The absolute power of video
You may have read in a couple of our other blogs just how effective video is when it comes to a business’s marketing content. In this post, we’re going to show you examples of when video has made a big impact for a brand.
Who: Always, makers of female sanitary protection
Why: For challenging a stereotype and inspiring their target audience
Always ran a series of video adverts that flipped what was previously seen as a negative…the words ‘Like a Girl’ formed the title of this campaign. Whereas doing x, y or z ‘like a girl’ used to be seen as not doing the task in question very well, e.g. ‘You throw like a girl’. Always showed girls throwing a ball and absolutely bossing it. Not only did this create conversation around what the term ‘like a girl’ means, the videos were inspiring to watch and left viewers with positive connotations of the brand.
Who: Airbnb
Why: Using their clients to reassure their customers and vice versa
A prime example of a middle-man business, Airbnb has ‘normal’ people at both ends of their customer journey. Regular people rent out rooms/their homes to holidaymakers, i.e. other regular people; Airbnb simply project-manage the transaction. Words from the company were unlikely to be as strong for either group (those renting their property and those seeking accommodation) than if they simply talked to each other.
Through a series of video stories/testimonials, renters – who worry about the safety and upkeep of their precious properties – could clearly see the general public would care for where they stayed. Conversely, holidaymakers, after watching renters talking on screen, felt more comfortable about staying in other people’s properties. Fears and concerns from both groups were put to rest as a result of Airbnb’s videos.
Who: Lowe’s Home Improvement
Why: Effectively using videos across a range of social platforms
Lowe’s is a brand that moves with the times. As with similar brands, Lowe’s chose to release a series of ‘how to’ style videos to inform and educate their audience on home improvement techniques, whilst also showcasing their stock.
Originally posting Vines, due to the nature of that platform, all their how-to guides had to be just six seconds long, which was quite a feat. These ultra-quick tutorials helped the brand stand out from their competitors and their followers grew almost overnight to 30,000.
They showcased their next series of tutorials on Facebook, using 360° technology to enhance their ‘Made in a Minute’ video guides. Viewing figures ran into the millions with one particular post receiving 4,000 shares alone. Bolstered by their success, they then aimed their goods at a younger audience via Snapchat, and ran a campaign entitled ‘In a Snap’. This is one brand that’s not afraid to try something new whilst also building on previous successes.
What can you take from these three examples? It’s clear, with all these brands, that the medium of video was instrumental to the success of each campaign. Had Airbnb’s testimonials been written down, they may not have alleviated the fears holidaymakers have as effectively. It’s also difficult to demonstrate a DIY tip without including visuals of some sort.
Lastly, consider this: someone watching a video will retain 90% of the information it contains, whilst a reader only remembers 10% of the words they read…which means you’ve already forgotten this. If you take just one thing from this, it’s that video is an absolute must for businesses. If you only produce one form of content, it should be in a video format.
