Demo Duck

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m a digital marketing consultant and I do everything from building websites, emails, landing pages, and generating content.

What challenge were you trying to address with Demo Duck?

I worked with Demo Duck to create an animated video for my client. They generally create content that outlines the company’s elevator pitch.  

What was the scope of their involvement?

 The key deliverable was a 90-second animated video that explained the key service from my client. They provided us with an MP4 file that we could use on our website or social media.

What is the team composition?

We worked primarily with two team members — the guy who wrote the script and our project manager Cody (Producer), who took the project from kickoff until completion.

How did you come to work with Demo Duck?

The owner of Demo Duck was a college friend of mine, so I’ve been aware of them for a long time and have been a fan of them for a long time. I finally had a project that I could work on them with. I evaluated a couple of other animated video shops, but Demo Duck was by far the best one from both a creative and storytelling perspective.

How much have you invested with them?

I spent about $10,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked together from August–October 2020.

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

They were super capable. The scriptwriter did a good job understanding the key service from control and distilling that down into a 90-second elevator pitch. He put it together in a way that helped the rest of the team craft visually appealing storyboards and, eventually, the video.

I was also impressed with the blocking and tackling of the animation. Their creative is very high-quality.

How did Demo Duck perform from a project management standpoint?

Our project manager, Cody, did an excellent job setting expectations, following through on those expectations, communicating clearly, and soliciting feedback. He then ensured that the designers and animators received that feedback so we didn’t have to reiterate the same thing. I was very impressed with their project management.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their creative, storytelling, and animation skills set them apart from other providers.

Are there any areas they could improve?

To be honest, I don’t really have any negative feedback. The project was managed very well and I’m completely satisfied.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Understanding what your requirements are can really help. For example, if you have any creative or stylistic recommendations, you should share that with them. They do a great job of taking those recommendations and incorporating them into the final product.

Please describe your company and your position there.

Identiq is a completely anonymous peer-to-peer identity verification network that allows its members to validate new users, and vouch for ones they already know, without sharing any customer data or identifiable information whatsoever. I am the CMO of Identiq, responsible for overseeing all marketing activities including lead generation, strategy and branding, and ensuring that the company’s message and product become well-known and positively regarded.

For what projects/services did your company hire Demo Duck?

To create a video that introduces viewers to what our company does and the unique way our network enables companies on the network to collaborate without sharing any personal user data.

What were your goals for this project?

We wanted a video that showed what we do in an understandable, compelling and believable way. Within 90 seconds we wanted to explain: The problem Our approach The value We wanted to do this in a way that would be appropriate for our main decision-making audience, who are fraud prevention veterans, but also understandable to people who know nothing about the fraud prevention industry.

How did you select this vendor?

I had worked with them twice before and been impressed every time.

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

We began with a creative brief, discussing and pinpointing the concepts the video needed to convey. DemoDuck provided a script, and the first draft was already close to what we needed. The script went through three rounds of feedback to perfect it, with DemoDuck incorporating all our comments and requirements thoughtfully and promptly. DemoDuck then provided design style options, and polished our chosen style in line with our comments. DemoDuck then provided a storyboard, which like the script was close from the beginning and went through three rounds of revisions to perfect it. There were then two rounds of animation design and feedback, and voice/sound review and feedback, which occurred in parallel. DemoDuck was highly responsive, creative and fast at all times, and the entire project took less than two months from kickoff to completion - despite the international pandemic which broke in the middle of it.

What was your vendors' project management or feedback process?

From our side I and my Content Director were the points of contact, and we worked closely with our CEO and VP Product during the creative stages to ensure that the results aligned with their vision. From DemoDuck’s side Theresa Brooks, Head of Production, was our main point of contact, and she was involved with the scriptwriting, visual design and sound design teams and stages as well as overall production.

