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This Meeting Could've Been a Podcast drops you smack dab in the middle of the closed-door sessions where Jess Cook (Head of Marketing) and Joshua Perk (CEO) are working to turn their company, Vector, into B2B marketing’s next big thing.
In each episode, they tackle a real, strategic decision together—"Should we hire an agency?", "Should we push free trials or demos?", "What are we going to do with all the swag Josh bought?!"—dishing out pros, cons, knowns, unknowns, wins, challenges, and stories along the way.
Come for the big picture strategy and day-to-day tactics, stay for the jokes that make HR nervous.
Jess: Hey, Josh, I wanna run ads on CTV
Josh: Like a commercial?
Jess: Like a real commercial.
Josh: I want a Super Bowl budget.
Jess: We have a Series A budget.
Josh: I want it to feel like we have a Super Bowl budget.
Jess: Hold my beer
Jess: Hey, Josh, remember that time that we, like, ran TV commercials?
Josh: Yeah, we still do them.
Jess: We still do them. They're still running.
Josh: Those things work.
Jess: We're on TV.
Josh: We're famous.
Jess: It's crazy.
Josh: I didn't even know you could do that at our size.
Jess: Anyone can.
Josh: Anyone. Just throw it on TV.
Jess: Yeah.
Josh: You're fine.
Jess: It's easy. Yeah.
Jess: Peacock, Hulu, whatever. Hulu
Josh: and Peacock. Disney+. You can put whatever you want on these things.
Jess: I know. We're right up there with the princesses and the superheroes. Yeah. Same channel.
Josh: When am I gonna get the bill?
Jess: Well...
Josh: They're not super expensive. They're
Jess: not bad.
Josh: You run quite a few different kind of ads.
Josh: Yes. And, um, I actually got to, like, watch as you sort of build out your, your repertoire of- Yes ... videos that we have for these really fancy commercials- Yeah ... that we do. I think it'd be really interesting to talk about, like, the types of ads and videos that you've created, 'cause video is, like, such an interesting sort of medium.
Jess: Yes.
Josh: And then also sort of, like, how you've been able to make our tiny startup of a company take the Super Bowl stage- ... uh, with commercials.
Jess: Yes, absolutely. Okay, well let's start with, I think there's three types of video that every- startup needs to have- Okay ... in their library.
Josh: Okay.
Jess: The first is some sort of awareness video.
Jess: Yep. Right? Like- Okay ... you're talking about the problem space. You're talking a little less about what you actually do to solve it. You're just kind of, like, showing the tip of the iceberg. Yep. Um, or talking about the tip of the iceberg. But you're setting it up in a way that feels like a story, right? Mm-hmm.
Jess: There's some storytelling involved. So very much like top-of-funnel awareness- Yep ... is video one. Yep. Or when w- in our case, video series-
Josh: Yeah ...
Jess: one.
Josh: Mm-hmm.
Jess: The second is, like, a conceptual, maybe usually animated explainer video. Yep. Like, what is it that we do that your product does?
Josh: Yep.
Jess: And can you show that in a really visually interesting way?
Josh: Yeah.
Jess: Um, maybe not so much showing the actual product. Maybe it's just, like, really clear, simple visuals- Mm-hmm ... that telegraph to someone, like, what is actually happening in the process, right? Okay. So you've got your brand awareness, kind of storytelling. Yep. You've got your animated explainer. Yep. And then the third step is a little bit deeper, and that's some sort of video that actually showcases UI.
Josh: Mm.
Jess: Uh, so, like, some sort of UI walkthrough, right? Okay. Like, tell, tell the story showing product this time, right? I love that. So each one gets a little bit deeper. Yep. And I think when you have a library of those three things, you can kinda run campaigns at any level-
Josh: Yeah ...
Jess: and pull the right people in using the messaging, kind of at those different altitudes.
Josh: Love that. I notice that you didn't have a fourth one on there, which is, like, CEO talking about- ... the vision of the company.
Jess: No.
Josh: I think that's a mistake, but whatever. Uh-
Jess: That's what this podcast is about, Josh. Yeah, yeah, yeah. We do have that, actually.
Josh: This is our commercial. You're
Jess: welcome.
Josh: Okay, I love that.
Josh: So you have, like, this really top-of-funnel awareness, basically not even really talking about you as a solution, just sort of, like, making the world aware they have this problem. Then you have the explainer, um, video, and then you have, like, a UI walkthrough.
Jess: Yes.
Josh: Okay. I would love to double-click into each one of those separately- Let's do it
Josh: 'cause those feel, like, very different. Let's start top of funnel.
Jess: Yeah.
Josh: Walk me through your process for creating awareness ads.
Jess: Yeah. So I've been doing video and TV commercials for a long time. I did a lot of video work and, and a handful of TV commercials when I was in my, like, B2C agency days. It's one of my favorite things to do.
Jess: I think it's so fun. It's very complex. There's a lot of moving parts.
Josh: Are you allowed to talk about some of the brands you've worked with-
Jess: Oh, yeah ... or what you've done? Absolutely. Um, I did a, actually a Super Bowl commercial-
Josh: Really? ...
Jess: for Rice Krispies. See? We can do it. We can do it.
Josh: You have the experience.
Jess: You, you have a seasoned Super Bowl commercial person.
Josh: I'll raise more money.
Jess: Yeah, okay. Amazing.
Josh: You go, I go into the investor pitch. We're raising a series B for one- Simply ... Super Bowl commercial. 30 seconds. It's just gonna be a QR code
Jess: on the screen. That's it, yeah. Bouncing around.
Josh: Yeah. Okay, so you've done it before.
Josh: Yes. W- can you share what kind of brands that you've-
Jess: It was Rice Krispies- Wow ... was the Super Bowl commercial. Yeah. Uh, and I wrote a jingle. They were going through, like, this phase where they wanted people to, like, put toppings on the cereal and make it fun. Ooh, interesting. And so I did this whole, I wrote a whole song about all the different topping combos you could put on top of your Rice Krispies.
Jess: That's awesome. And it was cute, and it was like Snap, Crackle, and Pop would, like, carry in the fruit pieces or
Josh: the- Oh, that's
Jess: cute ... whatever it was, you know, the little- Yeah ... sprinkles or whatever. Oh. Uh, so that was really fun. I've done a lot of video work specifically for Kellogg and, uh, Kimberly-Clark is the other, like, big kind of, uh, parent company I've done a lot of video work for.
Jess: Yeah. So on the Kellogg side, um, I scripted an entire series of videos for Cheez-It where it was, like, talking cheese wheels and, like, their backstory. Like, some of them had German accents and, like-
Josh: That's awesome. It
Jess: was so fun. That's cute, yeah. So I got to go to the recording studio for a day and, like- basically direct people into, like, how they read the script and, uh- That's cool
Jess: yeah, things like that. That was really cool. And then I got to oversee the animation. Um, another one that I did a huge shoot for was for Morningstar Farms. It's like, uh, used to be part of Kellogg. I don't think it is anymore, but it's like a frozen veggie brand.
Josh: Yeah, yeah.
Jess: So they have, like, veggie burgers, veggie nuggets.
