SMC X Bounce
Overview
Bounce is an event services platform that enables users to host or attend events and handle end-to-end functionalities on one platform. Founded in 2018 at Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario by Sean Monteiro and Francesco Virga, Bounce has become the go to app to for many groups to host their events. Having grown exponentially in the past year, Bounce looks to be an early innovator in the events services industry.
Led by Michael Gallant and Aidan Alderson with Managing Director, Ashley Greenwald, and project consultants, Aarti Patel, Nicole Stevens and Jack Morse. The team started their work with Bounce in the beginning of May 2020. After the introductory meeting, the main focus became the branding for the company and solidifying a unique image for Bounce. Major tasks included the company brand guide, media guides for Facebook, LinkedIn, and Instagram, a targeted Facebook marketing strategy, and promotional content for various campaigns.
The Problem
In an industry that has large potential for expansion, Bounce is an early entrant to the space. This provides opportunities to capture a substantial portion of the market if executed correctly. Currently, there is limited competition in the events services industry, however, there is a rise in virtual hosting platforms due to the COVID-19 pandemic forcing people to find new ways to connect.
Due to the aforementioned growth in the industry, our team at SMC championed the issue of brand awareness and brand development. This was an imperative issue to resolve because previous to our work with Bounce, the company was experiencing a lack of consistency across social channels, minimal reach to potential clients, and an unclear marketing strategy. Working closely with the Head of Operations, Will Palmer, and the Co-Founder, Sean Monteiro, our team was able to clearly define, plan, and execute a course of action to correct the issues stated above.
The Solution
To solve the problems most important to Bounce’s branding, the SMC team had to be creative and draw on individual’s specialized skills to complete the deliverables for Bounce. After assessing the current branding assets that Bounce had available, the team was tasked with creating a brand guide for the client. This would give a framework for any internal employee to draw on when creating and producing a public facing document. This required aggregating the current assets that we planned to continue using and updating past assets that we saw value in changing.
After we had completed the main brand guide, our team then separated into two sub-teams to create personalized social media strategies and Facebook marketing guidelines. The team that took on the social media strategies laid out the proper usage and formulation of posts for each of Bounce’s main social channels; Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn. The Facebook marketing team broke down the uses and opportunities available, specifically for Bounce, that Facebook creates through their marketing channel. Finally, throughout the course of the project period with Bounce, our team created various brochures, social media posts, and other marketing material that would be used for campaigns that the client was promoting.
Key Takeaways
Do it for the brand
Everything that is released by a company should have the goal of increasing positive brand awareness in mind. A key question that should be asked before anything is released to the public is “How will this reflect on our brand?” Our team discovered over our time with Bounce, once there was solidified branding there was an immediate increase in awareness and involvement with the brand.
Planning is everything
The key to our success with Bounce was the meticulous planning that went into every aspect of our work. The team prided themselves on having a clear and concise idea for each of the deliverables that we were responsible for and this led to strong and professional results.
Life in a start-up
Working with a newly founded company in Bounce, the team was exposed to the fast-paced lifestyle that comes with running a start-up. This type of work requires quick decision making, clear communication, and strong collaboration skills. This style matched the team’s preferred working style, however, it was an excellent chance to hone these skills and develop in a practical application.