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

Everyone in our company loves the video so much that we’ve ended up using above the fold on our homepage! Feedback from both industry experts and fraud prevention leaders in prospect companies has also been extremely positive.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Extremely effective. DemoDuck were fast at every stage, kept to all deadlines, and were even able to accommodate our needs when we needed a couple of extra days for review at one point - without extending their own completion deadline.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

It’s a winning combination. I was impressed by their incredible efforts, creativity, and professionalism at every stage of the process. The results were exceptionally high quality in every detail, and the original deadline was met despite the challenging circumstances of the pandemic.

Are there any areas for improvement?

I honestly can’t think of anything to improve.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I work for an organization called the New England Dairy. We are a research and consumer outreach based organization. We’re very science and research-based. We try to connect consumers with dairy farmers here in New England. 

What challenge were you trying to address with Demo Duck?

This June, it will be the 100 year anniversary of our organization. We wanted to have a short, succinct, high-energy way to describe our organization in a video format. We wanted to explain who we are, what we do, who we work with, and who we work for.

What was the scope of their involvement?

They created a live-action video that’s a minute and thirty seconds long. We gave them the pieces we wanted to cover and they created the vision on our behalf. We took the first couple of months to work out the creative process, coming up with a script, the storyboard, and the look-and-feel of the video.

Then, they flew from Chicago to Vermont. We shot video at two different dairy farms. We also featured other dairy farm families to showcase that dairy farming is done by families of all different shapes and sizes.

Through each step of the process, including on-site filming, we worked really closely with Demo Duck. We weren’t in a rush, so they had a solid three months to do the editing for us.

What is the team composition?

We worked with four people at the most. Initially, there were three folks working with us on the video, the script, and the storyboard. Then, four of them came from Chicago, including two photographers and a producer with each photographer. On the editing end, we worked closely with Cody (Producer) and another member of his team. 

How did you come to work with Demo Duck?

I wasn’t part of the team that helped choose them. But, I know their creative vision set them apart. Also, their cost-to-product ratio worked well for us as a small nonprofit. They were willing to work with us and meet us where we wanted to be. The fact that they were so excited to work with us put the decision over the edge.

How much have you invested with them?

The total for the entire project was right around $20,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started conversations with them in April or May of 2019, and we had the final product in our hands in mid-January of 2020.

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

We showed it to our organization internally and everyone was very excited and proud. We also shared it with the farm families in the video and they gave glowing feedback. The video gives a great explanation of who we are, our programs, who we work with, and what we do.

Going forward, we will share the video on our social media channels and our website. We’ll share it with our industry partners and really try to create excitement around it. At that time, we will be tracking success metrics for the video.

How did Demo Duck perform from a project management standpoint?

They are a dedicated crew that’s very creative. They’re always on-point and on-time with the deliverables.

They did a great job of keeping us in the loop and breaking down each step of the process. When it was time to edit, they created a quick rough cut for us. One of their staff members did the voice-over just so we could get an idea of the video. We went through that process 2–3 times until we came to our final product.

We had each other’s cell phone numbers, and we felt comfortable texting and calling back-and-forth. Cody would call me pretty often, and we’d chit chat about different aspects of the project. Email was the predominant form of communication.
 
What did you find most impressive about them?

The vision and the creatives they came up with were insanely good. I was impressed with their creative mindsets. They came up with different angles for their shots, and the lighting was beautiful. The creative minds they have are second-to-none.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They do all of their editing on Macs, while we predominantly use PCs. When they sent us all of the footage, the drive was not formatted for PCs. They're currently in the process of getting all of that footage on a drive that we can all utilize within our organizations. The communication around that was the only spot we had to go back-and-forth on.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Don’t be afraid to tap into and lean upon the creative minds they have. They bring it to another level. They’re high energy, and they can come up with things that you haven’t even considered yet.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the senior strategist at Perception Point, an Israeli cybersecurity startup. Our services focus on collaboration security, which means securing any content for enterprises in collaboration channels like email, shared drives, and social networks. 

What challenge were you trying to address with Demo Duck?