Jess: Yeah. And we did a whole summer campaign around, like, grilling out with your veggie burgers, and we shot it in Miami on a rooftop, and we had- That's so cool ... like, pretend flames coming up. Pretend flames, but like actual flames, but not real.
Josh: Yeah.
Jess: Like, the grill wasn't lit. Yeah. It was like, it was very controlled.
Josh: That's so cool.
Jess: On the Kimberly-Clark side, uh, one of the big projects I got to work on there was, um, an entire video series called The Roll Poll.
Josh: Okay.
Jess: So they did this thing where it was like they wanted to know how America rolled their toilet paper, over or under.
Josh: Wait, I feel like I've seen this before.
Jess: Yeah. Yeah. And we talked about it, I think, on a previous- Okay, yeah ... season, previous episode- Yeah ... um, where, like, we got people to vote, like- Yeah ... how they actually roll. People have very, very big opinions on the way you roll your toilet paper.
Josh: Yep.
Jess: So we did this whole video series where it was like, well, a bowler would roll under.
Josh: Yeah.
Jess: Right?
Josh: Yeah.
Jess: A plumber might roll over because- ... he knows that it's the best way not to clog the toilet. Yeah. This is all made up, right?
Josh: Wait. Were you... Hang on. Now I'm trying to debate. Are you an over or under?
Jess: We're over in our household. You're
Josh: over.
Jess: I will, like, if I go to someone's house and it's under, I'll flip it.
Josh: That's savage, first of all. You're like, "This is so wrong. I'm gonna flip it." It's wrong. I'm changing it. But the over, if you have, like, kids or, or animals- Yeah ... they can, they can do the thing.
Jess: This is true. So we had a cat lady.
Josh: Yeah.
Jess: She was one of our characters. Yeah. And she rolls under- Yeah ... because she had cats, and they'll just get into
Josh: them.
Josh: What's the advantages of rolling over?
Jess: It just looks nicer.
Josh: Oh, God. You're so stuffy.
Jess: I'm bougie like that. I know. I'm such a diva.
Josh: I could see that, though. Yeah. I guess hotels roll over. They do. Right? The little folded thingy. Right, and they're
Jess: professionals.
Josh: Yeah, they are. So I feel
Jess: like-
Josh: They know what they're talking about
Josh: they know what they're doing. Okay, I'm sorry. I'm trash, obviously.
Jess: So I've done a lot of video work. Yes, you have. Um, from writing the scripts to actually, like, overseeing production and, and then sitting in on post-production and editing. Yeah. Um, so I've done a lot of that. I'm really comfortable with, uh, with video production including, like, you know, scouting talent and locations and- Yep
Jess: um, so for this, uh- Like, uh, we knew we wanted to do some, like, awareness-type- Yeah ... videos. We knew we wanted to do something that could potentially live on CTV. Yeah. When we found our demand gen marketer- Yeah ... we ultimately did. Mm-hmm. And he ultimately got them out there. Um, and so we, you know, I was kind of trying to figure out, like, okay, who, who can I get to, like, actually create these?
Jess: And I stumbled across this incredible video for an agency called Client Boost. Yeah. And the video, there was a series. And the video series basically, uh, featured this, um, marketer- Yeah ... who had hired a- an agency. And her agency, like, left a lot of things to be desired. Yeah. Like, she just wasn't happy with their performance.
Jess: And so, um, in one episode, she's always holding their hand. Literally. Yeah. So she's always holding, like, her agency partner's hand. Yeah. Like, they end up having to go to the bathroom together. And, like, she's trying to eat lunch, and he's, like, pulling on her hand, and she's tr- you know, like, all the things- Such a good analogy
Jess: right? It's great. Yeah. Another one, she wears a lot of hats. Yeah. And she has literally, like, all of the hats stacked up, and she's trying to, like, go about her day, like, balancing all the hats on her head, right? Yeah,
Josh: yeah.
Jess: I was like, "This is genius." Yeah. Like, who did this? So I reached out to the team at Client Boost.
Jess: I was like, "Who put these together?" Yeah. And they were like, "Oh, that's, that's Deadpan." Yeah. Uh, and so I looked up Deadpan, and Deadpan is an agency out of the UK run by a brilliant man by the name of Luke Winter. Yeah. And their whole thing is funny videos for B2B brands. Like, that's all they do.
Josh: So specific- And they're-
Josh: but so good at it ...
Jess: so good at it.
Josh: Yeah.
Jess: So we had them shoot. We went to them, and I said, "Listen, I have this idea." Like, I had a concept in mind. Yeah. But I could tell that they were very good at what they did. Yeah. And I was like, "I want you to come to me with concepts." That's a, that's a really good tip, I think, for anyone that goes to, like, an agency or a video production house- Yes
Jess: or, like, creative vendor- Yeah ... of any kind. Like, have them bring you ideas. Okay. Go to them with ideas, so they can understand what you are into, and, like, your level of- Yeah ... comfort or-
Josh: Just let 'em, let 'em do what they do.
Jess: Right. Yeah. Yeah, exactly.
Josh: I think that means, that says a lot coming from you, too, r- specifically because, like, you do have a video background.
Josh: You do have a- Yeah ... really creative background. And even you as a creative professional are, was like, "I'm gonna let the creatives do-
Jess: I could tell ...
Josh: let the creatives do." They
Jess: knew what they were
Josh: doing.
Jess: Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. And so I was like, "Will you come back to me? Like, I have, I have some budget. We wanna do some videos."
Josh: Yeah. "
Jess: Can you come back to me with, like, just a range of ideas?" Yeah. "And, and we'll kind of pick one, and we'll move forward." Yeah. And so, uh, Luke went away, and he came back, and he came back with, like, seven ideas. Yeah. And the way he did it was he put it, like, on this, uh, spectrum of- Yeah ... like, safe but still really funny all the way up to, like, absolutely-
Josh: Wild
Jess: bonkers insane. Yeah.
Josh: Yeah. Yeah.
Jess: And so he walked me through all seven of them. Very conceptual, right? Yeah. Like, it could be like this, and maybe imagine this scene.
Josh: Yeah.
Jess: And here's an example of, like, how we would shoot it, and he kind of would show me a, a video- Yeah, yeah ... uh, that was already kind of out in the wild.
Jess: And, uh, we eventually landed on kind of this one story- Mm-hmm ... uh, where, um ... The, the way they pitched it to me was, uh, a demand gen marketer would be kind of out there, like, doing their thing- Yep ... and they would capture the leads in a very unexpected way.
Josh: Okay.
Jess: So they'd be, like, out there doing their thing- Yeah
Jess: and then they would, like, duct tape a lead to their office chair and, like, roll them to sales. Yeah. And I was like, "This idea is great."
Josh: Yep. "
Jess: But we do ad audiences and ad targeting, and, like, we show you who's on your site." Yeah. "We know exactly who your ad is going and talking to." Yeah. Can we flip it a little bit so that there's a demand gen marketer out there trying to show an ad to the one person she knows is, like, in her-
Josh: Wow
Jess: target audience, right?
Josh: That. Yeah.
