One of the reasons video is a more engaging medium than text is it’s ability to tell stories and convey emotions. There is no more believable evidence than that which we see with our own eyes, and video lets brands show viewers’ eyes all kinds of things.
A popular trend for branded video is to use the medium to redefine the company or the message… showing the brand in a new light through the demonstrative power of video.
Nike’s done this with their most recent online ad, which takes an ordinary plastic bottle (actually several of them) and turns it into Nike’s cutting edge athletic apparel:
Smart Car wanted to show how tiny their vehicles are, as well as associate their brand with fun. The solution? A gigantic version of the classic video game, Pong, where the Smart cars serve as the actual paddle controllers. Awesome!
Hot on the heels of their Gymkhana video success, Hot Wheels is going after some free publicity with a contest aimed at the user-generated crowd. The challenge involves a miniature version of the Gymkhana car, and has resulted in several successful fan-made videos like this one:
Finally, with all the negative video out there from citizens concerning the bad behavior of certain police officers, at least one police department has decided to get proactive and bolster their reputation. The method? Online video, of course. And all they had to do was turn the camera on while they made one little child’s dream come true:
Casey Neistat’s new video for Nike makes me green with envy. He takes the entire budget allotted to him to produce a branded video and uses it instead to finance a trip around the world for him and his friend. Chutzpah, for sure, but it’s not nearly as irresponsible as it sounds. Casey andy his buddy filmed the whole trip and produced an inspiring film which perfectly drives home Nike’s message.
Gone are the days when a celebrity simply appears in a brand’s commercial and says they love the product in question, at least with online video. The content-as-marketing nature of branded online video is evolving what the typical celebrity endorsement looks like.
New Era scored several social video hits with their ongoing series throughout last year’s baseball season featuring Alec Baldwin and John Krasinski—playing themselves—arguing the age-old rivalry of Red Sox vs. Yankees:
Instead of a single pitchman-style ad, New Era created a narrative, and allowed their celebrities to have a lot of fun over a series of vignettes. This year, they’re repeating the formula, with all-new celebrities. This year it’s Nick Offerman (Parks & Recreation) and Craig Robinson (The Office), taking up both sides in the inner-city rivalry between the White Sox and Cubs:
Celebrity endorsers are letting their hair down more these days, as well, doing more acting and playing more involved roles in the content. Here’s Majestic Athletic’s ad to kick off the 2012 baseball season:
The role of celebrity endorser is also changing definitions as it evolves online. Go Pro frequently features videos by customers, action-sports athletes, and partner brands to help pull in additional viewers:
One of the most popular trends in branded social video marketing is the live stunt. Sometimes it’s a flash mob. Other times it’s a public performance, a piece of artwork, or some kind of prank or Candid Camera-style gag.
But in every single case, regardless of the variety, success or failure of the video depends on one thing only: the crowd’s reaction. If the public citizens who happen to be around when the life stunt goes down aren’t intrigued, surprised, shocked, or delighted… the video could fall flat. The viewers have to have that anchor to relate to—the person in the video experiencing the same surprise that we are.
TNT has long been claiming that they “know drama.” So when the network moved into the Belgian market, they decided to create a little drama to help kick things off:
Coke’s Global Happiness campaign has been active for a couple years now, and they seem to enjoy subverting common notions about what a vending machine experience can be. Check out the great reaction shots in this piece:
Improv Everywhere has basically perfected this art of public stunt videos, and they always have outstanding reaction shots from the crowd to keep the viewing audience engaged:
T-Mobile’s now-famous “Angry Birds Live” ad is another great example of the power of crowd reaction shots. They could have set up this thing on a closed set, and while the contraption would have still been impressive, the video wouldn’t have succeeded as well. It’s the bystanders’ bewilderment that drives the sharing action:
Every month we like to take a look back at the best branded videos from all over the globe, and this month saw some more great branded flash mobs as well as some excellent humor pieces from companies all over the world.
For St. Patrick’s Day, Discover Ireland decided to bring a little Irish flavor to the good people of Australia. Audiences clearly aren’t yet tiring of branded flash mob events, as evidenced by the massive sharing numbers and viewcount for this video:
Tic Tac went the staged-performance/flash-mob route as well, using an elaborate production to make a few individuals feel like the last living souls on Earth:
Back over in Australia, the makers of Hahn beer went for humor, with a dash of the strange thrown in for good measure:
Cartier is a brand that knows a thing or two about going over the top–it’s sort of their niche. So naturally, when they decide to get into cinematic storytelling, it’s appropriately over-the-top as well:
And both the Guinness Book of World Records and the Lotus automaker benefited from the good social buzz this stunt managed to pull in on Facebook & Twitter:
