Helping organizations achieve inspiring results.
Noble Studios is a creative digital performance marketing agency. Our mission is to work with purpose and make a positive impact.
At Noble we live by the rallying cry of “Let’s be better every day!” We have a passion for continual growth and engage in the passionate pursuit of inspiring results. Everything we create, from brands to websites and marketing programs are designed for performance and impact. And we ensure this through custom-crafted solutions and iterative creative problem solving.
Since 2003, Noble Studios has developed an integrated approach to strategy, design and technology that has helped translate and transform some of the world’s most respected brands and digital-forward businesses. Presently, we are a team of about 60 Noblebots consisting of strategic planners, digital strategists, user experience graphic designers, copywriters, developers, project managers, account managers and seasoned executives.
We’re proud to say our agency is one of around 400 Google Analytics, Adwords, Tag Manager Certified Agency Partners in the world, and one of only 50 Google Premier Partners. Noble Studios has been named one of the fastest growing private companies in America by Inc. 500|5000 five years in a row, and has won well over 250 industry awards for our achievements in web design, marketing and advertising.
We work hard and smart at the same time. Are we data nerds? Maybe. Are we tireless, value-forging, relationship-driving, game-changers for any client seeking greater relevance, more robust ROI, and a leg up on the competition? Most definitely. We are Noble Studios.
headquarters
other locations
Focus
Portfolio
Autodesk, Google, Adobe, Bentley Systems, FICO, Jive Software, The Islands of Tahiti, Yosemite, Travel Nevada, Lake Tahoe Visitors Authority, Visit Newport Beach, Santa Monica Travel and Tourism, Visit Reno-Tahoe, Visit Dana Point, Grand Sierra Resort, Renown Health, Genome Medical, Grail, Dr. Weil - Healthy Lifestyle Brands, The Braille Institute, Ashford University, Sierra Nevada College, Mitchell Stores, Envestnet Yodlee, Credo Mobile
Digital Strategy, Design and SEO/SEM for Credo Mobile
CREDO Mobile isn’t your run-of-the-mill mobile phone company. The organization uniquely integrates retail with progressive activism and philanthropy by donating a portion of revenue every month to progressive nonprofits. Over the last 30+ years, the organization has donated more than $87 million in support of issues like women’s rights, the environment and social justice.
Now, more than ever, people are being saturated with ads, and it’s becoming more and more difficult for organizations to stand out in all the clutter and noise. This is especially true for a company like CREDO Mobile, who’s message is emotional and complex. CREDO Mobile selected Noble Studios to harness their message and communicate it in a way that was quick, identifiable and powerful.
To achieve this, Noble developed a digital ad campaign that interweaved brand strategy, creative design and advanced audience targeting in a way that was all backed by data and analysis.
Content Support and Web Maintenance for Genome Medical
Noble Studios currently partners with Genome Medical for SEO/SEM, creative and partner reporting/analytics. In 2018 and part of 2019 we focused our efforts around capturing consumers interested in proactive genetic counseling, or who had taken a genetic test and needed more guidance around the results. We took a creative digital performance approach to drive engagement through multiple campaigns, including the most successful campaign which focused on information around the BRCA gene during Breast Cancer Awareness month. In 2019 and into 2020 our team will partner with Genome Medical to focus on a B2B focused strategy - developing a digital strategy to support targeting employers and health systems primed to benefit from Genome Medical genetic counseling solutions.
SPCA of Northern Nevada Brand and Website Redesign
As part of the agency’s Noble Deeds program, the SPCA was selected to receive over $100,000 of pro bono digital marketing services for its commitment to the responsible treatment of homeless pets in the Northern Nevada region.
Noble Studios leveraged its catalog of creative digital performance services to establish a new brand strategy, redesign their logo, launch their new website and develop a digital marketing strategy in an effort to get the word out about this life-saving organization.
The new website embodies SPCA-NN’s mission to connect humans and animals to bring joy, love and compassion to the local community. The agency spent the year working closely with the SPCA-NN team (and all of their furry friends) to communicate this goal through engaging design and inviting visuals.
Like many non-profit organizations, SPCA-NN’s old site had plenty of room for improvement in terms of the overall design and general navigation. To truly communicate the organization’s mission and connect people with homeless pets, Noble Studios provided new photography and video that helped transform the site into a sleek and oh-so-adorable modern experience.
To help SPCA-NN stand out from other regional branches of the SPCA, Noble Studios designed a new logo using a single stroke line that connects homeless pets with loving families, underlining SPCA-NN’s close connection with the community and the impact it has on both owners and animals.
In addition to the new website, Noble Studios will work with SPCA-NN in 2020 to continue developing and building on their digital marketing strategy to increase awareness and encourage funding from the local community, as SPCA-NN is not affiliated with any other SPCA.
Dr. Weil | Healthy Lifestyle Brands
Problem
Over the past 20 years, Dr. Weil has attracted a loyal fan base by being a trusted source of health information however, the website had become outdated and consequently was not ranking well compared to other brands in the industry. They wanted to keep their loyal followers while setting the stage for greater success by expanding their user base.
