Case Study by Hanna Boys Center

Hanna Boys Center
Social Services Organization
Sonoma, CA

“We are grateful that Gunderson Direct has helped us tell our story.”

– Hanna Boys Center

This case study is presented from our client’s point of view. Special thanks to Hanna Boys Center for taking the time to contribute to this case study and giving us the opportunity to do some great work together.

THE WORK

Gunderson Direct revamped our marketing and branding strategy, including the establishment of brand guidelines and a total redesign of the print materials.

OUR CHALLENGE

I have been at the Center for about a year now, but when I first came in, we had significant challenges regarding our marketing and branding. Our materials were pretty dated and inconsistent, and there was no continuous brand strategy or guidelines. We needed to establish a consistent voice for our materials, since the then-current ones did not present a professional image to our constituents. By engaging Gunderson Direct, I knew we would get a full-service agency that had the talent we needed to round out our approach quickly and effectively, and that it would provide us with the tools necessary to better reach out to stakeholders.

A WELL ALIGNED VISION

We had a strong need for complete brand guidelines, so that was the first task. Then they helped us with all of our print materials, including ads, folders, flyers, case studies, brochures, and our annual report, among other necessities. Gunderson Direct did a lot of design work for us, as well as the execution of our marketing strategy. One of their most important responsibilities was to understand our vision and our model, as well as how our organization works, which the agency did very well. They have become very integrated with our operation, and we have a strong ongoing partnership.

All of our work is funneled through the account manager, with whom I work very closely. Larger projects go through a bigger team, and can include designers, copywriters, and art directors, among other roles. Occasionally, our most complex projects have even involved Mike Gunderson [President, Gunderson Direct] himself.

I have worked with Gunderson Direct at other organizations for 15 to 20 years now. Although we did look at a few other companies during the initial hiring process, I felt very strongly that Gunderson was an extension of me as a marketing person. Through my past experiences with them, I knew that their turnaround time, quality of work, honesty, and professionalism made them the right partner for us. Despite having had occasional challenges with other ad agencies, I have never had a problem with Mike or any of his employees.

OUTSTANDING RESULTS

After beginning our work with the Gunderson team, our newsletter went from being a loss leader to actually producing revenue. We overhauled its design and execution with a direct mail outlook, and since then, it has gone from costing the Center $10,000 after every production to actually making about $25,000 per mailing, despite the volume of issues having stayed the same. Thanks to Gunderson’s work on the redesign, producing the newsletter costs the same amount, but its response rate has gone up and we are earning revenue in the long run, and this growth continues to increase with every issue.

Their project management is very fluid, with ongoing regular communication primarily done through email. I prefer to work using email, and they were happy to adapt to my preferred style of collaboration. Additionally, they have visited our facility in person as well as conducted regular phone calls when necessary. I channel all of our work through the account manager, from bouncing brand ideas off of her to simply checking on the status of an individual project. Together, we determine whether or not we need a bigger strategy session for something or if it should just go through the regular pipeline.

Gunderson Direct has a very well-organized team, and this teamwork allows them to produce great results. They are veterans of the direct mail industry, so they hit the ground running and produce quality output right away. We do not stop until we have the best end product, and they have excellent service. In fact, we submitted their work on our previous year’s annual report for an award, because we think that their efforts deserve broader recognition. We are grateful that Gunderson Direct has helped us tell our story.

IN CONCLUSION

As a result of their attentive communication style and a willingness to adapt to their collaborators’ working preferences, Gunderson Direct was able to establish an effective working rapport and consistently produce high-quality end products. They have become an integral part of the team.

If you’re interested in trying out direct mail and adding it to your marketing mix, then drop us a line. We’re standing by to answer any questions you might have, and most importantly, to help you get your mail opened.