Simple Story Videos

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

Blackboard provides educational solutions globally in both the K-12 markets as well as higher-end professional education and government training. We specifically work with the K-12 Community Engagement Solution and work in public school districts in North America. I’m the product marketing director.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Simple Story Videos?

The latest project was an add-on to one of our main product lines we released. We needed integration of student data into more public facing properties like websites, mobile apps, and proactive communication from schools. We wanted to make sure we could tell that story in an engaging and quick format.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We asked for their help from an outside perspective to tell the story we needed. Simple Story Videos developed a script for us and did the work from beginning to end to create a one-minute animated video. We started the project with an idea of what we wanted. We gave them too much information, so they sat down with us, took our input, and their scripting team came back with a much lighter script that still brought out the major points that we wanted. We did 3 or 4 iterations on the script until it was what we wanted. Our team is primarily writers and on-stage presenters, so it was important for their team to push back on us and give us feedback. I appreciated that they didn’t just take what we gave them but provided their expertise to make this video much better than we could do on our own.

How did you come to work with Simple Story Videos?

We had worked with them before, but I don’t know how we originally came to work with them. That was before I started working for the company. We were very happy with the first product they provided us, so we were confident about using them again.

How much have you invested with Simple Story Videos?

The project cost between $10,000 to $50,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

The project is completed.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any evidence that would demonstrate the productivity, quality of work, or the impact of the engagement?

I don’t have any specific metrics. The website where the video will be posted is in the process of being completed. We have shared it in some email campaigns and with our internal teams, and the feedback has been positive. People say it’s a powerful video, which is exactly what we’re looking for. My personal feedback would be that this video takes a very complicated idea and presents it in a very powerful and is easy to comprehend manner. 

How did Simple Story Videos perform from a project management standpoint?

There was some delay in the project because they suggested a different animator to make the project more personalized and engaging. We were very happy we did that. They did a fantastic job and were great at communicating any changes and how those would impact the timeline. They were easy to reach on their project management tool and allowed both of our teams to collaborate at any time.

What did you find most impressive about Simple Story Videos?

They’re always very easy and accommodating to work with. Simple Story Videos is very professional and I would recommend them to anyone. Their management, creative, and project management team are all fantastic to work with.

Are there any areas Simple Story Videos could improve?

No. They’re doing a great job.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

CCS Fundraising is a strategic fundraising firm that partners with non-profits for transformational change. We plan, manage, and implement programs that achieve fundraising goals and mission impact.

I’m a marketing coordinator and help project manage our various assignments.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Simple Story Videos?

We needed help with a new video as part of our rebranding process.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We wanted to make a video for recruitment. Our marketing and HR teams brainstormed ideas, and we agreed the video should include animation. We had a phone meeting about the scope, and they came back with a synopsis. Once we gave our approval, they came up with a script. 

How did you come to work with Simple Story Videos?

Our Digital Marketing Strategist, Dan, and I, looked at different video samples for over a week. We found a video that Simple Story had done and we showed it to the rest of the team. Everyone agreed that that was the style we were looking for. We reached out to different production companies who deal with recruitment videos in animation and used the video from Simple Story to get quotes.

We reached out to Simple Story, and they responded within an hour and emailed me a package of information about their company. I also spoke with Skyler and Fabio, and then both teams spoke together. We were very impressed with them. They sent a questionnaire to understand more about our company, and what we wanted then we had a phone call in which they listened very carefully. They also had the best rate out of all the quotes as well.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them in August 2016, and the project was completed in September 2016.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any evidence that would demonstrate the productivity, quality of work, or the impact of the engagement?

We’ve been very happy with their work. Before the website went live, we presented a preview of it to the board. We received emails from some partners sharing how much they loved the video. Our company does onboarding sessions for new hires. This last week we met a couple of people who told us they saw the video and that it influenced their decision to join our company.

How did Simple Story Videos perform from a project management standpoint?

They listen to what we need and their response time is great even on holidays. They make sure they understand our ideas instead of assuming they do which I really appreciate. They were very organized. We gave them a very tight deadline, and they were able to meet it. If a deadline had to be changed, they made sure we knew about it. They were one of the best teams I’ve worked with in my career.

