and action | animation studio

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the CEO of a food & beverage company 

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Website design, online ordering, and delivery fulfillment for restaurants and eateries.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire and action to accomplish?

• Create (3) animated videos :20 - :30 seconds in length.

SOLUTION

How did you find and action?

• Referral
• 7-Eleven Commercial

Why did you select and action over others?

• Great culture fit
• Company values aligned

How many teammates from and action were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

Describe the scope of work in detail. Please include a summary of key deliverables.

Key Deliverables: 

1. :30 second branded and animated video targeted at recruiting restaurants/clients to sign up for our services 
2. :20 second branded and animated video targeted at recruiting delivery drivers to become a delivery driver for our company 
3. :20 second branded and animated video target at getting most customers to place takeout & delivery orders via our company's app/marketplace

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What were the measurable outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

And action's defined scope of work, project deadlines and understanding of our brand demonstrate success to me. We have not yet fully implemented the videos into our marketing, branding and messaging campaigns yet, but we are thrilled with the videos that they created.

Describe their project management. Did they deliver items on time? How did they respond to your needs?

Their project management is remarkable, easy to understand, and exemplary. Our methods of communicating with them was a combination of email, video chat, and messaging. They set aggressive timelines, met the timeless, and exceeded our expectations across the board.

What was your primary form of communication with and action?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

What did you find most impressive or unique about this company?

Their attention to detail and understanding of my brand was world-class. Their company culture and commitment to excellence and quality is unlike any agency I've worked with in 15+ years of operating my company. We enjoyed everything about working with them.

Are there any areas for improvement or something and action could have done differently?

The only thing that could potentially be different would be to have a method/tool to provide feedback in a more streamlined way. Sometimes I provided feedback in a document, sometimes on a video, and often via email. I wouldn't say it could be improved, but there might be a method or tool to leave more streamlined feedback in a super consistent way.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the CSO of a software company

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

We provide cross-functional engineering team’s assistance in software development to tech-oriented companies.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire and action to accomplish?

• Create a new brand identity for the company
• Differentiate the company from others by creating a distinctive brand identity.

SOLUTION

How did you find and action?

Referral

Why did you select and action over others?

• Close to my geographic location
• Great culture fit
• Referred to me
• Company values aligned

How many teammates from and action were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

What was your primary form of communication with and action?

• In-Person Meeting
• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

Describe the scope of work in detail. Please include a summary of key deliverables.

The scope of work for the branding project for us included the following: 

• Discovery Phase: The agency conducted research to understand our target audience, competitors, and market trends. This phase also involved identifying our unique value proposition and brand personality. Brand 
• Visual Strategy: Based on the insights gathered during the discovery phase, the agency developed a brand strategy that included messaging and visual identity. 
• Visual Identity: The agency created a new logo, color palette, typography, and imagery that reflected our brand personality and differentiated it from competitors. 
• Brand Guidelines: The agency developed a comprehensive set of brand guidelines that outlined how the new branding should be used across all touchpoints, including digital and print media. 
• Key Deliverables: The key deliverables for the project included the new logo, color palette, typography, imagery, and brand guidelines.

 Overall, the agency's goal was to create a distinctive brand identity for our that would help it stand out in a crowded market and resonate with its target audience.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What were the measurable outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

• Consistent brand messaging and visual language, Increased brand awareness, Improved brand perception

Describe their project management. Did they deliver items on time? How did they respond to your needs?

I was thoroughly impressed with And Action Agency's project management team. They delivered the project on time and maintained clear communication throughout the process. They also allowed room for creativity, which resulted in a final product that exceeded my expectations. I am extremely satisfied with the outcome.

What did you find most impressive or unique about this company?

And Action Agency's emphasis on creativity and clear communication was impressive and unique. Moreover, their exceptional culture fit with our organization made the collaboration process seamless and enjoyable.

Are there any areas for improvement or something {provider_name} could have done differently?

none

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Global Marketing Campaign Manager of SoftServe

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

We are a global technology software provider specializing in consulting services, software development and advance technologies.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire and action to accomplish?

• We reframe an existing technology solution video to an Agriculture industry context
• Create a video with a story that directly implies the savings of time and fluid operations of equipment through technology SoftServe enables
• Produce a video about our technology solution features and benefits applied to an Agriculture broader challenges

SOLUTION

How did you find and action?

