Jennifer Brown

ACS CREATIVE - CLIENT BID

By Jennier Brown

The following client bid was created in November 2010

 

Agency Overview

 

Founded in:

 

Since 1986, ACS has been providing exceptional marketing services to a wide variety of companies and organizations across the nation. Our goal is to continue to be leaps and bounds ahead of our competition, and to make finding your company’s identity and marketing strategy an exciting and memorable experience.

 

Current full-time headcount:

 

At ACS, we currently 12 highly talented and well-trained full time employees who are fully equipped to meet all of your marketing needs. Our 8 award-winning senior level designers will see to it that the marketing pieces we create for you are not only crisp and convey a clear message about your company, but also that the end result is a work of art. And to ensure that you’re getting everything and more out of your experience with ACS, the direction of all our projects is overseen by of our director of creative development, Ed Ruff, who comes to ACS with over 20 years of marketing expertise and knows how to get to the heart of any marketing problem.

 

Current overall headcount: 12

 

What is your firm strongest at? What is your differentiation?:

 

Many times, you’ll run into marketing companies that are great at just one thing: maybe they’re masters at web design, or they can put on an amazing tradeshow, or they know how to make mailers that spark a lot of interest.

 

But the reality is, a well-rounded marketing strategy doesn’t just consist of one aspect. And when you need to figure out the next step once your web site is up, your tradeshow is over, and your mailers our out, you’re left asking, “Now what?”

 

At ACS, we understand that all the aspects of marketing are interconnected, and in order to make sure all of the pieces are advancing your game, you have to look at your marketing strategy as a whole. Not every company is capable of doing that, but our 23 years of experience has given us the insight on how each individual marketing aspect affects the other parts, and we use this to your advantage. Beyond that, if you find that your marketing strategy isn’t working in the way you had hoped, we’ll be there to walk through your strategy to get you quickly back on track. So when we design a project for you, it’s not a single entity: this design will correlate with the web site we designed, the trade show we set up, and the mailers we created to give your marketing strategy unity and to keep things moving forward.

 

ACS digs deeper and looks at every angle of your company, and the end result is an optimal overall marketing strategy that will get your company noticed. We see all the different points on the map that your company needs to get to in order to market yourself in the most efficient and effective way - it can be a long journey without someone there to guide you, so let ACS get your there.

 

Client / Industry Related Questions

 

Please provide a list of top 4-6 current clients:

 

For some companies, the concept of client care is just that – a concept. But at ACS, doing whatever it takes to help our clients met their endgame and far surpasses their wildest expectations comes second nature to us. Of course, this type of exceptional service tends to generate loyalty among our very satisfied clients.

 

One of the many examples of how our dedication to client care has paid in spades was when, in 1996, we received a call from a person who worked for a company located in our neighborhood. They were in a time crunch and needed to see if we could manage to make a minor change on a direct mail piece and print and mail it out for them with only a short amount of turn-around time.

 

Even though we were carrying a full load, we were more than happy to help our neighbor out. After completing the project on time and within budget, they were absolutely thrilled with the results, and with our professionalism and flexibility – thus, our 14 year relationship with CORT began, and continues to go strong. This half a billion dollar furniture rental organization has looked to ACS first whenever they needed marketing material, and they have brought millions of dollars of business to ACS throughout the years. Since our first encounter with CORT, we have provided top-of-the-line design, marketing, web, print, programing, mailhouse, tradeshow strategic planning, custom illustrations, and copy writing services for them. Who knew being neighborly could be so sweet?

 

Another client we are particularly proud to work with is Acacia Federal Savings Bank – the “neighborhood” bank among the giants of their industry. We are constantly helping them reach their customers, and, in 2005, we helped them implement their annual “Nice Guys Award” program.

 

This charitable campaign allows people to nominate individuals and companies for being “nice guys” within the community, and the nicest of the nice (aka the winners) receive a generous monetary donation to their charity of choice. Since 2005, the Nice Guy Campaign has received over a thousand nominations, and Acacia Federal Savings Bank has donated tens of thousands of dollars to this worthy cause. ACS is happy to continue working on a weekly, monthly, quarterly basis with Acacia Federal Savings Bank to help them with their market plans: from media buying, ad design, radio marketing, website redesign, and much more.

 

A couple of our other satisfied top customers include the Post Masters of the United States (NAPUS) and NVR, Inc. (NV Homes, Ryan Homes). Of course though, all of our customers are treated like they’re our top customers, whether they’re a Fortune 500 company or a start-up. We believe every project is important, and you’ll feel the love when you work with ACS.

 

Please list 2 clients you’ve had long-term relationships with, who could serve as references:

 

CORT, a Birkshire Hathaway Company

Beverly Cranston

Senior Marketing Manager

11250 Waples Mill Road, Suite 500

Fairfax, VA 22030

703.968.5584

 

Acacia Federal Savings Bank

Nancy Davis

SVP, Director of Marketing

7600 Leesburgh Pike

East Building, Suite 200

Falls Church, VA 22043

703.506.8123

 

Do you have prior experience working with startups / small businesses? If yes, please provide 1-2

names and links to websites and please email us 1-2 samples of work you deem relevant:

 

At ACS, we’ve always prided ourselves in creating major league marketing solutions that are accessible and affordable for the little guy . In fact, over the three decades that we have been in business, we have serviced a multitude of startups and small businesses.

 

Part of the reason ACS has such a rich history with startups and small businesses is because we understand that these types of companies are the heart and soul of the business world, and we want to help them grow in any way we can. Our process for this is two-fold: First, we work very closely with our clients to make sure we work your marketing strategy in steps to ensure a strong marketing foundation. You wouldn’t want to launch your website without having your logo created first, so we’ll make sure we’re working on the right marketing step at the right time for you. Second, our goal has always been to be the “anti-agency” so that we that we don’t have to change exurbanite amounts of overhead that eat into your budget. Instead, we’re focused on making sure you get the most for your money, and have always offered top-quality marketing services at reasonable costs. So if you’re looking for a company that won’t waste your time or money, and who knows the ins and outs of working with startups and small businesses, ACS is the only choice.

