ThreeSixtyEight

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the communications director and the women veteran’s outreach coordinator of the Louisiana Department of Veterans Affairs. We help veterans apply for the benefits that they earn through the Federal VA.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with ThreeSixtyEight?

We had a security breach on our old website during my first week of working for the department. Our state department’s office of technology services helped us host it for a brief period of time, but it was more like a landing page and not an active website. We needed to develop a new website that was more user-friendly and interactive.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

I gave them sites that that worked well or that I liked the layout of, and they were able to use those ideas and develop something completely new for us. Currently, there is no other State Department of Veterans Affairs that has a website like ours. They developed the website from scratch. They helped us to get features like Google Maps and search engine optimization. Most of the questions we are asked are now on the website. People can search by zip code, and the website populates all the closest resources to their hometown. Having the option to link all of our social media accounts to the landing page has been great because people can now follow us on whatever social media form they are using. The details they added, such as the passwords they set for us, are so incredibly complicated, which is great because we needed that enhanced security. They took the time to design databases on the backend to allow us to have backups of all the information too.

What is the team dynamic?

I worked with four members of their team including designers and developers, who were Gus, Nick, Tara, and Corey.

How did you come to work with ThreeSixtyEight?

Being a state agency, we had to have at least three bids. We spoke to several organizations, with ThreeSixtyEight being one of those, and of all the pitches we heard, we liked theirs the best.

How much have you invested in them?

We spent approximately $40,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with ThreeSixtyEight in October 2016, and the project was completed in February 2017.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We have been tracking about a 50% growth in social media subscribers, as well as engagement on the website due to the site being linked to all our social media accounts. At the six-month mark, it was about 52%. Ever since our launch, we have been able to pick up more website subscribers and more followers on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter. They helped us with an interactive map, which has reduced the number of phone calls we receive by at least 40%.

Everyone has been so happy with this website. People like the layout a lot better. It’s easier to find information, and it’s a lot more user-friendly and more interactive. A lot of times, people don’t even need to call us as all the information is up on the website. The secretary went to a national convention, and people were admiring and complimenting the layout and how great it was and asked who had done the work for us.

Tara, who is a Brand Strategist, came up with the slogan, “We connect you with the benefits you earned.” To me, that speaks volumes because they took the time to understand our mission and how they could help audiences figure out how we can help them. I appreciated the team that worked with us. They went above and beyond to try and understand what we do at our organization and the challenges we had in getting information out there.

How did ThreeSixtyEight perform from a project management standpoint?

ThreeSixtyEight exceeded our expectations. They have been great to work with, and anything we have asked them, they have done.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They are very attentive and invested in our organization. They took so much time to learn about what veterans are going through and what it is that we need to get out to them the quickest, and I loved that about them. They are easy to work with. If I was stuck on something now, I could send them a quick email and they would help.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Not that I can think of.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m a research analyst for a company that does a lot of entertainment publishing, so video game stories, news, reviews, gameplay videos, etc. Our work also extends into movies, TV, tech, gadgets, comic books. It’s essentially nerd, geek culture.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with ThreeSixtyEight?

Every two years we partner with a market research firm in Los Angeles to do a gaming segmentation study. They have a nationally representative sample size, and they do all the polling on their end. Once we get all the data back, it’s up to us to parse through the data and build presentations to take in front of clients, potential partners, etc. In previous years, when I was not the analyst, we did that work in-house. My successor did the 2014 study and after he did that, the company made the decision to look into other data visualization or presentation companies to save some man hours, so that I could actually be an analyst for the company and not just make slides for 3 months.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

What we needed from ThreeSixtyEight was essentially somebody to take all this information and build slides for it. They did everything ranging from copy to data visualization to vector images as well as stock photos for different forms of art in the presentations. We used a template from the previous presentation to give them an idea of what we were doing and essentially take the 2014 example with the 2016 data and reformat and redo everything so it looks prettier. They had to do a lot of reformatting. We weren't crazy about a lot of the visuals that we had in the 2014 study, so they redid essentially every visual, every vector, every image with things from their end.

How did you come to work with ThreeSixtyEight?