Solution
The comprehensive site includes healthy lifestyle information, consulting services, and products that generate millions of pageviews each month. Responsive across all device types, the sites’ content seamlessly adapts to meet the needs of mobile users, while high-quality imagery and easier-to-scan pages make exploring the site a more engaging experience. The improved user experience and interface is now on par with the needs of their rapidly expanding younger audience, while retaining a familiar and positive experience for long-time users. The result is a site that is functional while remaining focused on increasing the page views needed for further monetization.
Results
- 31% Increase in Ad Revenue
- 27% Increase in Neweletter Signups
- Communicator Award of Excellence | Health Website
Reno Tahoe International Airport Digital Marketing Campaign
Noble partnered with RTAA in order to create and execute a new marketing campaign. Efforts involved full creative concept and design and implementation across multiple channels both digitally and traditionally.
The Islands of Tahiti
Problem
Tahiti Tourisme partnered with Noble Studios to build out a new, global digital presence across 18 targeted regions of the world, including China. The new presence focused on building a consistent-brand experience across the regions, while also increasing conversions to lodging partners and specialists on the site. Tahiti Tourisme has the unique challenge of competing against places such as Fiji, Mexico, and Hawaii, targeting the luxury traveler.
Solution
During our discovery, Noble uncovered the true competition set and opportunities for growth. We then built out a scalable site architecture that could be easily updated and managed across all global regions. In addition to this, Noble also built out a strategic launch plan that will help build out the local search authority for each regional site, improving the search ranking success for each country site going forward. The new website includes the ability for each regional manager to translate and maintain the content, media, and languages of their regional site. In addition, 1300+ Tahiti business owners can individually manage their business’ details, publish vacation deals, and update image galleries across all regions with one update.
Results
- 15% Decrease in Bounce Rate
- 20% Increase in Pages Viewed Per Session
- Gold Marcomm Award
Web Development & SEO for Event Planning Foundation, The Peel Compton Foundation
The Peel Compton Foundation partnered with Noble Studios to create a new website that showcases the foundation's facilities and activities while enabling the foundation to communicate consistently through their new digital experience.
Post-launch, we have spearheaded content creation and SEO. We have also contributed to other efforts including data management and third-party integrations.
Visit Reno-Tahoe
Problem: Reno Tahoe is a destination on the rise, however, marketing assets and brand perception lagged far behind the actual destination product. The Reno Sparks Convention and Visitors Authority sought to rebrand itself to better attract young Millennials.
Solution: Noble was selected to lead the digital branding and website rebuild as part of an integrated team.The new website needed to capture the great contrast of the region. It’s evident in the name, this is where the country’s largest alpine lake meets the Biggest Little City in the World. The website included vibrant imagery and storytelling that showcases that duality. The design evokes a more editorial style immersive storytelling approach. The sprawling layouts focus on the unique aspects of the region and allow potential visitors to visualize themselves living the brand; seizing life, acting on instinct, and exploring possibility. The digital plan is a hub to all marketing efforts. A personalization strategy was adopted with the destination targeting multiple destinations at once by utilizing geographic information and tags embedded in advertising messages a personalized experience is offered on key pages. These unique and highly relevant CTAs have driven higher conversion rates and increased engagement metrics across the board.
Results
- 194% increase in referral to partner websites
- Millennials spend +13% more time on the site during their visits
- 18% improvement in site engagement due to personalization
Digital Strategy, Design, Web Development and SEOM/SEM for Fico
For years, FICO has done a stellar job in positioning itself as a leading analytics software company known for credit scoring. But it wanted to make headway in the B2B space.
The company faced stiff competition in the B2B enterprise analytics space with well-established companies such as IBM, SAS and Oracle heavily invested in digital marketing. Noble’s task was to develop and implement an integrated digital marketing plan with the goal of increasing the number of inquiries, improving inquiry quality, driving brand awareness, supporting the nurturing process and continuously refining its digital program within a measurement and optimization framework.
In other words, they needed a game-changer.
Noble provided digital strategy, content marketing, media buys, SEO, paid search management and conversion optimization for FICO’s global analytics campaign. We also optimized site architecture and content quality to maximize the organic search placement and user experience on FICO.com.
Content and ads were targeted at specific personae and keywords for people searching and scouring the big data analytics industry at different stages in the buyer’s journey. Noble launched this program in eight countries across North America, Europe and Asia – each requiring a unique campaign structure with localized keywords and landing pages. To track global performance, we integrated Google Analytics data with its CRM system and developed a robust marketing dashboard, while providing ongoing insights and recommendations.
Website Design & Digital Marketing for Nonprofit Healthcare Leader, Renown
Nearly 8-year long relationship partnering on website design, mobile development, SEO, SEM, PPC, and social media strategy with Renown Health.
Mitchells Stores
Problem
Mitchell Stores is an independent luxury retailer operated by a second and third generation of Mitchell’s family members. Founded in 1958, the business has grown to offer eight locations across four brands on both the east and west coasts. When Noble started working with Mitchell’s, the client was suffering through a number of challenges with their ecommerce site as well as struggling acquiring net new customers.
Solution
Noble worked together with the Mitchell’s team to develop an integrated search strategy to acquire net new customers. To remain competitive, we understood that we needed to be as efficient as possible to maximize the paid media budget we did have against the larger corporations bidding alongside. We adopted complex bid adjustments to demographics based on data, device, and geography and layered in RLSA audience lists to capture that multi-touch user. In addition, we used day parting to ensure we were bidding at the most valuable times of the day. Finally, we launched a Google shopping campaign increasing their digital footprint to a national scale, drawing in the new customers not knowledgeable of their local store’s brands.
