Ajax Creative

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m a realtor at a real estate brokerage.

What challenge were you trying to address with Ajax Creative?

We needed an organization to take care of our social media.

What was the scope of their involvement?

Ajax Creative manages our Facebook and Instagram accounts including customer service partially. They create drone videos and television commercials, targeting people interested in buying homes. Their team scripts and edits the content. Their team photographs homes for us too.

What is the team composition?

We work with five people from Ajax Creative.

How did you come to work with Ajax Creative?

We found Ajax Creative through a referral. We worked with them on one project and have been using their services ever since.

How much have you invested with them?

We spend an estimated $84,000 a year on their services, which we use every single month.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in October 2016 and the engagement’s ongoing.

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

Their commercials are fantastic and receive compliments from many people who work in the media. They're impressed with our commercials as opposed to other commercials on TV. We’ve heard people who work in the media say that our commercials are better than theirs.

How did Ajax Creative perform from a project management standpoint?

We email, text, or call Ajax Creative. Everything that we ask them to do is done on time. We tell them when we need a project done and then their team sets it up. They’re never late.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their creative process is quite incredible. When we started to work with Ajax Creative, production was new to us. We’re with them for an hour while they capture footage and before we know it, they take it and put it together within three days. It’s extraordinary seeing them put together the videos.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Absolutely not.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

They’re one of the best companies in Ottawa. Ajax Creative's a young company but are extremely successful. They’re picky about their clients because they work in the best interest of their customers.

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm the Digital Marketing Coordinator for Grade A, a managed services provider based in Ottawa, ON, with over 100 employees. I manage all of our digital brand assets, social media, and digital communications. I'm one of two key managers of Grade A's relationship with Ajax Creative.

For what projects/services did your company hire Ajax Creative?

When refreshing our digital marketing strategy in 2019, video became a major priority. As a digital marketer, it has become clear to me that this medium is much more engaging for our audience than other formats. The challenge was that our marketing team is small and limited in terms of the time and resources that we have to produce video internally.

What were your goals for this project?

We knew that we needed to look externally for a video production partner. Our main goals were to find a team that would mesh well with our people, produce quality content, and truly understand our brand.

Expanding on that last point, it was extremely important for us to find a video team that understands marketing, from how we manage our existing client community to how we present our brand to strangers.

How did you select this vendor?

We compiled a list of several video vendors in the city and started searching for quotes and further information. We narrowed it down to two companies, including Ajax, and they won us over with their quality-focused pitch and feasible pricing structure.

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

Our contract with Ajax includes around 1 video per month based on our needs. We work together to come up with a high-level strategy for each video, and then they take the reigns when it comes to scripting, story-boarding, filming, animation and production.

Our role is to provide feedback at checkpoints, schedule filming sessions and prepare our team for any shoot days.

What was your vendors' project management or feedback process?

Ajax has a good project management and feedback process which mainly involves ongoing communications on Slack.

I would suggest more rounds of feedback during the production planning process, including sending us storyboards and scripts several weeks before filming so that we have ample time to make any changes necessary to our schedules and those of our team members. Overall, though, they are very good at managing projects and asking for feedback.

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

The first two videos that Ajax has delivered for us have been successful on social media, in our newsletters, and on our website. Beyond engaging our online audiences, they have engaged our internal team and encouraged them to volunteer for upcoming marketing/video projects too--which is awesome.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

The workflow between our team and there's has been seamless. We have had no issues communicating back and forth and getting answers when needed.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

We have been blown away with their attention to detail, and how much each of them knows about video production. If you're looking for true video experts, these are your guys. Their passion for the craft is clear, and it shows in their work.

Are there any areas for improvement?

We've been very satisfied with Ajax's work every step of the way, however there is always room for improvement. I would suggest a more structured project management process where dates are assigned for deliverables and feedback.

For example, we would love to know what day we can expect a script to be delivered, and what day we can expect the final cut of a video. Although they usually give us a ball park idea of this, we're big planners, so the more structure the merrier.

Please describe your company and your position there.

Celebrating 100 years in 2018, the CNIB Foundation is a non-profit organization driven to change what it is to be blind today. We deliver innovative programs and powerful advocacy that empower people impacted by blindness to live their dreams and tear down barriers to inclusion. Our work as a blind foundation is powered by a network of volunteers, donors and partners from coast to coast to coast. Thomas is the Head of Public Affairs at the CNIB Foundation. He oversees the national advocacy team.