For a couple of weeks, I was doing a lot of research on data visualization companies located around the world, trying to find a good fit for us. We probably spoke to at least a dozen companies that specialize in data visualization and prepare presentations and one-sheeters, PowerPoints and one-sheeters. We needed a PowerPoint presentation for this project, because we were going in front of clients in places where we didn’t always have an Internet connection, so we couldn't rely on something that was stored in a cloud or on a website. (Some companies primarily do presentation websites.)

Essentially, when we talked to ThreeSixtyEight, I got a good feeling from them. Through talking with one of their team members and the CEO, Kenny, we had a lot of good talks about our potential. It also helped that they were pretty big gamers as well. It’s definitely nice when a company understands the world you’re trying to speak to.

The vibe I got from them was that our presentation was more of a passion project than just, “Oh, here’s some money coming into the company, let’s do that.” They were really excited about having the opportunity to work with us. I think that when I first put our company’s name in an email to them, a couple of them thought it was a joke, because they had been reading us since 1996, looking for help with Legend of Zelda games and whatnot. A couple of the nerdier ones said they were in awe and astounded that we wanted to work with them. Selecting a company essentially came down to an interview process and seeing examples of the work they had done before and comparing it to the work other companies had done.

Obviously price range is an important thing when you're trying to find a vendor to work with, but their quality of work also was what we needed and exactly what we were wanting to put into our presentation.

What is the status of this engagement?

I believe we started talks with them in November 2016 and then we delivered data to them in December 2016. We’ve only done the one project so far, and that took about 4 weeks. Originally they had targeted 6 to 8 weeks for it, because it was around the end of the year/beginning of the year when they had a lot of projects going on. So they finished work a lot quicker than we anticipated. The working period for the project was December 2016 through January 2017.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We don't necessarily have any KPIs that we’re able to share at this point, since it is relatively early. While we finished our relationship on this particular project in January, we are still doing a road show where we travel around the country talking to different clients and teams. We haven't necessarily seen long-term KPIs that are worth sharing yet, or that we’re comfortable with sharing. But in terms of the reception, we have yet to see one person that’s been disappointed with the presentation.

ThreeSixtyEight even provided us with an updated template so we can go through and make additional slides based on that template. We have over a billion data points with this study, so it’s been great to have access to that template and go through and add more slides. We didn't know we would be needing to make this many slides, so providing that template to us has been pretty fantastic.

How did ThreeSixtyEight perform from a project management standpoint?

ThreeSixtyEight was great from a project management standpoint. If anything, they were more on top of their game than I was. There was a lot going on in terms of cleaning and working with the data science team to evaluate the data and make sense of it. Kara and the team were not shy about emailing me every other day if I was behind in getting them feedback or something they needed. They were good and diligent when it came to the project management.

We worked with one of the project managers, Kara, pretty regularly. There were several drafts going back and forth as we worked with them and went between her and their designer, Shelby. There was a lot of brainstorming. We’d say, “This is good, but not quite perfect. Is there anything that you have that would be a little bit better for this particular slide?” And they were good about coming back with another option that afternoon or the following day.

What did you find most impressive about ThreeSixtyEight?

Personally, I don't have experience working with another agency or vendor like ThreeSixtyEight, so it’s hard to compare, because it would be like comparing apples and oranges. However, the whole experience felt extremely personal, in a good and comforting way. Kenny, the CEO, was visiting the Bay Area for his bachelor party, I think, and during his trip he swung into the office to talk a little bit about the project. It was cool to see a CEO come out and show up in person to talk to me, because a lot of times CEOs are not super hands-on when it comes to projects and biz dev. The entire process felt like I was working with co-workers instead of a company of people I’d never seen before.

Are there any areas ThreeSixtyEight could improve?

I’m honestly not 100% sure if there’s anything I was dissatisfied with. There were a couple of small things in the presentation. Luckily, my director and I have detail-oriented eyes, and we’re good at picking out spelling mistakes and that kind of thing. That’s my only complaint, that some of the copy editing could have been a little more refined, but I wouldn't necessarily say that that’s something we were upset with, just because who has ever put together a presentation where they didn’t spell something wrong?

