Video narratives allow you to tell the exact story you want to convey to your audience.
The power of video to raise awareness and build a brand cannot be understated. A well planned strategic long-form video can educate the viewer within several minutes, or peak their interest with a short form series of 15 second clips.
Launching a new brand, creating a marketing campaign or seeking to rejuvenate an existing product line all benefit from a targeted video narrative. In this blog post, we’ll explore the art of using video but also the science of analytics to learn about the audience and respond.
The remarkable power of video to sell a new idea.
Video has a unique ability to engage, inspire, and emotionally connect with the viewer especially with a new or complex concept. Video can quickly educate the viewer on updated technical aspects or unique features. Combining visuals, audio, and narrative to create a compelling and memorable experience about your service, product or organization. With a strategic approach, video can be a powerful tool to convey your brand’s identity and values as well.
Take a moment to watch the video below…
This video was produced for The Copernicus Project as a preliminary proof-of-concept narrative of an IoT local climate security solution. Created for an audience of investors and partners it is designed to replicate what the real world experience might look like in the field.
The power of the imagery and music set the tone of technology and cutting-edge innovation. The animations convey a clear message of local conditions and the potential for monitoring and alerting to strong weather events.
The absence of a voice-over reinforces the meditative quality of the story while the music provides a steady beat for the changing imagery. For the target audience (of early investors and partners) this video functions as a defacto “Elevator Pitch” – all in less than 2 minutes.
Three samples of Video Narratives for new ideas:
1. Craft a Compelling Origin Story:
Every brand has an origin story. Use video to narrate how your brand came into existence. Share the passion, inspiration, and vision that led to its creation. A well-crafted origin story can resonate with viewers and establish an emotional connection.
2. Visualize Your Brand’s Values:
Video allows you to showcase your brand’s core values and principles in action. Whether it’s environmental sustainability, social responsibility, or innovation, use visuals to reinforce your commitment to these values.
3. Demonstrate Unique Features and Benefits:
If your brand offers a unique product or service, demonstrate its features and benefits through video. Show how it solves a problem or enhances the lives of your customers.
Re-establishing Existing Brands
The “Think Different” campaign, launched in 1997, was a pivotal moment for Apple. At that time, Apple was in a challenging position, facing competition from Microsoft and struggling with its market share. The campaign, including the “Here’s to the crazy ones” ad, was designed to reposition Apple as an innovative and forward-thinking brand.
Internally, the ad had a profound effect on Apple’s employees and staff. At that time, the company was going through internal challenges, and the ad served as a rallying cry to reignite a sense of purpose and pride among Apple employees.
The “Think Different” campaign, including the “Here’s to the crazy ones” ad, remains one of the most iconic and memorable marketing efforts in the history of advertising and played a pivotal role in Apple’s resurgence as a brand associated with innovation and creativity.
How to Re-establish an Existing Brand with video:
1. Reimagine Your Brand Identity:
Over time, brands may evolve or reposition themselves. Video narratives provide a dynamic platform to reintroduce your brand to your audience. Showcase the transformation, explain the reasons behind it, and reignite interest.
2. Humanize Your Brand:
People connect with people, not just products or logos. Use video to put a human face on your brand. Feature employees, share their stories, and highlight the human element behind your brand’s success.
3. Address Challenges and Solutions:
If your brand has faced challenges or controversies, address them openly through video narratives. Transparency and authenticity can help rebuild trust and loyalty. Share the steps you’ve taken to overcome obstacles and improve.
Case Study in Video Brand Collage
A Video Brand Collage is a visual and audio representation that combines various video clips, images, graphics, and audio elements to create a comprehensive and engaging portrayal of a brand’s identity, values, products, or services. It serves as a dynamic and multi-dimensional way to showcase a brand’s story, personality, and offerings to its target audience.
Video Brand Collages are commonly used in digital marketing campaigns, including social media, websites, email marketing, and online advertisements. They provide a visually appealing way to communicate with audiences across various platforms.
This video brand collage was developed by Velocity Ascent to support the pre-launch of Colt’ Firearms’s Apparel line for men. The video is designed to evoke the rich colorful history of Colt and the world where it established its historical position.
Lights, camera, branding—it’s time to let your brand’s story shine on the screen – whatever form factor that might be; smartphone, handheld, laptop, desktop, TV.
The authenticity of the timeless brand elements and apparel, combined with a contemporary cinematic musical score, immediately establishes the tone and style with team members and the retail apparel community. It also provides a platform for displaying Colt’s commitment to a high quality product.
One Recipe for Effective Video Narratives:
Storytelling: Craft a compelling narrative that resonates with your target audience. Use storytelling techniques to create an emotional connection and leave a lasting impression.
Visual Excellence: Invest in high-quality visuals and production values. Engaging cinematography, graphics, and animation can elevate your brand’s image.
Authenticity and Transparency: Be authentic in your storytelling. Audiences appreciate transparency and honesty. Address both successes and challenges with a healthy reality-check.
Distribution Strategy: Develop a strategic plan for sharing your video narratives. Utilize social media, your website, email marketing, and other channels to maximize reach.
This is just one option for creating an Effective Video Narrative there are many more – each one tailored to the use and audience.
Within the myriad of values video provides as a medium, most valuable is the ability to totally control the message and meaning. Crafting a linear storyline through the brand, the experience and the unique attributes of the product or service.
Conclusion: The Future of Branding Is Visual Video
Attention spans are shrinking, and competition is fierce, video narratives have emerged as a formidable tool for brand storytelling. They can transcend language barriers, evoke a range of emotions, and create lasting impressions with your audience. By harnessing the power of video, we can collaborate and tell your brand’s story in a way that captures hearts, minds, and market share.
Shameless Plug:
The small, robust, and nimble team at Velocity Ascent excell at crafting and defining narrative videos. Guided by an unwavering commitment to best practices in storytelling, combined with a deep understanding of user needs, societal trends and preferences, forms the bedrock of exceptional design and production outcomes. Our goal is to craft stories that activate the viewer.
Want to learn more – get in touch!