Tag Archives: business

Ditch the actors in web videos. Real people are just a better way to go.

I was watching an American Airlines video yesterday when this thought jumped to mind. The airline actually does a great job of posting online videos, some good, some not so good.

This one focuses on a contest the airline is running, and the video features actors posing as real people who talk about needing a vacation. This would have been so much better with real people, in their real environments.

Real people work well in videos because it immediately allows the viewer to connect with who they’re watching. Once you see an actor in a video, that sensation is gone. You know the company is selling you on something.

Real people on the other hand, their message is more authentic. Viewers are simply more interested in what they have to say, and they’re even trusted.

Real people, real messages, real impact.

–Tony Gnau

It doesn’t take long. A good video can get people’s attention and peak their interest in less than a couple of minutes. That’s important because most web surfers have very short attention spans.

However, that’s not why I think shorter PR and marketing videos are better. Shorter is better because it allows you to do more.

Instead of producing a single, let’s say, 10-minute video, businesses should turn out five, 2-minute videos. Breaking things up into segments does a couple of things…

1. it’s a manageable time for people to watch
2. it creates an event to look forward to

I want to focus on that second point. Producing a series of videos allows a company to release them as a web series. Using our previous example, we’ll say one video a week for five weeks.

Show them over your social media networks, in an email campaign, and now you’re producing content your followers will anticipate and appreciate every week.

Less really can be more.

–Tony Gnau

Anyone who watched the Masters this past weekend got to see some great golf interspersed with the same commercials… over and over again. It’s a Masters thing. There are fewer commercial breaks, but the same ads are shown throughout the broadcast.

Kind of annoying, but believe it or not one of them actually got my attention and drove me to act. IBM promoted a series of “films” the company is showing at its website, so I checked them out.

Wow. I was expecting a few short web videos. Not the case. One of the two that are currently posted is 30-minutes long. The other is 13-minutes. Both document IBM achievements over the years.

It’s a pretty bold video strategy. The company clearly invested a lot in the productions, and I enjoyed them.  They certainly do a good job of driving home the message about what an important company IBM has been in the computing world.

The only problem, I’m not sure how many people will take the time to watch. I know I did, but hey, I’m in the video marketing biz.

I think there’s a huge audience out there for videos that are 5-minutes or less. 30-minutes… not so much. Heck, I usually recommend companies produce marketing videos that are 2-minutes or less.

IBM’s 30-minute film is actually broken into shorter segments, and I’m wondering why they simply didn’t release the individual segments instead of creating one big video? Stagger their release every couple days and now you have a series people could better manage.

–Tony Gnau

I love PR and marketing types because typically I don’t have to sell them on why video is a terrific marketing tool. They get it. The only tip I usually pass along to them is how to prep their clients and not to prepare them.

I know, isn’t “prep” just short for “prepare?” Exactly. It’s a big help when the PR or marketing person has prepped the client before the project begins… giving them an idea of what the production crew will need, how long the shoot will take, stuff like that.

On the other hand, you don’t want to prepare them. Don’t give them a list of questions that might be asked, don’t give them talking points, don’t prepare them for being interviewed.

Those are great things to do when getting ready for an interview with the media, not a video production the client is paying for. You don’t have any control over the message the media puts out, so better to be prepared. Not the case with us.

As video producers, it’s our job to make the client look and sound good, and the best way to do that is when you get authentic answers. Remember, we’re working for you and the client. If they make a mistake or don’t say something the right way, we just won’t use that sound bite.

Clients who prepare for an interview sound that way. Clients who have simple been prepped sound much more genuine.

–Tony Gnau

A client had a last-minute request yesterday for some DVDs and I was happy to be able to accommodate them. I also promised to deliver them myself. A promise made and a promise kept at about 8:20 a.m. this morning.

Pat on the back… nice job Tony… thank you T60. If you’re a hard worker and want satisfied customers, this is pretty standard stuff, nothing noteworthy. Believe it or not you deserve that pat on the back because that’s not always how it works.

I got a reminder on the way home while waiting at the Clark & State “L” stop. Looking for my train I spotted at flat screen monitor operated by the Chicago Transit Authority. Various ads were running, the time, weather, and then something that caught my attention… a graphic that said, “CTA Train Tracker.”

Standing there in the cold I anxiously awaited to see how long it would be until my train arrived, only the information never followed. The CTA announced they have a train tracker, but that’s it. Frustrating.

About 10-minutes later my train showed up and I was on my way, but it really made me appreciate people who deliver on promises. If that’s you, this is your pat on the back.

–Tony Gnau

One of the things we pride ourselves in at T60 is the effort we put into every video we produce, so why do some win awards and others don’t? The reason this year is simple, and it’s a great lesson for business leaders.

It’s the people. Take one look at the videos we produced for DuPage Habitat for Humanity and Glenwood School for Boys and Girls and the common denominator is each features compelling people.

Shari and Arletta in the Habitat video… Vashawn in the Glenwood video… they’re comfortable on camera, they’re engaging, and most importantly they’re speaking from the heart. They’re not delivering a scripted corporate message. You can tell they believe in what they’re talking about.

It’s a great lesson for businesses leaders who want to produce their own video. Think about all your employees. Think about your customers? Who are the most engaging people who surround your company?

It might not be the CEO, executive, or manager you planned on featuring, but sometimes they aren’t your best representatives.

–Tony Gnau

T60’s 32nd Annual Telly Award Winners

VIDEO– DuPage Habitat for Humanity

VIDEO– Glenwood School for Boys and Girls

Photo: Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times

Last night I awoke at 2:30 a.m. from a bad dream where the USC Trojans were trailing the UCLA Bruins.  Yes, I dream about football.

Bear with me, I’ll get to a relevant point.

In the dream, USC trailed by 7-points with 3:30 left to play when the defense scooped up a fumble. Instead of attempting to drive for a game tying touchdown which would at least force overtime, USC head coach Lane Kiffin elects not to run an offensive play. Instead, he kicks a 49-yard field goal cutting the lead to 4-points.

Craziness… I know. I woke up thinking why would a coach make a move like that? Sure, it closes the gap and potentially preserves enough time to go for the win, but it also paints the team into a corner. The only option available for the Trojans would be to get the ball back on defense and drive for a game winning touchdown.

It actually made me think about viral video. Many companies want to create the next great viral video, but that quest does bring risk. Groupon created a Super Bowl ad I’m sure they hoped would go viral the next day. It did, but for all the wrong reasons. Using the Tibetan people’s oppression as a gag offended a lot people and turned out to be an embarrassing failure.

Creativity is a great thing, but don’t confuse creativity with boldness.  Businesses striving to be bold need to avoid painting themselves into a corner where winning is the only option.

I’m not saying don’t go for it. Everyone’s risk-reward threshold is different.  Just keep your eyes open… and maybe a good PR pro on standby.

–Tony Gnau

I’ll tell you what… I know a lot about storytelling… enough to teach a class. I better. It’s my profession… my passion.

Business on the other hand? I’m still learning. Which is why I continue to pour through business books, read Seth Godin daily, listen to Dave Ramsey, and constantly look for innovative ways to better T60 as an organization.

We’re getting a little help with that. Earlier this year T60 opened its doors to business students at Kendall College who spent a quarter evaluating our company. Today, we get to hear their assessment on where we are and where they think we can go.

Ready to be a student again?

–Tony Gnau