Jake Group

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the managing partner at a retained executive search firm.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with the Jake Group?

We initially contacted them about 10 years ago while redoing our website for the firm. We had a very modest web presence and decided to build a professional site while revamping our branding, logo, and marketing materials. We recently reengaged with them for another rebrand with a very similar scope of work.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We’re currently going through an extensive discovery/Q&A phase. They have an entire protocol around meeting with our leadership to understand where we are today, what we’re trying to achieve, and what we’re looking to do in the future. Their process takes us through the branding dynamic to help us understand some of the conceptual ideas, then they distill that into a very concrete marketing exercise.

The final deliverables are not done yet. We are starting with determining the ideal brand identity. They recently produced the first round of logo designs, and I have a branding call with them and my partners next week. What we decide on the call will lead to the start of development.

What is the team composition?

Most of my direct contact is with Anneli (President & Creative Director, Jake Group). I also work with a technical director a senior project manager.

How did you come to work with Jake Group?

I know a lot of people in the marketing space from my experience as a search executive, so I reached out to a few colleagues and was referred to two other firms in addition to the firm that we used the first time. We talked to all three of the firms and the Jake Group stood out from the rest for several reasons: they understand professional services, they have a very efficient creative process, and they’re business-oriented.

How much have you invested with them?

The website itself will be a $30,000–$50,000 project. As for the other aspects of the project, it's hard to know because they’re project-driven. They’re most likely another $10,000–$15,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started the project in January 2018, and the work is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The project is still in early phases, but the work they’ve produced so far around brand ideas and logo design has been very impressive. The Jake Group doesn’t show you 30 options; they’ll show you five excellent options. From there, they’ll start a conversation and tweak the best option for your specifications and requirements.

Our clients really appreciate and enjoy the current website, and I think they'll be very excited about the new one. Our clients have provided a huge amount of positive feedback saying that the website is very clear, provocative, and showed our depth of experience. We were very pleased with that.

How did Jake Group perform from a project management standpoint?

Their team is incredibly communicative, which is very important to us. They keep us updated throughout the project and always meet deadlines. They’ll always be forthright about any issues, which are usually due to something on our end. Their process is very tight. Other than occasional timeline data, all updates are sent to us via email.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Anneli has been involved in every aspect of our project. She's the person we initially met and hired, and she's the person who's still working with us. I know she relies on her team, but she provides input on everything they do. That's the same way that we aim to grow our businesses. When people hire us, they know that our partners and I are doing a lot of the work, and that's something that's very important to us.

Additionally, they have a very high level of technical expertise. They know all the marketing strategies, but they also have very effective business minds. This allows them to translate our business objectives into something marketable. I know they work with a lot of different types of business, and their experience really translates into their work. Anneli has a great eye for design and all the other things you would expect, but she's a businessperson, and that's something we value greatly. She’s done a great job moderating our partnership dynamics in helping us determine the direction of the project.

Are there any areas they could improve?

We’ve been incredibly pleased with the engagement. Marketing and design are very subjective, and I thought it’d be impossible to ask someone for three logos only to be satisfied with one in particular. The work they’ve done has consistently proven that they listen closely and understand our goals. There really aren't any areas of improvements that stand out.