No matter where you look online, videos are everywhere. Sports highlights, comedy sketches, your friend drunk in a questionable nightclub. No matter what it is, people are lapping up videos and it is social media that is hosting the content. To be seen and heard in this digital age, you can’t just be shouting in a blog, you need to performing in a video. So if you want your brand to take centre stage online, video content is a must. To see how it’s done right, here are 3 brands that have been nailing video marketing in 2018.
Greggs In Disguise
Today I’m not feeling in a “save the best ‘till last” mood. I’m going to hit you straight between the eyes with my favourite bit of video marketing. The company responsible for this, the humble provider of pastries, Greggs.
I’ve gone in strong with my introduction so you might be expecting all the bells and whistles. But don’t be fooled. The magic of Greggs video marketing is subtle, but the impact it has ticks all the boxes on a Marketer’s checklist.
Before I hit you with my killer analysis, have a little watch of the video above…
Done? Ok, onwards! Straight away what is so effective about this video is that it has a narrative. This is obviously a key part of film, but it is a technique that has been used in advertising forever. People love stories and they’ll continue to lap them up in whatever form they are provided until the day the sun consumes the Earth and it turns out it didn’t end up happily ever after after all.
Doomsday science aside, Greggs grab this technique in a very simple way yet use it to great effect. The story in this video is that, Greggs have some new high end products, they sneakily take them to a snobby food fair, get loads of compliments for their delicious beany wraps and then bang! the big reveal. Gregory and Gregory is actually poor, dirty working class Greggs and we all get to laugh at the toffs for eating our peasantry food.
A simple advert with a simple story, easily forgettable some may say. Well, if it’s not the advert that sticks with you, what it teaches us about video marketing will. The most powerful tool of storytelling can be utilised in video marketing without investing vast amounts of time and effort into big budget scripts, special effects and promo. Yes, this video took some set-up, but at it’s core it is simple. The premise pulls through and it stands up against other video adverts that seek to reach Hollywood standards. A good premise, executed well and any brand can mix it in the big leagues.
So to summarise, why I think this is one the best pieces of video marketing in 2018. They harness the strength of storytelling in such a simple form to create something truly engaging. Whilst doing this they absolutely nail the maintenance of brand image through cheeky comedy, well placed for it’s demographic. On top of this it’s optimised through various edits and on-screen subtitles. Take a bow Greggs, it’s not just sausage rolls that you know how to do well.
Nike Dive Into The Controversy
Now I’m going to throw into the mix the much talked about Nike advert starring Colin Kaepernick. Without even watching this advert it was difficult not to read about it online. Former NFL Quarterback Colin Kaepernick’s protests in the NFL started a movement which grew to an immense size, rallying millions of Americans, but pissing off a lot at the same time (including the President himself Donald Trump).
The advert taps directly into the heart of the movement that Kaepernick started. It clearly sits on his side, the side of the underdog and uses this spirit to propel the uplifting message of inclusivity and determination to grab a dream no matter what. Aspiration has often been a driving element of marketing, however, this takes it to a whole new level.
What makes this piece of video marketing so successful is that it is built on such strong emotions. Nike dived straight into a huge issue and boiled it down to a simple premise; inclusivity and determination. Yes, this negates many complexities of the issue, but that’s the point of the advert. The line “don’t ask if your dreams are crazy, ask if they are crazy enough” flips the criticism of the movement into a positive mantra.
It’s hard to watch this advert no matter your view of the wider issues and not feel its uplifting qualities. Where many videos go wrong is that they are too brand heavy, relying on text and product examples to drive home a message. Here Nike rely on emotion and feelings, a much stronger driver than sense and logic. It’s a classic marketing technique of eliciting powerful emotion which Nike landed just at the right time.
By turning their marketing message into a film-like depiction of a social movement, Nike took their advert from the realms of marketing, to the heights of visual art. People are captivated by films because they consume them in something bigger than themselves. Once the viewer grabs a sense of this feeling then the video can really immerse them in what they are saying.
The Epic Apple Launch
Apple have been good at this for quite a while now. Video advertising has always been a big part of their game, but the style they’ve landed on now really works. The first time I remember them using the fast paced text transitions was when they enlisted James Corden for a bit of Carpool Karaoke. The motion graphics used were simple yet highly effective. This is where Apple have nailed when it comes to producing highly visually engaging videos.
I’ve talked about how emotion plays a big part in captivating the imagination. Apple do that in this video to an extent be eliciting excitement, however, the real success of their videos are the visuals. Out of all three of these videos Apple translated their branding through their video marketing most effectively.
The fast paced nature of the text, video and images that fly on and off the screen grabs the attention and fires you straight into the excitement and hype typical of an Apple launch event. Then combine this with the highly anticipated release information (which they are able to fire through at a rate of knots) and you’ve got yourself a banging piece of video marketing.
Unlike the first two videos it’s not a video I’m going to be in a rush to show my friends. However, that doesn’t mean that it isn’t effective. Firstly and I think most importantly for Apple, it delivers all the information it needs to. Their launch events are packed with information and this acts as a brilliant way of sharing the information rapidly, something that Apple pride themselves on. After watching it, you know what you need to know about the new products.
Secondly, it is still sharable content! Just because it doesn’t have the emotive factor of the first two, it’s shareable for another reason, because it’s useful. Apple have hoards of fans worldwide and they want to know all their is to know and fast. As soon as it was uploaded this video would have been pinged from device to device worldwide because it’s information people actually want. This video isn’t an act of persuasion, it’s an act of information sharing and they’ve done a pretty top job of that!
So, there’s quick run through of some of the best video marketing efforts of the year so far. But 2018 isn’t over yet which means 2018 could still be the year your brand nails a top piece of video marketing. If this sounds like something you could get on board with, just drop us a message telling us what you your want to promote and we’ll get the ball rolling with creating a highly effective promotional video for you.
