Okay, last week it was the Republican National Convention, this week it’s the Democrats. But before we put the RNC in the books, we have to look at Mitt Romney’s introduction video. It aired Thursday night, and since I blog Monday-Thursday and Monday was a holiday… here we are.

First, put your politics aside. I’ll be reviewing Romney’s videos leading up to the election, and I’ll be doing the same for the President. The reviews will be about the videos and what we can learn from them, not the politics.

Bad Beginning

So… Romney’s intro video at the convention. It was… good. Not great. Good. I think the only thing holding it back was the opening and it provides a lesson. It’s like we just jump into the story with Romney taking over leadership at the Salt Lake City Winter Olympics.

It took me a minute to get my feet under me while watching. Once I caught-up, the Olympic story was just okay. We hear about a controversy, then Romney taking over and turning things around.

So… as the video is rolling… I’m trying to recall what the “controversy” was about the 2002 Winter Olympics. I remember it was something before it started. Something about… oh yeah!… bribery! There were allegations of bribery to get the Olympic bid.

Good for me. I remembered. Bad for the video because while I was working that out in my head, the video was rolling along and I’m missing everything that’s being said.

Audiences Disengage

That’s why storytelling is so important. If you make a misstep, you lose your audience. Include something in your video that jostles viewers, and they miss the information you want them to get.

It can be the way you tell the story, a funky looking graphic, even something weird in the background of an interview. Anything that potentially disengages the viewer from the story is a no-no.

The rest of Romney’s video… awesome. Once I got past the opening, I re-engaged and thought it delivered.

Take a look at the video and let me know what you think.

We’ll take a look at President Obama’s video on Thursday and report back here on Monday.

–Tony Gnau

Taking customers and prospects behind-the-scenes at your business is a great way to show them why you’re the one they should hire. And while one video is great, a series of behind-the-scenes videos is event better.

Need an example? I continue to use my Alma Mater. The University of Southern California athletic department’s leaders produce tons of videos, and none better than the ones that take us beyond the football field.

They’ve shown us how coaches motivate their players, student-athletes having fun around campus, even players taking a humanitarian mission to Haiti. All of the videos offer USC alumni and fans a look at life off the field.

The latest example is the school’s preseason edition, and it offers a valuable lesson. USC just opened a new athletic facility. It’s AMAZING! The video takes us into the new building. We hear from the players about what they like, but most of the comments are focused on how the facility should impact play on the field.

In many cases, it’s not enough to take someone behind-the-scenes. You have to give them a reason for why it matters. USC’s video makes things clear… improved training rooms keep players healthy, a lounge helps build team unity and the new facility provides extra incentive to “earn the building.”

Your videos need to do the same thing. If you’re going to show people how you make your products, make sure they understand how your process impacts price, quality, whatever sets you apart. If you’re showing how your team works together, highlight how that teamwork impacts the customer’s experience.

Take customers and prospects behind-the-scenes, but make sure your videos are still focused on them.

–Tony Gnau

I got to meet marketing expert Geoff Livingston during a shoot a couple of months ago. He and one of our clients, Arment Dietrich CEO Gini Dietrich, were launching a new book. Geoff’s a fun guy. I’ve been reading his blog ever since, and yesterday’s post really got my attention.

The title says it all… Customers Don’t Care About Us. He writes about how social engagement doesn’t always add up to more sales… that recommendations by peers rule.

That’s one of the reasons I frequently encourage clients to make their videos about their customers… not them.

I’m talking about going beyond the testimonial. The heart of the story is about your client’s business, then eventually work in how your company helps them.

You can also use them in projects or with issues you’re passionate about. In our case, we have an ongoing video series about why our clients use video.

Each is a powerful way to show a) how dedicated you are to your clients… giving them some free publicity. And b) how dedicated they are to you… that they’re willing to go on camera for your company.

That’s a message prospects will trust.

–Tony Gnau

There are a lot of companies producing videos these days, but sometimes they seem aimless. In many cases, I think it’s because they aren’t setting goals for their projects. They’re feeling pressure by specific competitors who are producing videos or sometimes it’s just the marketplace. Everyone else is producing videos, so we better start.

No matter the reason, diving into video without a plan isn’t the best idea. First question, as always, is who’s our audience? Second question, what’s our goal?

The goal is tricky. Business types want to put a dollar figure on the ROI. In some cases, you can do this by tracking a specific video campaign. How many people are watching? How many then click and buy? These are all things you can track.

The problem is most companies start their video journey with the “About Us” video. Tracking ROI on this type of video is nearly impossible, but I do have a guideline we tend to follow when producing them.

After the video is done, we show it to a few people and ask what they think of the company. In most cases, they’re usually pretty impressed with the place and will point out things they like about the business.

This is in no way scientific, but neither is an “About Us” video. It’s all subjective. My main goal for these videos is for the viewer to finish watching and think to themselves… that looks like a pretty good company. That’s it.

All we’re trying to do is create a good first impression. We want to elicit a positive emotional response. If we do that, it’s a job well done.

Remember, video isn’t about facts and figures. It’s about emotion.

–Tony Gnau

I advocate pretty hard for video. I’m a big believer in the medium and what it can do for businesses. I’m also realistic, so I get excited when someone with a bigger megaphone takes up the charge.

Enter Gini Dietrich… PR/marketing expert, superstar blogger and a published author. Her following is measured in the tens of thousands and we’re proud to call her a T60 client.

One of her blog posts last week caught my attention. She wrote about how PR pros aren’t keeping up with what journalists want, and she cited some recent studies…

These combined studies showed 80 percent of journalists and bloggers value images that are easily available and ready to use. And 75 percent says they want video and that 30 percent of their websites now use externally produced video.

