Tag Archives: marketing

I feel like it’s just been a couple of days since I blogged about Goose Island Beer Company. Oh yeah… it has only been a couple of days.

Well, I can’t help it! They keep doing great stuff that serve as good marketing examples.

One of the things I try to remind clients is that “old” videos can continue to be shown years after their intended air date. The trick is to look for situations where it works.

Case in point… the Goose. Yesterday on Facebook, they posted about the Craft Brewers Conference taking place in San Diego… “It reminds us of a couple of years back when we hosted this party at our brewery in Chicago.”

The post links to this video from two years ago. It’s AWESOME! Possibly the best event video you’ve ever seen. Did I mention T60 produced it?

Okay, maybe that means we’re not quite objective enough to critique it, but the video really did turn out well. So from Goose Island’s perspective… why not look for an opportunity to show it again? And that’s exactly what they did.

The Goose Island party took place two years ago, but because they had the foresight to produce a video… it lives on to this day.

With all the time and money it takes to put on a special event, it only makes sense to add video to the mix. It can give you marketing value years after it’s over.

Just ask the Goose.

–Tony Gnau

Social media isn’t going anywhere, and video is going to continue to play an increasingly important role.

That’s the cliff notes on a conversation I recently had with Nader Ali-Hassan, Associate Director of Social Media at Razorfish.

Nader and I chatted about social media and video after wrapping up an interview. T60 produces videos for the American Marketing Association-Chicago Chapter to preview upcoming events. Nader is going to be a guest speaker along with Adam Lilly from Goose Island Beer Company.

Anyway, Nader is a big believer in social media video. A written post is good, but add video and now you have something really “shareable.”

He also talked with me a little about length. To sum up, shorter is better. Again, it’s all about posting things that people will be willing to share. Start producing videos over 2-minutes long, and your shareability factor starts to drop.

Both Nader and Adam have lots of good ideas and advice regarding marketing and social media. I encourage you to check out the AMA-Chicago event (sign-up here) which is open to members and non-members alike.

–Tony Gnau

It’s no secret. Goose Island Beer Company has been a frequent topic of conversation here because they’re a T60 client doing a lot of things we all can learn from. Today… another example… this one regarding social media.

Adam Lilly is the Brand Director at the Goose. We interviewed him the other day for a video separate from Goose Island. He’s participating at an event put on by the American Marketing Association-Chicago Chapter, and we shoot the organization’s event preview videos.

Anyway, Adam had a lot of great things to say about how Goose Island is using the medium to connect with customers. One of them… no surprise… is video. We’ve done more than a dozen videos for them in the past, but these days they’ve taken their video investment to a whole new level.

Goose Island is producing their social media videos in-house. They’ve bought multiple cameras, quality sound equipment, and they’re dedicated to producing video content for their social followers.

A big reason for all the video is to give people a behind-the-scenes look at the stories behind their great beers. Is it any surprise why I love these guys!?

Anyway, I won’t steal his thunder. If you want all the details on Goose Island’s social strategy, I encourage you to attend the AMA-Chicago event. Both members and non-members are welcome (sign-up here).

Tomorrow I’ll offer some thoughts on Adam’s co-presenter, Nader Ali-Hassan from Razorfish. He too thinks video is a critical component to social media.

–Tony Gnau

Any video professional can produce a video that looks good and sounds good from a technical standpoint. Even amateurs can have a go at it these days with as good as the equipments is getting. The trick is finding someone with a storyteller’s spirit.

Storytelling is a true art. It isn’t a craft you become good at overnight. It takes years of experience and a ton of time behind the viewfinder.

That’s what you’re paying for when you hire a professional storyteller to produce a video for your company. It isn’t cameras, microphones and lighting. It’s the skill and vision of someone who’s dedicated themselves to becoming a craftsman.

You’re paying for their expertise.

–Tony Gnau

Video isn’t about facts and figures. Video is about emotion. That’s one of the reasons I actively encourage our clients to feature their employees because real people tap emotion better than products or services.

One of the organizations doing the best job of this lately is the University of Southern California’s athletic department… in particular the football team.

Yes… the USC Trojans… 6 Heisman Trophies, 11 National Championships, 24 Rose Bowl victories… those USC Trojans.

Watching the school’s videos, it’s clear the university’s leaders are making an effort to promote USC using their star athletes. Sure, they highlight their talents on the field, but more and more they’re figuring out ways to feature them off the field as well.

The theme to those videos… fun… and USC’s most recent video serves as a great example to businesses. It features Heisman Trophy candidate Matt Barkley and some of the team’s other stars walking around campus in their full uniforms… pads and all.

