The Desire Company

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the founder of a unique pillow company called Sleep Crown.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with The Desire Company?

I used to promote my product by traveling to wellness conferences and performing demos, but I then needed Desire to create short-form videos that demonstrated our product's benefits. This way, we could exhibit our pillows to a larger audience and increase my market size.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Desire has a group of professionals — from on-air talents, physical therapists, and yoga teachers to chefs and personal trainers — that create product review videos for us. To make the videos authentic, I send them our product in advance, and they’ll spend time to experience it. Then, they decide if they want to review my product or not. If they want to review it, they create an in-depth, one-minute video product review around how it impacts or improves their sleep.

Moreover, Desire works with another provider I use to post the videos on Facebook and Instagram. Along the way, we’ve learned that it’s good to not only produce one-minute videos but also create 15-second shorter cuts for social media placement. As a result, we’ve been creating new sets of videos four times a year. 

What is the team composition?

A plethora of people work on the shoots, but my main points of contact are Monique (Head of Brand Partnerships), Kyle (Head of Content), and Eric (CEO). 

How did you come to work with The Desire Company?

Desire reached out to me, and I did a couple of test projects with them before the COVID-19 pandemic started. They were a startup, so we also learned together how to approach our relationship when we started. 

Meanwhile, all other types of video and content companies also approached me. However, I preferred Desire’s work. I liked the fact that they had professionals whom they gathered and vetted thoroughly. They didn’t use influencers’ brands, which were a little more flimsy and not trustworthy in my opinion. Overall, the way they worked appealed to me, and they were extraordinary professionals, so we hired them. 

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent around $5,000 on our most recent video project. 

What is the status of this engagement?

Our initial contact was in March 2019, and the engagement is ongoing. Meanwhile, our most recent video project lasted from March–April 2020. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

To measure success, I can compare each video to other ones and see how well it performs on social media leading to purchases. However, the raw data comes from the other service provider I use. As a result, I gauge the videos’ effectiveness by checking if they explain all the benefits of my product and if I like the way they look. I also check whether the review video matches my branding. Overall, Desire and I have learned together what looks great and feels right. 

With that in mind, Desire is amazing in helping me learn the most effective ways to get my message across. They constantly over-deliver by suggesting different ways to display my product. Their team is super creative in using different techniques and angles for the videos. On top of that, they constantly make extra video versions to show me things that I don’t even ask them to do. If I order a one-minute video, they’ll give me a few versions of it. They’ll also give me a bunch of shorter edits to choose from for social media. 

When I don’t approve of the videos, Desire reshoots them at no extra cost just to make sure that I’m truly happy with the deliverables. My subjective approval is what matters in terms of the quality of the video, and I won’t put something out there that doesn’t fit my brand. In all of this, they continue to deliver what I want. 

How did The Desire Company perform from a project management standpoint?

Desire’s project management is totally excellent. The team is always on time and keeps in touch with me. In fact, I’m always the cause of hold-ups, while they’re always ready to go. When we set production schedules, they hit deadlines every time — even during the COVID-19 pandemic. 

On top of that, they offer all kinds of capabilities. In fact, they’ve arranged a still photographer a couple of times to provide still images for our social media. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

The Desire Company makes it possible for us to create incredible, high-end videos at a lower price than anticipated. They schedule video shoots with other companies so they can share the cost of production. In other words, they make high-end video production accessible to a tiny company like ours. 

Given that, I’ve referred them to a couple of my entrepreneur friends who have small companies. I’ve told them the benefits of working with Desire and how much I love working with them. I’ve turned them over to Monique, who I know will take care of them. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, there aren’t any. I can’t think of anything that they could do better than they already do. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Follow Desire’s instructions and advice during the initial consultation, where they try to see what you need. They’re excellent communicators, and they’ll put together a budget and a timeline for you. In the end, they’ll deliver it.