Groove Jones

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the senior brand manager in the marketing department of Rinnai America Corporation. We sell tankless water heaters in the U.S. and Canada.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Groove Jones?

After developing a new product to improve the installation process for plumbers and contractors, we wanted a unique, interactive way to demonstrate the product’s benefits.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Groove Jones developed a virtual reality (VR) platform to engage, entertain, and educate our customers. It uses Vive goggles to let users feel like they’re in a different environment.

While the platform was initially intended for a single product tour, we were so impressed that we decided to utilize it during tradeshows, as well. Ethan (Senior Interactive Produce, Groove Jones) accompanied us to several events and helped setup our booth and engage customers.

What is the team composition?

One of the principals came in to highlight their capabilities. From there, I had one point of contact.

How did you come to work with Groove Jones?

We could tell they understood our product and were capable of developing a fun, interactive presentation.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent between $50,000-$199,999.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked together between September–December 2017.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Feedback was phenomenal from both customers and employees. The VR platform added a new layer to our tradeshow presentation, improving lead generation by 50% over previous years.

How did Groove Jones perform from a project management standpoint?

They were top-notch. They met every deadline, quickly executed any change requests, and contacted us immediately by phone if they had any questions.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They took time to understand our company and our products. Ethan went above and beyond to engage with our customers and employees, essentially functioning as part of our team. They were a great partner.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Nothing comes to mind.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

You’d be wise to hire them.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the senior campaign manager of corporate marketing for a smart window startup company. We create a glass that tints itself dynamically based on user input or the weather.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Groove Jones?

Our product is experiential, so the best way to understand how it works is to see it in action. We sell throughout the United States and Canada; not every one of our sales has an installation where we can take people to. We began brainstorming the possibility of demonstrating our product using virtual reality at these locations.

We didn’t want to use computer-generated simulations. We wanted to show off these real installations in a fun and fascinating way. We needed someone to develop a virtual reality (VR) demonstration for us.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We worked on multiple projects with them. We’ve done projects on the Samsung Gear VR platform, HTC VIVE platform, and Google Cardboard platform. We continue to evolve with Samsung Gear VR and Google Cardboard platforms, but only did a one project using HTC VIVE.

We came to them with the issue and problem. Then we described how we’d like to showcase our product. They handled all the technological work for our projects without our assistance. We let them manage the technical aspects because they’re the experts.

What is the team composition?

Their team scaled up and down based on the project that we were working on, which is always nice. Our initial project was a medium sized project. When we worked on HTC VIVE for a full experience, the team was much larger. In contrast, the Google Cardboard project is rather small.

How did you come to work with Groove Jones?

We interviewed a few companies across the U.S. Groove Jones came to our attention through an executive on our board of directors. We loved the way they felt as a partner. They really listened to what we had to say. They didn’t try to push the technology that they wanted.

All of the examples they showed us were amazing. We really felt a connection with Dan [Partner, Groove Jones], Gary [Executive Producer & Partner, Groove Jones] and Dale [Executive Creative Director, Groove Jones].

How much have you invested with them?

We spent around $250,000 on our initial project and $400,000 on the second one. We’ve had two projects since then, costing us $50,000-$100,000.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Originally, we weren’t sure if VR would showcase our product in the way we wanted, but it turned out great. In late 2016, we conducted a review of our initial VR project. Our sales team noted it as the number one sales tool they had, especially for new and prospective clients. It acts as a great icebreaker. While people are enthralled in the VR experience, they’re actively learning about our company and product.

We first used it at a conference in 2016 for the American Institute of Architects; it increased our booth traffic by 20%. On the second and third days of the conference, word spread that we had an awesome VR experience, so more people started visiting our booth.

How did Groove Jones perform from a project management standpoint?

We mutually decided on review dates and a final deadline. Some of those review dates moved around, but we’re typically flexible with our work schedule. They are always timely with work. 

We have 24 hours to review their work, but it usually takes us 48 to 72 hours to reach an internal consensus on something. We're often the reason we fall behind schedule, not them. We've never missed a big deadline such as an app release or attending a conference.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their key strength is their modest team size. We consistently work with the same project managers and developers. They also send out the same people to offer technical support at conferences. We know who to go to because of this consistency. They know the product, so we don’t have to bring anyone else up to speed. We’ve enjoyed running ideas by them; they put proposals together for us without difficulty.

Are there any areas they could improve?

The HTC VIVE program virtually captured how the product works pretty well, but not perfectly. This is the only area they could improve upon, but it was a learning opportunity for all of us. We learned that it’s best to shoot on platforms that show real video versus VIVE, which uses animation.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Be as upfront as possible about your product’s strengths and weaknesses. They have advertising capabilities, so they can produce VR content in a way that showcases your product optimally.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Marketing Specialist of Henry B. Tippie National Aviation Education Center

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

The Henry B. Tippie National Aviation Education Center (NAEC), located at the Dallas Executive Airport, provides hands-on learning opportunities, an immersive history experience and activities for all ages.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Groove Jones to accomplish?

• Creat an interactive app for our WWII Nose Art Gallery

SOLUTION

How did you find Groove Jones?

Other

Why did you select Groove Jones over others?

• Close to my geographic location
• Great culture fit

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

The scope of work was to create an immersive app for all ages to use in our museum's WWII Nose Art Gallery. This project included creating 3D versions of several aircraft to appear in augmented reality using the user's phone to scan the room.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We rely heavily on word-of-mouth and the number of visitors in the museum that use the app.

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

Groove Jones is fantastic with their communication and project management. Even now, a couple of years after the app development, we still reach out to them about possible updates or issues and they are quick to get back to us and offer solutions and new ideas.

What was your primary form of communication with Groove Jones?

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

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

I find Groove Jones's innovative ideas to be most impressive. They can take our mission and goals and come up with unique and innovative ideas to help us further our mission and achieve those goals via the app that they designed for us.

Are there any areas for improvement or something Groove Jones could have done differently?

n/a