• Referral

Why did you select and action over others?

Company values aligned

What was the size of and action’s team?

2-5 Employees

Describe the scope of work in detail. Please include a summary of key deliverables.

The idea of creating this video is to show our Reskill solution in an Agriculture context. The main purpose is to reframe the existing Reskill video (currently in Manufacturing context) to an Agriculture approach. The purpose is to use this video with our Agr customers and also promote with new prospects like larger equipment suppliers in Ag. Service: 

Creation of Audiovisual work – Video Clip:

• Preparatory services
• Clip filming services
• Clip voice-over services
• Clip edition services
• Clip recording services 

We have received the following deliverables: 

1. Final video with graphics – no subtitles
2. Final video with graphics – pro resolution
3. Final video with graphics - subtitles
4. Final video with no graphics – pro resolution
5. Video snippet for social media

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What were the measurable outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

• We use this video in many of our own and paid media channels. We had good response and conversation about it:
• Web page: https://demo.softserveinc.com/reskill/
• Social Post: https://www.linkedin.com/posts/softserve_transform-your-farming-operations-activity-7038857053091598336-23Ri/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop
• Also, this video was reproduced in our on-site booth at the World Agri Tech Innovation Summit: https://www.linkedin.com/posts/softserve_softserve-at-2023-world-agri-tech-innovation-activity-7046457838616915969--ycu/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop

Describe their project management. Did they deliver items on time? How did they respond to your needs?

The project management was super clear since the beginning, even thought we had different time zones, the team did a great job in organize and communicate all the updates, actions and next steps.

What was your primary form of communication with and action?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

What did you find most impressive or unique about this company?

They are professionals in what they do, they advice us based in their knowledge and experience even when we had different point of views. I really appreciated their honesty and openness to listen to our ideas and criteria.They are super creatives and problem solvers.

Are there any areas for improvement or something and action could have done differently?

All good from my end :)

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the HR Marketing Manager of SQUAD

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

We are a research and delivery team working on the latest smart home security/IoT products.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire and action to accomplish?

• Highlight the brand message in the spring campaign in video format.
• Making resizes of the leading video with a message about open positions in our company.

SOLUTION

How did you find and action?

Referral

Why did you select and action over others?

• Close to my geographic location
• Great culture fit
• Good value for cost
• Referred to me

What was the size of and action’s team?

2-5 Employees

Describe the scope of work in detail. Please include a summary of key deliverables.

And action is enjoyable to work with. The very first project we made together was shooting a video in different locations in Ukraine. From the and action side was made the following:

• briefing
• scriptwriting
• location scouting
• working with vendors (actress, voice actress, etc.)
• recommendations for the shooting
• planning and arranging the shooting
• montaging the video
• graphics and animation for the video
• sound design and color correction
• making the resize into small videos for social media

We were happy with the results and our cooperation with and action. Their team is very responsive, initiative, and professional. We end up making four video projects together with different complexity for the past year. Isn't it an indicator of a great collaboration? :)

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What were the measurable outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

• The state of the video ond C level approvals
• Reach in SM and conversion rate in the campaign with the video.
• Meeting deadlines

Describe their project management. Did they deliver items on time? How did they respond to your needs?

Overall nothing to complain about. And action is very professional, and they care about the quality of work, meeting deadlines, and being on the same page with the client. Their project management process is transparent. The tools they use to collaborate with the client are user-friendly and convenient. Communication went smoothly. I appreciate their enthusiasm and initiative!

What was your primary form of communication with and action?

Virtual Meeting

What did you find most impressive or unique about this company?

And action is the team that is eager to understand their client's needs. Then, once it's done, the collaboration will please you as a customer. They are ready to do the research and offer you the best ways to solve your problem as a business. They are prepared to work under very tight deadlines (or we were just lucky:)). I'd recommend working with and action if you are looking for a trustworthy, skilled, and creative team.

Are there any areas for improvement or something and action could have done differently?

We had an inner retrospective on our joint projects but couldn't find any critical things for improvement. Of course, there is always room for improvement, but I leave it up to the and action team as we couldn't develop an idea:)

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m an internal communications lead at Inchcape, an automotive distribution company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with and action?