The greatest challenge in our specific vertical is finding an effective brand name. Some argue that people buy cybersecurity services as a fear-based action. When customers purchase insurance, they look for a brand name that sounds like it could protect them against a cyberattack. 

Rather than using scare tactics, we wanted smooth and light messaging to convey how we support our clients' business needs through technology. We worked with Demo Duck to find a unique way to explain our company's mission and services.

What was the scope of their involvement?

Demo Duck is the first video company we’ve engaged with on this type of project. Our primary requirement was that the video should be informative and include detailed explanations about what our company does. It was important to highlight the fact that we use both hardware and software. We wanted the two-minute video to display the actual code and show how we use our technology to x-ray items.

From a visual perspective, we wanted to the video to have an attractive have a high-end, premium appearance. Rather than boring viewers, we requested that Demo Duck make it illustrative and trendy. Lastly, we focused on making it an impactful and compelling viewing experience. 

What is the team composition? 

In total, we worked with around 5–6 people. The sales representative first called us to lay out Demo Duck’s offer and pricing. After that, we had a test call with the team lead, Cody (Junior Producer, Demo Duck). As our main point of contact, he was responsible for sending us transcripts, animation, and everything else that related to the video. I know that he worked with additional resources like an animator and voice artist. 

How did you come to work with Demo Duck?

I had to follow a few specific guidelines when hiring a vendor. We wanted to find a US-based company that worked well with high-tech startups and was knowledgeable about current trends and best practice in the US market. I searched online and sought references from my friends. 

After gathering offers, I narrowed them down to three options. Out of all the companies we considered, we liked Demo Duck the most. They seemed very professional during our first discussion and had worked with impressive clients like Dropbox and IBM. They had a positive attitude and could undoubtedly contribute to our brand name and messaging strategy. Even though they weren't the cheapest offer, they fit our budget. We were willing to pay a premium for their high-quality services. 

How much have you invested with them?

We spent around $20,000 The initial offer was approximately $17,000, but we requested additional edits that increased the project size. 

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked together from January–March 2018. The process took around three months. The last portion was only delayed because of internal challenges that were unrelated to Demo Duck’s work. 

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

We don't have any quantitative data to share yet since we’re still a startup and only started tracking metrics November first. From a qualitative standpoint, we're very happy with Demo Duck's work. 

We featured their video on our landing page, and many users have left comments so far. Our sales team is using it as a two-minute introduction to showcase our company. We're pleased by the final product’s utility and efficacy. It makes us look like a much larger company than we are yet. 

How did Demo Duck perform from a project management standpoint?

We really liked the team’s iterative and effective project management style. We used Zoom to communicate along with other tools. By explaining our status and upcoming action items for the next few days, Demo Duck managed the timeline very effectively. 

Cody was a great point of contact for us. He kept us on time and abreast of every update. He always notified us and found someone to cover when he had to leave for another client's shooting day. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

The team has a distinctly unique style, which we really appreciate. They used a highly detailed method to address every stage of the project. After completing each action item, they sent us a thorough summary. Demo Duck’s structured methodology is one of their core advantages.

Are there any areas they could improve?

At times, we struggled to meet timelines internally and had to postpone the process. For clients like us who are starting their first video project, the team should provide more guidance in the beginning. They should make clients aware of the typical benchmarks and tactics other companies use.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Future clients should request at least five videos to compare. Doing so helped us a lot. It's not enough to compare one or two examples against each other. Secondly, have a very strict budget because it's easy to overspend on videos. 

Introduce your business and what you do there.

Wheels for Wishes is a car donation program that raises funds to benefit the Make-A-Wish foundation. As the marketing director, I oversee all of the nonprofit’s promotional efforts.

What challenge were you trying to address with Demo Duck?

We receive a lot of questions about the logistics of car donations, so we wanted to make a video to explain the unique fundraising method.

What was the scope of their involvement?

