Tag: video

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Marketing Video Marketing

Combine Corporate and Social Video Filming to Reduce Costs

social media videos

With the end of the year looming, many companies like yours have started thinking about and planning their 2020 marketing budgets. Smart companies know that video is an essential component in that plan, but what kind of video?

Brand stories, testimonial videos, product videos, advertisements, social media videos — they all have a place in a successful campaign, but corporations that use branded narratives to create stories are ahead of the curve. They’re capitalizing on emerging studies that scientifically prove that stories stick with viewers and cause chemical reactions in the brain such as dopamine, oxytocin and endorphins. These emotion causing chemicals are then carried into the customers’ experience with all your other marketing. Social media videos take on new power when used in conjunction with narrative video.

At WK Studios, we believe video has the power to merge your brand with emotions. Viewers remember the emotion they felt long after the information has been forgotten. Creating video campaigns that evoke emotion in customers will stick with them long after the initial viewing. While we believe that all video is powerful. History, life experience and neuroscience teach us that storytelling videos are the most effective.

Budgeting for Video Marketing Campaigns

A solid video production company will offer to produce a social media campaign while also filming your corporate video content. By combining the two projects, film sessions can often be minimized in many cases. This helps reduce costs for your agency, corporation or non-profit.

Social Media Videos

Video helps you engage your audience on social channels and many of these platforms prioritize video in their listing algorithms, resulting in better organic reach. Users have come to expect social videos with great lighting, optimal sound and professional production value. Your social videos on each platform should align with the same overall brand narrative. From videos in your Instagram story to the video ads you create on Facebook, brands should be consistent and take advantage of as many platforms as possible.

Make Your Video Dollars Go the Extra Mile

In planning your marketing budget for 2020, the idea of creating a corporate video, testimonial videos as well as a full schedule of social videos may seem daunting at first. Finding room in the budget for all types of video marketing doesn’t have to be expensive or exhaustive to be successful. In many cases, filming sessions can be combined when you select the right video production company to create a variety of videos for your marketing campaigns.

Packaging your video projects helps increase brand consistency throughout your marketing campaigns. An experienced and savvy video production company has the capability to produce a social media campaign while also filming video content for a brand narrative or other corporate videos. Blending these projects can reduce costs for you by using clips from a single filming session to create multiple, cohesive videos for your brand.

Create Corporate and Social Media Videos in 2020

WK Studios offers video marketing packages to deliver video content with an emotional impact. We have more than 20 years of experience in the PNW creating in the visual language of film and video production. Our team uses our skills to engage your audience and create an emotional response to your brand. We use the “Hollywood” or Lean Model, meaning we hire the absolute best crew for your specific project and brand narrative. You don’t pay for the staff you don’t need.

Contact us today to receive a quote for a customized corporate and social video package. We look forward to learning more about your brand story.

Brent Dolan

Brent, Director of Operations at WK Studios, currently lives in Bend, Oregon, with his wife Stephanie and two sons Micah and Ezra.

Categories
Marketing Video Marketing

Branded Narrative is Scientifically Proven to Make a Difference in Marketing

branded narrative marketing video
Artificial intelligence. 3D illustration

Think of the marketing and advertising campaigns that have impacted you most, that have swayed you in one direction or the other on a certain product, service or cause. The most effective marketing campaigns evoke emotion in consumers, moving them to take action. Many marketers look to impressions through social and digital advertising, but without the emotion to back up your branding, how will consumers connect with your product, service or cause? Branded narrative is central to a meaningful marketing strategy. Marketers who begin to see themselves as storytellers connect with consumers on an emotional level, fostering brand trust and advocacy.

At WK Studios, we work alongside clients who want help elevating their marketing efforts to reach the right prospects at the right time with the right message — using video storytelling. Specializing in branded narratives effectively uses psychology and the science of emotions to connect with targeted audiences. Understanding how branded narrative and science work together helps companies achieve better results throughout marketing campaigns.