Results
- 54% Increase in Organic Traffic
- 76% Increase in Organic Revenue
- 17% Increase in Paid Search Revenue
AutoDesk
Problem
Excelling in innovative thought leadership, Autodesk Research needed a site that was not only reflective of the world-changing work its team was producing, but one that was also easier to manage. With this in mind, Noble Studios set out to create a new, responsive site that spoke to the brand’s strengths of research and technology.
Solution
Noble undertook a detailed discovery, which allowed us to fully understand the content ecosystem that the new site needed to be able to support, while at the same time identifying future technical improvements, such as back-end configuration and CMS. With the goal of creating an approachable database of information, Noble focused on a simple yet practical design that would speak to the confidence behind the Autodesk brand. With all the pieces in place, the result is a functionally beautiful solution that effectively houses content while still engaging users. Autodesk Research’s new site, while remaining intuitive, represents the brand as something it always was: A leader in design.
Results
- 28% Increase in Organic Traffic
- 23% Increase in Session Duration
- 3 Industry Awards; Communicator Award, Davey Award, Summit Creative Award
Yosemite Mariposa Convention Visitors Bureau
Problem
Noble Studios began its engagement with the Yosemite/Mariposa County Tourism Bureau in 2016 as the Destination Marketing Organization was merging its two sites: Yosemiteexperience.com and Yosemite.com. The goal was to consolidate traffic under a single domain while driving more traffic to the region. With a strong desire to increase visits to their business stakeholders, particularly during shoulder seasons, Yosemite Mariposa County brought Noble Studios on to help establish KPIs and a strategy for improving organic content performance.
Solution
Noble identified keywords competitors were ranking for that Yosemite.com was not. Noble began grouping these keywords into four distinct categories for better targeting: dining, lodging, things to do and general partner referrals. Noble’s plan involved creating new content to capture net new demand, along with the optimization of existing content that was already ranking on the second or third page of Google and was of high quality. BrightEdge’s in depth keyword tracking tool ensured Noble’s plan went off without a hitch. At the start of 2017, many of the Yosemite’s high priority keywords weren’t ranking in Google. Today, 91 percent of those keywords rank on either page 1 or 2 of Google’s SERPs, with 73 percent of them on page 1.
Results
- 25% Increase in Organic Traffic
- 41% Increase in New Users
- 235% Increase in Leads
- 2 Industry Awards
Yodlee SEO, Content Development, Digital Advertising and CRO
Noble continues to work with Yodlee on a number of digital marketing initiatives all aimed at gaining qualified leads for the company. Efforts include SEO, Content Development, Digital Advertising, and Conversion Rate Optimization
Zovio Conversion Rate Optimization Strategy & Personalization Project
Zovio partnered with Noble Studios to launch and manage the strategy and implementation of their CRO (conversion rate optimization) and personalization program. Working closely with the Zovio team, Noble has produced three consecutive years of dramatic improvement in the website's lead generation and conversion rates, while developing cutting edge analysis and experimentation.
Reviews
the project
Digital Marketing Campaign for City Tourism Marketing Bureau
"They're able to take on any issue, do research around it, and present us with options."
the reviewer
the review
A Clutch analyst personally interviewed this client over the phone. Below is an edited transcript.
Introduce your business and what you do there.
I'm the executive director of Visit Morgan Hill, which is the tourism marketing bureau for our city.
What challenge were you trying to address with Noble Studios?
We’re a new organization and we wanted to bring some awareness around our brand identity. We were also looking to drive more hotel bookings in the city, so we hired Noble Studios to help us launch our brand.
What was the scope of their involvement?
I provided Noble Studios with our strategic plan and existing brand style guide. We had developed a brand prior to the engagement, but we had yet to launch it through a campaign. Their team helped us create visual assets, photographs, videos that aligned with our branding identity. They also assisted us in putting together a digital marketing campaign that entailed various social media ads and search displays.
For the campaign, we targeted channels such as Google Display Network, Instagram, and Facebook. We worked together to identify a good target audience and established a Geotarget as well as some interest groups.
Noble Studios also provided us with some PR support, writing press releases that we could pitch to travel media to augment the campaign.
What is the team composition?
Lauren (Client Success Manager) was our project coordinator. She was the one who kept everything on schedule and presented any decisions that I needed to make for the team. I worked mainly with Gabbi (Associate Creative Director of Content) for the creative assets, videos, and photography. I also collaborated with Danni (Associate Director of Performance Marketing) for the advertising efforts.
They brought in more people as needed, and Ledoux (CCO & Managing Director) also popped in from time to time.
How did you come to work with Noble Studios?
I met them a few years back through an industry golf tournament. The previous tourism council I had worked for selected them through an RFP process, so I decided to include them in the RFP for the Visit Morgan Hill campaign as well. They came out as the winning team.
How much have you invested with them?
We’ve spent around $50,000–$60,000.
What is the status of this engagement?
We started creating assets in May 2021, but the campaign kicked off by the end of June 2021. Our partnership is ongoing.
What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?
Our preliminary results have revealed that most of our standard digital performance metrics are above the average industry standard, which is really cool. Ever since we kicked off the campaign, we've also seen an increase in traffic not just on our website but through our other digital channels as well. We've seen people come from our ads, but we’ve also noticed an increase in organic traffic.
