Rocketwheel

Please describe your company and your position there.

Head of Software at a deep tech company (quantum qomputing). We do a lot of work to make our industry's output more accessible.

For what projects/services did your company hire Rocketwheel, and what were your goals?

Produce a unique animated video for our major software library.

How did you select this vendor?

Found a video we liked and found out who made it

Describe the scope of their work in detail, including any steps and the final deliverables.

Worked with us to develop a unique concept, script, mood board, and animations. We had many iterations before converging on a final vision, and they were happy to work with us through these many initial steps. Kept in constant communication with us about their progress, even if they were having to adjust schedule. Final video was delivered in time for one of our major events.

How many people from the vendor's team worked with you, and what were their positions?

We worked directly with two people from their team, though more were involved behind the scenes.

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

We were super pleased with the video we ended up with. It has a very fun and unique vibe (one of our major requests at the start of the project) and reflects our brand well. The animation is really custom in a lot of places, not just generic images.

Describe their project management style, including communication tools and timeliness.

They provided us with updates on a shared Slack channel regularly each week (or multiple times per week when there was more to update). We had videocalls when we needed to talk through major decisions. We used "Syncsketch" to preview and comment on video. Sometimes felt like feedback didn't always get translated into changes to the video and had to repeat a few times.

What did you find most impressive or unique about this company?

They submitted a great output for such a small team!

Are there any areas for improvement or something they could have done differently?

I spent a lot of effort to give timely feedback on the latest versions of the video, but sometimes I felt I had to repeat it a couple times before it was incorporated.

Please describe your company and your position there.

TeleMate Software is a Unified Communications Monitoring, Analytics, and Reporting Company. I am VP of Sales & Market Strategy

For what projects/services did your company hire Rocketwheel?

Rocketwheel was hired to do an introductory video of our software's capabilities.

What were your goals for this project?

Clear and relatable problem depiction with outcome resolution for an extremely complex platform.

How did you select Rocketwheel?

We interviewed a host of companies and based on Rocketwheel's previous work, initial interactions, and budget, we believed that Rocketwheel was the best fit.

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

We were assigned a project team that was lead by a project manager (Dylan). Dylan was responsible for primary communication. We started off with a work session to make sure that the Rocketwheel team had a good understanding of our company, solutions set, and challenges. .Overall the process was very smooth and collaborative.

What was your vendors' project management or feedback process?

Dylan (PM) provided timely updates throughout each phase of the project.

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

The video that was produced by Rocketwheel will become the primary content to introduce our solution on all of our Web and social channels. In addition, in mid-April, it will be the primary content in our Q2 marketing efforts.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Extremely efficient! Rocketwheel utilized a real-time collaboration platform that enabled our teams to view and comment on each phase of the project in real time.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Their professionalism, creativity and delivered results.

Are there any areas for improvement?

We were very pleased and have plans to utilize Rocketwheel for future projects.

Please describe your company and your position there.

Director of Business Development at a web and software development services company.

For what projects/services did your company hire Rocketwheel?

We hired Rocketwheel to complete an animated brand marketing video.

What were your goals for this project?

We aimed to use this video as a launch pad for our rebranding and story efforts. With a new go-to-market approach, we needed a creative way to best illustrate our services, story and benefits.

How did you select Rocketwheel?

We've used Rocketwheel in the past for prior work.

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

With very little information, Rocketwheel was able to digest and decipher both our goals for the project as well as the story we were trying to communicate.

They helped us early on in articulating our value proposition, messaging and then turned that into a captivating video that included unique animations and voiceover.

What was your vendors' project management or feedback process?

It was very collaborative and fluid working in tandem as the project developed.

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

We've been able to leverage the creative direction from the video to totally overhaul our brand. Due to their great work, we've updated other brand assets and communication materials. We gained applause from new and current clients.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

The workflow was effective.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Their creative strategy upfront and the ability to understand what we said we needed and also what we didn't know we needed. Then the ability to take the strategy and execute in a way that aligned with each decision we made together throughout the process.

Are there any areas for improvement?

No.

Please describe your company and your position there.

My company develops SaaS platforms for enterprise, midsize, and small life sciences organizations. I am the field marketing lead for one of our product suites.

For what projects/services did your company hire Rocketwheel?

We hired Rocketwheel to produce a ~2-minute animated explainer video for a new product suite.

What were your goals for this project?