We needed to create a new video for our data analytics department.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

and action produced an animation video for us. We initially planned the content draft and how the video would look. Then, they helped us put together a script and created a storyboard. They also did the voiceovers, illustrations, editing, and audio mixing. All in all, they did everything for us; we only needed to approve stuff. Ultimately, they delivered the final animation.

What is the team composition?

We were in contact with the project manager and the creative director, but I’m sure they had animators, copywriters, illustrators, and other team members working on the project.

How did you come to work with and action?

We found them online. We saw their previous references, and liked them, especially because they could help us with video animation, direction, project management, copywriting, and voiceovers.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent $25,000–$27,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked together from April–November 2022.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

They delivered a special animation to communicate what we do, and it was a great addition to our work. We were glad they created such a special contribution, and our team loved it.

How did and action perform from a project management standpoint?

They delivered on time and on budget. Moreover, they were flexible. We communicated through email.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They were really customer-oriented, so what they did was unique.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, there wasn’t anything to improve.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

You have to think through what you want because creating videos is a strict process; you can’t just change things as it goes.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

SoftServe is an IT company based in Ukraine. I am a functional manager, and I drive all of the marketing activities related to our department.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with and action?

We wanted to make a recruitment promo video for our department and our data science team.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

The and action team created a video that was central to our recruitment campaign. We collaborated on the scenario and worked together to cast actors from the shortlist that we already had. Their production team did all of the filming and editing. In the end, they provided us with a video that was ready for promotion.

What is the team composition?

We worked with four people: the CEO, the director, the person who created the scenario, and an operational director. There were more than 15 people involved in the production and postproduction activities

How did you come to work with and action?

We had already worked on a lot of projects with and action, so when our department needed a video for this campaign, we reached out to them again. We had already seen the quality of their work, so we trusted that they could deliver on that level again.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent around $12,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working on this project in March 2021, and it was completed in October 2021.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We have yet to get metrics that speak to the impact of and action’s work. We have, however, received really positive feedback about the video. It helped us confidently step into this campaign, which is a whole new direction for our department. 

It was a pleasure to work with their team. They were very professional, and we’re so glad that we decided to go with their team. If we have ideas for another marketing campaign or when we have a need to shoot another video, we will contact them again.

How did and action perform from a project management standpoint?

It was a big project, so we cooperated with and action on all of the organizational tasks. We used Asana to track all of our deadlines — which they were able to meet — and Telegram, Zoom, and phone calls to communicate. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

It was my first time working closely with a video production team, and I can say that everything was so exciting to me. It was a great experience.

Are there any areas they could improve?

As this was a new project for me, I found a lot of steps rather puzzling. It would be good for them to provide an orientation on the video production process and stages, especially to clients who have no prior knowledge about it.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

You can rely on the and action team for anything related to video production. They are one of the best teams in Ukraine, and they will creatively implement any idea you may have.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there?

I work for Assai Software Services B.V. as a marketing executive. Our company sells software about document control and management to industries such as oil and gas as well as engineering.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with AND ACTION?

We went through a rebrand to modernize our brand so we needed to have an explainer video created.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We gave them our new brand guidelines and script. After that, they created storyboards and animation, got the voice-over artists, and provided English and Russian video translations. Overall, they designed, produced, and edited a 90-second animated explainer video.

On top of that, they gave us two shortened versions of the video: 15-second and 6-second videos. The video was primarily used for marketing, to explain our company and the benefits of our services. On LinkedIn, we used the video's short version to direct people to YouTube for the full version.

What is the team composition?

We had one point of contact at a time; we had to change our primary contact in the midst of the project, so we worked with two people in total.

How did you come to work with AND ACTION?

One of my colleagues knew their CEO.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent $2,300.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked together from June–July 2021.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

It would be too soon to share statistics or metrics. However, the video that we posted on LinkedIn gained positive feedback. We were able to secure our highest LinkedIn engagement rate ever with more than 1,000 views.

We would also post the video on our website once we launch it. We look forward to collaborating with AND ACTION on future video projects, as well as with our e-learning course currently being developed.

How did AND ACTION perform from a project management standpoint?

AND ACTION did a fantastic job. They were extremely responsive, and they provided us with clear answers and solutions. We communicated via video calls, and we used emails for the majority of the project.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They produced great quality of work while working within our budget. We weren’t sure what we would get for our tight budget, but they did an excellent job. In addition, despite not being able to fully explain what we wanted, they quickly understood our vision.