Jess: So that was kind of the genesis of it. Yeah. And they got it right away, and I think they're marketers themselves, right? Yep. Like, they understand, like, "Okay, yes, this makes perfect sense." And so they went away, they wrote scripts, they came back with all these crazy ideas of, like, she's gonna be in a trash bin, and she's gonna pop up and show an ad to- Yeah
Jess: literally be, like, a real-life pop-up-
Josh: Yeah, yes ...
Jess: in front of the woman taking out her trash. Or, like, maybe she's hiding in the bathtub, and the guy goes to get in the bathtub, and- Yes ... there's, like, a rubber duck on top of her head- ... and she pops up, right? I mean, these are crazy-
Josh: So
Jess: good ... crazy ideas.
Josh: There's, there's one where she's, like, hiding in a bush- Hi-
Josh: when the guy comes home.
Jess: They had to, like, make a bush.
Josh: Yeah.
Jess: Yeah.
Josh: I saw the prop that they made. Right? Yeah. So- Or, like, one, she's shoved in a suitcase. Yeah,
Jess: sh- Exactly. She's, like, in a duffel bag, and he, like, drags it up to the house. Yeah. Like, "Why is this so heavy? Where-" Yeah. Right? And she pops out. Um, and so they had all these really brilliant ideas, and I think we're lucky enough to
Jess: You really love, like, great brand marketing. Yeah. And I understand, like, this is a totally, uh, cr- crazy idea, but, like, this will resonate- Yep ... with marketers. Yeah. And we knew, like, right off the bat, like, these are, these are amazing. Let's go shoot these. Yeah. Um, I think something that people who want to do something like this might struggle with is, like, how do I get my leadership to buy in on something crazy like this, right?
Jess: Yeah, yeah. And I think, uh, the whole thing comes down to, like, well- In this age where, like, anyone can create a piece of content. Yeah. Anyone can get a blog post to rank-
Josh: Yeah ...
Jess: for a minute.
Josh: Yeah.
Jess: How are you going to break through in a way that's so memorable- Yeah ... that someone's like, "I have to know more about these people," right?
Jess: And humor is- That's right ... often just a really great way to commiserate- Yeah ... about things. Yeah. And, and let someone know that you understand their pain.
Josh: Mm-hmm.
Jess: And I think that's a lot of the heavy lifting these videos do.
Josh: Yeah. There's, like, a larger shift there that, like, it alone could be its own, like, episode or, like- Yeah
Josh: how to convince your leadership- Yeah ... that, like, what marketing needs to look like in this- Yes ... day and age. But, like, yeah, I mean, there's, there's some real content we actually should probably put together for, for leaders where they understand, like, man, like, in today's world, like, everyone's addicted to their phones.
Jess: Yeah.
Josh: Like, we've, like, we've, we've, like, been trained to have these, like, dopamine hits and, like, anything that doesn't hit. Like, we were just talking, like, offset around, like, right, like, how to capture someone's attention- Yes ... in three seconds or else they're gone. Yep. Right? And, and when I think about, like, traditional boring marketing, like, what a great way to not capture someone's attention- Yeah
Josh: with, like, the same video. Yeah. The same colors, the same border radius. Yeah. And so, like, I, I think there's a lot of leadership out there that's like- Oh, but we'd be taking a risk by being unhinged. Like, I think you're taking a risk by not being
Jess: unhinged 100%. Yeah. The most expensive problem in B2B right now is being forgotten.
Josh: I love that.
Jess: Right? Yeah. And so it's like, why wouldn't we-
Josh: Yeah ...
Jess: do something that gets people to be like, "Have you seen this?" Yeah. "I, I have to send you this," right? Share it-
Josh: Yeah ...
Jess: with people. I think we, not enough people optimize for shareability, and that- Yeah ... that's what we did here. Yeah. So, uh, we, uh, I think the other thing is because I have so much video experience and I could tell that their level of, like, sophistication and, and how they were gonna produce this and h- what they were thinking about it, Deadpan is out of the UK, and they were gonna shoot there to keep cost at a minimum for us.
Jess: Right. And so I, none of us flew out.
Josh: Nope.
Jess: Like, they ran it themselves. Yeah. They would send us some videos of like, "Here's a clip we just shot. It's amazing." Yeah. Right? And, uh, we just had, again, I think when you find somebody who's gonna do something big and bold for you like this, you kinda have to trust them to do it.
Jess: Yeah,
Josh: yeah.
Jess: And, like, we were just like, "Yep, go for it." Yeah. "And let's see what we get back."
Josh: Well, you are just, like, a, like, not blowing smoke, I think because of your creative background, I've never seen someone be able to guide and, and, like, give, give, like, little critical feedback along the creative journey.
Josh: Yeah. Because, like, for anyone that's listening, like, you have to go watch these videos. Yeah. Because, like, the, one, you wouldn't watch them and assume that no one from the company was on set- Right. ... guiding it at all. Yeah. Like, they were so good. And there was, like, little tiny things. Like, I remember, like, the, the woman jumps out of a suitcase and, and he's like, "What are you doing?"
Josh: And, and she's like, "I'm retargeting you."
Jess: Yeah.
Josh: Right? Like, or, or, like- ... or, like, she's spinning a, a sign or whatever, and it's like, "Oh, you were showing, like, high intent for a topic we care about." Like, there was these little- ... scripting nuances- Right ... which was like, I, I have to imagine came from you- Yeah ... being able to, like, guide them remotely-
Jess: Right
Josh: from across the pond, which is, like-
Jess: Totally ...
Josh: that's a skill set.
Jess: Yeah. It, well, thank you. I appreciate that. Yeah, I had a lot of, we collaborated a lot on the, on the scripts. Yeah. Um, and even right down to, like, finding the location. They sent me a couple of locations, and I was like, "This one feels the most American," right?
Jess: Yeah. And, like, let's stay out of this area- Yeah ... because that feel, that, that doesn't really normally, that's not the feel of, like, an American living room. Yeah. So if we can just kinda stay in this corner, right? Yeah. So these are the things you kinda have to think about when you're shooting things like that, right?
Josh: So good.
Jess: Ajash.
Josh: Adios.
Jess: Do you know what time it is?
Josh: Uh, is it time to say nice things?
Jess: It is, according to my watch.
Josh: Time for positive affirmations.
Jess: Yeah. We're gonna say nice things about people.
Josh: Let's do it.
Jess: Specifically marketers.
Josh: Marketers.
Jess: Dear marketer, your content pillars are load-bearing.
Josh: Dear marketer, Spielberg has the right of first refusal on your brand narrative.
Josh: How did you think about asking for the investment to make expensive human videos? Yeah. Like, that's very different than the other two we're gonna talk about- Yes ... which is, like, animations and mock-ups and- Yeah ... UI. Like, this is expensive, and there's a lot of people, probably a lot of people in my position, that would argue, like, "You can use AI to, like, generate videos."
Josh: Like, walk me through how you thought about that process.
Jess: Yeah. AI doesn't do humor well.
Josh: Yeah. It
Jess: has a really hard time with that. Mm-hmm. Right? It's like, "Ha ha ha." Like, a very ... It, like, thinks it gets it, but it's so dr- it's so shallow and dry. Yeah. Like, it misses the nuance- Yeah ... of a lot of, like, good humor.
Josh: Mm-hmm.