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

The Georgia Cable Association is a state trade group for the cable industry. I am the executive director of the company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with ThreeSixtyEight?

We have an issue regarding global broadband, for which we needed to put together a presentation detailing our approach to legislators, decision-makers, and the public.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

ThreeSixtyEight created a Prezi with 2 video kick-off elements, as well as a middle piece that explained our main point. It's very technical so people could get lost in it. ThreeSixtyEight helped us make it more digestible and easily understandable for the audience, all while presenting it in an engaging way. 

The video elements consisted of 2 30-second animations which we chose because of their fit with the flow of the Prezi. It was easy to jump in and out of that piece of the presentation. The first video described the problem, while the second one got a little deeper into some of the issues behind our lack of broadband. ThreeSixtyEight came up with graphics which demonstrated our 3 core issues in a simple way.

How did you come to work with ThreeSixtyEight?

I'd seen Prezi presentations before, although they've never been particularly relevant in my business. I wanted our presentation to stand out and be memorable, that showed us as a creative thought leader. I believe that we successfully accomplished that goal.

I searched Google for companies that could help with Prezis, and ThreeSixtyEight's name came up along with 3-4 other groups. I looked at their previous work and saw that they had been involved with telecommunications. I also liked their graphics on the work for other companies.

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

The cost of ThreeSixtyEight's work was about $15,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with ThreeSixtyEight in October 2016, and the presentation was done in November.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

It's hard to measure results in our industry, but we have received a lot of positive feedback from the presentation. People remembered our points and saw that we had a good command of what the issue was, as well as some ideas on how to fix it. We've accomplished all of our goals. 

How did ThreeSixtyEight perform from a project management standpoint?

I give ThreeSixtyEight a lot of credit for the results, given that we had a very tight turnaround. They came up with a pretty aggressive schedule and stuck to it. They kept us on track with very polite yet frequent reminders.

What did you find most impressive about ThreeSixtyEight?

I was very happy with ThreeSixtyEight's creative side and flexibility. I started out with a grander vision was asked by my organization to scale it back a little bit. Some of the companies I represent weren't quite as ready to address some of our talking points, but ThreeSixtyEight handled that switch very well, never grumbling about it being late in the timeline. Any feedback that I came back to ThreeSixtyEight with was handled very well. Sometimes, people's egos can get hurt in these situations, but ThreeSixtyEight was open in listening to what we were trying to accomplish. That made the process much smoother, and we were able to have open communication.

Are there any areas ThreeSixtyEight could improve?

With such a tight timeline, I think that ThreeSixtyEight did a fantastic job, and I'd use them again.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

MobileQubes LLC provides an automated self-service kiosk that allows customers to rent and return portable battery packs from kiosks across the country in train stations, airports, casinos and other traffic venues. I am Co-founder and COO.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with ThreeSixtyEight?

We were implementing a customer education video. It was animation on our kiosks so that users could view the video and understand the service on the spot.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We provided the basic points that we needed to get across as far as the highlights of the service offerings that we have. We gave that over to their team. They provided a storyboard based on that. We then followed up with the content such as the wording and language and what the story line would be. They helped us revise that and then went into the next phase of storyboarding with the different graphics and scenes that we would have. Then they pushed that into full animation.

How did you come to work with ThreeSixtyEight?

We were recommended to them by a partner of ours. We had reached out to a few groups in the area, requested quotes, samples of work, and had in-person meetings. They had the best previous quality of work with top-tier clients, competitive pricing and good turnaround times.

How much have you invested with ThreeSixtyEight?

We've spent under $10,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

The project is complete. We started in early 2015 for a time span of three to four months.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

I can’t give you exact numbers. I can say our customer call volume dropped with people calling to try and understand what the service was by having that video on our kiosks playing on a loop. When someone walks up, they see the video, and it automatically explains the service rather than reaching out to us asking questions. It’s very hard to give a strong number on that. Everyone we spoke to before we put it live agreed that the video was on-brand with what we were doing. It matched the design of our product and kiosk and was exactly what we were looking for.

How did ThreeSixtyEight perform from a project management standpoint?