We were pleasantly surprised at how they completely matched our expectations and desires. Overall, we had a very positive experience with AND ACTION, unlike the previous engagements we had with other vendors that were in a different country than us.

Are there any areas they could improve?

AND ACTION needs to improve their visibility in the market. If someone in our company wasn’t connected to them, I didn’t think we would’ve found them for our project.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Have a clear project to work on, and they will do the rest.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I work for a convenience retailer in Hawaii. We operate 65 convenience stores, and because we’re a separate licensee, we make our own buying and operating decisions. All of our stores are corporately owned so we don’t have any franchisees. I’m the marketing manager, and I’m responsible for our company’s marketing activities.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with AND ACTION?

Previously, we had plastic cups for our fountain drinks. Then, we decided we were going to launch paper cups as substitutes for plastic cups. We’d offer new locally-inspired designs which featured many Hawaii-themed elements such as indigenous fruits on some of the cup sizes.

However, we were anticipating getting some negative feedback based on the customers who may not enjoy their drinking experience as much due to the size of the drink and the speed at which the material would disintegrate. To show the people of Hawaii that we would be there for them, we wanted AND ACTION to create two commercials for our fountain drinks. The commercials would create excitement and serve as a way to introduce our new cups.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

AND ACTION provided the entire storyline for our animated commercials. Both commercials were completely different, and it was outlined in the proposal that the team gave us.  The pre-production materials they needed from us were also written in the outline. In the end, they submitted two separate commercials in different aspect ratios. As a result, we received a total of four videos.

What is the team composition?

Five people from AND ACTION worked on our project. However, we only communicated with Vitalii (Co-Founder) and Khrystyna (Co-Owner).

How did you come to work with AND ACTION?

We posted a brief of our project so that creators around the world could submit their treatments and proposals. We provided information about the different cup designs we had. Then, we went into more detail about what we were looking for.

AND ACTION stood out the most because they did research as to why consumers were drinking our fountain drinks. They provided background information that went beyond featuring Hawaii as a paradise. On top of that, they provided storyboards so we could clearly see what they were going to do. 

How much have you invested with them?

We spent $9,700.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked from April–June 2021.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We don’t have any measurable metrics because our campaign would be live next month. We just wanted to work with them ahead of schedule just in case we ran out of our existing cup inventory. That way, we could launch the commercial at any time. Not a lot of eyes had seen the commercials, but everyone who saw it had been satisfied with what they saw. 

How did AND ACTION perform from a project management standpoint?

The biggest thing about working with AND ACTION was their exceptional communication skills. Every single time we asked them for anything, they’d get changes done the next day. On top of that, we were impressed with their ability to grasp our Hawaii-themed concept in a global way.

We used a portal to share our files and keep everything documented. They also had a staff who oversaw the whole process and would reach out to us if they had any questions. They were on top of their deadlines, and they were very clear about their timelines. If for some reason they couldn’t make it, they always updated the timeline in the portal, and they gave us their reasons.

Additionally, whenever we met AND ACTION, they’d always ask for feedback to help them improve and work better. However, I didn’t really have anything to say because they were great. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

Despite not working with them physically and not having much control over the process, their proactiveness in updating us made the project a success. We didn’t have to worry if things were getting done. We knew that they were on our side, and they were looking out for both of our interests. Most of all, we knew that they wanted to put out something that we were all happy with. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, I don’t think so. We had a great experience with AND ACTION.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Provide visual examples of what you want them to create. If there’s anything that you’d like to change or if the style that they provide is not exactly what you’re looking for, just give them your insights. That way, they can understand where you’re coming from and change everything accordingly. AND ACTION has the capability to go beyond cultural differences if you provide them with a baseline they can connect with.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the founder and CEO of WHITE Dental Group. We sell dental implants all over Ukraine. I’m responsible for the brand’s marketing and distribution.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with AND ACTION?

We were trying to support our customers during the COVID-19 pandemic. Our goal was to produce a video that would show the difficulties and challenges of being a dentist, but also how it’s sometimes great to be one. We wanted to promote our company through the video and show our customers that we appreciated and cared about what they were doing.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

AND ACTION was in charge of the video production. They went through all of the process — copywriting, research, creating the concept, and doing the technical work. It was a full, complex scope.