Science and Marketing

Good marketing starts with knowing your target audiences’ problems (in particular, the problems you intend to solve). Branded Narrative requires you to put yourself in your customers’ shoes so you can create the kind of message that draws them in using various principles of psychology. By examining the key neurotransmitters that foster the bonds people have with different stories, guiding customers along the buyer’s journey is much easier.

Dopamine

Dopamine increases focus, motivation, and memory. Marketers and sales teams are eager to learn about how to tap into this area of their customers’ minds. Storytelling does this extremely well. For example, as a person watches a movie, their dopamine levels become heightened as the suspense builds. Ultimately, viewers become captivated as they watch the story unfold.

An impactful story results in an engaged audience that is actually seeing more of the content. At this point, marketers can discreetly, or even bluntly insert their brand, product or service into the narrative in order to reach a focused and motivated audience. And that’s what it’s all about, right? You want to grab your viewers’ attention so your message is remembered.

Oxytocin

Oxytocin is an empathy and bonding neurotransmitter. It induces trust, generosity and bonding. The most remarkable release of oxytocin occurs between lovers or between parents and their children.

This feeling of bonding can also be achieved to a strong degree through effective storytelling. Consider a story where a viewer watches a movie or a video that shows a young girl experience the sudden loss of her loving father. Viewers experience a heightened level of empathy resulting in trust, bonding and generosity due to their feeling of connection with the story’s character. Stories can be extremely powerful, as they form the basis for relationships and loyalty.

Many nonprofit organizations connect with donors using this type of narrative. For example, they may show a story featuring marginalized children to heighten levels of oxytocin within the audience. Feelings of duty and responsibility result, inspiring donors to give to the nonprofit’s cause. As a marketer, you want your customers to be emotionally tied to your brand – to bond and feel a sense of loyalty.

Endorphins

Endorphins are a powerful resource that video can tap into. One of the most effective ways to produce high levels of endorphins is through laughter, which results in more relaxed, creative and focused feelings. Consumers love to share content they find funny. When viewers share your content they significantly expand your reach, while also conveying their support for your brand.

As marketers, we must know the problems of our customers and show them how to solve those problems with our product or service. This sense of empowerment transfers from you to your customers. Your customers want to feel empowered and your brand can help them feel that way.

Branded Narrative Improves Marketing Performance

Today, the most effective way to tell a story is through video. Done well, you will be able to trigger the kind of neurotransmitter releases in your customers that make them loyal for life. Video tells stories that resonated with people. Consumers feel empowered enough to align themselves with your brand. As you share your branded narrative, your customers become gripped with the suspense of your story – the bond between your brand and their lives.

Effective marketing pays homage to how the brain works. Instead of merely selling products and services, marketing can connect us on a deeper, more human level. Branded Narrative through video makes all the difference in connecting with your customers.

WK Studios believes in the power of branded narrative — connecting with consumers through video storytelling. We’re passionate about helping brands raise awareness of the benefits of psychology-focused marketing. Contact WK Studios to learn more about using branded narrative to tell compelling stories that resonate with your prospective customers.

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Local Business Uncategorized

Branding is a Slow Burn… but a Longer Term Investment

I love commercials. I know… I’m the odd man out.

In fact, I’ll share a little secret with you: When I watch TV, I mostly skip the shows and look for the ads.

I’ve noticed that big names do branding commercials while small businesses create informational commercials. This got me to thinking and here’s what I came up with regarding the differences.

1. Branding creates a feeling

Check out this commercial for milk:

An informational commercial would have started by listing the health benefits of milk, continued with telling you where you can buy it, and finished with a call to action (i.e. Drink Milk because it’s good for you.)

Compare the above with this commercial:

Which one gave you more information? Which one are you likely to remember when you are at the grocery store thinking about what to buy? (Matt Dillon tells us, “don’t forget it,” but I’m pretty sure you already have.)