 

Do you have prior experience working with education industry companies? If yes, please provide 1-2 names and links to websites and please email us 1-2 samples of work you deem relevant.: 

 

There’s nothing more fulfilling than seeing your hard work benefit organizations that make the world a better place. So whenever given the opportunity, ACS loves to partner with companies that bring about change, especially in the lives of children, such as EverFi. In the past, we have worked with educational industry companies such as Friends of Bedford (http://www.friendsofbedford.org/) and Sequel Youth and Family Services (http://www.sequelyouthservices.com/) – two companies that focus on helping at-risk youth succeed both in and beyond school.

 

ACS understands the unique angles that encompass marketing for the educational industry, and we will walk you through all of the twists and turns to make sure that EverFi reaches far beyond its potential audience. You’re looking to make a difference in the world– let ACS help get your voice heard.

 

Do you have any clients that might pose a conflict to managing our account?:

 

ACS does not have any clients that would be a cause a conflict in interest if we were to manage EverFi’s account. 

 

Immediate Scope of Work

 

Are you fully equipped in-house to handle all the requirements of our first project (immediate scope

of work), or will you rely on third parties for specific needs (e.g. video)? Please describe:

 

ACS is a full-fledged marketing company that can handle all aspects of your marketing needs whenever you want. At our core, we are a design and marketing firm, and we house our team of designers at our offices. We also have extensive experience shooting and producing professional video as well as teaming with other video production companies to fill our clients’ needs. Currently, we house our videos on our website – www.geardemo.com. You can go there to view our work as well as work created by other talented videographers.

 

When we have projects that need copywriting or printing, we outsource them to very capable professionals whom we’ve build strong relationships with over our twenty-plus years of business.

 

So even though there are parts of certain products that we may need to outsource, because of our long-standing relationships with our providers, it’s as though they are part of our team as well, ready to keep up with ACS and your needs at a moment’s notice.

 

Long-term Relationship

 

Do you feel comfortable taking on 10-12 projects with a scope of work similar to this initial project?:

 

We love rolling up our sleeves and working on new projects – it’s a test of our endurance that keeps us on the cutting edge of creativity. So when clients ask if we can handle more projects, we just smile and say, “Oh yeah!”

 

Our strong work ethics have not only impressed clients time and time again, but it’s also allowed them to entrust us with the big projects: NW Homes throws 8 to 10 projects our way each month, and CORT sends us over a whopping several hundred projects per month to complete for them.

 

And we’ve still got energy to burn.

 

Whenever there is a new load of project ACS takes on, and we need to scale up our production, we don’t just hire temps to make sure everything gets finished. Instead, use other resources to scale our productions, and we utilize our team who know the ins and outs of the company, ensuring that our top talents will be working on your project. There’s plenty of manpower and coffee at ACS to take on all of EverFi needs – we can’t wait to get to work for you!

 

Are you equipped to help us with campaign planning and execution, including managing basic

customization of materials, and being available on a daily basis to help us with deliverables that may

have quick deadlines?:

 

As a fully-equipped marketing company, ACS has all the latest resources at their fingertips to ensure that you receive top of the line marketing solutions. We are also 100% dedicated to each of our customers, and will work with you to ensure quick product turnaround as well as be available to you on a daily basis.  

 

Do you have prior experience in offering full-service marketing to help clients launch new product

lines (from strategy to logo design to creation of all marketing materials / messaging)?:

 

We understand that finding your identity and figuring out marketing strategies can be a challenge for many companies, and we’re here to help. At ACS, we can guide you through all of the phases – from the conception of your company’s logo to the development of your website and the creation of your collateral material. We’ll also help you decided on the marketing strategy that’s right for you, so that you can reach and increase your customer base.

 

Now you no longer have to feel lost when it comes to marketing your company – with ACS by your side, you’ll be sure to head down the right path.

 

Are you able to provide online marketing services beyond creative design and production? Please provide thoughts on capabilities and prior experience in the following areas: lead management, lead conversion, SEO, SEM, building advanced CRM functionality, etc.:

 

ACS knows that marketing materials are only good if they get people wanting to find out more about your company. While other marketing companies end their work with the creative design and production aspects, that’s just the tip of the iceberg for us. Our focus is on lead conversion and driving customers to you website. There is an art to creating a website that invites customers in and keeps them coming back, and ACS can make that happen.

 

We understand how to turn your website into a powerful marketing tool that can magnify the visibility of your company.  So no matter the goal of your website - whether it’s to receive a certain number of leads per month or to give your company a new atmosphere and functionality - we’ll work with you to make sure your website is continually utilized to its maximum potential.

 

Budget

 

We appreciate that final contractual details will vary with the scope of work and length of the relationship.

 

Based on the immediate scope of work (the set of materials for the banker’s associations campaigns)

provided to you here, please provide your best estimate of (a) hours of work (b) cost. Please provide a

detailed breakdown if you’d like, or indicate if your estimate is based on a certain billing rate.

 

At ACS, we take everything into consideration when coming up with a cost for our projects – estimated man hours, the complexity of the project, the resources we use, etc. So in order to give you a more accurate cost range, we would need to sit down with you and plot out more details of your project. As of now, based on your description in your RFP, a larger project such as this would cost anywhere between $4,500 and $20,000. Of course, the more details we have about your project, the more accurate our quote will be.

 

Please feel free to call us if you would like to set up a meeting to discuss the details of your project so that we can come up with a more accurate project estimate.