Jess: And these were meant to be, like, funny for marketers. Yeah. And I think we, like, we just kind of knew. Like, there's n- There's almost nothing we can do in AI that's gonna replicate the humor we're trying to go for, the weirdness we're trying to go for. Like, AI is real good at just, like, straight facts, and even sometimes it hallucinates-
Jess: on that, right?
Josh: In the nose, yeah. Mm-hmm.
Jess: And, um, so yeah, we didn't wanna leave it to AI to do anything- Yeah ... on th- on this project, for sure. Yeah. Um, we've used it for other things, but- Yeah ... but, you know, eh, other video even, and but this was not one of those where we were like, "Yeah, let's try it." It just- Yeah.
Jess: I, I think we'd have to work so hard to get it- Yeah ... to where it needed to be humor-wise. Yeah. It, it was, would've been a waste of time. Yeah,
Josh: totally.
Jess: So those videos, uh, we, we produced th- four of them. Yeah. Um, and we'll drop, like, the links to them in the show notes 'cause they are really fun to watch. Yeah.
Jess: Um, so that was the first set. Those are, that was our, kind of awareness. Those are, uh, high production value, um, very top of funnel impact, uh, larger investment. Yep. But I think that we'll, we'll talk a little bit about how we used them and why we felt comfortable with that investment- Yeah, totally ... and what we got back from it.
Josh: Totally.
Jess: Second piece is the animated explainer video. Yep. So for this, uh, we used a company called Mesolab. Yep. And they're really good at these kind of, um, conceptual, animated, uh, really visually interesting- Yeah ... um, explainer videos- Mm-hmm ... for B2B software companies. Yeah. Um, taking a really floaty kind of, like, you ca- not a very concrete topic- Yeah
Jess: and, like, turning it into an interesting kind of story that works with, with a voiceover. Yeah. And so we worked with them to create this really nice video- Mm-hmm ... that was like, had all the cute little ghosties floating around and- Yep ... kind of gave you a neat visual for how we, like, de-cloak them, right? Yeah.
Jess: Like, all of the sudden their little, uh, sheets came off and you saw the real people underneath them. Yeah. And had a really beautiful visual moment of, like, this little pane of glass with, like, their name and all their information- Mm, mm ... popping up. Didn't look like the product at all. No. And that was okay.
Josh: Yeah, it was very abstract. Yeah.
Jess: Yeah. It still had, like, our vibe going for it. Yep. But did a really nice job of, of telling the story. Funny thing about that video was when we pivoted-
Josh: Yeah ...
Jess: the voiceover matched kind of the old positioning. Yeah. And the really nice thing about it being animated with a VO, and the fact that, like, a lot of what was in there wasn't real product shots- Mm-hmm
Jess: was we were able to go back and re-record VO-
Josh: Yeah ...
Jess: for the new positioning- Yep ... and get it to line up really nicely with the original animation. So for another small, very small investment- Yep ... we were able to go back in and make it fit- That's nice ... the new positioning.
Josh: Yeah. Yeah. Versus, like, the human stuff, obviously, once it's recorded, it's re-recorded.
Josh: Yeah, it's
Jess: kind of set. Yeah. They're saying the lines,
Josh: right? Yeah. I think it's an important nuance, like, for, uh, because, you know, obviously people listening can't see this in real time, what this commercial is. There's a big difference between, like, a Fiverr commercial, right, where it's like I hired someone- Yeah
Josh: in, you know, wherever to, like, give me an animation of, like, a whiteboard being drawn or whatever- Yeah ... versus what you did here. And I think that's, like, a very important nuance because, again, if you're trying to break the mold, if you're trying to stop the scroll and- Yep ... sort of like feel different, you, again, you just have to...
Josh: It's a great justification for the budget- Yes ... because, like, you're not gonna break the mold or the fourth wall using a Fiverr animation- No ... kind of thing.
Jess: No, that's such a great point. Yeah. Uh, yeah, it's gotta feel different. It's gotta feel like someone really put some thought into it.
Josh: Yeah.
Jess: Um, I think visually, just, like, you're telling the story.
Jess: You're building a world- Yeah ... with the animation, right? And yeah, you're not gonna be able to do that if you cheap out. Yeah. It's just not gonna happen. Yeah. Not in the way that you, you see in your mind, right? Yeah. I think we always have these grand visions of, like, "I can see it happening," and then you- Yeah
Jess: you know, cheap out, and it's like, "Well, that didn't really quite pan out."
Josh: Were there any other edits that we had to make to that particular video?
Jess: Not that one, but we'll talk- Oh, was
Josh: it not that one? ... about another one. Okay.
Jess: Yeah.
Josh: Never mind. Why did I think it was that
Jess: one?
Josh: That's
Jess: okay. Um, so for this one it was really, like, we got the script first.
Jess: Yeah. Because that, um, everything else was gonna be cut to that, the visuals. Yeah. Right? I guess in the awareness, in the, um, Deadpan series we also got the script first 'cause we really had to understand the scenes. Yeah. But here, before we even understood, like- Any visual Mm-hmm ... we had to get the script figured out.
Josh: Yeah. Yep.
Jess: So we had that kind of nailed down, and then Mesolab went off and kind of showed us almost like a mood board.
Josh: Yeah.
Jess: So not full scenes, not a real storyboard, but, like, this is kind of what we're thinking. Yeah. Uh, this is kind of the color palette. This is kind of the style of, like, the person that's gonna pop up once we reveal them as a ghost.
Jess: Yeah. Uh, these are, you know, uh, if, if we were to do, like, a flyby of, like, some sort of piece of information, like, this is kind of what that would look like, right? Yeah. And so it just gave us an idea of, like, this is the right direction. This is a cool brand vibe. It kind of matches our stuff. Like, let's go in that direction.
Jess: And then they moved into full storyboarding. Mm. So they basically took the script and broke it down by scene. So- Wow ... they took the, you know, the first line and whatever was gonna be shown during that moment just in black and white, kind of sketched out is not the right word. Yeah. But you know, it was like, um, something that they probably built in AI or using some sort of, like, rendering program, 3D rendering program.
Jess: Totally. So then we kind of had an idea it was black and white, so we still couldn't see actual color yet, but we understood what was gonna happen, and we could make some edits there.
Josh: Yeah.
Jess: And then we saw a full color storyboard- Mm-hmm ... plus some motion graphics just to give us an idea of like, okay, here's a scene where like we have a lot of motion.
Jess: Here's a scene where we have like a pane of glass popping up. Yeah. Do you like the texture of the glass? Yeah. Should it be more opaque? Right? Wow. Like little things like that. Yeah. Uh, and so we got to just kind of give our feedback on, on things like that. And then, um, and then it went into like the rough cut, so we got to see like the very first version of, um, of what the video would look like- That's cool
Jess: and make edits from there. I have
Josh: to segue for a second. Yeah. 'Cause I'm just, I'm listening to you and like listening to this process, and like what I'm thinking in my head is like how, what percentage of marketers like get to live in this creative of a world versus how many like wish they could? Yeah.
Josh: Like do you, do you think this is what a lot of demand gen and head of marketing and VP of marketing, like do you think this is the day-to-day experience of a lot of marketers?
Jess: I think this is the stuff you get into marketing for.
Josh: Yeah.