On a more qualitative note, we’ve been very pleased that Noble Studios has helped us go from having zero assets to now having a well-defined brand, pillars, and key targets. It’s been a big step forward for us. Even our followers on social media have expressed their surprise at discovering so many attractions in the city, and all this commentary was made possible by the assets that Noble Studios created for us.
How did Noble Studios perform from a project management standpoint?
They’re excellent on this front. Noble Studios is a well-oiled machine. Their internal and external communications are really good, and they're very concise with what they need from me in order to make a decision or a call.
What did you find most impressive about them?
Noble Studios is a team of creative problem-solvers. They're able to take on any issue, do research around it, and present us with options, especially when we're working with a pretty small budget. A lot of really cool things have come out of their creativity.
Are there any areas they could improve?
No, I can't take of anything.
Do you have any advice for potential customers?
To make the most out of your engagement with Noble Studios, you have to do a little bit of work yourself. You can either run down the clock doing wishy-washy things or maximize the team that you’ve hired and really get a lot from them by being decisive and well-informed. Different clients may have different levels of marketing knowledge, but bringing your best research and strategy to the table can help the team deliver the best solutions for you.
the project
SEO Services for Software Company
"We feel we have a real partner in growing our business, not just their own because of their digital expertise."
the reviewer
the review
The client submitted this review online.
Please describe your company and your position there.
I am the Head of Demand Generation at my company and am responsible for the development and implementation of demand gen and lead gen programs that create revenue opportunities among our target audiences, both new prospects and existing clients.
For what projects/services did your company hire Noble Studios?
We were looking to uplevel our current web experience and deliver more meaningful engagement through our web properties to help drive awareness, interest and conversion through our web based experiences. This included optimizing our UI/UX, Google page ranking, keyword authority and search results for our website through SEO, paid search and display advertising.
How did you select this vendor and what were the deciding factors?
Having worked with Noble Studios for some time at my previous employer, I knew they would be a strong contender in a broader RFP process we conducted as part of our agency search. After the vetting process was complete, we ended up choosing Noble Studios as the AOR as they had provided us with a detailed job scope and project expectations along with a reasonable budget to achieve stated goals and performance metrics.
Describe the project in detail and walk through the stages of the project.
With an eye on developing a scalable digital marketing program, using quality lead generation, efficiency and ultimately ROI as our cornerstones for success, Noble engaged in a discovery and planning project to launch a number of digital initiatives to capitalize on immediate opportunities through 2020 that will put Addepar in a good position for growth heading into 2021.
In order to truly understand the digital landscape, competition, strengths, weaknesses and growth opportunities for Addepar, Noble Studios undertook an extensive period of discovery and planning, including facilitating a client kickoff meeting to discuss scope, timeline, and expectations.
After that, we engaged in defining and establishing key stakeholders and started to perform an audit to identify opportunities for improvement which included keyword discovery, identifying top organic keywords to expand our audience and total addressable market, SEO/SEM audit, Google Tag Manager recommendations, competitive analysis, technical analysis, and traffic and keyword ranking analysis. Secondary phases included activities focused at boosting search SEO and SEM performance.
How many resources from the vendor's team worked with you, and what were their positions?
We worked with a dedicated team at Noble Studios including account managers, digital design and strategy managers, copywriters, designers, web developers and many other supporting services.
Can you share any outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?
With the support of Noble Studios, we've been able to jump start our website and improve our presence and site authority through innovative SEO/SEM strategies. This includes doubling our web sessions and visitors in 6-months vs. all of last year and allowing us to achieve #1 position in keyword ranking (vs competition) for our major audiences. We have also significantly lower our CPC vs. industry average and reduce spend while increasing efficiency on our website and related digital ads and paid social.
How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?
We have regular weekly and bi-weekly meetings with our team at Noble and also arrange special meetings for key projects and deliverables that might be on a timeline. Overall, we have a strong working relationship with Noble and consider them a part of our marketing team.
What did you find most impressive or unique about this company?
The entire team at Noble Studios has been highly receptive, engaged and motivated to move our business to the next level. They provide action oriented recommendation and follow-up on all activities which makes the process very integrated between our teams. We feel we have a real partner in growing our business, not just their own because of their digital expertise
Are there any areas for improvement or something they could have done differently?
Having worked with Noble Studios for some time, I can't think of anything different they could have done to make the process more seamless and relevant.
the project
Website Development for Merger & Acquisitions
"We were very impressed with the quality of the design and the team collaboration."
the reviewer
the review
The client submitted this review online.
Please describe your company and your position there.
I am a Senior Director at a business consulting firm based in San Francisco. We work with middle market business owners who are looking to sell their business or drive growth through acquisitions.
For what projects/services did your company hire Noble Studios?
Our website was created by one of our founders and was very basic. It served the initial needs but was no longer sufficient as our team and services grew. We were impressed with Noble's web design and development work so we hired them to lead us through a branding exercise and to develop the site for our new brand.
How did you select this vendor and what were the deciding factors?
Noble Studios was a client of ours so we knew the team previously. Due to this relationship, we were aware of their high standards and quality of work so they were our first pick as we began our rebranding process.
Describe the project in detail and walk through the stages of the project.
