|
Cost Savings - A Western Philosophy Apparently in Winnipeg, the dollar is actually worth 50 cents compared to the 100 cents that the rest of Canada gets. At least that's the way it feels when you're in Winnipeg. So, when Ron, Bob and Dorothy founded BrainStorm in Toronto, they brought with them a Western philosophy of making one dollar feel like two dollars. Stretch every penny until it splits into two. As a result, we've done amazing things on shoestring budgets to allow our smaller clients to compete in spaces much larger than they would expect to be. And when bigger budgets are available, we still can't help doing everything we can to make them look twice as big.
Then, a highly targeted media plan that included value-added placements, maximized exposure far beyond the budget would indicate. The great news - sales from that campaign period dramatically exceeded expectations and allowed Patak's to significantly increase their budget for the next campaign. BrainStorm is always willing to go above and beyond what our clients expect in order to make good ideas happen. From "bonuses and make-goods" on media, to in-house photography and image re-touching for clients like Canon and Baxters, we're always looking for more ways to stretch your dollar. We make every quote count, getting at least 3 estimates anytime we need to engage a third party vendor.
Sourcing the right imagery to convey a brand's message is often a challenge - particularly when volume and budgets make original photography unrealistic. ADP for example, requires the use of literally hundreds of photographs on an annual basis to support the large amount of sales force and prospecting collateral we develop for them. We initiated and negotiated a unique contract with one of the major stock photography companies, to provide us with a discounted rate and an industry first "limited time exclusivity" agreement, saving the client many thousands of dollars and ensuring their creative was not compromised in the market.
We get fantastic reactions from our larger clients for these types of efforts. Especially those who have been conditioned to believe that anything good must be expensive. We have made a habit out of producing premium work for much less, for clients such as Molson USA, EAS, Canon Canada and more. We also have a tremendous track record of not exceeding estimates, or requesting additional funds for projects that required more time or resources on our part. We pride ourselves on careful management of our clients' resources. Finally, as an owner operated business, we have the ability to make decisions for the long term. Decisions that may involve committing agency resources to projects or clients that we believe have potential beyond what might be affordable or profitable in the short term. The net result for any of our clients - small or large - speaks directly to what has become the BrainStorm spending philosophy: make every dollar work twice as hard. |
Patak's Indian Sauces for
example had a limited budget,
but the desire to grow. A
cleverly designed television
spot was produced on a very
limited budget, and it came
away looking premium.
For EAS, we managed to save the client hundreds
of thousands of dollars by finding a way to reuse
existing photographs of their athletes in an entirely
new campaign. One that broke new ground in the
category. Sometimes, it's just a matter of thinking
harder about what you can do with what you already have.
UFile Tax Software had an extremely limited budget
for television - but we focused instead on the great
idea. Once we found it, we were able to approach
interested Producers and Directors who would be
interested in doing the work simply to be associated
with the idea. It worked. The actual dollar value of the
completed and produced spot was easily in excess of
triple the budget! And it drove sales beyond plan.
Fortunately for us, our Production & Studio Director,
Penny Hipolito, has established amazing, long-term
relationships with many production vendors. Extra
trust gains us critical added value that most people
wouldn't have thought possible. Economies-of-scale
savings from bulk printing are magically available
when Penny picks up the phone. And don't get us
started on the lengths our vendors are willing to go to
satisfy the high standard of quality Penny expects for
any of our work.
Canon Canada - Sometimes cost savings are really
the result of our commitment to ensuring our clients'
work is flawlessly produced. A commitment that goes
beyond simply adhering to the time we estimated it
would take. We have worked through the wee hours
of the morning on press approvals with
our printers to ensure Canon's millions
of consumer flyers are consistent in
colour and make their products look as
elegant as they are intended. Not only is
that time above and beyond, it ensures
that costly mistakes that might require
reprinting are avoided.