an exceptional role in organizing the many different workstreams, deliverables, meetings, and actions throughout the project. It definitely could not have run as smoothly and effectively without her. Given the breadth of the role, how efficiently and effectively she's performed it, and her excellent relationship with us as the client team, I'd say she's exceptional.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They're very focused on ensuring that internal communications are well thought through and stakeholder engagement is strong, which is critical in professional services, given complex organizations with many leaders. They've navigated that really well with us.

They're also very strong in governance and brand governance and how to protect the brand. We've really benefited from them helping steer us in terms of what we needed. Through their expertise, they've really helped to guide us on what that might look like as a piece of work. That's been hugely helpful in making sure that our focus is correct. They've been an extension of our team, and that's been really enjoyable.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They've put so much work into this, and I imagine at points they might have over-serviced to a degree. They've never pushed back on anything additional we've needed, particularly when creating multiple versions of things for deliverables for different stakeholders within the firm. I'd be interested to see if they feel over-serviced and how they feel about some of that.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Take advantage of their expertise in shaping a piece of work that needs to be done rather than prescribing it too rigidly from the start. We've certainly benefited from being open to their lead.

Lean on them to ensure that these types of projects land well internally and that you manage expectations and relationships at various parts of the firm throughout the process. They're experts in that. Enjoy the process; they're very fun to work with.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the HR manager at Silver Oak, an organization that grows and makes wine.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with DeSantis Breindel?

We needed assistance in building a strong employer brand and creating collateral and marketing materials to attract great talent.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

DeSantis Breindel helped us create our employer value proposition. The team created a playbook we could use in HR and marketing as we put ourselves out there as an employer of choice on LinkedIn and other platforms. Although they didn't create a content calendar, our marketing team could use the playbook for content creation.

The paybook was a complete presentation and education on how to use the employer branding products and structure they created for us. It also included the voice of our employer brand.

We scheduled three days for them to be on-site with our staff and management. They had a list of people they wanted to meet with, and we organized focus groups for them. These groups were comprised of employees at various levels and longevity.

DeSantis Breindel came in and asked questions. They created brainstorming maps to keep our employees contributing their ideas and thoughts to the process. DeSantis Breindel also set up individual meetings with our owners and management team to learn more about our culture and where our values came from. 

What is the team composition?

We worked with three teammates from DeSantis Breindel, including Dru. She was part of our project from beginning to end.

How did you come to work with DeSantis Breindel?

They were a recommendation from our legal partner. We did a full RFP and interviewed multiple agencies. We selected DeSantis Breindel because they were warm and genuine during our call. We felt they would be a great partner for our culture.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent $30,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked together from January–July 2024.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We’re still in the process of launching the work internally. DeSantis Breindel was phenomenal to work with. Our management and ownership, including our CMO, were impressed with the work the team did. They were able to come in such a short time and capture the sentiment of our employees. 

They asked great questions and engaged our employees. DeSantis Breindel created a trusting space for our employees to share their opinions about what it was like to work with us. Our employees were excited to be a part of the process. DeSantis Breindel was open to feedback from our management regarding what resonated and what didn’t. Overall, the work the DeSantis Breindel team accomplished in three days was phenomenal. 

How did DeSantis Breindel perform from a project management standpoint?

They were responsible for coordinating times with our employees and setting up spaces for DeSantis Breindel to engage with them. We used Microsoft Teams and email for communication, and they had a Gantt chart for project management.

Are there any employees from the service provider's team that you would like to give a shout-out to in this review?

Dru was amazing. She and Anne were so much fun to work with, and our employees loved them. Dru and Anne made the work effortless. They were able to connect with our employees and company and accurately capture our employer brand.

What did you find most impressive about them?

DeSantis Breindel's ability to listen to our employees' sentiments and translate them into an employer value proposition was impressive.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, there was nothing I’d have them improve.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Trust that they are experienced professionals. They will capture what you’re trying to convey to your employees and outside candidates in coordination with your brand.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the chief growth officer at a company that provides commercial services to the life sciences industry.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with DeSantis Breindel?

We were looking to rebrand our company. We had previously been structured as a series of independent teams that worked collaboratively together. We wanted to restructure both internally and create a new go-to-market brand.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

DeSantis Breindel started by doing a discovery to understand our landscape, our company, our competitors, and our project's goals. The team also did research with our internal and external team members, taking all the information we provided. After the discovery phase, DeSantis Breindel started going through our strategic framework, helping us define who we were and how we wanted to sound. 

The team helped us think through the visual story associated with our strategy and ultimately create our brand messages to launch it in the marketplace. DeSantis Breindel created our brand positioning and value proposition for our target audiences and how to articulate our message collectively and for our different segments. The team also wrote our website's content.

