Tag Archives: Corporate video

It’s day three of looking at Hyatt Regency McCormick Place’s video series, and today is when the whole concept really comes into focus.

The hotel’s sales and marketing staff opted for a series instead of a single video to give viewers options. They understand that each of their potential clients has different needs, so they wanted them to be able to choose the videos that best apply to their unique situation.

Hyatt Regency McCormick Place is Chicago’s convention hotel. It’s attached to the city’s convention center, McCormick Place, and that fact allows them incredible flexibility in dealing with meeting planners and corporate clients.

I have already shown you videos on the hotel itself and the hotel’s ballroom, but the videos I’ll show today and tomorrow are great examples of why giving clients viewing options is a nice way to go.

Working from the perspective of a client who needs to host a HUGE event… I’ve stayed at Hyatt hotels in the past, so I don’t feel like I need to watch the hotel video. My event is way too big to host at a hotel ballroom, so I know I don’t need to watch that video. I look at the video lineup a little further and see options for McCormick Place’s Grand Ballroom and West Building… now those are videos I’m interested in!

VIDEO– Hyatt Regency McCormick Place: the Grand Ballroom at McCormick Place

No need to waste valuable time watching a single video that includes every aspect of what the hotel complex has to offer. The client can simply jump to the one that interests them.

Tomorrow, we’ll wrap-up the series with a look at the West Building.

–Tony Gnau

We’re continuing our look this week at the Hyatt Regency McCormick Place video series.

The sales department made a smart move by avoiding a single video trying to be all things to all audiences. Instead, hotel leaders opted for a series so potential customers can pick and choose to watch the videos relevant to their needs.

Today’s video features the hotel’s ballroom. The sales staff wanted to emphasize its versatility and all the options available for breakout rooms.

VIDEO– Hyatt Regency McCormick Place: the Regency Ballroom

This is a great example of why the series is a good move. The hotel is attached to Chicago’s convention center, McCormick Place, but has more to offer than just accommodating the convention crowds.

Non-convention customers don’t have to waste their time learning about those facilities. They have their own standalone video focused on their interests.

–Tony Gnau

All this week we’re featuring a series we completed for Hyatt Regency McCormick Place. The hotel is Chicago’s convention hotel… no doubt about it. It’s attached to the city’s convention center, McCormick Place, but the sales staff isn’t content to rely on that fact alone.

They’ve been creating their own videos for a while, and customers have responded well so they decided to kick it up a notch with a professional production.

However, instead of having a single video produced that includes a little bit of everything, they decided to create a series. This way potential clients can watch the video that’s most relevant to them, and not have to watch content that doesn’t apply to their needs.

Today’s video is the first of four and simply features the hotel itself. The sales staff wanted to highlight that the hotel is modern, good for networking, and has a bunch of dining options.

VIDEO– Hyatt Regency McCormick Place: the hotel

–Tony Gnau

Coutresy: Hyatt Regency McCormick Place

Producing a video is all about the audience. What’s going to interest them? Why should they care about your content? How does your content help them?

These are just a few things your videos should address, which is why it’s crucial to keep them focused and on-point. In many cases, breaking things down into separate videos makes a lot of sense.

We recently had a client who did a great job with this. The Hyatt Regency McCormick Place sales and marketing staff wanted to show clients why their meeting space is top-notch. Instead of packing everything into a single video, they decided to break things down into a series of shorter videos.  Now potential clients can focus on the areas that are relevant to them.

Starting Monday we’ll share each video and a behind-the-scenes story.

–Tony Gnau

Your company wants to produce marketing content. You grab the CEO, shoot all sorts of video, and you produce a terrific company profile.

Great… but don’t stop there. Many business leaders recognize the importance of having a company video, but they fail to follow-up on it. Video is a great way to engage with your customers and in many ways help them.

Courtesy: Nikon

Nikon is a photo powerhouse and does a great job of serving customers with interesting videos. Watch the following example I found through the company’s Facebook page. It’s a fun tutorial on how to shoot great photos of kids.

VIDEO– Nikon: Taking Natural Looking Photos of Your Kids

There’s no mistake it’s a Nikon video, featuring one of its products, but the focus of the video is on the audience. How can we as Nikon help our customers? We’ll show them how to better use our products.

By taking the focus off yourself and putting it on your customers’ needs, you actually benefit the company in the long run. Building loyal customers who appreciate hearing from you.

–Tony Gnau

Worlds collide. It can happen sometimes when a business sets out to create a marketing video. The corporate need for control versus the artist’s need for creativity.

One of the main reasons there can be a conflict is because many corporate leaders don’t even realize that producing a video is an artistic pursuit. In their eyes, it’s just another sales tool. However, look through the eyes of a videographer, editor, or producer and you’ll see art.

Ultimately, the video producer needs to understand the client should get what they want. They are paying for this after all.

On the other hand, business leaders need to understand what they’re buying. It’s not just a video. They’re also getting the creative expertise the production team is bringing to the project. At least, they better be.

The best videos come about when both sides set aside their egos and listen to the other.

–Tony Gnau

Many business leaders are all about the numbers. Let’s face it, they have to be. Numbers are the backbone of just about any company, but they need to take a backseat when producing a marketing video.

Here… the story comes first. The story is what’s going to hook the audience. A good story will keep them interested, and that means they’ll be more receptive to the video’s message.

Numbers are fine. In some cases, they do a good job of backing up the story. Think of them as supporting characters, but they don’t play the lead role.

The star of the show is your story. That’s what will help the audience connect with your business.

–Tony Gnau

When a company produces a video, it’s easy to lose focus and bog down it down with unnecessary information. In short, many company leaders produce videos that make them feel good, but completely lose the intended audience.

That’s why you need to constantly ask questions like… how does this content impact the audience? Why should they care?

If you can’t answer the questions… guess what… you could be producing a great video for yourself that nobody else will care about.

–Tony Gnau

A surprise is one of the best things you can incorporate into a story, and that certainly goes for your marketing videos as well.

Is there something unique about your product, service, or company? If so, please resist the urge to just come right out and say it. Turning it into a surprise can have a much bigger impact.

A talented storyteller will lead viewers down a path, get them thinking they know where the story is going, then zing them with the surprise.

There’s a great example of this in a new Disney movie trailer, and it had me grinning from ear-to-ear. Watch it and enjoy… even knowing you’re about to get a surprise, you won’t see it coming.

–Tony Gnau

VIDEO: Green with Envy-movie trialer

No doubt customers appreciate well-produced marketing videos. Your corporate stories can give them a better understanding about what you do and how well you do it, but there’s also another benefit. The videos can help crystallize your marketing message with your own people.

If you gave your employees a pop quiz asking them what the company is all about, what do you think their answer would be? I should probably ask, what do you think their “answers” would be?

Many of them probably have different takes on the company. Producing corporate videos allows you to share them with everyone… clients as well as employees.

Let’s face it, each and every employee becomes a sales person anytime someone asks them what they do for a living. Providing them with your corporate stories arms them with the right marketing message.

–Tony Gnau