Streng Agency

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the global marketing communications manager for TeeJet Technologies. We’re a manufacturer of precision farming technology and spray application products. We’ve been in business for about 80 years.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Streng Agency?

Streng Agency creates our product catalog. They do the layout and provide product photography.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Since we’ve worked together for several decades, it's a relatively informal process. We start with an in-person session to talk about the project and our priorities. They make sure we have the relevant people involved. We work together to map out a timeline by taking into account both parties’ schedule and availability. Over the years, they've helped us with our website, some print and promotional projects, as well as some advertising work.

What is the team composition?

I've worked with a variety of people over the years, including the president, the chief art director, and the catalog production director.

How did you come to work with Streng Agency?

The relationship predates my time at TeeJet. We were actually their very first customer, and numerous managers have overseen the relationship over the years.  

How much have you invested with them?

A typical catalog project costs $100,000 in terms of layout, art direction, and printing costs. We’ve spent several million with them in total.

What is the status of this engagement?

The engagement began 25–30 years ago and work is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Our catalog has a large circulation. It's still one of our most important communication tools to this day. We've won a couple of different awards over the years for catalog layout and creation. That's a feather in our hat, and speaks to their excellent work. The feedback is always very positive. We’re the industry leader, and our catalog is considered the Bible of the spray industry worldwide. It's been very critical to our success for decades.

How did Streng Agency perform from a project management standpoint?

Their team is very good; they really know our product line. They have a good division of labor. In addition to our point person, we also know the other team members that are working on the catalog. They routinely meet or exceed deadlines. They’re easy to communicate with and very responsive.

What did you find most impressive about them?

We've had a relationship for a long time. In all those years, we've worked with the same people. Unlike some agencies that see a regular amount of turnover, we have personal relationships for over 20 years. That makes it very easy to be able to hit the ground running on projects because of how well they know us. It's a huge time and labor saver in terms of getting projects done, and getting them done well. They continue to offer high-quality service, so I foresee the relationship continuing for many years.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Under their new ownership, they're trying to evolve and expand into a more full-service agency. I think that’s a wise strategic move.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the VP of customer and distributor success for R.R. Street & Co. Inc. We manufacture products used by professional dry cleaners and launderers.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Streng Agency?

We don’t have anyone in-house who can provide design and layout services. We needed a variety of marketing materials, so we hired an outside agency to help us.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We initially hired them to produce a corporate brochure. I gave them an outline and discussed the content that I wanted to include and they used that information to create an overall design concept. They also helped design the text, although we wrote most of the copy ourselves.

After that, the worked on a series of ads and flyers. They’ve also done some branding work for us, which included logo development, and designed a website and print brochure for a new product line we were launching. Once those projects were done, we also had them redesign our corporate website.

What is the team composition?

We worked with five people, including their CEO, general manager, digital services director, creative director, and a graphic designer.

How did you come to work with Streng Agency?

They were recommended by an acquaintance who thought they’d be a good fit for us due to their size and pricing.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent about $30,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them in July 2017 and the project is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We successfully launched a product line and now we’re starting to experience continuous sales on those products. In addition to that, our CEO and internal team have really appreciated the fresh look and feel that Streng brought to our brand and the materials that they’ve produced.

How did Streng Agency perform from a project management standpoint?

We mainly communicate via email and have occasional meetings. They stay on top of details well and honor their contract.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They offer fresh designs and they’re good about letting us know deadlines and encouraging us to stay on track throughout a project.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They could be more careful in their approach to communicating their frustration about delays or changes to our schedule. Whether we experience a delay or I go back to them with corrections or a price negotiation, or even if I’m just introducing a new project, there’s sometimes a bit of a negative tone to their replies.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Streng Agency?

We needed someone to create our print catalogs.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We hired them many years ago to do our print catalogs and continue to use them every year for a couple of months for the same purpose. We work on our catalog files through a program called InDesign. They place edits, put in new products, take out old products, and create new layouts as specified. They’ve also helped us to design our catalog covers.

What is the team composition?

I mainly work with Stacia (Director of Catalog Services, Streng Agency).

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The quality of their work is very high, and our partnership is very pleasant and efficient. Stacia puts forth 200% of her effort into the work.

How did Streng Agency perform from a project management standpoint?

Most of the project management is done on our end. They’re helpful and very willing to answer a question right away. We know we’re not their only client, but we feel like are.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They’re willing to go above and beyond and are always helpful. When the time comes to work on these catalogs, they know what to expect and we work together to get it done. The comradery between us is really nice.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No. It’s a good relationship.