What is the team composition?

We worked with 5–7 teammates on average, including Chelsea (Account Director), Caitlin (Director of Strategy), a creative lead, a digital lead, two copywriters, and a project manager.

How did you come to work with DeSantis Breindel?

I wasn't actually part of the team that selected DeSantis Breindel, but I know my company conducted an RFP process and interviewed different teams. Our company determined that DeSantis Breindel was the right fit for this project.
How much have you invested with them?

We spent a little under $1 million.

What is the status of this engagement?

We began working with DeSantis Breindel in September 2023. We did a soft launch in April 2024 and a hard launch in June 2024. The team helped us with the strategic and creative list we needed, and if we needed something after the launch, we called the team. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

DeSantis Breindel did a great job of ensuring that our internal executive team was brought along and helping us pull through the internal launch. We received a positive response internally, and our team felt like they had a brand they were proud of going to market with. I did early interviews with clients to roll out the brand and received positive feedback, stating that our new brand made sense and was what they wanted from a partner. Every place we turned to, we received positive feedback across the board.

How did DeSantis Breindel perform from a project management standpoint?

We mainly communicated via texting, weekly calls, and email. DeSantis Breindel delivered work on time and was good at keeping us on task because we had many tasks happening quickly. I appreciated the team was on top of us and pushed us to the right places. If we proposed something DeSantis Breindel felt didn't make sense, they were a good thought partner to let us know and were great in that perspective. We had a great experience. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

DeSantis Breindel knew exactly what they were doing and showcased great expertise. The entire team was fantastic partners. Chelsea was our day-to-day contact, and she knew exactly how to push us in the direction we needed to go, keeping us on task. Caitlin was super strategic and learned how to build a brand. The entire team was strong and knew exactly how to do what we asked.

Are there any areas they could improve?

The only area I wasn't pumped about was our website copy because I felt it was too generic, and we had to go back and amped it up. However, the team nailed every other aspect of the project.

Do you have any advice for future clients of theirs?

We partnered well with DeSantis Breindel because we let them do their thing and handed them the reins of the project. The team was good at pulling us along, and I hope we were as good a partner to them as they were to us. I encourage other clients to do the same because and lean into DeSantis Breindel's expertise. 

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.
I am the VP of marketing and stakeholder relations for a global energy infrastructure company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with DeSantis Breindel?
Our goal when engaging DeSantis Breindel was to create a more clear and concise narrative to our target audience as well as update our visual identity. This work is intended to represent who we are now, but also hold true to who we will grow to be in the next 40 years.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?
DeSantis Breindel provides us with brand support, strategy, and design services. They’ve helped us rebrand our brand messaging, strategy, visuals, and guidelines.

We started the engagement with a more detailed scoping phase, in which we established all the steps we would go through. After that, DeSantis Breindel started the discovery phase to understand who we are as a company, our challenges, and our goals. They took that information and helped us understand what was going well for us and our focus areas.

After that, we started working with DeSantis Breindel on our new positioning statements, which included everything from our tone of voice, messaging, and how we could demonstrate this new brand to our different target audiences. We then moved into the visual aspects of the project, wherein we brought all of that to life through different initiatives. We used Figma and Adobe for all the design and branding work.

What is the team composition?
We partnered with a multitude of different subject matter experts from DeSantis Breindel throughout the lifecycle of this project. We worked closely with Howard and Dru (Co-CEOs), as well as Caitlin (Director of Strategy) on our brand evaluation, strategic positioning, and long-term strategic planning. 

This work was further enhanced by partnering with Patrick and Tiffany (part of the Experience and Digital Team) and Jess and James (Content Strategists) who brought our new messaging and strategy to life. Ryann (Project Manager) was instrumental in ensuring we met deadlines and reached our goals, all while staying on budget.

How did you come to work with DeSantis Breindel?
We received a referral for DeSantis Breindel from a PR agency we work with.

What is the status of this engagement?
We started working together in March 2023, and we launched the brand in February 2024. We’re still working with them.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?
The quality of DeSantis Breindel’s work has definitely exceeded my expectations. As for the results, we have seen an increase in brand awareness and engagement across all our target audiences. I don't have the exact numbers, but we're also seeing increased traction on our external-facing platforms, websites, and social media.

How did DeSantis Breindel perform from a project management standpoint?
DeSantis Breindel has performed exceptionally well in terms of project management. One of their strengths is that they bring in their specialists at the right time when we need them in the project. We also did not need to bring anybody up to speed because DeSantis Breindel was able to do all that behind the scenes.

Their project manager, Ryann, was the key to the success of the brand launch. She did an outstanding job of keeping all of us aligned, focused, and organized with deadlines and priorities.