They did great. We had one point of contact who would filter in all our information and make the changes on an as needed basis whether that was email, phone or in-person meetings and delivered on everything we needed. They met every deadline.

What did you find most impressive about ThreeSixtyEight?

It was a great experience. ThreeSixtyEight is sharp, creative, and understand from the beginning of the project what we are seeking and what we are delivering and what feel we want as far as the branding and look of the product. They grasped that immediately up front. They’re very easy to work with. If we have another opportunity coming up whether it be a video or presentation or that type of stuff we would go with them again, no questions asked.

Are there any areas ThreeSixtyEight could improve?

No, they did great and handled the requests that we had with no problem.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

Appliance Distributors of Louisiana sells everything from high-end appliances to basic apartment-grade replacement appliances. I’m in sales and marketing. My technical title would be sales and marketing.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with ThreeSixtyEight?

We had a very antiquated website, so we were looking for someone who could rebuild that for us. The website needed to be updated so that it would fit where we’re going as a company.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

That website was the beginning of our involvement with ThreeSixtyEight and they’ve gone on to become our full-time marketing firm. We have a microsite up now that’s looking extremely good. ThreeSixtyEight put that together from the ground up. We’ve seen the framework this week and it’s a totally new, completely updated site. The user flow is incredible, so it’s going to be really great for our clients. People can easily find out what our company’s about, what we do, and the brands that we offer. The site is modern and top of the line. Our microsite is on Squarespace; we needed something in an emergency because of the flood that happened. They were able to get that up and running quickly. You can still get to our current site from that.

Right now, they’re handling all of our advertising including Google AdWords and our magazine ad. For social media, they are responsible for our Facebook and Pinterest accounts and eventually, they will handle Houzz as well. They reply to people as they comment on pictures and respond to any requests online. They are in charge of coming up with content and then posting it on social media. ThreeSixtyEight always communicates with us first and don't just run with the content. At the beginning of the month, they send us a list for approval, including any ongoing sales or rebates. If there’s something new, they’ll see if it is something that we want to pursue. This process helps us a lot since we’re not overwhelmed and trying to follow it all. We’ve given ThreeSixtyEight control and they’ve done a really great job of running things.

How did you come to work with ThreeSixtyEight?

My best friend is a designer at another company. When we were looking to hire a marketing firm, I reached out to her to see if her company could do it. She suggested ThreeSixtyEight along with a couple of other companies. When they gave us their proposal, it was very detailed with a lot of different tools to track what we’re doing and if it’s working for us. They’re really great about communicating all of that. After we met with them, we knew it was going to be a great fit. We decided to invest with them and it’s been probably one of the best decisions for our company so far.

How much have you invested with ThreeSixtyEight?

We have paid $25,000 to $30,000 for their services.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started earlier this year, around June 2016. The engagement is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

One of the very first posts that they did on Facebook was right after the flood. We let everybody know that we were open and that we could offer the same type of pricing that we give our builders to the general public. That single announcement on Facebook got over 1,000 likes and shares, which is more than we’ve ever gotten on anything. The different campaigns that we’ve done with ThreeSixtyEight have done really well. We’ve seen a lot of traffic in the store because of Facebook and because of the different ads that we’re doing. Aside from myself, the only person who had seen the website framework was one of the owners since we work together for marketing.

How did ThreeSixtyEight perform from a project management standpoint?

ThreeSixtyEight is really great. They stay on top of everything and they meet deadlines. It’s a lot less rigid because we’re not that strict. Even if I’m slow in getting content to them, they’re very patient. As far as managing the project, they stay right on track with everything. They’re really great about communicating what they need from me when they need it. I do my best to get it back to them. They’ll keep in touch without nagging, which has been helpful because it has been rather stressful in the office.

What did you find most impressive about ThreeSixtyEight?

They’re extremely personable and really easy to work with and talk to. They will answer the call when we need them and they’re very quick to answer emails. There’s not really a delay in communication with them, which is extremely helpful especially when we’re in a time crunch. Last week, we had to get a sign done quickly because of one of our reps was coming in. They were able to put it together, make it look nice, and get it done on the fly. Plus, they are really great with being able to communicate their vision to us so that it’s a no-brainer. They’re young and they know what they’re talking about. They know all the new tools that they can use to help our company.

