Evans Hardy + Young Inc.
Evans Hardy + Young Inc. is a full-service, integrated marketing and advertising agency located in Santa Barbara, California. For more than 25 years EHY has provided its clients with marketing consulting, advertising creative, media buying, public relations, and internet marketing and media services.
Times have changed since EHY originally established itself as a full-service agency. Complex technology solutions are often required to support today's marketing and advertising services. The EHY team has in-house technology expertise to help its clients execute their marketing and advertising strategies. But when an engagement requires technology beyond that which EHY can provide, the agency depends on Visus LLC as its trusted strategic partner.
We can always trust that Visus will deliver at the premium level. We know our clients will get top-quality work.
"It is not efficient for an agency like ours to have a full suite of technology resources on staff because that level of skill is not always required," says Tori Brumfield, vice president and account supervisor at Evans Hardy + Young. "So we depend on Visus to extend the range of services we can provide. Visus delivers the same level of service and the same high quality finished products that we provide internally."
For example, a large casino resort in Santa Barbara County relies on EHY for marketing and advertising. EHY handles everything from helping them solve business problems to driving sales. When this top-rated gaming establishment needed a multifaceted custom web portal that would allow its customers to book hotel and restaurant reservations, purchase tickets for concerts and events, and more, EHY looked to Visus for help integrating the information systems.
Visus produced an internal and customer-facing solution for the casino, including a custom ticketing management platform, a reboot of the company website, and a content management system that enables authorized resort personnel to easily manage and update various facets of the system without outside help.
"Our client was thrilled with the results that Visus delivered with this large-scale systems integration project," Brumfield says. "The Visus team began by taking our client through a full discovery process that included in-depth discussions about the systems, the business needs, and visualization of future requirements. The casino was so impressed with the Visus discovery process that it has since implemented similar practices within its organization."
Essentials of a Successful Partnership
Brumfield says one of the things EHY admires about the Visus team is its ability to fully understand each project. "Visus is very good at interpreting our marketing vision and turning that vision into a technical reality," she says.
For example, Visus excels at guiding the planning process and identifying gaps that may have otherwise been overlooked. "Visus can foresee needs that we may not have anticipated at the outset," she adds. "They suggest functionality that supports requirements that may arise in the future. This allows us to deliver solutions that are better than we had originally envisioned."
Visus is methodical and meticulous about understanding the business requirements.
EHY appreciates how Visus keeps lines of communication open among key stakeholders through every stage of a project — from planning to completion. "The Visus team doesn't simply push ahead with their own ideas," Brumfield says. "They gather ideas from us and from the client to understand the business needs and then they explain how those ideas will translate into a workable technology solution, which helps our clients feel comfortable and confident through every phase of implementation."
Flexibility is key in this kind of partnership since the priorities, goals, deadlines, and scope can change. Sometimes a client may impede progress by shifting its objectives after the project is underway. "Visus always remains flexible," Brumfield says. "We know they will deliver at the quality level we expect, even when the parameters change midway through the project."
Sometimes an EHY client needs work completed very quickly. The agency values the ability of the Visus team to be adaptable when it comes to working within abbreviated timelines. "Visus has been very successful in turning around high quality work for projects that have very short development schedules," Brumfield continues. "Our clients appreciate that because it allows them to avoid downtime in their business operations."
We understand how challenging it can be to work with multiple clients, deadlines, and contingencies that affect us meeting our deadlines. Watching a technology partner navigate that scenario instills great confidence.
An Exemplary Technology Provider
EHY has worked with other technology providers in the past but Brumfield says they have not always delivered the quality of work that Visus produces. "Visus is hands-down the best partner," she states. "A lot of other technology partners lack the ability to view business problems from a real-world standpoint. Visus understands what the end solution will be and recommends technology that will support that vision.
"I sleep better at night knowing we have Visus as a strategic partner," Brumfield concludes. "I have the utmost confidence that they will deliver on time and on budget. And I know the work they deliver will be top quality and will last over time. We're proud to have Visus as our technology partner."