Branded content and using video for your social media campaigns is the perfect way to raise awareness of your brand, product or service – without having to resort to ‘the hard sell’. Here’s an example of one of a series of films we recently produced in collaboration with Sparkle Productions for Benefit Cosmetics.
This particular campaign was run as part of a radio promotion with Heart FM London. We were asked to produce three short viral videos to feature make-up ‘fails’ based on sketches written by talented comedian, Louisa Omielan. We had already produced a successful campaign for Brita Water, featuring comedian Russell Kane, so are used to creating this type of branded comedy.
If you’re considering creating better branded content for your company, it’s important to consider a few things . . .
It’s Branded Content, so know your brand . . .
Although your video content should be fresh and engaging, it’s also vital that any new films or campaigns reflect the existing brand, enforce core values and fit with house-style and tone. For us, this meant giving the videos a light touch and the sense of fun that is such a big part of the Benefit brand.
Quick is best . . . usually
When potential or existing customers engage with this type of content, they are looking for a reason to swipe past your video. They certainly won’t hang around long enough to watch your ten minute masterpiece. The ideal length will vary depending on your target audience and the type of content – for example, viewers are happy enough to spend a few minutes watching a ‘how-to’ or ‘make-over’ video but won’t be as patient with a product promo or, as in our case, a comedy sketch. Based on Louisa’s profile and existing fan-base, we used 50-60 seconds as our benchmark.
Make ’em laugh . . . or cry
For the Benefit campaign, humour was the best fit for their brand and worked well with the radio promotion, but high impact drama or an emotional angle can work equally well – just ask John Lewis why they’ve seen so much success with their Christmas campaigns.
Buy My Washing Powder! BE SUBTLE
The final, and arguably most important aspect to remember is to be subtle. The days of straight hard-sell commercials are long gone. Viewers are more sophisticated and are constantly looking for new, funny or emotional content they can like and share. Benefit Cosmetics understood this at the outset – overt hard-sell advertising is not part of their ethos – but many clients still get nervous if there isn’t an explicit ‘BUY MY [insert product here]’ message somewhere in the video. Think about it – when was the last time you shared a bog-standard advert with your friends or colleagues? Ever? No. So why are you asking your potential customers to do that? Get them talking about your content, THEN they’ll talk about your product, brand or service.
Need Help? Let’s talk
We continue to produce great branded content for a range of brands. We can take care of everything from initial concepts and scripting through to talent-sourcing and production and love the opportunity to work with new clients. So, if you’re looking to create a series of films or an effective one-off video viral, get in touch to see how we can help you craft your next campaign and take your branded content to the next level.
Wonderful n helpful guide….Thanks