Jess: Things like this, really creative projects where you get to weigh in on like brand stuff and like what's the video gonna look like- Yeah
Jess: and what are we gonna say, and what's that scene gonna be? It's probably 4% of what we actually do.
Josh: Yeah.
Jess: Right?
Josh: Yeah. It makes me so happy to think about, right? Yeah. 'Cause I think like, I don't know, maybe me personally, I'm overwhelmed with just sort of the slop on LinkedIn and just sort of this generic, repetitive- Yeah
Josh: boring B2B marketing. And so just, just, um, hearing you talk about this creative process, I'm like, oh, that must, this must be the fulfilling part- It is ... of what we do. And I-
Jess: Which, which means you really have to love-
Josh: Yeah ...
Jess: that part of it so much to like fill the other 96%- Fill the void. ... of your time, right?
Jess: Where you're like, but there's the potential to do something like that. Yeah, yeah.
Josh: Yeah. And it makes me like, uh, it makes me ache or like want more for the marketers that like s- like don't have that- Yes ... part in their- Yeah ... their job. Um, but I think we're moving into a world where sound leaders should start to understand that this is important part of just standing out.
Josh: Yeah. It's like just so easy to build software these days that- Yeah. ... you know, you have to find something different. So I hope, uh, TLDR, I hope mar- mo- more marketers get the opportunity to experience the sort of like- Yeah ... day-to-day marketing that we get to do. Me
Jess: too. Yeah. Yeah. Absolutely. Video production in general is just like, it's a blast.
Jess: So fun. It's so fun. You learn so much. Yeah. Um, okay, you know what? You asked me earlier- Yeah ... if there was something else we had to edit in this video, and you were right.
Josh: There was. There was. I thought so.
Jess: Uh-huh.
Josh: Yeah.
Jess: So both videos we had to like... Okay.
Josh: Yeah.
Jess: Uh, so we put the video out there.
Josh: Yeah.
Jess: And it did really well.
Jess: Mm-hmm. Actually, this was my sneaky approach at, like, getting it out there- Yeah ... and, like, getting people to see it, but also, like- Yeah ... talk about marketing. Yeah. And it worked really well. Yeah. Which was, I posted the video, and I talked about how scary it can be when someone comes to you and says, "We need an explainer video."
Josh: Yeah.
Jess: And how time-consuming it is, and how it's supposed to kind of last a while, and so you gotta get it right. You don't wanna mess it up. Yeah. And it can be expensive. You know, you can get it back and really not be happy with it. Yeah. It's a high-risk-
Josh: Yeah ...
Jess: high-reward asset. Yeah. And so we put it out there, and I got a message from someone at DocuSign.
Josh: Yeah, yeah.
Jess: And it turned out that in one scene we had used not even their current logo, but their- Yeah ... old logo. Yeah. It was, like, a yellow arrow. Arrow,
Josh: yeah.
Jess: Right? So it was pretty nondescript. Like, I don't even think we, like, pulled their logo. I think it was-
Josh: It was a
Jess: yellow arrow ... we did a yellow
Josh: arrow.
Josh: Yeah. It was on screen for, like, two frames. Yeah.
Jess: Yeah.
Josh: Yeah.
Jess: And they, I think, were one step away from, like, cease and desist almost. Yeah, yeah. Like, they were- They wanted to
Josh: see how we were gonna respond
Jess: to- They were very serious. Yeah,
Josh: they were.
Jess: Uh. "Congratulations on your, uh, video."
Josh: Yeah. "
Jess: I've noticed- ... that you are using the previous logo of our company."
Josh: Yeah, yeah. "
Jess: Please remove ASAP." Yeah.
Josh: You're like-
Jess: Was the gist of the message. I feel
Josh: like your congratulations wasn't very sincere- Yeah, yeah ... based off the second half of the sentence.
Jess: You're doing the sandwich thing where, like- ... you put the thing that you really wanna say in the middle.
Josh: You're, like, a bit of management training.
Josh: I- Yes ... I know a compliment sandwich when I see one. Right,
Jess: yeah. Come on, man.
Josh: Yeah. They weren't happy about those two frames. They
Jess: were
Josh: not,
Jess: no. Yeah. Um, so-
Josh: But to your point around editing animated videos, it was pretty easy to fix.
Jess: It wasn't bad. Yeah. Yeah, we, we spliced it right out.
Josh: Yeah.
Jess: We replaced it with some other nondescript thing.
Jess: Yeah. Um, that- But
Josh: just a great reminder that, uh, the, the Vector from the outside looking in is not a, as rainbows and unicorns. We get the same cease and desists. Yeah. We have the same edits that you have to do. Totally. And-
Jess: But also, I was like, "Oh my gosh, someone in marketing at DocuSign- Yeah ... saw my video."
Jess: We
Josh: were like a Slack message in their internal threads today.
Jess: They were pissed at us, but they saw it.
Josh: Yeah. Immediately we went to, like, our, our Tarot account list. We were like, "Oh, we could sell to them."
Jess: I actually think I was like, "If you have any questions about Vector..."
Josh: Always be selling
Jess: She wasn't having it. Yeah. I, I didn't read the room.
Josh: Was it, um, out of curiosity, was it a, a lawyer or a marketer? Like-
Jess: It was a marketer.
Josh: It was a marketer.
Jess: Mm-hmm. Yeah. Yep.
Josh: It's a little outbound.
Jess: She's looking out for her brand. I get it. Yeah. I get it.
Josh: Yeah.
Jess: It was un- it was completely unintentional.
Jess: I
Josh: wonder how her ads are performing.
Jess: Oh, yeah. Call us.
Josh: Call us. Call us, DocuSign.
Jess: All right, so we have a third type of video.
Josh: Yeah.
Jess: And that is the UI walkthrough.
Josh: Yeah.
Jess: So in this one, we have actual product shots telling the story of, like, what Vector does, how it works. Yeah. And it gives folks a glimpse into, like, what the product looks like.
Jess: Yeah. Oh, it is real. Oh, the, I understand what you would do in this screen. I understand how you would build. I understand the process, right? Yeah. It almost acts as an interactive tour within- Yes ... a video.
Josh: Yes.
Jess: And so that was something that we also built with Mesolab. Same process.
Josh: Mm-hmm
Jess: But there was kind of a step in there that we didn't have in the explainer video, because the explainer video didn't have any product shots.
Josh: Yeah.
Jess: Which was we sat down with Mira- Yeah ... our, uh, product design lead- Yeah ... who's incredible. Mm-hmm. And she helped Meso Lab understand, like, kind of the flow, like s- a journey that someone might take within Vector- Yes ... in a given set of, like, sessions, right? Mm-hmm. They would do this and then this and then this.
Jess: They'd see this screen, then they'd go here. They'd be able to preview their audience here. Yep. And that was really helpful because it helped them get into the mindset of, like, what screens do we need to show in which order as we tell this story?
Josh: Yeah, yeah, because for, for clarity, it's, when we say UI walkthrough, it's not a demo, right?
Josh: Right. There's almost this, like, um, concentration process that has to occur, which is, like, out of everything in the product- Yeah ... like, what's the aha sort of journey- Exactly ... a user takes in the UI? And for us it was like build an ad audience for the right people, see it, and, like, uh, like, know who's clicking your ads or whatever.
