One of the current popular trends brands are using to gain traction with social video campaigns is the idea of taking the audience behind the curtain. Letting the viewer go behind the scenes of something (or someone) they already love is a fantastic way to really engage them and keep their attention on your content.
DC Shoes has had unprecedented success with online video through their Gymkhana series, featuring renowned driver Ken Block. So what did they do to follow up their 17-million-view Gymkhana Four? They went behind the scenes of the viral hit, and earned another 1.4 million views:
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:
There’s a healthy and growing online audience for videos related to auto-sports. Videos like this typically involve some kind of stunt driving. And the genre is so popular, that even brands that have no natural tie to the automotive industry are tapping into its power.
Like DC Shoes, which has scored several certifiable viral mega-hits with its series of Gymkhana videos, featuring the nail-biting stunt driving work of Ken Block. Here’s the latest offering, which is over 9 million views in just one month:
DC shoes has been tapping the power of auto-sports videos for quite a while. They’re pretty much veterans at this point. This video is a year old, but sits at 36 million views:
Red Bull is another brand that is no stranger to social video success, and the company routinely scores viral hits by putting slow-motion footage to work with action sports. But their latest social video effort is squarely in the “auto” genre, and shows what it looks like when Formula 1 racing comes to America:
Social video can be propelled to success when the audience connects with the content…when it moves them or impresses them. The high horsepower and engine-revving world of auto-sports is proving to provide a wealth of great video content, helping bring engaged viewers primed to share the experience.