The goal was an engaging, on-brand animated video that introduced our new product suite and explained how it meets the challenges faced by our clients.

How did you select Rocketwheel?

My company had a previous relationship with Rocketwheel at the beginning of our project.

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

We supplied a script. Rocketwheel worked with us to shorten it a bit, then went through several rounds of story- and design-boarding. Feedback on the video itself was provided through an excellent tool which allowed you to leave notes at specific times and places in the frame.

What was your vendors' project management or feedback process?

Excellent communication throughout the project with Kat, the project manager. Especially when we reached the stage of using their video review tool to give feedback at specific points, the process became pretty easy.

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

It's too soon after publication to have metrics on video performance, but we've received very positive feedback from the product, business, and sales teams for the represented product suite.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

The workflow was rocky during this project, mostly on our end, because of several factors, including too many stakeholders and unclear approval processes. Rocketwheel was patient with us and helped us define a better workflow for subsequent projects.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Definitely the best part of working with Rocketwheel on this and subsequent projects was the interactions with Kat, our project manager. She knows her craft well, has been patient when we experienced internal delays, suggested possible solutions, and engaged with us as a partner in the project.

Are there any areas for improvement?

I felt most of the areas for improvement were appropriately addressed during the process. In the one area where I felt Rocketwheel had made a mistake that was resulting in higher costs than originally agreed, they were reasonable and we were able to come to a positive resolution. Communication, timeliness, review tools, etc. have all improved in our most recent project with Rocketwheel.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the co-founder and COO of a software startup. We’re about two years old. 

What challenge were you trying to address with Rocketwheel?

We were launching a crowdfunding campaign on Republic.co. We needed a video for the campaign. Our organization didn’t have any videos, so we enlisted Rocketwheel to create the video.

What was the scope of their involvement?

We gave them a creative brief. The requirements included a 1.5–2-minute video that featured me as a female founder of the startup, as well as how our platform works. Our platform helps resolve discrimination and harassment; because this is a sensitive topic, we needed a company that could design something that would be warm and welcoming. 

We asked for some animation in the video as well as a voice-over. Because we were filming during COVID, they gave us instructions on how to film the live pieces at home.

What is the team composition?

We worked with three people: Konstantin (Marketing Specialist), Ivan (Creative Director), and Thomas (Live-Action Producer). Konstantin mostly handled the business development; I reached out to him first, and then we worked on the script and a few other things. I mostly interacted with Ivan, who did a lot of the graphic design and editing. Thomas helped with directing us at home, since we had to film ourselves rather than having a film crew.

How did you come to work with Rocketwheel?

They were listed as one of the vendors to contact on the Republic.co platform. We had a very short turnaround time, and I liked that Rocketwheel could execute in that timeframe. The budget was in-line with what we could afford, and I felt like they understood the topic and the need to creative sensitive content around it. I also saw some previous videos they’d done.

How much have you invested with them?

We paid $4,000 for the video, and then a couple of hundred dollars on equipment at home. 

What is the status of this engagement?

The project was from April–June 2020. The original turnaround was four weeks, but we extended it to six because we had some extensions of edits.

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

We met the timeline for Republic.co, and the video was posted. We’re having a pretty successful campaign, and I think the video is contributing to that. We’ve also broken the video down for Facebook Ads and Google Ads, and those have been successful as well.

How did Rocketwheel perform from a project management standpoint?

They were pretty good. There were a couple of points when we were running over the deadline, and they were a little difficult to get ahold of toward the end. However, given the short timeframe and limited budget, they did the best job that they could. We communicated via phone and email. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

They had really good creative that was built around our screenshots, so that was really helpful. I also thought that they did a really good job of editing the interviews for the video.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I think they could’ve managed the timeline a little better. Sometimes, things that were promised at a certain time would be a day or too late. That was tough to manage on our side because we had a lot of moving parts.

Any advice for potential customers?

You really need to have a creative brief and a sense of the storyline. Ivan is way more helpful when you know what you want to say.

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the VP of Marketing for ByDesign Technologies. Our software solutions simplify the many complexities behind Direct Sales, Party Plan and MLM business models. ByDesign’s technology is used on six continents, in 140 countries. Our SaaS solutions include Geneology Management & Commissions, Inventory, Replicated Websites, Premier Rep Tools, Branded Mobile App, Virtual Parties, E-vites, Hostess Rewards, Bookings, Social Sharing, Promotions, & Shopping.