Josh: Yes. We had to, like, really boil it down- Yep ... into a handful of things that we were gonna show them.
Jess: Yeah. And what does, what does the product look like when you learn those things- Yes ... along the way? Yes. Yeah, exactly.
Josh: Yep.
Jess: So this is another one where once we got done, we had some edits to make- Yeah ... thanks to Josh.
Josh: It's always my fault. What did I make us change that time?
Jess: So this time around, I put the script in front of you before we actually went into animation. Oh, yeah. Because again, you have to have the script locked-
Josh: Yeah ...
Jess: so that we match what we're showing up against the script. So you approved- I
Josh: approved it,
Jess: yeah
Jess: the script.
Josh: Then the video got built.
Jess: Then we moved on to animation.
Josh: Yeah.
Jess: Moved on to storyboarding. Yeah. You approved the storyboard. Moved on to animation. I
Josh: see what you're setting me up for here.
Jess: What do you think happened when we got to animation?
Josh: Got to the very last step and I'm like, "I don't know about this
Jess: part."
Jess: There was a whole section, you're like, "This is not what we should say."
Josh: You were like, "Dude, three months ago it was in the script."
Jess: I almost... You know, you do that passive-aggressive thing where you- Yeah ... like, go back and find the Slack, and you, like- Yeah ... reply to it. Yeah. And also put, like, the thread in the- Yeah
Jess: originals, like- Yeah ... "Look here, jerk."
Josh: Yeah, you, you thread on it. You're like, "I know your opinion has now changed from this message you sent four months ago."
Jess: Right.
Josh: But-
Jess: Just a reminder.
Josh: Yeah. But...
Jess: But again, it was relatively easy to fix. Uh, so it was just kinda- Obviously ... it was a positioning, obviously. Yeah, yeah.
Jess: Yeah, 'cause you didn't have to deal with it. Yeah, that's ... It was more of a positioning thing around, like, what, what- In, in a minute and a half- Yeah ... if all, that's all we have, is this really the thing we wanna talk about? Yeah. And so I think we swapped out something about how the pixel's on-
Josh: Yeah ...
Jess: a ton of publishers' websites, and that's how we're able to capture offsite intent- Yeah.
Jess: Mm. ... and custom intent topics. Yeah. We actually talked more about the, how we actually, like, triangulate who is who.
Josh: Yes.
Jess: Like, the technology behind Vector. Yeah. Yeah. And that felt like a more impactful piece of information for that video. Yeah.
Josh: Well, one of the things that you just don't see on the outside looking in is, like, we also are going through our own product market fit journey.
Josh: Yeah. Right? Like, even across the three seasons we've done this, this podcast, we've gone from, like, an account or a contact based everything platform to a contact level advertising platform. And, and now even now we're, like, still staying in that, that world, but we're starting to hear, like, oh, customers actually really, uh, appreciate the H1 of, like, know your ads worked or, like- Yeah
Josh: prove that your ads are, like, getting seen by the right people, right? Yeah. So, so all those little nuances add to little changes that come across the line. Yes,
Jess: 100%.
Josh: Yeah. That's my excuse.
Jess: Yeah. That's fine.
Josh: I also probably raised our series A along the, the path- Yeah, that's what- ... and became a monster.
Jess: Yeah, that's during that time too where I was like, "I'm just gonna do it because I, I'm not gonna see him for another month."
Jess: Yeah. "So I might as well just fix
Josh: it." Yeah, he's gonna lose his fucking mind. He's also not here, so whatever. Yeah.
Jess: Just ship it. Uh, we also had after the video was done from that revision-
Josh: Yeah
Jess: We also had a cease and desist come to us from another company about our ghost- Right.
Josh: That's right, yeah ...
Jess: during this time.
Jess: Yeah. Um, another company who didn't want us to use our ghost in marketing, like, at all. Yeah, at all. Yeah. Because they also have a ghost. Yeah.
Josh: Didn't work.
Jess: Yeah, sorry. Ain't happening.
Josh: Love it. Yeah.
Jess: And so there was, uh, the, the, the, like, settlement basically that we came to with them- Yeah ... was like, "Okay, fine.
Jess: Our ghost on our website in our marketing will have some sort of, like, accessory," right?
Josh: An accessory. It's
Jess: like-
Josh: It'll have a tongue.
Jess: Yeah. A tongue. It's just like the silly stuff that we have to deal with, right?
Josh: Yeah.
Jess: So anyway, we had to replace a ghost who had no accessory. Give him an accessory.
Josh: Had to give him a handbag.
Jess: So that... Yeah. I actually think we gave him a little detective hat and a, and a micro- And a... What is this called? Magnifying glass.
Josh: Magnifying glass. I was gonna call it a monocle.
Jess: I almost called it a, I almost called it a microscope. But that's- A microscope. Yeah.
Josh: Yeah. Yeah. We're- They're all within- We're good at science
Josh: the same, same family of- Yeah ... lenses and stuff.
Jess: Refracting light so you can see things. Ooh. See? Refracting. I know stuff. There
Josh: you go. Science. I know stuff. Not numbers, but stuff. Not
Jess: numbers. Uh- ... general pop culture things.
Josh: You know a lot of that.
Jess: I do know. The... It's, like, a... I have a cutoff though of, like-
Josh: Yeah
Jess: I don't know things anymore.
Josh: Yeah.
Jess: Like, I don't... Who's on People Magazine's cover right now? Fuck if I know.
Josh: I'm not that into it. If you're ever curious what it's like to work with Jess Cook, it's just like a- ... a, a constant back and forth between, like, actual work stuff and like, "Oh, but this reminded me of," insert 1997 movie that you totally forgot existed until she
Jess: reminded you.
Jess: And a very specific scene that I'm gonna use as an analogy to- Yes ... tell you what I'm thinking
Josh: right now. Yeah. Oh, she, she'll call me, like, every day. And she'll be like, "Do you remember the 37th minute of Back to the Future Th- Three?" And I'm like, "No." And she's like, "You don't remember when- ... Doc puts the dog in the car and he says, 'We don't need roads'"?
Josh: And I'm like, "Okay, Jess."
Jess: That's the first movie.
Josh: Where are you going with this?
Jess: You're getting your trilogy mixed up.
Josh: I am, yeah. But that is, yeah. I Think We Don't Need Roads is the end of two?
Jess: Oh, that's the end of one.
Josh: It's the end of one. Yeah, yeah. Okay. And the beginning of-
Jess: Yes ... if you watch back to the beginning of it.
Jess: Exactly. Yeah. Yeah. You got it. Yeah.
Josh: What a great-
Jess: We'll get you there.
Josh: You have a, you have a DeLorean on your, um, your, your-
Jess: I, well, Back to the, Back to the Future is my favorite movie, and the trilogy is, like, I don't know, they're, like, perfect to me. I love them so much. Yeah. They are
Josh: really good.
Jess: Um, like, my birthday gift last year was to go see the musical, and my girls got me, like, tickets to go see the musical.
Jess: I didn't even
Josh: know they did a musical.
Jess: Oh. You gotta go see it. She, she- The DeLorean flies on the stage.
Josh: What?
