360 VR Product Explainer – GOST
Note: For the best experience, we encourage you to watch this video with a head-mounted display that supports Youtube streaming. If one isn’t available, you can still enjoy the experience by clicking and dragging through the 360° environment.
Giant Oak Search Technology (GOST) is a revolutionary threat detection tool that goes beyond the typical state of the art methods of identifying threats by sorting through data with machine learning.
The Challenge
This wasn’t our first time working with Giant Oak. Previously, we had created several simple animated videos to demonstrate their product on their website. But this time, they needed something completely different. Giant Oak noticed that their presence at trade shows was an opportunity to give potential clients not just a head knowledge, but a felt experience of why their product is necessary. We needed something that would invite visitors to their booth into an unexpected, emotionally driven view of the problem that GOST solves.
The Approach
You guessed right… it doesn’t get much more immersive than VR! We partnered with Giant Oak to develop a story that works just as well in 360° as the ones we craft for flat video. Our main visual strategy was to treat the graphics as if seen through an amusement park tour ride. This simplified our canvas by giving us a sort of playbook for different kinds of graphics. We allowed ourselves to place simple 2D graphics on a closer sphere (as if on the windshield of our tour vehicle) and 3D graphics further out (as the environment the ride is moving through.)
We created basic design frames in 2D for story reference, but let the final style be defined during the 3D production. The environment was animated in Cinema4D and rendered with Octane, then brought back together with the flat elements in After Effects. Because there were certain moments of focused information that we needed to pull the viewer’s attention to, we used the movement through the 3D world to encourage a sense of “forward” to the viewers. We found that if we kept the tour moving, even if just very slowly, viewers would be encouraged to look where they’re going… which is exactly where we placed the information they needed to see.
We created an original score for this video and mixed it in 360° with ambisonics. The result is a more immersive and realistic sonic experience as you turn your head inside the experience. More than that, we also found that by “panning” the VO to the front, we could further encourage viewers to look in the right direction for the occasional informational graphics.
The Results
Giant Oak’s first use of this video at a trade show was a hit! They will continue using it as part of their trade show presence, and they’ve discussed sending it to prospects with a free Google Cardboard viewer to extend the experience beyond the show floor.
“The VR video was definitely a highlight and a great way to get our demo shown. Thanks so much for a great demo.”
Industry Segment Videos
Medallia has learned from working with hundreds of the world’s best-loved brands, and packaged that knowledge into best-practices that companies can use to jumpstart their customer experience programs. Including software, predefined configurations, streamlined deployment, enablement materials, and ongoing support, Best Practice Packages take advantage of the full power of Medallia Experience Cloud.
Best Practice Package: B2B
Challenge
Our challenge was to take all 5 videos and come up with a design language that fit the brand but could tell the story. We also needed to make each video different in the first half of the video and create the same messaging/design for the second half of the video.
Approach
Each video opens with a scene of characters in their work environment going about the old way of business. When Medallia Experience Cloud enters the equation, we’ll jump into a world of minimalistic visuals that hint at how Medallia supercharges that specific industry.
Best Practice Package: Retail
Best Practice Package: Contact Center
Best Practice Package: Insurance
Best Practice Package: Digital
Results
Each of these videos can be found on Medallia’s solutions page, explaining the various uses of their Best Practice Packages.
Social Video Campaign – TurboTax
TurboTax Gets Social
As long-time fans of Intuit, we were thrilled when they asked us to create short (I mean, really short) videos for their TurboTax social campaign. After working with them over the last few years on product videos, we knew this was going to be a little different. Not only was it important to keep their brand messaging in tact, but these videos could only be be fifteen seconds (instead of the typical :60 – :90 product videos), and they needed to quickly connect some fun and familiar emotions to the TurboTax brand.
After some long hours (and hilarious conversations) we developed sixteen, fifteen second spots that not only are exceeding the business goals of the campaign, but bring a smile to our faces every time we watch them.
Social Format
Since we believe that the best companies succeed because they shine in each stage of the customer lifecycle, we worked hard to make sure these videos excelled in the social arenas where lots of TurboTax’s existing and potentially new customers hang out. This meant that the videos not only needed to catch their attention, but they had to be shot in just the right way where they could play across multiple platforms and devices.
“When trust is high, there’s more freedom to create.”
