Media buying capabilities spanning channels such as search engines, digital display, social media, and video.

Background

Please describe your company and your position there.

I work for an independent Advertising Agency located in Toronto that opened its doors in 2010. We also have offices in Calgary and Vancouver. We service a wide variety of clients including Telco, Government, NGO, consumer electronics and travel. We are a full-service advertising agency including account management, strategy, creative services, studio services and interactive development as well as production. We do not do media buying. My role is Director of Client Services and I am the senior point of contact for day-to-day management of our businesses, while ensuring the smooth operation of the Account Services department. In this role, I support growth by providing strategic client direction, building new relationships and maintaining existing client relationships, as well as ensuring that all client projects are implemented and executed according to plan. I am also the main liaison for all departments to ensure efficiencies with the overall processes.

Opportunity/Challenge

For what projects/services did your company hire Hotspex Media?

Yes, as mentioned above, our challenge is that our agency does not have media buying capabilities. Although we do have a strategic department, we look to partner with agencies that can provide strategic support as it relates to media, particularly with the buying capability. We were not able to fulfill the Client's needs without a media buying partner, and we chose to move forward with Hotspex to fulfill this request. Our opportunity was that we were able to gain a strong partnership with Hotspex, as they are open to taking our lead and in turn providing us with strategic insights for the best media placement. Also, Hotspex has the ability to integrate well with our team and provide cohesive and integrated client solutions as needed.

What were your goals for this project?

Our goals for this project were to rapidly onboard Hotspex to support campaigns, ensuring there was no drop or blackout in market, at the same time helping to increase Centennial program's awareness and enrolment of the low enrolment programs. We anticipated that this partnership would have a positive impact on our business, as historically our clients have really enjoyed working with Hotspex. They are courteous, open, collaborative, engaging and always proactive. Our clients like to feel supported in their efforts, and Hotspex strives to provide this type of client service and support.

Solution

How did you select this vendor?

Our team has worked with Hotspex on various clients, dating back to at least 2016. When looking at the Centennial SOW, we looked at two vendors and ultimately selected Hotspex based on their work ethic, dedication, collaboration and positive engagement with our previous clients. Our president and lead client both aligned to moving forward with Hotspex based on their reputation and our recommendation of them, based on our previous experiences.

Describe the scope of their work in detail.

The overall scope of the initiative was media planning and buying as well as tracking and reporting. The channels included were Search, Digital display, social and online video. My role was the primary integrated agency team lead, organizing all project timelines, status meetings/calls, aligning on objectives and ensuring that all deliverables were completed on time and on budget. The campaign that Hotspex supported is the enrolment campaign to ensure that all courses have high student enrolment and engagement. They have been very helpful as the landscape changes weekly, sometimes daily, and they have been able to implement changes and optimizations with a very quick turnaround.

What was the team composition?

The Hotspex team comprised of four individuals during the onboarding phase, and these four individuals continue to help support all initiatives in market. The size of the team did not change over time, and the same level of support has been given throughout. Nikki has provided day-to-day support to the account team, and is client facing for all reporting and general presentations. Jonah supports and oversees Nikki's efforts, and has some client and agency communication. Alexander runs the AdOp team and works closely with Nikki to ensure all campaigns are placed in market in the most efficient way possible. Josh manages the team from a high level, attending some client meetings but is often providing support and oversight both to our agency and to Nikki and Jonah behind the scene.

Results & Feedback

Can you share any outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

We onboarded Centennial in the summer of 2019 and Hotspex worked fast and diligently to onboard the business to ensure there were no delays or loss of traction in any of the active campaigns. They provided immediate support to Centennial, providing recommendations to the team for improvement and increased engagement. They integrated very quickly with the teams to learn the business, and were very enthusiastic to put next steps into motion.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Hotspex works very closely to integrate their team with our team, providing visibility into their process to ensure we can coordinate and work together accordingly. They communicate both via email and phone calls, and are always available. They work around our schedules to ensure we have sufficient time to connect and work together before client presentations. They are cognizant of managing client and agency expectations and ensuring that all objectives are met.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Hotspex is very collaborative both with their agency partners and clients. They are always looking to optimize efforts and ensure that client objectives are being reached. They are always available, even on evenings and weekends, and look to provide support in any way they can. They are truly team players and feel like an extension of our agency team. This is the type of relationship our agency is looking for, and one that our clients can appreciate.

Are there any areas for improvement?

Hotspex has been very proactive in addressing any concerns that the client might have, and they ensure that any and all issues are immediately corrected and resolved. At this point, I don't feel that there are any current areas that require improvement and I am confident should we discover issues moving forward, they will be very proactive and supportive in providing corrective measures.