For what projects/services did your company hire Rocketwheel?

To explain the complexity involved in starting, running, and growing a direct selling company.

What were your goals for this project?

We needed a video that could take a lot of information and condense it into an easy to understand video that was less than 2 minutes. It needed to be precisely accurate in the depiction of each area of the business and to reflect the global nature of direct selling.

How did you select this vendor?

I received an email from one of the founders with some links. I played the links and found the Explainer Videos to be outstanding. We had a call and I was extremely impressed with both the level of expertise and the ease in which my team worked with them.

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

We had a basic script and provided some general guidelines for what we liked in their videos and what we wanted to do differently. A few days later we received images of the "characters" that would be in the video along with the general style of illustration that would be used. We provided lots of input and all our suggestions, even those that were almost too small to see - were documented, executed cheerfully and it made us feel great about working with this team. We also had a few REALLY bad ideas that they talked us out of doing. They delivered each step of the video on time and handled the project with thoughtfulness, creativity, and respect.

What was your vendors' project management or feedback process?

We used a third-party program for managing the project. All assets, notes, meetings, and creatives were stored online for access anytime from anywhere. I would also get emails when a new document was added or when something needed my approval. Their communication was very clear, and it was effortless to reach them when questions did arise.

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

The video has allowed visitors to our website to gain a much fuller understanding of the direct selling business model. Our sales team has been able to share this video with start-up companies and it has saved them many hours each week by letting the video explain the most common questions we typically receive.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Excellent. Our team is very detail-oriented and they provided that same level of detail back to us. The workflow was seamless and they make it VERY EASY to be effective.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

What impressed me most was their level of enthusiasm. They never become weary, they consistently treated me as if our project was incredibly important to them. They love what they do and are super excited to help tell the great stories our companies need to share. They treat you like family, charge you like friends, and deliver like a top tier agency.

Are there any areas for improvement?

Nothing but praise for this outstanding team!

Please describe your company and your position there.

We are a leader in Online Content Delivery and Security Solutions for many of the world's biggest brands. My role is to market and drive success of the media delivery product line.

For what projects/services did your company hire Rocketwheel?

We used Rocketwheel to help produce a series of explainer videos for key products.

What were your goals for this project?

*Drive awareness of key solutions for site visitors

*Simplify messaging and focus on key challenges the products solve

How did you select this vendor?

They were recommended through a respected colleague who had used them previously.

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

Konstantin has a unique ability to quickly grasp difficult concepts and weave them into a compelling storyline. The team provided the vendor product materials then there was a kickoff call where any follow up questions were discussed. I was impressed with speed in which a draft version of the script was produced.

When the script was finalized, it was on to storyboarding, graphics, voiceovers and then a review of the video. The process was fairly light touch on our part.

What was your vendors' project management or feedback process?

From the initial kickoff call, a project schedule was provided and both sides agreed to dates. It was a pretty straight forward and seamless process.

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

They provided quick turnaround times for the most part and stuck to their deadlines. The videos were very nice assets to include on product pages within our corporate site.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Effective overall

What did you find most impressive about this company?

The efficiency of their operation was great.

Are there any areas for improvement?

We were satisfied overall with the project.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the director of marketing services for a supply chain software company.

What challenge were you trying to address with Rocketwheel?

We needed content to show on our big monitors during trade shows. We were interested in creating a series of animated videos for brand awareness.

What was the scope of their involvement?

We gave them a topic and then Rocketwheel interviewed the appropriate people from my company. It was a brain dump. They took that information and came back to us with a script. For a 60-second script, it was fairly spot-on, so we only edited it a bit. Their team came back with storyboards and we gave them feedback. Then, they developed the audio and video and came back with a final product. Rocketwheel’s completed four projects and they’re in the midst of another.

What is the team composition?

I had one point of contact that served as a project manager to source what needed to be done on the team.

How did you come to work with Rocketwheel?

I found Rocketwheel through a web search for animated videos. I flipped through examples of their videos and I thought their style suited my goal. I found examples of animations I liked and asked if their team could help me with a similar project. They said that they could do it and more.

How much have you invested with them?

The five projects that we’ve done to date have ranged from $5,500–$6,5000 each.

What is the status of this engagement?

The first project started in November 2017 and we completed the last video in October 2019. We have another project underway.