Building trust with brands takes time, hard work and consistency. Once that trust is earned, however, you are often granted the freedom to create at a whole other level. This was the case with TurboTax and their 2016 Social Video Campaign. And once we got the “go ahead” we were stoked! All we had to do was come up with great ideas, write compelling scripts, and produce 16 videos that achieved the goals that were set. So that’s what we did.
This wasn’t the only TurboTax project we worked on this year...
TurboTax Product Animations
The Reward
In addition to the social-facing videos, we created a series of product walkthrough animations. These might not look like much, but they’ve been a valuable asset for TurboTax in demonstrating various parts of their product. And you know it’s a great project when the client gives you cupcakes.
Brand Film – Preventable
The goal of the Patient Safety Movement is to have ZERO preventable deaths by 2020. That’s a noble cause, one that we were more than happy to get behind.
Challenge
Convey the awful truth with hope and promise.
Approach
We thought it was best to start off telling the horrifying facts: healthy people are dying in hospitals. But unless the viewer can identify with the problem on a heart level, it would be just another “issue” in the world that might go unnoticed. Connecting real stats with real people within a short narrative has the power to move people from knowledge to action.
Product Ad – TurboTax Live
Intuit’s TurboTax Live is the new way to do taxes, because now you can do your taxes with a real CPA or EA on demand.
The Challenge
The biggest challenge this video needed to overcome was FUD (fear, uncertainty, & doubt). We were told that on average, most people trust TurboTax, but the instant something feels even remotely complex, FUD sets in, and they bounce. We needed to fix that.
The Approach
So we pitched a concept that encapsulated the three biggest concerns a simple assisted tax filer might run into…
How can I be confident my taxes will be done right?
How can I be confident I will get every single deduction?
How can I be confident that I will get my biggest refund?
We then implemented those three concerns into a narrative of “moments” that showed how having a live CPA easily removes ALL of those concerns.
We also created a social looping cutdown seen below…
The Result
Just a few weeks into launch and this video has already racked up almost 2 million views and successfully helped decrease FUD among their primary target. Right on, Rita.
Celebrity PSA – Danica Patrick
Life Happens is a nonprofit organization dedicated to helping Americans take personal financial responsibility through the ownership of life insurance.
The Challenge
For the past few years, Life Happens has partnered with Danica Patrick to talk about the importance of having life insurance. This year, the story of life insurance needed to be highlighted through Danica's journey out of racing and into her new endeavors. Our challenge was to authentically capture Danica telling her story about the importance of life insurance off the track, and communicate the journey she's on as she pursues her newest passions.
The Approach
Our main concern with this video was authentically telling the story of Danica's journey, and moving our focus away from racing, while still clearly relaying her passion for life insurance. We started with an array of questions that would help guide our conversation with Danica, and then began to narrow in on key areas to focus on. We captured our studio time with her from arrival to departure in order to give the viewer a more disarming and personal look into the process, and bring them into the story that was being told.
The Results
“Our three-time Life Insurance Awareness Month spokesperson Danica Patrick’s public service announcement (PSA) about the importance of life insurance and financial planning was seen 1.6 Billion times! Incredibly, her video was in the top 7% of all PSAs run last year.” Faisa Stafford, President and CFO at Life Happens
“Our partners look forward to these videos every year, and VeracityColab’s partnership helped provide exactly what we were looking for.”
Testimonial – Chrome Industries
Optimizely does pretty much what they sound like they would do, they optimize your business online… and they’re really good at it.
Challenge
It doesn’t matter how good you are at something, if you’re the one bragging on yourself, it won’t carry much weight. That’s why we suggested that Optimizely let us create a unique kind of testimonial video for them.
Approach
Testimonials can tend to feel a bit run of the mill, but this in no way fits the brand style of Optimizely, and we certainly weren’t interested in that. So, we decided to create this video by mixing an on-camera interview, an aesthetic overlay, and open-to-close narrative within “shop hours.” Thankfully, it all worked out nicely for everyone.
Personalized Videos – Internal Training
One of our clients has an internal training program that helps their leaders grow by applying the idea of “coaching” to their management interactions. It’s a great program, and you can watch the video we made announcing it here.
But the really exciting part is what happens when they graduate. Our client came to us wanting to create a video congratulating the leaders that have taken this program. We looked at the task and realized we could up the ante by personalizing the video to each person that graduates. We took the graduates name, up to three personal notes of encouragement, and a randomized color experience and delivered one-of-a-kind videos to graduates programmatically.