We primarily communicate through phone calls, emails, in-person meetings, and Zoom meetings. Throughout the project, we had regular meetings to keep our executive team and employees updated on the progress and make sure we were all prepared for the changes that were coming. DeSantis Breindel was highly engaged with the project — they came and visited our shops to get a good feel for our people and customers.

What did you find most impressive about them?
I believe we are stronger because of our partnership with DeSantis Breindel. Our industry is complex, but the DeSantis Breindel team were able to integrate themselves into our organization and gain a deeper understanding of who we are and our culture, which allowed them to deliver a stronger final product. It has been a true partnership.

Are there any areas they could improve?
No, I don’t think there’s anything they could improve. They have been beyond strong with their outputs, processes, and final product.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm a marketing manager at a software company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with DeSantis Breindel?

We needed to rebrand our company.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

The first phase of our full scope of work with DeSantis Breindel includes research, brand strategy, and customer journey work. The second phase involves building a brand platform and creating a new visual and verbal identity, including a new name and logo. The last phase of the project consists of the team giving us recommendations on a launch plan and go-to-market strategy.

What is the team composition?

One of DeSantis Breindel's founders was involved during the RFP process, as well as a customer experience strategist and an account director. When we moved into engaging with the team, we worked with other teammates who had come in and out. A customer experience director was involved in the customer journey work, and a brand strategist was involved in the initial stages of creating a brand platform. 

Another teammate was involved in the naming, and a creative director and designer were involved in the visual identity. DeSantis Breindel's account director has been consistent throughout the project.

How did you come to work with DeSantis Breindel?
I found DeSantis Breindel through Clutch.
How much have you invested with them?

We've spent around $250,000 on this project. 

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with the team in March 2023, and our engagement is ongoing. Our project is in the last phase, and we'll wrap it up in the summer. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We haven't launched our new brand, but overall, DeSantis Breindel has done a great job. The team delivers good-quality work, and I'd recommend them. DeSantis Breindel has done an excellent job of understanding our industry, competitive landscape, and customers, leading to a strong brand platform. Our new brand identity is a really good representation of the company and where it is today.

How did DeSantis Breindel perform from a project management standpoint?

DeSantis Breindel has scoped a budget for the project, which is what we've spent, and has kept to the timeline shared with us. We communicate through email and virtual meetings.
Are there any employees from the service provider's team that you would like to give a shout-out to in this review?

I want to shout out Chelsea's (Account Director) work. She has been a great support and really understood our needs throughout the project.

What did you find most impressive about them?

We were most impressed during the project's first phase when the team dug into our industry and competitive landscape. DeSantis Breindel conducted interviews with our customers and market research and distilled that information into a presentation with insights that they shared with us. The team's customer journey and go-to-market strategy recommendations also stand out. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

I don't have constructive feedback for DeSantis Breindel; they've done a great job.

Do you have any advice for future clients of theirs?

We were delayed at the beginning of the project because our team wasn't prepared for the engagement with DeSantis Breindel. We needed to gather more information that would help the team better understand our company and kick off the research. 

I recommend customers ensure they have the internal resources and are ready to dive deep with the DeSantis Breindel team. The team is very good at distilling a lot of information, and ensuring customers have that information at hand will really help start the project as soon as possible. 

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the head of marketing and communications of a company that manages the revenue cycle of large healthcare systems and hospital groups to ensure they’re paid for the care they provide. We help them accomplish their mission of providing patient care. I lead all of our internal and external communications and marketing efforts. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with DeSantis Breindel?

We acquired and merged a number of companies with unique brands. Given that, we needed a brand strategy that leveraged the strengths of those brands while positioning the business proactively for the future. The strategy should align with our investors’ vision for bringing the brands together and solving real problems in healthcare. As a result, we hired DeSantis Breindel to help us through the brand strategy work.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

The project started with the strategy phase. Then, DeSantis Breindel built our brand identity and created an implementation plan. The third phase was the actual implementation of the strategy. 

Throughout the project, they served as our partner to ensure alignment with our investors and gain validation within our target market. We also asked them to develop a new visual and verbal identity, which we wanted to bring to our market and internal staff. 

What is the team composition?

The team composition varied throughout the project. At each phase, we worked with various teammates. During the strategy phase, we collaborated with 3–6 teammates who actively engaged with us. For the branding phase, we had up to eight contributors. For the implementation phase, we worked with around 10 teammates participating in different workstreams. 

We worked with two key teammates: Dru (Partner) and Howard (Co-CEO). We also interfaced with Debbie (Head of Business Operations & Managing Partner), who served as the project manager. Shannon (Group Strategy Director) was among their collaborators. 

How did you come to work with DeSantis Breindel?

I found agencies through recommendations from colleagues, my network, and other people who were either in our industry or worked in marketing. Apart from that, I spoke with consulting firms, and they gave me recommendations, too.