We initially commissioned Demo Duck to create an instructional animated video for our homepage. Since then, they’ve produced between 10—15 videos for various platforms, including YouTube and Vimeo. Most recently, they’ve made a series of 15-second videos that we use to target new donors via Facebook Ads. We only tell them the general purpose of the video, and they drive the entire creative process.

How did you come to work with Demo Duck?

We reached out to them after hearing a glowing recommendation from a trusted developer in our network. Their proximity to our office was a great factor in our hiring decision.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent between $25,000--$50,000 for their animated videos over the past five years.

What is the status of this engagement?

Demo Duck has produced videos for us since May 2013. The completed the most recent series in April 2018, and they’re currently in the process of creating more videos.

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

We never used their videos for pure marketing purposes until recently, so it’s too early to gauge success concerning lead generation. However, we are thoroughly pleased with all of the work that they have done for us so far. Their first animation is still featured on our website, which is a testament to their high-quality production capabilities. They seamlessly incorporate our kid-friendly branding in all of their work.

How did Demo Duck perform from a project management standpoint?

The level of transparency that they maintain with their customers is unmatched. They provide a detailed timeline at the beginning of each project, and they tend to stay true to the suggested time frame. During the rare occasions when their team missed a deadline, they were proactive in informing us about potential delays. Overall, they’re one of the most pleasant companies to work with.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their high-quality videos are highly informative and captivating to watch. The cute animations and quirky scripts perfectly match our kid-centric brand.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Although they’re transparent about their lengthy production process, it would be nice if we didn’t have to wait several months to see the results.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

We made a few changes to our first video, which added more time to the exhaustive video production process. Make sure everything you want to include is listed in the scope of work to avoid additional time and charges.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the head of content development and programming at Mobcrush, a live streaming platform that allows users to stream games from their phone to a variety of platforms.

What challenge were you trying to address with Demo Duck?

I was looking for a vendor that could create two 30-second explainer videos about our product. We were about to rollout new options that allowed users to stream to multiple platforms, so we wanted to take the opportunity as we pushed the new service out to the press to provide videos that could add color to articles.

What was the scope of their involvement?

I provided Demo Duck with scripts and a mood board and they created two animated videos.

What is the team composition?

I worked with an account manager and an animator. There were also two other creatives on the emails as their team helped me adjust the script.

How did you come to work with Demo Duck?

I was searching for vendors with experience creating explainer videos. Demo Duck stood out, because their videos were fun and not as dull or dry as other examples I'd found.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent in the range of $10,000–$50,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in November 2017 and completed the project by February 2018.

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

The video was just released, so we don't have many metrics to report. However, the whole company has been thrilled by the final product. It was really exciting to the entire team to see their work come to life, described in a fun and easy way to understand. On YouTube, we've received many positive comments and several of the journalists that we worked with included it in their articles. Even Demo Duck's own animator posted the video on her Instagram, so it was great to see their team take pride in it as well.

How did Demo Duck perform from a project management standpoint?

They performed incredibly well. I was unfamiliar with the animation process, but their team did a great job of being clear on deadlines and processes. Their emails were very organized and broke down different topics, next steps, deadlines, etc. They preemptively answered most of my questions by mapping everything out in that way. It felt like we were all on the same team.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Demo Duck perfectly grasped the tone and attitude we were looking for. They were very intuitive; it was like they read my mind.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No. They were aligned with our vision every step of the way and pleasant to work with. I hope to work with them again.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm vice president of community and marketing functions at SportsCastr, a live video streaming social platform for sports and sports commentary.

What challenge were you trying to address with Demo Duck?

We needed to create a video to deliver the message of what SportsCastr is and why people should try it.

What was the scope of their involvement?

Initially, we worked with their team to condense our message down into a series of descriptive paragraphs and sentences about who we were and what we wanted to achieve. Then we collaborated with them on the script, and their team created the final animated video.

What is the team composition?