Are there any areas ThreeSixtyEight could improve?

I don’t see anything. They’ve really been outstanding all the way around.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

Our company is a convenience store supplier business that started as Imperial Trading. We distribute goods to over 3,000 stores in the southeast region of the US. I’m the innovation coordinator. I help facilitate, create and manage special projects. I look for company efficiencies and new company opportunities for diversification.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with ThreeSixtyEight?

It was the 100th year anniversary of our company. We wanted to create an impactful video to illustrate the milestone to our existing and potential customers, and our employees. While we did have talent internally that could create videos and do some decent marketing, we wanted to try and get bigger guns for the opportunity. That’s why we hired ThreeSixtyEight. 

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement? 

ThreeSixtyEight began by interviewing us and defining the need. They were able to provide us with a clear idea of the suite of services that they offer. They were able to meet all of our needs internally and without outsourcing. I prefer that because it continues that message, makes it stronger, and avoids miscommunication. They did the storyboarding, actual animation, and voice-overs for the entire video. They also created a video of our Expo recap, which is just one of our big trade shows.

Recently, we hired ThreeSixtyEight to do an announcement for a big cultural initiative. It would help newly acquired distribution centers understand our company culture. Also, that new brand mantra is being tied to other things that we’re trying to change. The campaign is meant to improve communication as well as other issues. ThreeSixtyEight captured that event.

How did you come to work with ThreeSixtyEight?

I’m not sure how I got in touch with ThreeSixtyEight. They’re local in our area, based in Baton Rouge. I don’t know if they reached out to us directly, but I know we had a common acquaintance. A family friend told us that he was working for ThreeSixtyEight. We started looking at their portfolio, diversity and a wide range of talent impressed us. I look for people who I can connect with because communication is key in trying to solve things. They’re not part of our company so they need to understand where we’re coming from. ThreeSixtyEight instantly connected with us and understood our goals before we even hired them.

How much have you invested with ThreeSixtyEight?

It ranged from $4,000 to $35,000, depending on the project.

What is the status of this engagement?

We first met ThreeSixtyEight in November 2015. We’ve asked them to work on several other projects.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

ThreeSixtyEight definitely met the challenge. They did a fantastic job of illustrating our company’s purpose and the things we’ve overcome over the past 100 years. They clearly understood our goals and made something that doesn’t just live for that one event—the 100th year anniversary. The video continues to show who we are and where we’re planning to go. Their output is now one of the key videos for our business development exercises. Whenever we introduce a new chain, that is the video we use. Every single time, people were very impressed with the video.

How did ThreeSixtyEight perform from a project management standpoint?

They did a great job. They were very clear on deadlines that we had to meet. The client has to be responsible and make sure that they can meet their expected timelines. ThreeSixtyEight also made sure they met all of their timelines.

What did you find most impressive about ThreeSixtyEight?

They’re a pretty young team with a lot of passion for their work. The world of advertising is continually changing. They’re doing a great job of looking at new ways to stay in the game and be known. The ThreeSixtyEight team is trying to define themselves as being very different from traditional agencies. Their personalities come out, especially in how they deal with clients. They’re not trying to be something they’re not or aspiring to resemble others.

Are there any areas ThreeSixtyEight could improve?

None that I can think of. They’re trying to diversify themselves in the right way and they’re always looking at new opportunities.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the co-owner of a home design and marketing company. We produce and sell house plans online all across the country as well as overseas. We’ve been doing this for about 16 years.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with ThreeSixtyEight?

In the past, we had piecemealed our website together. Back then, we didn’t want to spend that much money. In any business, you decide to spend money on something that looks professional. Business was going well and we decided we wanted something very professional. We needed a website that could market to the consumer and it had to be done quickly.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

ThreeSixtyEight did brand research on how we were doing in the marketplace. They presented what they thought we should do, which was great. When they came to our site, they felt like it was a trustworthy site and that we had good content that held their attention. They helped develop our e-commerce platform through Shopify. Some of our requests were challenging for them, but they were able to get them done. They also built in some marketing tools, newsletter apps, Facebook, Houzz, and Pinterest functionality.