From there, our team facilitated a competitive process of evaluating potential partners. As part of that, we created a brief that outlined what we were looking for in terms of the market and company dynamics. Through that process, we asked each vendor to present their strategy, provide references, and give us examples of their work. In the end, we chose DeSantis Beindel. 

How much have you invested with them?

We spent around $1 million, give or take 20%. 

What is the status of this engagement?

The partnership lasted from March 2023–March 2024.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The new brand was launched in March 2024, and we looked into different metrics to measure the success of the brand. For our internal activation, I measured success based on a monthly employee survey, and we saw significant levels of engagement and awareness. We were pleased with these results. 

Externally, we measured success in terms of our digital presence. The metrics included our web and social traffic, conversions, repeat visitors, followers, and engagement. We saw great results in these metrics, and the new brand was vital to this success. Our staff also looked into customer sentiment, third-party reviews, and our NPS measurement; the anecdotal feedback was positive. 

How did DeSantis Breindel perform from a project management standpoint?

We structured the SOW without knowing the ultimate scope of the project; we had to work on it in phases. Despite that, DeSantis Breindel was flexible in how they worked with us as our scope changed. They were fair, and we worked well with them throughout the process.

Are there any employees from the service provider's team that you would like to give a shout-out to in this review?

Dru and Howard were highly engaged throughout the project, particularly during critical moments around decisions or pivots from one phase to another. Debbie was extremely helpful and connected everything together to ensure we remained on track. She coordinated with our internal project and program managers. Shannon and the others also led the work in certain areas.

Overall, they all came together to make the project more successful, and I appreciated that. They even brought in external partners with specialized expertise when necessary. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

They had a methodology that they used with other organizations going through similar transformations. However, they adjusted it as they went through the strategy with us — they understood how we operated, who our decision-makers were, and what we were trying to accomplish. I was impressed with this flexibility and their ability to adjust to the environment and situation, pivoting quickly where needed. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

DeSantis Breindel should continue to develop their network of freelancers and contractors. This way, they can pull in resources where needed or scale back easily, especially if they’re growing in project compliance. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Be transparent with DeSantis Breindel at every step regarding what’s working and what’s not. They’re willing to adjust for the best results, so maintain transparency. On top of that, ensure that your internal stakeholders are aligned with the work you're doing with the team. This way, everything remains in sync, and you can identify potential internal roadblocks early. 

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the SVP of a business consulting firm.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with DeSantis Breindel?

We hired DeSantis Breindelf for branding services; they were also responsible for website design and development. 

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They started with a comprehensive interview process in which they interviewed our key stakeholders. DeSantis Breindel also conducted focus groups to help determine who we are with our current services and determine the future services we want to offer. After that, we collaborated to figure out how we wanted that to sound and look to people everywhere. Overall, they completed a deep dive to figure out what was most important to us and then reflected that back to us effectively. 

DeSantis Breindel helped us with all aspects of branding. They were responsible for brand messaging, strategy, and corporate identity. They also helped us build our platform identity, find our key audience, and ensure that we describe and present our company accurately to the world. We had a previous website, but DeSantis Breindel essentially built the new site from scratch using Figma and WordPress. 

What is the team composition?

We worked with an engagement team that included two project managers, a few individuals in charge of strategy, a copywriter, designers, and web developers. 

How did you come to work with DeSantis Breindel?

DeSantis Breindel was a referral. 

How much have you invested with them?

We invested about $250,000. 

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked together between January 2023–March 2024. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?
We don’t have any concrete feedback, but our team has a great deal of excitement and renewed motivation. We have a sense of pride in using our new visuals and identity and feel like the visuals they created accurately highlight who we are.

How did DeSantis Breindel perform from a project management standpoint?
They consistently kept up with us throughout the engagement and delivered everything on time. Our project managers maintained a great line of communication and were in touch with us every week to ensure we were hitting deadlines. There were a couple of things that certainly had the possibility of slowing us down, but DeSantis Breindel was able to make sure we were managing everything, and we still launched on time.
We communicated via phone calls, Zoom, and email. We used Basecamp for project management.

What did you find most impressive about them?
We’d like to shout out our whole team; they were all phenomenal to work with. Their team had a lot of strengths, but one of the things that they did well was their willingness to get to know our team so well. It felt like they were a part of our team, which was showcased in what they delivered to us. DeSantis Breindel was also incredibly skilled, humble, and fun to work with.

Are there any areas they could improve?
There was one small issue with a transition period while one of their employees was leaving the company, but that was to be expected. The following person came in and hit the ground running, so we were happy. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?
Trust the team because they are skilled professionals who will be fun to work with. They will help you meet your deadlines and give you the results that you’re looking for.