To develop the idea, we had a lot of research involved. We first gave them some basic information so they’d get a look. They checked with different customers to find pain points. After they got that together, they proposed a few ideas, and we reviewed them and chose one.

What is the team composition?

It was close to eight people. Since it was a video production, there were a lot of people involved, like the cameramen and such. They had a creative director who was responsible for casting and copywriting. The two cameramen were responsible for the technical aspects, and the project manager oversaw the team.

How did you come to work with AND ACTION?

It was through a recommendation. The people who recommended them to us knew the type of company we expected.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent exactly $12,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them in March 2020, and the project was finished in June 2020.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The video got 55,000 views on YouTube, which is quite an important metric for us. The benchmark in the dental field was a maximum of 20,000, so we got twice the number of views and a lot of reactions and comments from customers. That was great feedback.

How did AND ACTION perform from a project management standpoint?

They were very professional. They’re great at delegating tasks across the team. Because of COVID-19, we communicated mainly through Zoom calls. We also exchanged a lot of briefs and paperwork because the project required lots of documents.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their capacity to propose a full service. They didn’t ask me what they had to do, they took the initiative. Their creativity and ability to come up with an idea were the key points for me. The production was excellent, but they stood out for their creative process.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They’re quite expensive for Ukrainian markets, but that’s the only point. I could say it’s a disadvantage, but it’s fine. I just wish we could do more projects with them, but it’s not a possibility at this moment, especially right now.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

You should understand and evaluate the research you’re doing and trust it. Let them do their job. Do not conform with what you think and have in your reach; instead, work with them to find the best possible idea to suit your customers.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I was a project manager for a recruitment project at Ukrainian Leadership Academy. It’s the biggest NGO in Ukraine working with teenagers after school, helping them to have a productive transition between school and university. I was in charge of creative work and promotion for a recruitment campaign.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with AND ACTION?

When the COVID-19 pandemic struck, we weren’t able to conduct any offline recruitment as we’d usually do. In previous years, we’d go to schools around the country and work with students directly, but we had no way of doing that this year. We had to make an online campaign, and we also wanted to target a different audience. We usually worked with more extroverted students, and we wanted to get some smart introverted ones this time.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

AND ACTION conducted a brief research with our potential students, based on which they drafted the creative concept of the campaign. They developed the key visuals and adapted those for different online channels. They also made a promotional video to be used on a few platforms, including social media and our website.

What is the team composition?

We worked with their CEO and with the creative director. We weren’t in touch with any other employees.

How did you come to work with AND ACTION?

They were recommended to us by another organization. Given that it was during the lockdown, we were looking for people who could create graphic videos, not just live-action ones. AND ACTION had a strong and modern portfolio, encompassing different styles and approaches. They were willing to experiment, and so were we, so it was a perfect fit.

How much have you invested with them?

The cost was below $10,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with AND ACTION in March 2020 and the project finished in June, after which we rolled out the campaign.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Our team was satisfied with AND ACTION’s work. It was the first time we’d tried to do a whole campaign properly, and we liked this experience a lot. We received the same number of applications as in the previous year, which was important for us given the uncertainty caused by COVID-19. The online campaign worked as well as our previous offline ones, and the students who participated in the program were touched by the key visuals and the promotional video. The quality was very high.

How did AND ACTION perform from a project management standpoint?

They were ahead of the deadline, so we were happy with the time management. AND ACTION always proposed different ways of doing things, and they were proactive in asking for feedback. We felt that they were really interested in the project, and weren’t just working as an external team. They met all our deadlines and expectations. We communicated through Zoom and messengers. The project wasn’t that long, so we didn’t need to use Trello or any other scrum tools.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Creative agencies will usually just listen to the client and won’t be willing to push them to different ideas. AND ACTION brought some ideas that we weren’t ready for at first, but they proved to us that those would work better. They were persuasive in a good way, and they proposed very innovative graphic styles that we hadn’t considered in the beginning. They engaged in a professional discussion and didn’t just do what the client wanted. Their aim was to make us better.

Are there any areas they could improve?

After we had the script and everything else approved, we had 2–3 weeks of quiet time during which they made the video, and we didn’t receive any updates on how things were going. There was no communication, and we were a bit nervous. Communication during the project is something that could maybe be improved.

Do you have any advice for future clients of theirs?

They should trust AND ACTION, relax, and enjoy the project. They really do everything in order to give the client the results they need.