Video Production for HVAC Distributor
- Video Production
- $10,000 to $49,999
- Oct. 2019 - Mar. 2020
- Quality
- 5.0
- Schedule
- 5.0
- Cost
- 5.0
- Willing to Refer
- 5.0
"I did a lot of videos over my career and I saw that Muddy Trail was extremely collaborative and helpful."
- Retail
- Hillside, Illinois
- 201-500 Employees
- Phone Interview
- Verified
Muddy Trails Film Co. produced four videos for an HVAC firm including client testimonials, trip highlights, and a history video. The main purpose was to reach the client's target audience in the digital world.
External stakeholders were pleased with Muddy Trails Film Co.'s videos. The videos helped the client establish solid branding. Their flexibility was prominently displayed when they integrated last-minute changes. Their ability to capture various camera shots and angles was also impressive.
A Clutch analyst personally interviewed this client over the phone. Below is an edited transcript.
BACKGROUND
Introduce your business and what you do there.
I’m the VP of corporate marketing for Munch’s Supply. We’re a Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning (HVAC) distribution company that represents American Standard. We’re also owned by private equity so we’ve been acquiring other distributors across the country since we’re expanding our family of brands. We also offer products from Mitsubishi, LG, and more.
Our company has over 42 branches in 16 states, but they’re not all under Munch’s Supply name. Sometimes, when we purchase companies, we keep their name.
OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE
What challenge were you trying to address with Muddy Trails Film Co.?
For our 65th anniversary, we wanted to document our corporate history. Right now, we have the third and fourth generation working in the business, and the second generation had retired already. We felt that it was extremely important to get the history down because we were lucky enough to have the second, third, and fourth-generation still available for the video.
SOLUTION
What was the scope of their involvement?
In total, the Muddy Trails team completed four videos for us, namely the history video, testimonials for Trane and American Standard, and our incentive trip highlights.
In the history video, Muddy Trails applied a documentary style. We started the project with a mapping process that involved crafting the questions for people that would be interviewed and developing the shot list. They recorded some people walking while the camera remained stationary and they used that for the warehouse-type shots. The team also brought a drone to capture the outside shots.
For the customer testimonials, we ended up bringing Bryce (President & Cinematographer) and Jessie (VP & Director) on our incentive trip because that was the only time when we have all the dealers in one place. It also made more financial sense to bring them on the trip rather than sending them to 2–3 different states to interview our dealers. Muddy Trails was able to get a quiet room so that we could shot the video. They also made video highlights of the trip.
The main reason why we did everything was to cater to all people especially generations X, Y, and Z. Those generations spend a lot of time in the digital world so searching for information and video content was extremely important for them. In our printed material, we had the traditional headshot with quotes next to them. However, on our website, we had the opportunity to do a little more, and that was what led us to capture the testimonials.
What is the team composition?
I worked with Jessie and Bryce, and they were both our producers and they were also in charge of editing the videos. Jessie ensured that we had the outline, shot list, and our desired content. She also coordinated travel and appointments such as what people were going to wear.
How did you come to work with Muddy Trails Film Co.?
We first saw Muddy Trails’ work from an industry leader. Their approach at that time veered away from scripting and it made their videos a lot more authentic. It took 2–3 years before I got to work with them. I had to propose everything including the cost of the video to my boss and the CEO. After my proposal was approved, I reached out to them.
How much have you invested with them?
We probably spent $20,000 on the four videos.
What is the status of this engagement?
We worked together from October 2019–March 2020. They shot the history video for a week, and they edited the video for 6–8 weeks from October–December 2019. Then, they did the trip video and testimonials from January–March 2020.
RESULTS & FEEDBACK
What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?
We didn’t really have metrics that correlate the team’s work to our increase in sales, but external stakeholders liked our videos. External clients felt good about our company when they saw the history videos and testimonials, and Muddy Trails was able to hit our goal from a branding standpoint. We also highly commend Jessie’s ability to prompt follow-up questions whenever needed during the interviews. That helped us achieve the documentary approach we wanted to take.
How did Muddy Trails Film Co. perform from a project management standpoint?
They did a great job of meeting deadlines. The team was able to provide all the information we needed such as locations and shot list in a timely manner. We communicated 1–2 weeks before each shoot, and when they sent back the edited video, they gave us ample time to review it. Overall, I didn’t have any issues with their project management process.
What did you find most impressive about them?
I was super impressed when Muddy Trails came on site because they had several cameras and lenses that they used for the shoot. We were also amazed by how they used the drone because the perspective we got from that was fantastic.
When we were faced with a rainy and windy day, it became impossible for us to fly the drone outside. Despite that, the Muddy Trails team recorded inside a building and they flew the drone there to get the footage they needed to record. We were super fortunate that they were able to do that.
Overall, they were super flexible, and they understood that they were working with different personalities and not all of them were used to being filmed. Muddy Trails was also good at creating some variety in terms of our camera shots and angles. In addition, they happily accommodated our feedback even during the day of the shoot.
Are there any areas they could improve?
We were doing so many videos in two different shoots and I found myself telling them that we were shooting a different video and they needed to change things. I asked a lot of production out of them because we shot four videos in two settings so there was a lot of overlap and other matters that needed to be considered. I’d say that the areas they could improve were more situational than criticism on their process.
Do you have any advice for potential customers?
I did a lot of videos over my career and I saw that Muddy Trail was extremely collaborative and helpful. I wanted to make sure that I was open to their suggestions because they had a super contemporary approach. I never imagined that we were going to use a drone in our shoot, but it was a welcome addition to our video.
I’d say believe in their process because they have achieved tremendous success with their approach. Go into the engagement with a clear plan and if you work together, the end product would be so much better.
RATINGS
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Quality
5.0Service & Deliverables
-
Schedule
5.0On time / deadlines
-
Cost
5.0Value / within estimates
"There was tremendous value for what we received."
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Willing to Refer
5.0NPS