Phase 2 of their work is focusing on expanding on what they’ve already done. One functionality they integrated would let clients easily print our plans. Before, there was no refined way to print the information. When you hit print, it brings up a web page, formats the information, and tells a user how to print to a PDF or a printer. They’re also adding search functionality to the site. It allows you to search by the number and name. There’s always people who don’t understand that refined search. They are fine-tuning other features as well.

How did you come to work with ThreeSixtyEight?

In the beginning, I was looking for someone local online. We’re in Hattiesburg, Mississippi and they’re in South Louisiana which worked out well geographically. We put this out to bid to 3 or 4 companies. We had a few lengthy conversations with ThreeSixtyEight and they always went well. I felt they were really doing the research up front to try and get my business, rather than trying to get the business and then doing the work. I felt I meant something to ThreeSixtyEight. We went with them based on those phone calls and the comfort they gave us from that. Once they found that we were serious and our budget was realistic, they took off and ran with it.

How much have you invested with ThreeSixtyEight?

We’ve spent around $25,000 to date.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started December of 2015 and the project is now in phase 2. Phase 2 will probably be completed in the next 3 to 4 weeks. We’re still working with them and it’s going to be an ongoing engagement.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The website went live in July and has been great so far. Our sales and metrics are up and we’re extremely happy. August and September were our 2 best months ever. The employees have had input from day 1 and they think it’s a very useful website. We may have had 1 or 2 Facebook comments from customers that said they loved the website.

How did ThreeSixtyEight perform from a project management standpoint?

I’m very impressed with their project management. They had a devastating flood in Louisiana several months ago and our website was set to launch the Monday after a weekend of flooding. They were still able to get it launched on Monday. They never fall behind. The whole week they were constantly doing stuff to our website even though they were in constant issues with the flooding. To me, it shows the integrity of their business.

What did you find most impressive about ThreeSixtyEight?

There are going to be issues in every project. It’s the client’s feeling of how that went that is going to dictate the project itself. In our case, we had some roadblocks. That being said, we expect those roadblocks with the project we were going into. Even though we had an overrun in the initial timeframe, very satisfied with how it was handled and communicated to me. I felt very comfortable with those overruns and had no issue with it. They communicated very well and very often. We might have 10 or 15 emails a day from these guys during the middle of our project. We appreciate that and it makes us feel like we’re part of the process. They don’t go in a back room and come out with a product you don’t like and needs major changes. The communication and feedback have been great. I’m in the design business as well and I know the importance of communicating with a client.

Are there any areas ThreeSixtyEight could improve?

Being our first project with them, nothing comes to my head. I’m sure there’s something but I’m pretty satisfied with it.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m an orthodontist with my own practice. I also teach and lecture both here and abroad to other orthodontists to talk about practice. I am President/Owner/Operator.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with ThreeSixtyEight?

They worked with me to create some very dynamic and interesting Prezis to help present information to orthodontists and staff that was exciting, interesting, and fun.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

I’ve worked with them on several occasions for different things. On some presentations, they helped with every step of its creation. On other occasions, they helped with creative design, editing for me and helping me learn how to use the program. The planning phase started with a questionnaire on what the project was going to involve and what points I was trying to get across to the audience. Then, they needed specifics regarding what information I was presenting. To help clarify they had copy editors to be a little more specific with how to make your points effectively.

There was a lot of back and forth and they’re good listeners. They’re doing their jobs really well – both by being very creative and effective communicators. That’s the reason I hired them. They’re [ThreeSixtyEight] good at what they do.

How did you come to work with ThreeSixtyEight?

I found them online searching for Prezi. I had seen someone use a Prezi at a conference and when I looked it up, ThreeSixtyEight came up. They seemed like someone I would be able to work with. I thought it was perfect for what I was looking for. We had a couple of calls and I talked to Kenny - he was awesome and really understood what I was trying to do.​

How much have you invested with ThreeSixtyEight?

I’ve done 10 projects, and they range in cost depending on the depth of their involvement anywhere from $500 up to $2,500.

What is the status of this engagement?

