Day 8 Labs

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I work in ad sales and operations for a gaming company. We create custom content and ad opportunities for advertisers within our games, apps, and website.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Day 8 Labs?

We were facing a challenge with creating custom content for our advertisers.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Initially, our engagement involved creating web games that integrated with an advertisers’ brand. Since then, we started working with them on mini-games that run as ad placements within our apps. Besides creating mini-games, we can make engagement and AR units.

For our mini-games, their team will build it for us. After we have approval backs -and-forths with the client, they will deliver an ad tag that we can serve within our server and track within our backend.

What is the team composition?

I work with one or two people. I generally have one contact, but I’ll periodically work with a designer.

How did you come to work with Day 8 Labs?

I’ve worked with Steve (Founder & CEO) for many years before he started at Day 8 Labs. My boss at the time knew him through the industry.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve invested between $50,000–$100,000 for various projects.

What is the status of this engagement?

I personally started working with them in February 2010.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

For success rates, we focus on them delivering the content and how we utilize the content. The quality of their content is fantastic. The visuals are great, and our clients have always been happy with the execution. Their team delivers definitive work from the beginning, which prevents a lot of back and forth with the clients. We never have issues from the technical side; it’s seamless.

How did Day 8 Labs perform from a project management standpoint?

Their project management style is excellent. It’s easy to work with their team. Currently, we use email for communication, but we’ve used Basecamp in the past.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They’ve been a pleasure to work with. From start to finish, their team helps us create ideas from our clients. If we need ideas or visuals to pitch to clients, they’ll work with us.

Execution is also straightforward. If we need to have them on calls with the clients, I’m comfortable with that. The quality for the price has also been fantastic as well.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I don’t have anything off the top of my head. We’ve been very happy throughout the years. If we try a different vendor for something, we always go back to Day 8 Labs. It’s much easier and less stressful working with their team.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

From the start, clients need to communicate what your goals and needs are. They’re great at helping and hand-holding as needed. It’s an easy partnership.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I head up client service and marketing for a custom creator and manufacturer of products and digital incentives for our blue-chip clients. We custom create products from scratch with our in-house creative and industrial design, and we work with blue-chip clients to manufacture high quantities of promotional products to incentivize consumers to buy their products, as well as creating retail products on their behalf.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Day 8 Labs?

We’ve used Day 8 Labs a couple of times over the years. We have a trademarked platform that hosts the digital activations and rewards for consumers that are tied to our physical products, and we use Day 8 Labs for the execution and concept development of that platform.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They have helped us execute a variety of programs on behalf of our clients, which include major food production and retail companies. In one project, we worked with them to revolutionize the way we deliver kids meal toys that we create and manufacture for one of our clients.

We worked with Steve (Founder) to develop a digital activation that would scan your toy and recognize it, enabling you to play one of six games online depending on your character.

As a part of that project, we also worked with them in correspondence with a movie studio to coordinate the development of artwork for those games. The operating system had to be fairly sophisticated because you could operate your toy like a virtual joystick so that by moving your toy back and forth you could aim and take out villains.

In another case, we worked with another company to create a digital animation that accompanied temporary tattoos. Just by scanning the tattoo with a device, you could see the character separate and come to life on your screen. We are currently working on further AR activations with them as well.

What is the team composition?

I am typically in contact with Steve for the most part, but the team can involve up to three people depending on the programming and app development experts that he brings in for any given stage of the project.

How did you come to work with Day 8 Labs?

Our chairman had learned about his organization through some investment channels and people that he meets with about new technologies and innovations, where they were brought to him as a potential resource for our organization.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent about $150,000 in total.

What is the status of this engagement?

The first project with them began in 2014 and lasted about 5 months, and the more recent one lasted closer to 3 months, but we have maintained an ongoing relationship with them throughout our work through to today.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

When we launched the interactive toy program, it was a totally new category in terms of toy interactions. Our client was a little bit limited in how they were able to advertise the program, so the number of kids that took advantage of this program is hard to quantify, but based on the Google metrics that we pulled in, the stickiness was really high, repeat visits were high, and kids were spending around a half-hour engaging with the digital activation.

For the temporary tattoo program, I don’t have any specific metrics, but the products were very successful. They were able to sell through the products with the tattoos very easily, which in some part can certainly be attributed to the activation that went along with it.

How did Day 8 Labs perform from a project management standpoint?

I think their project management ability is one of the main things that keeps us going back to their company. We have a high-trust relationship because we know they’re capable, regardless of how new they are to the technology. They have never caused us any problems that we then had to bring to our clients, so we feel very comfortable working with their organization.

What did you find most impressive about them?

We really enjoy working with Steve and his team because of their unique ability to execute. Even if we are targeting a functionality that they haven’t dealt with before, Steve is always able to access the right people and expertise.

They are also just great listeners. All of our work has been really collaborative, not only in terms of taking our ideas and bringing them to market but also in working with the organization to concept new ideas that we can bring to the client. They’re always eager and responsive to our requests, and we consider them a very valued partner.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I really haven’t come across anything they could be doing better. We’ve been completely pleased with their capabilities.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Bringing them in early is a real advantage to the work that a potential company can provide to their clients. In terms of market execution, Day 8 Labs have some tricks of the trade to take a look at a concept and help make it more economically feasible. The earlier you get them involved, the easier the whole process is going to be.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We design and code banners for agencies and brands.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Day 8 Labs?

We wanted to find creative uses for technologies.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Day 8 Labs helped us to develop apps using augmented reality technology for various clients. Their team came up with the concepts for the projects and then worked with us to implement them.

What is the team composition?

We worked with 1–3 people from Day 8 Labs.

How did you come to work with Day 8 Labs?

The owner of Day 8 Labs and I crossed paths throughout our careers. When I needed to develop ideas, I called him because I knew him as a technical innovator.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent around $60,000 on their services.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked together between June–October 2019. We don’t have any current projects, but I would work with them again.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The campaigns not only received good responses from customers but were also picked up by the media. Their team has out-of-the-box ideas. Day 8 Labs comes up with creative uses for new technologies. They’re also proficient in augmented reality.

How did Day 8 Labs perform from a project management standpoint?

Day 8 Labs will give a project as much attention as it needs. One of the projects was more laid back, so they didn’t put pressure. When the project was close to the deadline, their team was on it. They’re flexible and friendly. Their team also didn’t chart up the budget every time the product changed a little.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their creativity and ability to execute new ideas set them apart from their competition. There’s a clever mash-up of technology and innovation at Day 8 Labs.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Nothing comes to mind.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Be open-minded to new ideas, even if it seems far-fetched. Trust their instincts. They’ve proven to be good.