The Making Of
The number of completed videos is now over 400 and always counting, as more employees take the course. It’s a huge honor to play a part in this special moment for so many leaders.
Colorways
Ethernet Services
The Challenge
AT&T’s Ethernet Services video was a welcome opportunity to create a beautifully detailed animation. It was no easy task, and as we started to create visual styles it became apparent just how intricate we’d need to be.
The Approach
To meet the deadline, every tool in the box was used. 3D models were built and textured, and custom rigs were put in place. In the case of the globe scene, we hand-made a system to connect geographic coordinates with curved lines.
Product Overview Video
From one environment to the next, Box is a platform that breaks down all walls and barriers to make work seamless and easy.
The Challenge
Software explanations can be dry, so we wanted to do more than tell viewers what Box can do. We needed to show them in a very engaging and unique way.
The Approach
By seamlessly transitioning from one unique workspace to another – with the help of the rig shown below – we were able to display the power of Box in a way that’s fun, simple, and engaging. Ultimately we wanted to visually communicate that from one scenario to the next, one desk to the next, one environment to the next, whether you work alone or with a team of people around the world, Box frees you up to do what you love to do.
Conference Video
Challenge
The folks at OCTANe needed to kick off their annual Investor Forums for Technology and Medical Devices with videos that let their audience know they were a part of something big. It was up to us to create a set of stories that balance a decent amount of energy, but still convey a simple, high-level message.
Approach
After mulling things over, we built a story around the different members of OCTANe’s network all traveling to meet up at their hub, OCTANe itself. The video builds toward our “meeting of the minds” scene where OCTANe’s stats convey our main message: “OCTANe is the place to make things happen.”
The VeracityColab team took a visual cue from the opening credits of Spielberg’s 2002 classic, Catch Me If You Can. The sharp, simple style keeps things professional while making for an engaging journey. The overall motion of the piece progresses continuously to the right, emphasizing OCTANe’s commitment to moving forward and driving innovation.
The Results
“VeracityColab knew exactly what role their video played in our project. Their desire to proficiently understand our goal and the preparation that went into making this video, is what truly set the bar for any other video company I will ever work with.”
Explainer – Big Data
H2O makes it possible for anyone to easily apply machine learning and predictive analytics to solve today’s most challenging business problems.
The Challenge
Visually explain what H2O does so that the layman understands and the expert remains interested.
The Approach
We gotta be honest, this was a tough nut to crack. But then somebody said, “what if we explained it with pixels in 3D space.” That led to the next conversation and the next, until we finally actually understood what H2O does and what that statement meant. Sometimes you stumble across a gem when your walking through rocks.
The Results
“We thought this would be impossible, but you did it.”
Future Accounting
Quite honestly, BlackLine is the future of accounting. Their cloud-based software enables complete control and automation over the entire financial close process… and it’s pretty freakin’ impressive.
Challenge
Every time we get in a room with the folks at BlackLine to talk about their next project, we end up discussing just how ridiculous it is that most midsize and enterprise companies still manually reconcile their accounting process. And that’s exactly what they were looking for in these two videos.
Approach
Oftentimes people don’t realize things about themselves until they see it in others. That’s why we were intentional about showing just how much time accountants lose buried in their books day to day. But more importantly, we needed to show what their day to day could look like with BlackLine.
ENTERPRISE BRAND VIDEO
MID SIZE BRAND VIDEO
Execution
We stripped these scenes completely of their location because we wanted the attention to be solely on the individuals. People show pain, and it was important for us to capture their discomfort with their current accounting process, and their peace with BlackLine.
An Accountant's Survival Guide
The Challenge
After receiving a lot of traction on their marketing materials, BlackLine decided they wanted to build on their successes by having us create two videos that acted as a precursor to two very important white papers. We were all game for that, however, the real challenge came when they alerted us to the fact that both videos needed to work within a 4:3 ratio, and be fully comprehendible with no sound.
The Approach
BlackLine’s marketing materials created a great foundation for us to begin concepting on a lot of great ideas. Since both white papers were about the future of accounting, we thought it would be a great idea to stylize these accordingly. The first video was all about helping accountants navigate the upcoming battle against the future robots. So, we created an old-timey propaganda video that reminded and empowered accountants that even though the Robot Uprising is coming, they can still get the upper hand if they follow these techniques. For the second video, we decided to push further into the timeline and make it feel like a message from the future. We started pulling references like Terminator Salvation for the tone, Iron Man for the SFX, and Star Trek clips for the Captain’s Log examples.