After a series of discovery meetings and brand strategy work, we receive 3 initial design themes for our site. Once we chose a theme, they built out several types of pages and we provided feedback through InDesign. As we finalized the page designs they also sourced an illustrator since we wanted to develop illustrations for our main landing pages. We also wanted photography for our secondary images further down on the page.
The team sourced 3 illustrators and 3 photographers and we chose the ones that felt like the best fit. They managed the process of illustration development and feedback, and we ended up with illustrations that we love. The illustrations were then beautifully incorporated into the site design.
How many resources from the vendor's team worked with you, and what were their positions?
In total we worked with 5 people, initially, we did our brand work with the head of the brand strategy. For the website project, we worked with the customer service manager, the project manager, the digital marketing manager, and the web designer.
Can you share any outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?
Their presentations were all very thorough and professional, throughout the process we were impressed with the high quality of work and communication. We have received continual positive feedback on our beautiful and well-designed site. At this point, it has only increased traffic slightly because lead generation wasn’t a priority when we developed the site. But since the pandemic hit we now need the site to be a lead generation tool since we can no longer able to have in-person meetings. So we are now working on updating the content so we can improve our SEO rankings while still protecting the integrity of the site.
How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?
The project manager was easy to communicate with and provided regular updates, revising the timeline as needed. All our correspondence was via zoom calls and e-mail since we are in different states. All deliverables were on time unless something came up that cause a delay and in those cases, it was communicated in a timely manner.
What did you find most impressive or unique about this company?
We were very impressed with the quality of the design and the team collaboration. Our site is the perfect combination of our brand style and color. Their creative team developed multiple logos for us to consider in our branding process and it was a very difficult decision because they were all amazing. We landed on one that we love and is a terrific representation of our brand.
Are there any areas for improvement or something they could have done differently?
We could have used more upfront support on making our copy SEO friendly, even though SEO wasn’t a priority in the initial development of the site, if it had been part of the design conversation it would have been less work for us in the back end. We are now having to rewrite content while protecting the design integrity which is a tricky task.
the project
Branding, Web Dev & Marketing for Tourism Organization
"Their adaptability and speed allowed them to come up with a highly creative and integrated campaign."
the reviewer
the review
A Clutch analyst personally interviewed this client over the phone. Below is an edited transcript.
Introduce your business and what you do there.
We’re the tourism organization for the Carson Valley, representing the communities of Genoa, Minden, Gardnerville, and Topaz. We’re in the Nevada side of Douglas County, and I’m the executive director.
What challenge were you trying to address with Noble Studios?
After the initial impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, we were moving towards recovery for the tourism industry, which was significantly impacted. We received money distributed to the state of Nevada and individual counties through the CARES Act Coronavirus Relief Fund (CRF).
As a result, we did a partnership with the Tahoe South tourism bureau and requested funding to put a campaign together to reinforce and communicate safe and open travel within our region (Douglas Country Nevada).
Overall, we wanted people to consider our area for their future planning (partly because, in many cases, it wasn’t the best time to travel immediately).
What was the scope of their involvement?
Our work with Noble Studios was a combination of brand messaging and communication, website development, advertising content, and more. Their initial work focused on the preparation and selection of the messages we have for our Sierra Safely campaign. We desired to communicate a message of responsible travel, and we wanted our target audience to dream about their ideal travel in the future.
As part of that, they created paid social media ads, YouTube videos, and digital display ads. Some of our ads were posted on platforms such as Expedia. On top of that, the team did some traditional outdoor billboard and radio campaigns, and we launched the campaigns in early October. After the project ended, they sent wrap-up final reports.
What is the team composition?
We primarily collaborated with six people, including Jarrod (CEO & Founder), Kimberly (VP of Client Services), B.C. (Managing Director), Danielle (Associate Director for Performance Marketing), Gabbi (Associate Creative Director), and Jodie (Director of Project Management). Many others behind the scenes deserve equal recognition for their key contributions.
How did you come to work with Noble Studios?
The project was approved by the county in late August 2020, and we signed a contract for creative design and campaign placement with Noble Studio on September 15, 2020. We did an RFP for this project because it involved funding at the federal level.
We selected Noble Studio, in part, because they presented a comprehensive campaign before we had even signed an agreement with them.
How much have you invested with them?
The campaign investment was $360,000, but we paid a proportionate share of that money to Noble Studios because of the website development and ad placement work.
What is the status of this engagement?
We worked together from September–December 2020.
What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?
As an example of the measurable results, there were 31 million impressions created through the campaign. For the market we were trying to reach, we had 3,600 website clicks, 15,800 social media ad clicks, and 5,600 online ad clicks. In addition, we had over 30,000 website visits and 77,600 video views. We also collected 130 email addresses of people who wanted to continue to hear from us.
As additional valued input, many consulting firms and tourism leaders recognized our campaign with Tahoe because we did a joint collaboration project on behalf of the whole community (instead of an older paradigm by competing with each other or initiating separate projects).
How did Noble Studios perform from a project management standpoint?
Noble Studios performed notably because they were all working from remote locations. Their ability to morph and effectively communicate and work with our internal teams was impressive — they never skipped a beat. They were all engaged in every single meeting that we had. On top of that, they always knew what was going on and were always capable of helping us with our needs.
Their team was committed to our project, and we met on a weekly basis as we developed and launched the campaign through Zoom. They helped to ensure we remained on point and followed the right strategy.
