SeeSaw Labs

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the director of digital ad operations at a smart city company. Partnering with LinkNYC, Chicago CTA, and New Jersey Transit, we have displays in many cities. Our primary business involves us working with transit authorities to provide them with superior marketing tools and signage. We focus heavily on out of home advertising. I manage a team that collaborates with our clients and sales personnel to optimize advertising.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with SeeSaw Labs?

We engage with SeeSaw Labs to build out our more technically-driven display projects that require engineering expertise.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

In the past, we’ve screened some pretty simple images and videos, but there are also more complex executions we are expected to handle. We call them dynamic campaigns. In these cases,  there is a data source connected to the visual that influences what is shown on the screen. For example, we might show a countdown or sports scores that update in realtime. SeeSaw Labs builds these data capabilities using HTML5.

We work on quick timelines for many external clients, so it’s imperative that engineers are actively building and testing the displays before passing them off to my team for launch.

What is the team composition?

It’s scaled up and down based on need, but I primarily work with Jeff (CEO, SeeSaw Labs) and one other contact.

How did you come to work with SeeSaw Labs?

Jeff used to work for a business that was bought by my company. At that point, he broke off and started SeeSaw Labs. When we needed help building out these products, one of the executives here went to Jeff to see if he could help us. 

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent about $250,000 with them.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them in early 2016. Ever since, they’ve become a long-term partner that’s been able to ramp up our internal processes. They’re bridging the technological gap until we have the resources to do so on our own.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

They built very dynamic content according to our expectations. Even when I had my own ideas on ad ops or device health that was outside the designated scope of their work, they still spun out some great tools for us. On top of that, they were always willing to get on the phone and discuss our needs as they developed. Overall, they’re a great partner. 

How did SeeSaw Labs perform from a project management standpoint?

Their team would scale up or down depending on our needs. When we needed more communication, they took the initiative to set up a Slack channel and brought in additional resources. Their team stayed ahead of the game to accommodate the level of communication we needed. They were super helpful and attentive, understanding the project timelines. They were open to feedback and weren’t afraid to ask questions. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

We’re not a team of engineers, but SeeSaw Labs made it easy to communicate. It was never difficult conversing with them about requirements or how our dynamic products should be implemented. They understood requirements and were very accommodating on all fronts. Without them, we would’ve struggled to reach our goals and hitting timelines at the rate we were shooting for. There were no miscommunications regarding requirements at any point.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I can’t think of anything on my front. We never had any significant issues. They were always accommodating.