Before and After
Sipree is a platform that connects businesses to every payment network in existence: PayPal, Square Cash, Starbucks — you name it. Their aim is to up the ante on customer and business satisfaction by enabling businesses to make payments any way their customers like.
The Challenge
The Sipree team wanted to give their audience a “behind the curtain” look at how they connect a business’s systems to the wonderful world of alternative payment networks. The main challenge for us was depicting a complicated financial and technical process in an engaging way.
The Approach
The answer to that challenge came in the form of “Kate,” the customer whose payment story we follow throughout the video. Stories are engaging. It’s just a fact. Even a simple one like Kate’s goes a long way, providing us with a charming, little context in which to explain one big, complicated process. And come on, look at that face.
Thermo Fisher Scientific - Social Videos
Thermo Fisher Scientific is dedicated to improving the human condition through systems, consumables, and services for researchers. The following are a series of short social videos we crafted for them to play on sites like LinkedIn so that their audiences could take in important information without actually having to click play.
Why Series
Kareo is a cloud based medical software that helps small practices succeed in today’s challenging market.
They were in the process of building a new website and needed a series of four videos to help explain their different services. Partnering with Envoy we worked hard to put the design studio Radio's illustrations into motion. The site launch was a success, the collaboration with Envoy was a joy and the videos are still sharing the message.
Why Kareo
EHR
Billing Services
PRACTICE MANAGEMENT
Mountain Gate
American Golf Corporation owns and operates hundreds of premier private, resort, and daily fee golf courses throughout the United States.
The Challenge
When American Golf Corporation asked us to tell a story about Mountain Gate Country Club, one of their most beautiful properties, and to do it in 30 seconds for broadcast during the U.S. Open, and 90 seconds for the web, we saw it as an amazing opportunity (especially since some of us here at VeracityColab love golf).
The Approach
There’s something deeply satisfying about golf courses. From the moment you step on, you’re surrounded by a sense a peace, manicured nature, and breathtaking vistas in every direction. It’s a feeling that every lover of golf is familiar with. That’s why we knew these videos needed to capture that feeling. So, we distilled that sensation into a single word…Wonder.
But blending beautiful imagery with poetic phrasing was only stage one of our approach. We knew these videos needed to accomplish an actual business goal, se we pitched AGC on the idea of creating a vanity URL, golfthewonder.com, where viewers could be funneled in and told exactly what they needed to hear in order to schedule a call for a personal tour.
Watch the broadcast and web ad versions below.
Broadcast (30s)
Web Ad (15s)
The Result
The Main KPI that we measured for this video was the number of memberships sold by the club, in direct response to the TV Ad and the longer video walkthrough on the custom landing page. Within three months of deploying the ad, Mountain Gate Country Club saw a 500% increase in membership sales. Not only were the results measurable, they were profound.
Product Animations
Lenovo is the fastest growing PC company in the world.
The Challenge
We were tasked with making technical topics accessible and emphasizing the next-level nature of Lenovo’s technology... all while showcasing their incredible engineering in both practical and artistic ways through videos that had to be turned around on quick timelines.
The Approach
Our approach was to use 3D animation to showcase details of top features in less than 2 minutes. Sometimes it’s that simple – and that complex. Here are some of the many videos we created.
Yoga - Watchband Hinge
ThinkPad - Trackpad
Intel Atom Processor
Lanschool
ThinkPad - Multimode
ThinkPad - Touchcase
ThinkPad - Ultrabook
Making the Future Real
Atheer Labs is a team of dreamers, engineers, and programmers, developing immersive 3D glasses to show the world the future, today.
The Challenge
They needed a concept video that would inspire viewers about the future and help raise money for their world-changing project.
The Approach
So we decided to make a “day in the life” video that showcases just how much of an impact Atheer’s 3D glasses could have on day-to-day life. It was great opportunity for us to mix live action and computer-generated effects to tell a wonderfully everyday story about the family of the future.
The Results
Atheer raised a substantial amount of capital and are continuing to view totals beyond their expectations.
BEHIND THE SCENES