2. Branding is slower

If you want a quick burn with immediate results (i.e. a sale or event) then informational is the only way to go. Just tell people “Who, What, When, Where and Why.” But as Roy H. Williams, the “Wizard of Ads,” asks, do you really want to train people to wait for a sale, or do you want them to buy from you because they love your brand?

If you are looking to build a “presence” in a product category, or a reputation in a geographical market–if you want people to feel your weight–then informational ads will be watched and forgotten before people even know who you are.

When you think about Nike, do you think about what kind of rubber they use on their soles or how cool their laces are? Does Nike have to convince you that they are quality by listing their manufacturing process? No, you feel something that has been faithfully added to and built upon for decades; they have created trust by the very “weight” of their brand.

3. Branding uses association

Nike associates its products with the biggest names in sports. Milk associates itself with obsessive desire. By the time they get to their slogan, “Got Milk,” the idea of living without it is unthinkable.

Unlike Nike, most businesses can’t afford even one minute of LeBron’s time, but with some skillfully-crafted creativity, they can create other powerful associations that are cheap or free. If you make quality knives, for example, then you can spend your advertising dollars associating your brand with the types of gourmet foods that your clients want to cook. If you make custom dog collars, then associate your brand with the special bonding that happens between dogs and their loving owners.

The most powerful branding moves the viewer to think, “I want to be that person; I want to live that life”

(By way of full disclosure, we were not associated with the above commercials in any way.)

Which sports fan doesn’t fantasize about being at the front of the pack, or the top of the key, making the winning slam dunk and having the fans go wild? Nike ads strongly associate its brand with some of the most powerful images known to sports fans.

The stronger the associations, the more powerful the emotions; the more powerful the emotions, the deeper your ads will impact the soul.

4. Branding lasts longer

Since association and emotion are functions of the subconscious mind, they stay with the viewer for much longer than mere facts and figures (which reside in the intellect).

5. Few things can impact the soul like video

SO here it is…the shameless sales pitch. (Not really.)

While strongly crafted words or a beautiful image can affect the soul, the medium of video is uniquely poised to impact the emotions of the viewer and help them temporarily suspend their filters. This is something I strongly believe.

Take your cues from how the big brands concept their ads, and focus on building brand loyalty through emotional connections, rather than going in for the kill with less effective informational ads. As marketing legend, David Ogilvy said, “Don’t bunt; aim out of the park. Aim for the company of immortals.”

Paul Powers videographer

 

 

Paul Powers is a producer at WK Studios and currently resides in Bend OR with his beautiful wife and daughter.

paul@wkstudios.com

 

 

 

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Uncategorized

The Real Power of Video…

I never sell video.

Oh sure, I meet with clients and explain the benefits of having a quality video, but I won’t sell it if I feel they have no need. I never try to talk someone into getting an expensive video just to increase our bottom line.

That being said, I feel that video sells itself. According to SEO experts, video has been proven to increase web rankings with Google overnight. Video increases conversion rates by a significant percentage. Video makes your webpage more “sticky” (causes people to stay on your page longer) and decreases the bounce rate. It can replace reams of copy and makes the process of ingesting your message much easier for your visitor.

While these are all great reasons to buy a video, they are not (in my opinion) the primary value of video.

The primary value of video is that it can infuse emotion into your brand like nothing else.

When you think about your favorite brands, do you think about information or do you experience an emotion?  Companies like Nike and Starbucks spend millions to infuse emotion into their brands.  Apple made a “dent in the universe” when they released their 1984 commercial and forever infused an emotional response to their computers.  Nike commercials consistently capture the “emotion” of running… or basketball… or jumping… or competition…  They don’t just give information about their shoes, they make you think… “I want to be that guy!”  Later, when you pick up the latest copy of “Running” magazine and look at the Nike ad the same emotion comes back.  Why?  Because emotion is much more sticky than information. Information goes in and out of our minds in volumes, but emotion will stay with us long after the initial experience has passed.