What did you find most impressive about them?
Their adaptability and speed allowed them to come up with a highly creative and integrated campaign. Above all, their excellent service to their customers was also notable.
Are there any areas they could improve?
No, I don’t have any specific feedback to share.
Do you have any advice for potential customers?
Noble Studios applies a great deal of creativity and thought to the campaigns they develop. Know that you have a capable team that can understand your circumstances and apply dynamic solutions. Let them do what they should do best, and exercise caution when you're tempted to follow a more familiar path. The ultimate collaboration should lead to much more than you can initially imagine. Trust and communicate with them.
the project
Rebranding, Web Design & Logo for Education Nonprofit
"Their passion to really understand our story was remarkable.”
the reviewer
the review
A Clutch analyst personally interviewed this client over the phone. Below is an edited transcript.
Introduce your business and what you do there.
I’m the CEO of an educational nonprofit. We train teachers on how to use gardens and hydroponic systems to teach STEM in schools across America.
What challenge were you trying to address with Noble Studios?
We needed help rebranding our company and redesigning our website.
What was the scope of their involvement?
First, we did a rebranding. We had several brainstorming discussions around our story and where we want to take the company. Afterward, we worked with their design team to redesign our WordPress website. In parallel with our web redesign, we worked with a third team to redesign our logo. They also worked on the SEO for our site.
What is the team composition?
We worked with a team of sixteen people, including BC (CCO), Somer (Solution Architect), Erin (Client Success Manager), Gabe (Project Manager), Jill (VP of Strategy), Christine (Senior Creative Designer), Razib (Creative Designer), Cody (Creative Designer), Stephanie (Creative Designer), Gabbi (Associate Creative Director), Will (Web Developer), and Stephen (Web Developer).
How did you come to work with Noble Studios?
We found them via a word-of-mouth referral. They’re based in Nevada and they seemed awesome.
How much have you invested with them?
We spent $116,000–$120,000.
What is the status of this engagement?
We started in April 2020, and we finished in December 2020.
What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?
They did an excellent job reflecting our branding and where we’re going. We’re confident we can grow into the brand they’ve created for us. We got very good feedback from our sponsors and our schools, too.
Initially, we weren’t crazy about the logo but they went back and re-did it till we were satisfied.
We have an area on our site where teachers go to show their students videos, which looks much better than before; teachers really like it.
How did Noble Studios perform from a project management standpoint?
They’re really great. We had a project manager and he always kept in touch with us. We met all the team members regularly. We communicated via Zoom.
What did you find most impressive about them?
Their passion to really understand our story was remarkable.
Are there any areas they could improve?
No, their process was very streamlined.
Do you have any advice for potential customers?
My advice is to hire them! It was a fun process. Re-branding can be a nerve-wracking experience. They didn’t shy away from it at all.
the project
Web Redesign for Nonprofit Overseas Education Organization
"They are a well-oiled machine with honed project management skills."
the reviewer
the review
The client submitted this review online.
Please describe your company and your position there.
I'm the University Relations/Marcom Director at USAC, a nonprofit study abroad organization with programs in over 50+ cities around the world.
For what projects/services did your company hire Noble Studios?
Project included: Sitemap, Wireframes, Design, Component library, Front-end integration.
What were your goals for this project?
- Improve conversion rate on applications and leads;
- Improve content and flow of information;
- Address common questions and reduce general email FAQs;
- Visually align with brand and a young (college-age) audience;
- Mobile-first design
How did you select Noble Studios?
We sent an RFP to three well-known and reputable firms in the Reno area. We ultimately chose Noble Studios due to their reputation, skill/expertise, prior working experience, and the fact that the owners and multiple other employees had studied abroad with our organization during their college years.
Our business is complicated and we felt that their study abroad experience would help in the process.
Describe the project in detail.
Once we selected the vendor, we had a series of discovery meetings. We were in the middle of updating our brand colors, fonts, etc, and they helped us refine that. As a matter of fact, they designed a colorwash feature that we ended up using in other marketing materials.
Prior to the RFP, we had completed user research and evaluated/edited our content so we produced a sitemap internally; however, we asked Noble Studios to review and validate it, as well as offer any suggestions for improvement.
Because we offer over 50 programs, the work focused on creating the framework of layouts, templates, and components that could later be used to build out individual program pages. We also requested a more robust, “mad-lib” search function.
What was the team composition?
Noble’s team comprised Client Success Manager, Project Manager, UI/UX Designer, Web Developer, Digital Marketing Manager, Digital Marketing Specialist and others behind the scenes.
Can you share any outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?
Post-launch customer surveys demonstrated that we met the goals for the project. Overall, the users like the more modern design and user experience.
How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?
We had weekly client meetings early on and then as indicated on the project timeline. They are pros with project management, and were flexible when we had to extend a few deadlines due to our very small internal team.
We also mutually agreed to extend the final handoff as we worked through bug fixes. Somer Athari, Client Success Manager, and Jarrod Lopiccolo, CEO, were available and open-minded when issues needed to be escalated.
What did you find most impressive about this company?
They are a well-oiled machine with honed project management skills. They are willing to listen and work through complications. Their design ideas matched our younger demo.
Are there any areas for improvement?
As with any complex project, inevitably there will be bumps in the road. My advice is to refine and tighten the scope of work so expectations are met on both sides, as well as ask clarifying questions along the way.
