Tag Archives: viral video

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

Courtesy: Virgin America

Any company putting on a big event these days that doesn’t incorporate video is missing a great opportunity, and Virgin America provides a nice example.

I’m not talking about featuring video at the event, although that can be done as well. What I’m referring to here is having a production crew shoot video during the event and creating a video that can be shared after it’s over.

By doing so, the event lives on even after the party’s finished. Send email links to participants. Share it with anyone who couldn’t attend, and by all means pump it out via social media.

I saw a good example over the weekend. Virgin America has moved into the Chicago market. Instead of making a one day splash, they created a video that I saw on Facebook.

Now I’m in on the party and celebration… thanks to their video.

–Tony Gnau

VIDEO– Virgin America

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

There are all sorts of videos that can help a company make a sale. Whether you provide a product or a service, a good video highlighting what you do can go a long way to earning new business.

But don’t discount your current customers.

A good video can also be an investment in them. If you don’t think your competitors are trying to lure their business away, you’re kidding yourself. That means its just as important to share your videos with your “faithful” clients as it is with your prospects.

It’s an investment worth making.

–Tony Gnau

I watched a good interview over at the Social Media Examiner last week, and it really hit home because it gave me a different perspective on one of my favorite topics.

Social Media author Scott Stratten talked about corporate video and how businesses need to tell emotional stories to get people to share them. He thinks this is the key to making videos go viral.

Anyone who reads this blog knows my feelings on this subject. Video is all about emotion, not facts. Call it my mantra. A good video touches emotions and connects with the audience. A powerful concept for any marketer.

Anyway, Stratten did open my eyes though because I’ve never thought about it from a “sharing” perspective, but it makes sense. People rarely share videos because they have great facts. They share videos that elicit emotion.

In some cases, facts lead to emotions, but it’s still the emotional response that’s driving viewers to share.

Emotion is apparently a key that opens many doors.

–Tony Gnau

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

My dad taught me a valuable lesson when I was a kid. I might have been eight or nine years-old when I said something insensitive to my mom. My dad was furious but it didn’t lead to a tirade. He simply leaned forward, looked me in the eye, and said, “Think before you speak.” I’ll never forget that.

I’m guessing Alexandra Wallace didn’t get a similar lesson when she was a kid. Wallace is the UCLA student who filed a video blog on YouTube ranting about Asian students in the library talking on their cell phones.

This is a teachable moment for businesses that have employees blogging or vlogging. Think about your message before hitting the upload button because once it enters cyberspace… it’s out there.

Now, I know there’s a movement advocating unfiltered content. Keep the message “real.” I get it and to a certain degree I’m with them, but there’s a big difference between being guarded and being smart.

Businesses need to be smart with their social media. Be open and share… just be smart about it. It’s a lesson this UCLA student learned the hard way.

–Tony Gnau

p.s. did I mention she attends UCLA?

Finally… a sports agency with some vision! I’ve pitched several agents in the past on the idea of producing an NFL Draft video for their clients. I’m glad to see someone is jumping onboard… even if it wasn’t T60 creating the video.

USC Trojans tight end Jordan Cameron is entering this year’s draft. He also has a YouTube video hyping his abilities courtesy NBA Slam Dunk Champ Blake Griffin.

Do I think this is going to improve his draft status. Maybe. Cameron isn’t the biggest name on the draft board, so maybe a little extra exposure gets him some needed attention.

Where I think the video will really have an impact is after the draft. Whichever team selects Cameron, many of their fans will immediate Google “Jordan Cameron,” and what will they find? A fun video they can share with other fans. He instantly becomes a marketable figure for that team, and he hasn’t even played a snap.

That’s the power of video and how it can work for individuals.

–Tony Gnau

SIDE NOTE: I wonder if anyone had to explain to Jordan and Griffin that their video mimics the famous 1989 Nike ad campaign featuring Michael Jordan and Spike Lee. USC’s Jordan and the Clippers’ Griffin had to be in diapers back then! :-)

Have you seen Jennifer Aniston’s new video for Smartwater?  It deserves a brief word… lame.

I have no doubt this video will go viral… it features Jennifer Aniston for crying out loud… but is this the best her team could come up with?

The video is trying to be funny. The irony is that it will go viral because it fails. This would have been so much better had they simply done all the viral “tricks” and not talked about them.

It’s something I speak with clients about all the time. You don’t have to hold the viewer’s hand and hit them over the head with your concept or message. Let them watch and draw their own conclusion. It becomes a far more effective message when viewers figure it out for themselves.

People are smart. Smarter than Smartwater for sure.

–Tony Gnau