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

The response of our visitors to our trade show booths have been positive. People stand there and actually watch the videos for 60 seconds. Anytime that I can grab 60 seconds of my prospect’s time, I’m happy.

We’ve written descriptions and optimized the videos for keywords to put on YouTube. The first video had over 2,200 views, which is huge because it’s for a small segment of the retail market. The other videos continue to tick upwards in viewership.

How did Rocketwheel perform from a project management standpoint?

At the beginning of the project, they gave us a price, a timeline, and a prescribed process. Our style was iterative, so the process was exactly what we wanted. They’ve always been timely.

Their team was upfront with us about our commitments too. They explained that we won’t meet our end date unless we work together. I’ve worked with lots of design agencies that don’t take feedback, but their team did an excellent job with it.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their project manager made the process easy. He got it from a script standpoint. They invested in the storyboard, which made the final video clear to me. Their level of detail made me confident in the process. The storyboards were huge to me.

Are there any areas they could improve?

For the second video that we made, their team came back with a concept that missed the mark. I told them that it wasn’t what we were looking for and that we needed to go back to the drawing board. Rocketwheel responded to the feedback well. We talked more about our concept and tweaked the script. Their team came back with a design plan that was spot on.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Make sure that you look at their portfolio to know that they’re going to represent what you have in mind. If you’re looking for an iterative process, they’ll be a delight. You can bounce ideas off of them to come up with the best end product.

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the VP of Marketing for a fintech company that delivers digital payment solutions to underserved populations and markets where traditional financial services have failed to provide affordable and convenient options.

For what projects/services did your company hire Rocketwheel?

We were launching a new product that would change the traditional way employees got paid so there was a great deal of education that would be needed to inform both employees and employers of the benefits of this innovative, new solution. We decided to leverage the power of video to accomplish our mission.

What were your goals for this project?

We wanted to inform and educate our clients and their employers on the benefits of the new solution.

How did you select this vendor?

We reached out to our network and asked for referrals.

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

The video was a 1-minute explainer on the benefits of the product and how to use it. The production process was fairly simple and straightforward. I had a concept for the video and wrote a first draft of the script which we used as a starting point. Konstantin and his team then took that and used their expertise and experience to turn it into something that worked for the video and animation.

What was your vendors' project management or feedback process?

Konstantin and his team were tremendous during the entire feedback process. They provided great suggestions and where always willing to find ways to meet our vision. It was a smooth process and was done in a timely and professional manner.

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

The videos were extremely successful in the launch of our product. They allowed for much faster and greater adoption and were used extensively during the sales and implementation processes.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

The workflow was very effective. They always delivered in a timely and professional manner. Communication was always clear and precise. And they were always easy to get in touch with regardless of time or day of the week.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

The most impressive thing was their ability to take our vision to another level that we couldn't even imagine.

Are there any areas for improvement?

No, the process was flawless. We have used them several times since and have referred them to others at every chance we get.

Please describe your company and your position there.

Akamai Technologies - Director of Product Marketing

For what projects/services did your company hire Rocketwheel?

We had several new offerings that were technical and we needed high quality videos to help us illustrate and explain the use case and value propositions for our customers and prospects.

What were your goals for this project?

Our goal was to create a series of explainer videos with consistent look and feel, that complied with our brand guidelines, and were effective in driving adoption of our new line category of products.

How did you select this vendor?

I found them through a vendor sourcing firm.

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

The videos were short explainers that communicated an even balance between the how and why with a clear value proposition. They were animated with professional voiceover. Konstantin and his team were hands on and helped with design, story boarding, animation, revisions and were extremely dedicated to ensure we received the desired end result.

What was your vendors' project management or feedback process?

We used convenient SaaS tool to pass revised videos back and forth with notes to communicate around comments and updates. They also patiently spent time with us on calls to hear our feedback. Communication was seamless.

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

We were able to scale the adoption of the product line in a low-touch sales model, because the videos were effective in sales assisted engagements and for customer self-discovery.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Very effective. No hiccups. They pushed us to move fast and they were never slow on turnaround. If anything we struggled to keep up with them. Which was a positive.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

The creativity, integrity, and commitment to a quality outcome. They listened and cared about the inputs and the ideas. We had brainstorm calls to develop first draft story boards and they collaborated as if they were part of the team, on very technical topics. I felt these sessions got us a better outcome than we could have achieved on our own.

Are there any areas for improvement?

None.