As an example, we should have been more specific on our criteria for responsiveness of the site. Our internal team also felt that the fixes for the final QC took longer than expected.
the project
Brand Identity & Digital Campaigns for Tourism Organization
“They expressed a real commitment to our success and were always looking out for our best interests.”
the reviewer
the review
A Clutch analyst personally interviewed this client over the phone. Below is an edited transcript.
Introduce your business and what you do there.
I’m the VP of sales and marketing at Ventura Visitors. We operate in the region between LA and San Francisco, along the coast of California. A lot of smaller DMOs, hotels, and attractions work together to market the region as a whole.
What challenge were you trying to address with Noble Studios?
We realized that, as members of the Central Coast Tourism Council, we weren’t effectively marketing to the east coast. Our mission was to increase our exposure and generate some sway in that region. We hired Noble Studios to serve as our marketing agency to fulfill it.
What was the scope of their involvement?
Noble Studios created a new brand identity for us. They did some research and realized that our tagline and logo weren’t resonating with the east coast market. They then generated creative content and assets for us to utilize on our digital platforms. These included landing pages and banner ads that target different audiences. They helped manage the backend of our website.
What is the team composition?
We had around 3 contacts.
How did you come to work with Noble Studios?
We put forward an RFP, and the members of the Central Coast Tourism Council all did their due diligence in increasing its exposure. There was a small committee that filtered through the responding vendors who shortlisted three companies. Noble Studios was among them, and upon interviewing them, we got a great impression. They were creative and enthusiastic, so we decided to go with them.
How much have you invested with them?
I believe we spent around $175,000 for their media buys, as well as their management.
What is the status of this engagement?
We selected them in early 2019 and launched in October of that year.
What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?
We were ecstatic with the results they drove. We saw a surge in digital traffic, with New York being the number one source. Thanks to their work, web traffic from the east coast exceeded regional and instate traffic.
Additionally, in most check-ins, Noble Studios delivered above and beyond what we thought we would be receiving from them.
How did Noble Studios perform from a project management standpoint?
They were excellent. They were always clear about a timeline and next steps. The team always made themselves available and responded quickly to questions or issues.
What did you find most impressive about them?
Having worked with a handful of agencies in my career, I felt that Noble Studios never came across as a typical agency. They were very available, responsive, and thorough in their deliverables. They expressed a real commitment to our success and were always looking out for our best interests.
Are there any areas they could improve?
No, not really. They presented a wide array of ideas to us, which we appreciated because it indicated how creative they were getting to increase our brand exposure. While this isn’t something we can fault them for, it felt frustrating at times because we didn’t have the additional funds to execute all their ideas.
Do you have any advice for potential customers?
Just be very clear about how much money you’re willing to spend. Set those expectations, because otherwise, they might come up with excellent ideas that are too expensive to execute.
the project
Web Design & Digital Marketing for Tourism Bureau
“Their teammates are experienced and tenured, making for seamless transitions with regard to staffing.”
the reviewer
the review
A Clutch analyst personally interviewed this client over the phone. Below is an edited transcript.
Introduce your business and what you do there.
We’re a traditional destination marketing and management organization that oversees marketing for a business improvement district. We’re a non-government nonprofit organization, and I’m the executive director.
What challenge were you trying to address with Noble Studios?
We acquired a URL with massive organic search value, so we wanted to search out a creative design agency for SEM, SEO, and maintenance.
What was the scope of their involvement?
They started the engagement with a site audit, informing our board that the site was strong and showcasing areas for further improvement. They optimized the current site with new content, repurposing it at a much lower cost than we would have been able to do otherwise.
We’ve leaned on them for SEO and PPC work. Their understanding and involvement with the site allowed us to reduce and eliminate our other marketing partner, so we could move all of our digital marketing and display advertising work to them. They’re assisting us with Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and Youtube. Additionally, our display advertising is programmatic and has been retargeted around on that.
What is the team composition?
We have four resources staffed to the project at any given time. That includes a client success manager, a PPC specialist, and a creative lead. There are also about two people working on the maintenance end of projects.
How did you come to work with Noble Studios?
There was an RFP that went out prior to my involvement in the organization. We were considering several agencies at the time, but many of them felt that we’d have to create an entirely new site. Their team was confident that we could retain our current site, without the costly undertaking of building a completely new platform. We ended up shifting our investment to their team because of their interests and successes in representing our organization.
What is the status of this engagement?
We’ve been working with them since about November 2015.
What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?
Our site has seen exponential growth over the last few years. We’re looking for a new hosting company because of how much our traffic and volume have increased. Clicks to the site and overall traffic have continued to improve. Since I arrived at the company two years ago, our organic and paid page views have increased by 40%. It’s great to see that continued growth on a mature domain and site. It’s been a team effort to accomplish that growth.
How did Noble Studios perform from a project management standpoint?
There’s great communication and are responsive when we run into issues. They’re a solutions-oriented team that keeps us focused on high-impact efforts. We appreciate that.
What did you find most impressive about them?
Their teammates are experienced and tenured, making for seamless transitions with regard to staffing. There’s a true feeling of partnership and ownership when working with them. They feel like an extension of our team.
Are there any areas they could improve?
They’re adaptive, especially during the pandemic. We appreciate their willingness to say no when we suggest something that isn’t in our best interest.