What did you find most impressive about Simple Story Videos?

They are very positive, and they’re never stressed which is unusual for production companies. They always treated us like we were their only client.

Are there any areas Simple Story Videos could improve?

No. Simple Story had never had the opportunity to work for a company that focuses on philanthropy. Simple Story wanted articles and our published content, so they could review everything they could about us.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your organization.

I work for Clearwater Clinical. It is a mobile health company that develops solutions for the medical industry.

What is your position?

I am the Vice President of Sales.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What business challenge were you trying to address with Simple Story Videos?

We needed a video production company to create explainer videos for a couple of product lines we have.

SOLUTION

Please describe the scope of their involvement in greater detail.

We needed these videos to explain what the solution does front to back in a short and entertaining medium.

The first video was for a product called ClearSCOPE, an endoscope adaptor and a combined software solution called Modica. It’s an adaptor that connects a smartphone to an endoscope. The software is an application that enables the phone to store the video securely. Because it’s a multi-part solution, we wanted to show how it works to the target market of ear, nose, and throat doctors.

The other video was for our product line called Shoebox Audiometry. It is the world’s first clinically validated iPad based hearing diagnostic device. It is used to test for hearing loss. We developed the application for iOS and wanted to develop a video that concisely explained its features and the way it functions.

The team at Simple Story Videos are experts at getting to the core of what’s required to tell the story that you want to tell. They provided us with a template with a questionnaire to fill out. This helps them develop the storyboard. After they had developed the storyboard, we collaborated on every frame in order to figure out what we wanted to highlight. In our case, we didn’t do any live action, but Simple Story Videos added animation and photography. They edited the video at the end and made the whole process very smooth and easy.

How did you come to work with Simple Story Videos?

They’re a local company and I knew of their work through another company I had worked with. I liked their process, which ultimately drove me to choose them.

They did a live action video for my previous company, which was very different compared to the videos they just made for us. I saw the range that they had, which I really liked.

Could you provide a sense of the size of this initiative in financial terms?

In total, the videos ranged between $5,000 and $10,000 individually.

What is the status of this engagement?

The two videos are complete. The Vice President of Marketing was impressed and really enjoyed working with them, so we may work with them again.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any statistics or metrics from this engagement?

Both videos have been watched hundreds and hundreds of times. We use them on our website, at trade shows, and in all our marketing and email solicitations. When speaking with customers, we send the videos to them in order to explain our products.

How did Simple Story Videos perform from a project management standpoint?

They did a very good job with project management. That’s one of the things they have done best. They have a good understanding of how to lead companies and customers through the process in order to get what they need. Additionally, they are great with follow up. They move quickly and they work on time and budget, which is super refreshing.

What distinguishes Simple Story Videos from other providers?

Outside of project management, they’re really nice to work with and are very professional. They understand marketing and the medium that they work in. Simple Story Videos is very creative and because of that they able to turn your idea into something digestible and understandable for anyone.

Is there anything Simple Story Videos could have improved or done differently?

I don’t think so. One of the lucky things with us is that we were local, so we were able to meet with them in person for the first couple of meetings. Overall, they were great.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the Head of Communications for Canada for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). The UNHCR is mandated with providing protection and solutions to millions people displaced by violence and persecution around the world.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Simple Story Videos?

The production of a video and graphics that show how refugees make positive contributions to Canada's economy and our communities.

What were your goals for this project?

Raise awareness in plain language and convey data simply.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

Web search

Describe the video(s) and the process in detail.

Overall they delivered a good product in a very short turnaround.

What was your vendors' project management or feedback process?

Good system for managing deliveralbles and deadlines and were good at reminding us of need for info, revisions, etc.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

Great reception of the video and positive feedback. Appreciated someone from Simple Story attending the event launching the video.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

They were very responsive and professional.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Capacity to take raw data and come up with a creative concept.

Are there any areas for improvement?

We were very satisfied with the video and graphics. The one pager was the one product of three we felt could have been a bit more polished. However, to be fair we were giving a very tight deadline.