I just looked for them for a concept, and they designed it for me in about a week. It was very quick.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

I have no doubt that my reputation as an entertaining, engaging speaker has been boosted by the quality and the content of the Prezis that I’ve given that have been done by ThreeSixtyEight. They fly above what people are used to seeing at these conferences. I have something that is good to share from an educational perspective but I think the way that I do it [with Prezis] and the reputation that this has built for me has been very much a commodity for me.

How did ThreeSixtyEight perform from a project management standpoint?

I think they’re wonderful. Their service and ability to get things done on very tight timelines or with quick turnarounds is great. They’re a friendly and happy team. They’re really good at what they do, and on top of the work. They’re great in business, and that’s what makes them successful. It’s tough to find people who are good at what they do and are run as smoothly as they do. They’re wonderful to work with.

Are there any areas ThreeSixtyEight could improve?

They could be more local, not as busy and a bit less expensive. That being said, they’re a wonderful group. Every time I work with them, I get something amazing.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I have a marketing consulting firm and I run it on my own. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with ThreeSixtyEight?

One of the larger projects was for a company called Wheelhouse. The client needed a presentation that had a video and PowerPoint.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We did a presentation for Wheelhouse that included motion graphics and a PowerPoint presentation. ThreeSixtyEight wanted to do Prezi but we preferred to have it in PowerPoint. It had a voice over and we created a video out of this presentation. Wheelhouse can use it as a PowerPoint presentation, put it as a video on their website, or send it around to their potential clients. I believe that one of Wheelhouse’s presentations is on the ThreeSixtyEight website—it was on the Big Fish website. Wheelhouse asked us to create a new brand that would fit in with their overall image. We did 6 motion graphic videos. These were 15-second motion graphics that opened up to a presentation.

How did you come to work with ThreeSixtyEight?

I did my due diligence looking into 3 different companies that did presentation work. One was a very large, all-encompassing firm and the second was a mid-sized company. Through my own research, I found Big Fish Presentations [now a part of ThreeSixtyEight]. The thing that really made the choice easy for me was their sales and their client service. It was incredible. I’ve never had a company work that hard to understand what I needed and get back to me quickly. Their flexibility was thorough, not just when they wanted to win the business but from start to finish. We really thought ThreeSixtyEight was great at what they did based on their referrals and from samples of their work.

How much have you invested with ThreeSixtyEight?

We kept adding on additional services. In total, we paid between $20,000 and $30,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

The project completion was May 1, 2014. I think it was a couple of months. We kicked it off in December so that means we started in January.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The feedback was incredible. We created the first 6 videos, and then the feedback was so good that we created several more after this first project. It really differentiated Wheelhouse from competitors in the marketplace that were doing online education.

How did ThreeSixtyEight perform from a project management standpoint?

We had a project manager who kept us on schedule and within budget, which was really a big concern. As you know, when you work on a large project with several people’s input, sometimes it can go over budget. We stayed within the budget and the project manager made sure that we were always on time delivering our tasks.

We had a very strong collaboration with ThreeSixtyEight. We had a tight turnaround time as usual so I was working with ThreeSixtyEight daily. Once or twice a week, we would have an executive session with the Wheelhouse team to reveal what we had done for that week. I mostly left idea generation to them. We wanted them to run with it, not to hijack their creative process. Their process is to do a very in-depth interview with the whole team, including the senior people from Wheelhouse, to understand what we wanted. They wanted to understand the overarching theme, core target market, and the kind of branding we wanted to put out in the marketplace. They were able to get a strong sense of what Wheelhouse needed. They led that with due diligence, which was really helpful. I think it was a good strategy because it was very difficult to bring that all together.

What did you find most impressive about ThreeSixtyEight?

Their communication was incredible. They [ThreeSixtyEight] were always available on the weekend, in the evening, early morning. The ThreeSixtyEight team was constantly working on the project. They were extremely talented, creative and really dug down to understand what the client wanted. At the same time, they were flexible if it wasn’t exactly what we had imagined or if we changed direction. They kept us on point and moving in the direction that they thought was best for us. Part of the reason my clients hire them is because they are extremely experienced in this business. There was a general camaraderie among Wheelhouse, myself and ThreeSixtyEight. The chemistry was really good.