I worked with about five people in total, including a project manger and others on the creative team.

How did you come to work with Demo Duck?

Our CEO had heard of Demo Duck and came across several other agencies that had worked with them. We sent a few video production companies introductory proposals and, by their responses, it was clear to us that Demo Duck was the best option.

How much have you invested with them?

The video cost $10,000–$12,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them around August 2017 and finished the video that October.

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

Our product is still in beta, so we haven't been marketing the video yet. However, anyone who's seen the video thus far has expressed an immediate interest in our product.

How did Demo Duck perform from a project management standpoint?

They couldn't have made the process easier. They were very professional and clear from the beginning on how the process would go and never missed any deadlines. They took a hands-on approach and displayed a high level of communication between their various teams.

They were not only very attentive to our needs, helping us hone in on our message, but were also concise; no energy or time felt wasted.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They were very organized and understood where our creative visions would ultimately lead. From concept to delivery, they created a product in a very clear and practical way.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No. They know what they're doing and they're very good at it.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Don't be afraid to give them more information than you think they need.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

The American Society for Clinical Pathology (ASCP) is a non-profit organization. Our more than 120,000 members are pathologists and laboratory professionals. I direct ASCP Patient Champions, which is an advocacy program to empower and educate patients and caregivers on the laboratory's role in patient care as well as understanding lab results and treatment options. I also direct the ASCP Leadership Institute, which is an online leadership certificate program.

What challenge were you trying to address with Demo Duck?

I initially contacted them to create a promotional video for the Leadership Institute.

What was the scope of their involvement?

They conducted and filmed interviews with multiple participants in the Leadership Institute’s pilot program. For the Patient Champions program, we travel together to the subject’s home in order to tell their story. The goal of the video is to educate the larger public about pathology and to empower patients and caregivers. It’s an ongoing project; we’ve done about 8 shoots over the last year and a half. They record me interviewing the Champion and then do all the editing and post-production.

They've created some other products for us as well. When one of our Champions passed away, they created a beautiful legacy video for her that was shown at all our meetings. The Leadership Institute is an online webinar-based program. We’d produced the webinars in-house for the pilot, but I asked them for help in creating a higher quality project when we launched the program. I created the PowerPoint and then Demo Duck recorded the voiceover and produced the final product.

When we started the Champions project, I'd never conducted an interviewed before. Demo Duck was really helpful in looking over the questions. They've also recommended some trainings on how to conduct more effective interviews. They’ll take notes while I conduct interviews, which gives me confidence that they’re there as a backup. They're really part of the overall process and not just the video production.

What is the team composition?

I work with three members of their team.

How did you come to work with Demo Duck?

ASCP worked with Demo Duck before so I was familiar with their work and thought it was excellent. I also liked that they’re based in Chicago.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in January 2017. We have projects planned through June 2018 and we’re always looking for new ways to use them.

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

The feedback has been absolutely wonderful. Everybody really loves their videos, especially the editing, the production, and how they convey emotion. I’ve heard nothing but positive feedback. One of our Champions passed away and many people came up to me at the funeral to say that the video was wonderful and really showed who she was.

How did Demo Duck perform from a project management standpoint?

I always work with the same three people so we know each other really well at this point. They understand what we want and how we want it so the whole process is very smooth we go film a new Champion. In terms of communication, I have one point of contact and then she reaches out to the other members of the team. It's very clear and straightforward and never confusing. They're always very flexible and accommodating even when our schedule changes. Working with patients, sometimes there's an emergency surgery or some other issue. If I need to put a date on soft hold, they’re always willing to do that. They do absolutely phenomenal work and deadlines are always met.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their passion and knowledge stand out. They're really easy and fun to work with, and the quality of their products are absolutely phenomenal. They’re able to work on multiple projects with different tones and styles and make each one feel unique. They create different emotions in each video and tailor it towards the specific project or person.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They're really busy, which is great because a lot of people want their services. I think expanding would make them even stronger.