HOW WE ENGAGE
The workroom — formats, not packages
Clickvault Nest works with founders, marketing leads and communications managers across Singapore and South-East Asia. Engagements are scoped in writing after a first conversation — there are no pre-set tiers on this site and no comparison table with ticks. What follows are four formats we use often, described so you can recognise which one fits your situation.
Every format produces named artefacts: documents, frameworks, calendars, direction notes, briefs. Every format names who from the studio is in the room and what rhythm the work follows. None of them promises a commercial outcome; marketing depends on too many variables outside any studio's control. The Sequence page describes how work moves through phases once an engagement starts.
DISCOVERY SPRINT
Discovery sprint
What it suits. A leadership team that knows something is unclear — positioning, narrative, message order — but does not yet have the internal alignment to run a full project. A new product or market entry where the argument is still being debated. An organisation that wants a written recommendation before committing to a longer engagement.
Who is involved. A strategy lead from the studio runs the sprint, with creative direction and editorial input where the brief requires it. Your side needs a decision-maker available for two working sessions and colleagues who speak to customers.
What is produced. Typically a positioning recommendation or a draft message hierarchy — one primary artefact, not six. A short read-out document that states options, trade-offs and our recommendation. A suggested scope for what would follow if you continue.
Rhythm and end. A short burst of interviews and reading, two structured sessions, one revision round, a handover meeting. The sprint ends with documents you own and a clear yes-or-no on whether to proceed into a project or retainer.
PROJECT
Project
What it suits. A defined body of work with a beginning and an end: a repositioning, a launch, a brand system for a new division, a campaign architecture for a named initiative. Something that can be described in a scope document and signed off in phases.
Who is involved. A project lead coordinates strategy, creative direction, editorial and design direction as the scope requires. Specialists join for specific disciplines — see the Disciplines page. Your project owner attends reviews and resolves internal approvals.
What is produced. Whatever the scope lists — often a chain from positioning through narrative, creative platform, channel plan and handover documentation. Deliverables are named in the agreement, not implied.
Rhythm and end. Work follows the five-phase Sequence: Listen, Frame, Draft, Direct, Hand over. Reviews at phase boundaries. The project ends at handover, with files organised and a working session for your in-house team. A later review point can be written into the scope if useful.
RETAINER
Retainer
What it suits. A team that needs ongoing senior input — editorial calendar stewardship, periodic campaign planning, creative direction for recurring output — without hiring a full-time head of brand. Organisations with steady comms volume and a stable internal producer who needs an external methodical partner.
Who is involved. A retained lead from the studio, with the same discipline specialists engaged as needed. A single counterpart on your side who prioritises requests and attends a regular working session.
What is produced. Agreed in the retainer letter: often monthly editorial planning, quarterly narrative reviews, campaign briefs as initiatives arise, ad-hoc direction notes. Output is planned in cycles, not ad hoc firefighting unless the letter says otherwise.
Rhythm and end. A fixed cadence — commonly a monthly session and async document review — with clear boundaries on volume. Retainers renew by mutual agreement; either side can end with notice written in the letter. Handover documentation is produced if the retainer ends.
ADVISORY
Advisory
What it suits. A founder or CMO who wants a senior second opinion: review a brief before it goes to an agency, stress-test positioning before a board meeting, sit in on a pitch evaluation. Work that needs judgement and language, not a full production pipeline.
Who is involved. Usually one senior strategist or creative director from the studio, named in the agreement. Your leadership team provides material and attends sessions.
What is produced. Marked-up documents, meeting notes with decisions captured, occasional short memos. Advisory rarely produces net-new brand systems; it sharpens what you already have or what you are about to buy.
Rhythm and end. Scheduled sessions or on-call windows as agreed — described in words in the scope, not sold as hourly blocks on this site. Advisory ends when the agreed number of sessions or review cycles is complete, or when the letter term expires.
What we need from you
Every format works better with a decision-maker in the room — someone who can approve direction without a week of internal circulation. We need access to the people who talk to customers, not only the people who write strategy decks. Honest constraints help: markets you will not enter, claims you cannot make, timelines that are fixed because of regulation or product release.
We need existing material, however rough: websites, pitch decks, sales one-pagers, brand guidelines from a previous agency, internal wiki pages. We need a named project owner who replies within a reasonable window and who can resolve disagreements on your side. We do not need a polished brief before the first conversation; we need willingness to answer direct questions.
For work that crosses time zones, we need clarity on which hours overlap and which meetings must be in person at the shophouse on Jalan Pinang versus on video. South-East Asia is our usual geography; other regions are possible when the scope accounts for time difference in the working rhythm.
What we do not do
We do not take on media buying execution; we plan channels and write briefs for the team that runs campaigns.
We do not produce daily social posting as anonymous content farm work; editorial systems yes, unmanaged volume no.
We do not act as a substitute for legal, financial or investment advice; our output is marketing and communications craft.
To start a conversation, email [email protected] with a short note about your organisation and what feels unclear. For address, phone and studio hours, see Directions. For questions about scope and handover, the Briefing page goes further.