Are there any areas ThreeSixtyEight could improve?

I don’t have anything. ThreeSixtyEight doesn’t seem to have any growing pains with the merger.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CEO of Embassy, a marketing consultancy based in Austin, Texas. We provide brand creation, brand execution, and brand community services. Essentially, we create brands and we rebrand companies.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with ThreeSixtyEight?

When we were building out our agency, I knew that we were never going to have developers in-house. We would need to run any massive development project we got through an outside vendor. We conduct several full-scale grassroots campaigns annually. One of them is called 10 Days, a college clean water initiative that started a couple of years ago. Students give up every beverage except for water and the money they save goes to building clean water wells. This campaign happens on about 20 or 30 campuses annually. Our biggest challenge was figuring out how to make this complicated grassroots campaign scalable. We had to create a web app solution that helped us please our client and raise money. The app also had to work really well for the students. There’s no advertising, so it’s a campaign that relies solely on direct word of mouth for campus activation. That was the problem that we came to ThreeSixtyEight with. 

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We’ve worked with web developers from ThreeSixtyEight for the last 5 years. They’ve been involved on the front-end level for our brand community. We knew how to run the campaign, so they helped us co-build the UX and user experience. They came to us with a solution, built the whole platform and maintained it for us. They were involved in the most recent iteration of our app, 10 Days 2.0. When we wanted to do a more complicated build, the planning process took 3 months. We met in New Orleans and spent a day auditing everything. From there, they took that game plan and created the platform over another 3 to 4 to months. I know they built it on Ruby on Rails.

How did you come to work with ThreeSixtyEight?

A friend of mine showed me one of the websites ThreeSixtyEight had made and I thought their front-end design was current and liked it. That was the original thing that drew me to them. When I first started working with them, I was on staff with a non-profit and hadn’t started Embassy yet. Through that relationship, I knew that I could trust ThreeSixtyEight to deliver exactly what you asked for on time.

How much have you invested with ThreeSixtyEight?

We’ve paid about $50,000 to $100,000 for their services.

What is the status of this engagement?

I started 10 Days when I was a college student. I hired ThreeSixtyEight when I was on staff with a non-profit in 2012. For the reiteration of the 10 Days app, we started that process in March 2015. We completed the initial build of the site in October 2015. They’ve maintained it and we’ve added things on and tweaked things. They’re continuing to help us build and refine that platform today.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The web app won a national ADDY for ThreeSixtyEight. We also got some good statistics from the app. For every user that signed up to do the campaign, we raised about $60 which we are extremely happy with. Before, we used anecdotes to communicate the value of what we were doing. Now, we have hard data on the value of investing in college students and what they’re capable of doing for non-profits. We’re an agency that works with a bunch of subcontractors and ThreeSixtyEight is my favorite.

How did ThreeSixtyEight perform from a project management standpoint?

Any agency or developer usually has ambitious deadlines. The 10 Days app was a super complicated build and we did it in a very short amount of time. ThreeSixtyEight missed a few check-in deadlines in different phases, but they have never missed delivering when they said they would. We have a really great working relationship.

What did you find most impressive about ThreeSixtyEight?

The thing that I love about the ThreeSixtyEight guys is that they’re true collaborators. They’re some of my really good friends now because we’ve worked together for so long. They are always really helpful in showing me how we can execute things. At the same time, they assertively suggest solutions of how we can do things in the most effective way. What’s really helpful about ThreeSixtyEight is that they don’t just stop at what you need. They help you understand the ways that you can tackle your problem and the best way to move forward. A lot of times, development work is hidden and you don’t know how it works. ThreeSixtyEight’s developers clearly explain what they’re doing and how that’s going to affect the user experience. Ultimately, they will leave it up to you to make the best choice. You rarely find this quality.

Are there any areas ThreeSixtyEight could improve?

There are always little things to work out, but for the most part it’s as we designed it.

What tips or recommendations could you share that might increase the likelihood of success with ThreeSixtyEight?

I run an agency so I know what’s possible on the development side. I usually know what I want in terms of functionality. This has been most helpful to ThreeSixtyEight when it comes to web development.