For what projects/services did your company hire Ajax Creative?

We hired Ajax Creative to create a series of videos to highlight the important need for self-advocacy. The video's needed to be in English and French and be accessible for those with sight loss, via described video.

What were your goals for this project?

We needed 6 videos in total - three in English, three in French. We wanted the videos to highlight the importance of advocacy and how individuals can become great self-advocates.

How did you select this vendor?

Vendors were analyzed based on price, quality and ability to integrate accessibility considerations within the videos.

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

The CNIB Foundation was quite happy with the quality of the videos that were produced. The process was straight forward. Where there were delays in finalizing the project, it came from the CNIB and not from Ajax Creative.

What was your vendors' project management or feedback process?

Ajax Creative was open to any and all changes for our videos. They were collaborative and provided great feedback to make our videos as engaging as possible.

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

The videos have garnered over 400 views, which is quite good for the CNIB Foundation.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

It was easy to work between Ajax Creative and the CNIB Foundation. The workflow was quite organic.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Ajax Creative's energy and passion most impressed our team.

Are there any areas for improvement?

The quality of the videos were amazing. I had several internal stakeholders asking about who made them.

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the Brand Director for Ruckify which is an online peer-to-peer rental marketplace.

For what projects/services did your company hire Ajax Creative?

We wanted them to create a commercial that was humorous and educational ("The Office" vibes).

What were your goals for this project?

To have a video where we can explain the concept of Ruckify in an entertaining way to millennials.

How did you select this vendor?

I have worked with Jared in the past and knew he was a hard worker and very creative.

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

We all sat down as a group so I could explain the Ruckify branding to their team. Then we dove into a creative meeting to put together the outline of a plan. This meeting was lead by their team and we enjoyed being actively involved in this creative process.

We were sent the video in under a month and provided them with minor requested changes which they executed. We were presented with the final video and got to play it for the entire company who all loved it.

What was your vendors' project management or feedback process?

Every step they checked in to see if we were comfortable with the actors and the direction of the shoot.

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

I think they put an awesome commercial together for us. It turned out better then we had hoped. We will for sure be doing business with them again in the future! Thank you Ajax team!

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

The workflow was great.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Their attention to detail and really bringing out the brand in the video.

Are there any areas for improvement?

Not that I can think of.

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the founder & CEO of PorterMedia.io. We are a lead generation & sales consulting agency. We help our clients find new business, as well as provide systems & coaching on how to close business. coach them on how to close & retain current business.

For what projects/services did your company hire Ajax Creative?

Ajax has provided video production for 4 of our clients and is our preferred video production team. We cannot say enough good things about them, as they have always blown our clients, and myself, away.

What were your goals for this project?

Generate awareness and evoke emotion through video story telling.

How did you select this vendor?

We've worked with a few production companies. Most are OK. The trend we noticed is that the average vendor has a great highlight real, but sub-par results on their individual work. We can't say the same about Ajax.

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

For our own video, Ajax took the time to really understand who our clients are and what was the best way to send the correct message. Our business works as a partnership with our clients.

The goal is that we hold each other accountable and both pull our weight in order to increase sales by a significant amount. Ajax was able to perfectly depict and call out our audience in a way that we didn't think of.

The response has been 10x the investment of the video, as well as an evergreen asset that we can use carrying forward. It's not too often that you can pinpoint a video asset being the reason revenue jumped, but in this case, we can.

What was your vendors' project management or feedback process?

We went through 2x rounds of feedback but it wasn't necessary. The thing I noticed about Ajax is that they get it right the first time, 9/10. What other production agency can you say that about? We haven't met anyone else, yet.

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

Again, we can directly correlate revenue to the video(s) they produced. It's not often you can say this, but we measured the amount of return we received from our branding video alone, and it was near 10x the investment.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Excellent. Great communication, available nearly 24/7, and they are always seeking feedback. The goal is perfection, and they were able to achieve that.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

The teamwork and that everyone spoke with eachother. No one was out of the loop. Every single project is a group collaboration.

Are there any areas for improvement?

Not that we can think of.