A well-conceived, well-created video can stick in people’s souls long after they have finished watching it. If the emotion is powerful enough, it will go a long way toward keeping you top of mind when someone thinks about your product category or service.

Are you utilizing the true power of video?

Categories
Filmmaking Uncategorized

The Rule (Principle) of Three

Oh sure, everyone knows the “Rule of Thirds”.

 

Everyone knows that you divide your frame into thirds and make sure that important elements in your frame happen on those lines. It often makes for a more interesting image than one that just lies in the center in your frame. Even consumer cameras often have overlays available for their view-screens dividing the image into “thirds”.

This post is not about the “Rule of Thirds”;  It’s about the “Principle of Three”.

The “principle of three” is something I carry in my mind every time I step out the door with my camera.  It’s an instruction I give to my DP every time I’m a director on set.

It comes in two parts:

In Filming:  Wide/ Medium/ Close Up

This is actually as old as classic Hollywood. When you’re filming, make sure you go for the wide medium and close up (throw in some cutaways and you’ve really got something you can work with). That’s pretty straight forward, but it’s easy to forget when you are on set and the pressures and demands of direction come upon you.

In Editing: A series of three cutaways is (generally) better than two.

When I sit down for the edit, I find that a series of three quick b-roll clips can really tell the story more quickly and more interestingly than just one or two.  This is not always the case, but when we start out with it as a principle, I think it helps.

 

Note how the three clips together give you a more complete and interesting sequence than just a shot of the van going by.  Give it a try and let me know what you think.

Categories
Filmmaking Local Business Uncategorized

Northwest Quality Roofing

WK offers a service that we call “Facebook Videos” which are shorter videos at an affordable price. Companies can buy these individually, in a four-pack or in an eight-pack.

Here’s a four-pack that we produced for Northwest Quality Roofing in Bend OR.

Categories
Filmmaking Uncategorized

The Curse of the Lazy Brain

If you are a creative professional, you have an enemy:  a horrible monster that seeks to destroy your potential and limit your results. Many are enslaved by this insidious curse, not even realizing that it has control over them.  These poor souls languish under the weight of mediocrity, never quite understanding why their work doesn’t satisfy.  They long to create something original, epic, amazing, but it continually eludes them.  What’s worse, is that the monster lives inside of all of us, defiling even our best days with it’s subtle whisperings.

This monster is none other than Lazy Brain and here’s how it works.

I’m approached by a client to produce a :30 second spot on how widget A will help save time in the chopping of onions. Not the most exciting project. Hmmmm.  How are we going to show this?

  • Lazy Brain:  “Interview the client talking about how much time you can save in chopping onions and film b-roll of the widget actually chopping onions.  Put the two together with cool music.”

Sounds like a good idea.  It will be fast, easy, cheap…. LAZY.  MEDIOCRE.

Those of us who have identified this enemy have found that our first thoughts are usually the lazy ones. That’s why WK has developed a culture of challenging one another to dig deeper; to bypass the lazy brain. The collaboration continues… maybe we could show two people, one is crying and the other is smiling.  We hold on this for a while and then show that the crying person is cutting onions by hand.  The smiling person puts the onions in the widget BOOM, BAM, BANG. FINISHED:  The widget is so fast that the persons eyes have no chance to tear up from the onion’s odor. We wrap up the spot by showing the widget and the tag line, “Widget A:  Chops onions faster.” (Note:  I think my lazy brain wrote that tag line.)

Which one do you think will be more effective?  Both communicate the message.  Both require a similar investment of time and money.  One is lazy brain and the other more creative.

Unfortunately, the lazy brain is not something we overcome once and are free forever.  For the creative, this is a lifelong battle, one which we sometimes win and sometimes lose.

Have you had any battles with the lazy brain?  How did you conquer?  We would love to hear your story.  Leave it in the comments.