Did you catch that? 75 percent of journalists want video. This speaks to me on multiple levels considering I own a video production company and once made my living as a TV news reporter.

As a matter of fact, it wasn’t too long ago I was offering some suggestions on how companies can cater to the media. These studies only prove it’s an even better idea than I originally thought.

So… PR-types… keep these stats in mind. If you want to provide extra incentive for journalists to cover your clients, video is something you should consider.

Business leaders… if you want to make your company a source for information related to your industry, you should probably update you media page with some video as well.

–Tony Gnau

Yesterday I met with an old friend of mine and a very talented graphic designer, Julie Woertz at We Cre8 Design. It was followed by a phone call with the friend of a friend who’s looking for a video-related job. Two totally different conversations but something similar struck me about each.

We’re still having to sell people on video.

Julie was telling me how she’s always recommending to clients to include video on their websites, but people haven’t been biting. My new acquaintance was talking about how hard his former employer had to work to sell video B2B.

I’m faced with it as well, and it shocks me. I mean, I get it. If a business leader sees the potential for how video can help them, but they feel like they just can’t afford to do it right now… okay. But that’s not what we’re talking about.

Many executives still don’t see the point of video. What’s more, they seemingly ignore all the stats out there telling them how many people are watching online videos.

All I feel I can do is continue to advocate for the medium. It is such a powerful way to reach people… to connect with them on an emotional level. These are clients and prospects, and business leaders need to realize they’re out there watching.

–Tony Gnau

Here’s something that’ll speak to anyone who’s ever produced a video. You’ve been shooting all day. You’re tired. You pack-up your gear and head for home.

Then it happens… you see one more shot. Do you stop and get it or keep rolling home?

I’ve been there myself many times, and it happened again last week while we were in San Diego. We were done shooting for the day, in the car heading back to the hotel, and I looked out the car window and spotted a beautiful shot.

It wasn’t anything crucial to our project, but it was perfect as a San Diego scene-setter. The shot was only 4-5 blocks from our hotel, so we finished driving back then I grabbed the camera bag and tripod and walked back to get it (see the photos).

So… the message is… STOP! Get the shot. You’ll regret it if you don’t. You’ll be sitting at your computer editing and kicking yourself. It happens all the time… but not to me. Not this time.

–Tony Gnau

Reading material is essential for an out-of-town shoot, and a couple of things I picked-up during our flight to San Diego really drove something home.

Video rules over print.

We all know this. When given the choice between a lot of text or watching a video, most people will choose the video. There’s all sorts of online data out there supporting this, so it’s no wonder even print publications are trying to offer video.

Examples A and B… USA Today and Skymall catalogue. I snapped a couple of photos showing how they ask people to go to their websites to watch videos. USA Today does mention you can find other things like features and photos, but tops on the list… video.

Business leaders need to get with it. They need to realize just offering text on a website or in social media posts won’t cut it anymore. If they want to remain competitive and on top of the marketplace they need to be producing videos.

It’s how their customers and prospects are consuming media.

–Tony Gnau

Knowing we’d be shooting in San Diego last week, I was keeping my eye open for stuff to blog about after we got back. Never in a million years would I have guessed I’d be praising a pre-flight video.

Yes, the one about exits, seat belts and floatation devices. American Airlines actually produced a nice video explaining all the usual stuff we’re accustomed to hearing before takeoff. I was hoping to find it on YouTube to share with you, but I didn’t come across it so my description will have to suffice.

It features employees from all across the company… pilots, flight attendants, baggage handlers, et cetera… all reading the standard pre-flight check list.

What made it noteworthy was that each employee recited their lines in different environments. In other words, baggage handlers were loading bags onto planes, pilots were in the cockpit and they would cut from one person to the next after each line. Sometimes there were split screens with demonstrations, like buckling the seat belt.

Nothing revolutionary, but you know what? It caught my attention, it kept me watching, and I wasn’t the only one. People who normally don’t pay attention to that stuff being said over a public address system were watching the video.

Why? It was well-produced and people like watching videos.

It’s the reason why businesses need to be using video to communicate with clients, employees, you name it.

Provide a nice video. Promote it. People watch.

–Tony Gnau

This is San Diego week here at the T60 blog. We took a trip out west last Monday and Tuesday for a shoot, and I did my best to accumulate some good material to write about.

First-up, I was THRILLED to see that Chicago-based celebrity chef Rick Bayless has a Frontera Grill spinoff in O’Hare Airport’s American Airlines terminal called Frontera Tortas. If you’re not familiar with Bayless, you’re probably not a foodie. Suffice to say, he’s one of our nation’s best chefs and his specialty is Mexican cuisine.

What struck me is he didn’t miss a beat with this grab-n-go food stand. My sandwich was outstanding… second best breakfast sandwich I have ever eaten (The Commuter at La Grande Orange Grocery in Phoenix remains the champ)… but the other thing was that he didn’t miss a beat marketing-wise.

There are two TVs in the small bar area where you can eat. One was tuned to the Olympics, the other was tuned to Mexico: One Plate at a Time with Rick Bayless… his TV show.

I’m sure they just run episode after episode on a loop, and why not? There have to be tons of people passing through O’Hare who have never heard of Rick Bayless, so why not take the opportunity to introduce him using the best means available… video.

Bayless is one of the most decorated chefs in the country, but he doesn’t rely on his ability in the kitchen to make an impression. He uses well-produced video to carry his passion for Mexican food to as many people as possible.

Business leaders could learn a thing or two from him… one torta at a time.

–Tony Gnau