Do you have any advice for potential customers?
They have several different areas of talent.
the project
Paid Media Strategy & Execution for B2B Software Company
"They’re willing to go the extra mile with us to make sure the partnership is strong and that the results are there."
the reviewer
the review
A Clutch analyst personally interviewed this client over the phone. Below is an edited transcript.
Introduce your business and what you do there.
I run our paid social media programs. We’re a B2B company that sells software to the infrastructure space. Our products help engineers, architects, and designers, design, build, and manage their assets within major infrastructure projects.
What challenge were you trying to address with Noble Studios?
There were two challenges. First, was we needed to scale our team. Second, we wanted to bring in an outside perspective to keep our in-house team appraised of what other companies and outside vendors are doing from a paid media perspective.
What was the scope of their involvement?
They do paid media management for three of our business areas. Specifically, their work revolves around media strategy, execution, and reporting for social ads, display ads, and SEM.
What is the team composition?
Three people are directly supporting us.
How did you come to work with Noble Studios?
I’ve known the folks at Noble for a very long time, dating back to 2011 or 2012 when I worked with a previous company. I never worked with them directly there, but when I came to my company and decided that an agency was going to provide the best path to scaling our paid media activities, I thought of Noble and their industry experience. They went through a rigorous RFP process and came out on top.
How much have you invested with them?
We’ve spent around $60,000–$90,000.
What is the status of this engagement?
We’ve been working together since May 2019.
What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?
We’ve been working with them for over one year and I’m very glad we went with them. Their work is very intertwined with ours as an organization so it would be tricky to attribute our success directly to them. But, on a recent collaboration, we dramatically increased the number of leads per week we received due to agile marketing, which Noble Studios has been a strong partner on.
How did Noble Studios perform from a project management standpoint?
They’re strong in this regard, but we also had to work with them from time to time to ensure we’re all aligned. There are a lot of moving pieces so we have to have seamless communication. Their management is phenomenal overall. One place we’re working with them on is streamlining communications around that project management to scale, as we increase our scope of work with them.
What did you find most impressive about them?
Three things come to mind. The first two are skill and expertise, no doubt. Those things can exist in many organizations but what really sets Noble apart is their commitment to client success. They’re willing to go the extra mile with us to make sure the partnership is strong and that the results are there.
Are there any areas they could improve?
The only issue is minor — and, to be clear, they’re already working with us on this. As I mentioned, we have to continue to refine our communication around project management as we scale our engagement.
Do you have any advice for potential customers?
To have the most success, be open and honest and treat them like a part of your team. That broadly applies to any agency relationship, but with their strong talent and personable approach, it rings particularly true. A company that’s walled off or works in a once-removed relationship with an outside agency won’t have a ton of success, I don’t think.
the project
SEO, SEM & Content Marketing for Fintech Data Platform
"They provide a thorough, high-quality job every time."
the reviewer
the review
A Clutch analyst personally interviewed this client over the phone. Below is an edited transcript.
Introduce your business and what you do there.
I’m the senior director of a fintech data aggregation platform.
What challenge were you trying to address with Noble Studios?
Noble Studios was brought on for random projects before I joined the company. The current role they provide is that they were brought on for SEO and SEM efforts for our website on a full yearly contract. There are different projects that come up that we give them, but that’s the main one.
What was the scope of their involvement?
They make sure everything is run correctly from a technological standpoint. They manage our Google Analytics and report every month on how our site is doing. They manage our SEO, tracking our site, proposing a list of up to 500 keywords that we’re interested in, and suggest content to drive that search engine traffic.
They also manage our SEM ads. They suggest what to create, write the copy, and then we take the actual copy in-house, approve it, and send it back to them to post. They also manage our blog writing efforts.
Also, they test our site for optimization and for conversion. Other projects they’ve done on the side are things like they redesigned our website last year on Drupal.
What is the team composition?
We deal with at least three people each week with Meghan (Client Success Manager) as our main point of contact.
How did you come to work with Noble Studios?
I don’t know how they were initially brought on for projects because it was before my time, but they did such a great job so I brought them on for SEO and SEM work.
How much have you invested with them?
We’ve spent upwards of $500,000.
What is the status of this engagement?
We began work in July 2015 on other random projects, and the relationship is ongoing.
What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?
They substantially improved our SEO performance, SEM performance, and conversions on our site from traffic to leads. These are the main metrics we look at when assessing their performance and they’ve continually surpassed their past performance year over year.
How did Noble Studios perform from a project management standpoint?
Their communication and ability to meet our deadlines are great. Meghan has been fantastic at ensuring excellent communication and timeliness. They’ve also had excellent consistency without people moving in and out of our project.
What did you find most impressive about them?
They have a pod arrangement. We interact with three people, but they have a pod behind them who have other expertise that can help their work. Because of this system, whenever they come back with a recommendation it’s thorough and well thought out.
Are there any areas they could improve?
No, I don’t have any areas of improvement.
Do you have any advice for potential customers?
You get what you pay for. The quote might be higher than you like but it’s because they provide a thorough, high-quality job every time.
Noble Studios has helped evolve the client’s branding and digital marketing campaign by creating a workable array of visual assets. The team is well-coordinated and has a good instinct for how frequently to communicate with the client. They are creative thinkers who can adapt to any budget level.