Jess: Yeah. It's unbelievable.
Josh: Are there hoverboards?
Jess: Uh, there are not hoverboards.
Josh: Well, 'cause that would've been, what? Two, two or three. Hoverboards weren't-
Jess: Hoverboard was in the second one ...
Josh: in the second, yeah.
Jess: Yeah.
Josh: The little Nikes that...
Jess: Yeah. Yeah. So
Josh: good.
Jess: But, you know, it's, it's, it was great. And yeah, I have the Lego, I have the DeLorean Lego I put together with my girls. Very nice. Yeah. I know. I love it so much. I have a mug.
Josh: Okay, okay, okay.
Jess: Yeah. Videos,
Josh: videos,
Jess: videos. Yeah, yeah. Okay, all right. Sorry. So we have these three videos now.
Josh: Yeah.
Jess: Okay. So if you haven't listened yet, go back to episode two of this season, because we talk about how we bring on a demand gen marketer. Go back. So rewind. Rewind it. D-
Josh: D- D- Jess Cook.
Jess: And you're s- f- f- fan, yep. Do
Josh: you remember that? That was kind of good.
Jess: Oh, I'm a '90s kid, I
Josh: know. That was, that was good.
Josh: Oh, Missy Elliott. I love her. My, like, Pig Latin with my sister came immediately back to my head. Ooh, yeah. Yeah. Yes. Love. Can you do that? Can you... What was it? Take the first-
Jess: S-E-A.
Josh: For my, what was the decoding- Do like
Jess: take the first- Yeah ... if it's a, if it's a consonant- Yeah ... you take the consonant off and you add it to the end, and you say, and then A-Y.
Josh: Yeah.
Jess: So like yes would be S-E-A.
Josh: Oh. F- Were you good at it as a kid?
Jess: Oh, yeah.
Josh: My sister would be like S-E-A ... And I'm like- My
Jess: brother and I would, like-
Josh: Have full conversations ... go to town.
Jess: Yeah. But, like, everyone else knows it, so- Yeah ... my parents are just like, "We know- ... what
Josh: you're saying." You're like, "What up, six, seven?"
Jess: You're annoying.
Jess: As they say now- Yeah ... oh, we were cooked.
Josh: We were cooked.
Jess: Oh.
Josh: Clock it.
Jess: Clock it.
Josh: Okay, we had three videos.
Jess: We had three videos. At this point, no, we have s- we have six videos. True. So we have four- Yeah, we have four from the first one ... in the series, in the awareness series. Yep. We have the explainer video, and we have the UI walkthrough. Yep. So we have this lovely video, and if you go back, rewind.
Josh: Yep. Go back.
Jess: Yeah. Go back to episode two. T- we talk about how we brought on a demand gen marketer.
Josh: Yeah.
Jess: Kelly Arndt comes into the picture, and I tell him, like, as I'm interviewing him, like, day one, I'm like, "We wanna be on CTV." Yeah. And he's like, "Amazing." Yeah. Like, say less. Yep. Um, and so he's, he starts, and we already have this library of videos that, like, we've been running organically, we've been using as thought leadership ads, 'cause that's the only thing I knew how to
Josh: run.
Josh: Wait, you just reminded me. We made all of these videos before we were even running ads.
Jess: Yeah.
Josh: We were like, "One day we will use
Jess: these." We're like, "We'll need them someday. Just gonna put them in the bunker."
Josh: Tells you everything you need to know about our marketing strategy.
Jess: Like, we're just banking for the future.
Josh: Yeah. Kelly shows up. We're just like, "Hey, we wanna run ads." He's like, "I'm gonna need to make some videos." You're like, "We actually have a hard drive full of them." Yeah, I got
Jess: you, bro.
Josh: So you hand him this, these terabytes worth of hard drives. Like,
Jess: here you go. Yeah. And he's like, "This is incredible." Yeah. Like, I think- You know, we, I think, pride ourselves on, like, just great creative in general.
Jess: Yes. And I think to hear that from somebody who wasn't already a part of the company kind of coming in with fresh eyes- Yes ... to be like, "Oh." The, like, as a demand gen marketer, these are gonna, these are gonna slap. Yeah. Uh, that was really exciting to hear.
Josh: Love that.
Jess: So he started running those as, uh, video ads on LinkedIn.
Josh: Okay.
Jess: But then he also set up specifically the Deadpan series- Yeah ... was, like, the one that we knew we wanted to put on CTV. Yeah. And so what he did was he went to, uh, he used LinkedIn. Not a lot of people know this, but you can actually run CTV ads through LinkedIn. Yep. So you use the same audience that's seeing your ads in the LinkedIn feed are also being served your CTV ads- Yep
Jess: which is really cool, and on, like, premium channels, like-
Josh: Yeah, it's, like, I think they have a relationship with Paramount and Peacock and, yeah.
Jess: We're on, like, Hulu, Disney+. Yeah. Like, we're on, like, legit-
Josh: Yeah ...
Jess: uh, legit- Yeah ... channels, which is exciting. Before
Josh: your kids watch the Lego movie, we're gonna run an ad too.
Josh: That's
Jess: right, yeah.
Josh: Your kid's gonna come to you-
Jess: Yeah, and be like- ... asking you to buy Vector ... "You need Vector, Daddy." Yeah. "Daddy, how do you
Josh: target your ads?" "
Jess: No, you're doing it wrong. You should really try Vector."
Josh: You're doing it wrong. We actually have, like, the Disney strategy. We're trying to target your kids-
Josh: so that they influence you. We
Jess: make it look like a toy. We're like, "Ghosts, ghosts are flying around your parents' website, guys."
Josh: Yeah. "Go to your parents to buy some batteries for installation." That would be sick.
Jess: We might, we should try that. Okay. We should try that. Uh, write that down. Write that down. Um, so, uh, so he got us set up, basically did this really beautiful surround sound campaign- Yeah
Jess: where it was like ran those Deadpan ads as CTV ads, and also served thought leadership and single image ads- So cool ... to that same audience, which was really, like, worked beautifully. I actually, I have, I have some numbers.
Josh: You got the results? I do. While you pull those up, I will shamelessly plug, he also used Vector to target- Yes, thank you
Josh: those ads- Very important ... at the right people.
Jess: All the same people were seeing all three of these ad formats from us, and we knew who they were. So- I think that was the exciting thing. We got to control that. Yeah. Like, who saw all of that.
Josh: Yeah.
Jess: Okay, so I wanna go through, and I'm just gonna, I got some paper.
Josh: For the ASMR people out there. For the, yeah.
Jess: I don't know if you can hear that. I just tapped the microphone for you. You're welcome. Okay. On CTV, we had around 125,000 people in the audience.
Josh: Okay.
Jess: And we had a reach of 53,000.
Josh: Wow.
Jess: We used it as a foundation for retargeting. So as people saw the ad- Yeah ... we were able to pull them into a retargeting audience.
Josh: Wow.
Jess: And then serve other ads to them, which was really cool. Wow.
Josh: So half the people we wanted to see that ad basically saw it.
Jess: Yes.
Josh: Wow.
Jess: Yes. That's amazing. Exactly. In the first six weeks-
Josh: Yeah ...