It’s goofy, but it’s goofy that serves a purpose. College and college football are fun.

Now, watch the video again with your business goggles on. If USC football is a company, the athletic director and coaches are senior management, and these players represent their top employees.

The company’s leadership is shinning a spotlight on their top people. They’re highlighting their personalities in an effort to promote the brand. They’re using “fun” to tap emotion.

Heck, they even provide the employees’ Twitter handles to encourage viewers to follow them on the social web.

I’m not suggesting that every business should go out and manufacture “fun” videos. What I’m saying is that they should look at the company and highlight the aspects important to the company culture.

At USC, they’re all about winning football games and having fun, so that’s what their videos are about. At your company, you might be all about excellence and ingenuity. Produce videos that highlight employees who embody those characteristics.

Real people, real spirit.

–Tony Gnau

I’m a big proponent of the notion that your videos don’t need to be about your company… to be about your company. One of the best ways to do this is to feature your clients, or in this case, honor your customers.

Proctor & Gamble is a big Olympic sponsor, and one of the campaigns company leaders have launched around the upcoming London games is focused on an important target market… moms.

At the center of it, a masterful video. I don’t usually like corporate videos that feature actors and staged scenes, but boy… this one really works.

It highlights that notion I mentioned earlier. This video doesn’t scream P&G. If you just happened upon it, you wouldn’t even know it was a corporate video until the end when a few brand logos appear.

What it does is honor moms. The company’s message is clear, we support the hard working women who nurture our children.

That’s powerful stuff for a 2-minute corporate video. It’s no wonder why P&G is a billion-dollar company. It’s leaders know how to reach people.

–Tony Gnau

I read a couple of stories about a “Make-A-Wish” kid who got to attend this year’s USC Spring football game. A young boy with a rare blood disease whose wish was to play with a real football team on a real football field.

“Make-A-Wish” contacted USC… and this kid got more than he could have imagined.

The stories I read are heart-warming. They made me proud of my Alma mater. Proud to call myself a Trojan. Then… I saw this video.

Cue the tears.

That’s what video does better than any other medium. It stirs emotions.

Not every video is going to move someone to tears. I often say my hope for our clients is that our videos leave viewers feeling a sense of confidence in that company. The point is even business videos tap emotion… at least the good ones do.

Make sure your videos are capturing people’s spirit.

–Tony Gnau

Courtesy: Virgin America

Virgin Airlines knows how to throw a party. Every time the airline lands in a new city, they throw a huge bash… and produce a video. The most recent example is Philadelphia.

This is one of my favorite things to pitch to corporate leaders and PR/marketing pros. If you’re about to spend thousands of dollars on a party, you should absolutely work video production into the budget.

Think about it. This is an event where you are hoping to make a splash. It’s something you want people to talk about and remember, and we now have social media to help.

Video takes things to a whole new level. Capturing the event… the spirit behind that event… and having a video to share? Invaluable.

That video can be sent to everyone who attended, and even better to everyone who couldn’t be there. Your event can now live even after it’s ended, being shared by people over and over.

When you’re planning an event… don’t forget video.

–Tony Gnau

Millions of Americans… forking over millions of dollars to Uncle Sam. Paying your taxes can be a painful experience, whether you’re writing a check or just trying to figure out what you owe.

Need some help? How about advice from the IRS? You can find it on YouTube. That’s right, the federal government has a bunch of playlists featuring tax tips.

I watched a few, and I won’t sugar coat it. They are booorrrring! Professionally produced, but boring.

Here’s my takeaway though… the channel has more than 3.3 million views. The IRS has expertise people want, and people are watching.

Are you or your business an expert on something? Are you producing videos that offer that expertise? No? Why not!?

I know change is hard. You might have a tough time getting people within a company on-board doing something like this, but here’s the thing. Is there any group that moves slower than government? Governments move at… well… the speed of government. They make the tortoise look like the hare.

If someone with the government has convinced their higher-ups to jump on the video train… why can’t you?

–Tony Gnau

The tide has turned. It’s no longer enough to simply tell people “what” a company does. Audiences are demanding better content, making storytelling a important part of any PR/marketing strategy.

There are countless stories at each and every business. Finding them is just a matter of opening your eyes and looking for things that will connect with viewers.

Turn to the employees. Everyone has a story. Chances are some of them have stories that are not only interesting, but relevant to the company and its clients and prospects.

Examine the business itself. Are there any fun traditions? Maybe there’s an interesting way the company communicates with clients? How about ways the company cleans its equipment and facilities?

Tell those stories. What seems boring and mundane to you can be interesting stuff when put into the hands of a master storyteller.

–Tony Gnau