Jess: this kind of surround sound that was anchored with CTV drove 34% net new traffic.
Josh: Wow.
Jess: Like, new people who had never heard of us before to the site.
Jess: Crazy. Which is huge. Not returning visitors, like- Yeah ... actual, real new people. Mm-hmm. 22% increase in demo requests. This blew my mind. Yeah. 'Cause this is an awareness piece. Yeah,
Josh: that's big.
Jess: We're just supposed to be getting, like, people excited and- Yeah ... interested in us, and it's actually getting us hand raisers.
Jess: So cool. That's pretty sweet.
Josh: Yeah.
Jess: Uh, and a 41% increase in pipeline month over month actual- Dang ... like, revenue in the funnel. Dang. Um, that I think in, in the first six weeks was, like, shocking to me.
Josh: Yeah, it's huge.
Jess: Um, super exciting. We also ran the Deadpan series on YouTube.
Josh: Yep.
Jess: And I think the thing that was so exciting to me was, like, we had 266,000 impressions, but you can pay for impressions, right?
Jess: Sure, yep. Like, we could... Yeah. Yeah. That was just our budget.
Josh: Mm-hmm.
Jess: But we had a 35% completion rate.
Josh: Wow.
Jess: Which is, like, triple-
Josh: It's the quality- ... the average ... of those videos. Yeah. It, it, like, to me, that's what it comes down to is the videos were so good.
Jess: They were so good, and they clearly hit on a pain- Yes
Jess: that people feel, and they wanted to see it through to the end. Yes. And I thought that was really
Josh: exciting. I think asking yourselves as a marketer, like, why would someone want to stick around to watch this-
Jess: Yeah ...
Josh: is very critical.
Jess: Yeah. Totally. Yeah. Like, w- what are they getting out of it? Yeah. Right? Even...
Jess: And I think that was just, like, being seen.
Josh: Yep.
Jess: Feeling like someone understood their- Mm ... challenges. Like, that's what they were getting- Yeah ... out of it.
Josh: Yeah. And a little humor goes a long way. And a little
Jess: humor, yeah. Little, little wink and a smile. The explainer video, we, we held on actually using that as an ad just yet, because we wanted to get those awareness videos out there- Yeah
Jess: build that pool of people who, like, n- now know Vector- Yeah ... that didn't before. So we're gonna be using that in Q2 as like a bottom of funnel ad variant.
Josh: So you've used it more organically so far- Exactly ... in
Jess: posts and- Yes. Yeah. Yes. Mm-hmm. But the UI walkthrough we used as a bottom of funnel retargeting.
Josh: Okay.
Jess: So people who had seen an, an ad before, they now have an understanding of, like, who we are, what we do. Now we're showing them, like, the inside of the product- I love that ... and what it looks like. Yeah. And with that, we were able to get 11 qualified leads at a $255 cost per lead.
Josh: Not bad. Not bad
Jess: at all.
Jess: Not bad at all. Right? Yeah. With someone who's already come in, having seen the product- Yeah ... understand what it does. Yeah. So very informed buyer-
Josh: Yeah ...
Jess: coming in.
Josh: Yeah, I like that. It's great. And therefore qualified- Exactly ... right, for the sales team.
Jess: Yes. Love that. That's
Josh: awesome.
Jess: Um, there is one that's working better than the others.
Jess: What do you think it is?
Josh: What do I think it is? Yeah. It's, it's gotta be the deadpan- Yeah ... videos. Yeah. Right?
Jess: Yeah.
Josh: Yeah.
Jess: Totally. Like, not only are they, like, driving awareness-
Josh: Yeah ...
Jess: uh, and bringing new people to the site, but also they're actually booking demos.
Josh: It's just, like, it's got all the ... Like, if, if you're a marketer thinking about trying to convince someone to, like, let you, like, create video ads- Yeah
Josh: and run them, like- It is a textbook case study of, like, it has everything that you would want in an ad, right? Yeah. Like, it is funny, it's engaging. The first handful of seconds tell you that it's for you.
Jess: Yeah.
Josh: Like you mentioned at the beginning, it is almost, like, so not focused on the solution, that by the time you're done watching it, you're like, "I have that problem."
Jess: Yeah. "
Josh: What is the solution?" Yeah. Oh, and something we didn't talk about was, like, the, like, we have the... This is one of, like, the little, what do we call it? The clapper. The finger chopper, chopper uppers. Yeah. Um, for the, if you are listening on audio, it's, like, the little, like, take seven. It's a clap board.
Josh: Yeah, clap board. Yeah, yeah. Yeah. Um, we have the- Take seven. Take seven. We have the one sitting here that Deadpan gave us after we worked with them. You left out, in my opinion, what the most important part is, which is, like, what was the final conc- concept we landed on? Ooh. Which was Vector was the next best way.
Jess: Yes.
Josh: Right? Like, your whole thing was about, like, these marketers doing crazy things, and those were the best ways to get your- Yes ... ads in front of people, right? Jump out of their bathtubs. Yes. They'll get in their suitcase for, you know, after their flight. And, like, everything ended with, like, this is the best way to put your ads in front of the right people.
Josh: The next best way is Vector.
Jess: Yeah.
Josh: And, like, that call to action was so, like, wait, what? Like, I, what, tell me more about what the next best way is, 'cause obviously I'm not gonna do these things.
Jess: Right, yeah.
Josh: I think that was a huge part of, like, the CTA was brilliant.
Jess: You're so, yeah, you're so right, where it was like, we didn't actually say, like, "Vector's the best way to do this."
Jess: We were like, "No, actually jumping up in front of your target audience- Yeah ... and, like, scaring the shit out of them- Yeah ... basically stalking them- Yeah ... is probably the best way to make sure they see your ad." Yes. But, like, there's gotta be a better way. Yeah. And that better way is Vector. Yes.
Josh: Yeah.
Jess: Yeah, that was, that was really cool, and that was, like, straight from Deadpan.
Jess: Like they- So good ... they got us there, which was amazing.
Josh: Left them hanging. Right. Yeah. Had nothing to do with the solution. Right. In fact, in fact, when you look at it, that video had all to do with the wrong solutions, right? Yes. It's like you wanna get your ads in front of the right, right people. Like, here's ways you could do it.
Josh: Yeah. That would be awful.
Jess: Yeah.
Josh: There's a better way. Yeah. Come click here if you wanna learn more- Yeah ... about that way. Exactly, yeah. Which is, it was textbook.
Jess: Super effective.
Josh: Yeah.
Jess: So Josh, like, those videos worked so well. Like, I think we need to do more, but this time I, I really think I should be there. I should probably go to London.
Josh: Are you just trying to get a free vacation out of me?
Jess: Yes.
Josh: I'll let you go if we can host it during the Super Bowl.
Jess: Perfect.
Josh: Sold. What a great meeting.
Jess: This was a great meeting. This meeting could've been
Josh: a podcast. It could have. And it was. It was. This Meeting Could Have Been a Podcast is a
Jess: Vector production. Vector lets you build ad audiences from real people that visit your site, click your ads, and research your competitors. Imagine seeing exactly who will see your ads by name before you spend a dime. It's a great time to be alive, marketers. Go give it a whirl at vector.co. See you next time.