It’s a well-known fact that video is the most effective way to leave viewers with a lasting impression of a brand. But what is it that makes video marketing so successful? Quite simply, no other marketing medium is able to create an emotional response in consumers the way video is able to. For a commercial to be convincing to the point that it drives viewers to purchase a product, it needs to be both unique and memorable. Marketing research has shown over and over that commercials which elicit an emotional reaction in viewers will remain with them for far longer than those which do not, and are more likely to lead to purchases. If emotion in video marketing is key to driving action, our most important questions then become, how do we create it, and which emotions do we create?
While it’s clear that you want your marketing video to create emotion in viewers which they then associate with your brand, it is not always easy to determine which emotional response you should be trying to evoke. A tear-jerker probably won’t work for a beer or vodka advert, just as a high-stakes action-fueled commercial may not suit the advertisement of household cleaning products. However, there are no hard and fast rules in marketing, and much will depend on your individual brand and the product it is associated with, the brand image you want to create, and the nature of your target audience. For example, Budweiser’s 2018 Super Bowl commercial took a very different approach from the usual comedic, friends-having-a-good-time beer ad. Instead, the commercial follows a Budweiser factory manager’s middle-of-the-night efforts to start up the factory to produce tons of emergency canned water for victims of the severe storms which ravaged our country recently. The commercial strategically concludes with the statement ‘Whenever you need us, we’ll stand by you’. The video doesn’t necessarily encourage viewers to immediately go out to a bar and have beers with friends, but it does a very good job of increasing brand loyalty and empathy.
Another approach is to produce a brand marketing video which leverages the emotional experience of watching the advert itself, as opposed to attempting to associate any particular emotions or feelings with your brand. Commercials which rely heavily on humor or suspense tend to take this approach. Tide’s 2018 Super Bowl commercial illustrates this approach really well. In the video, the narrator (Stranger Things star David Harbour) appears in different ‘mini-adverts’, each time asking the viewer, ‘what ad is this?’. At the end of the video, the narrator points out that it’s a Tide ad – what other ad could it be, given that in every scene all the actors’ clothes were impeccably clean? This commercial skillfully draws on viewers’ experiences of suspense, anticipation and lastly humor in order to create a memorable and unique commercial which achieves the overall goal of heightening brand awareness.
Brand videos which are likely to influence consumer behavior more directly (as in, driving the action of purchasing the product as opposed to driving brand awareness) are those which create feelings of desire for control, desire to be better than others, or desire for adventure and discovery. Most car commercials tend to draw on this approach. A recent Jeep commercial, for example, shows a consumer (Jurassic Park legend Jeff Goldblum) driving a Jeep through a scene of Jurassic Park and narrowly escaping destruction by a dinosaur. The energetic, action-packed nature of the commercial appeals perfectly to Jeep’s target audience, and is the type of video which does a good job of increasing the desire to become a Jeep owner.
Deciding which emotions you want to evoke in viewers is only the first step. Whether your brand video will actually create the desired response in viewers depends heavily on how you choose to produce the video. The script, the color tone of the image, the sounds and backtrack, the actors, the location, and how the footage is edited post-production will all have a significant impact on the success of the video.
Your video production script will make or break your marketing video. Scripts which tell a good story and take viewers on an emotional rollercoaster are those which are most likely to leave a long-lasting impression. The script needs to create characters which are relatable and appealing to the audience, and must be implemented by talented actors who will be able to bring the script to life in a way which is sincere and engaging rather than cheesy. Hiring actors who are believable is crucial to your video’s success – otherwise, the risk is that your advert will be memorable for all the wrong reasons!
Last, but certainly not least, is difference which good video post-production can make to your branding video. Everything from sounds, to music, to color correction will be added during post-production, and the video will then be edited. Research has shown that the music accompanying a commercial will greatly influence the types of emotions it evokes in viewers. Similarly, the brightness and tone of the color of the overall image will also subtly influence emotional response. All of these decisions need to be carefully thought through to suit the particular message you want to get across. Then, the magic lies in editing the scenes of the commercial together in a way that matches the emotions you wish to create. Fast-paced editing will of course suit an advert intended to create a desire for adventure, whereas a slower pace will suit more heartfelt adverts. What is important to bear and mind is that regardless of the skill of the production team you use on-set, if you use poor post-production services, the value of your footage will not translate into the final video.
At The Michael Group, we have years of experience in marketing video production and post-production work. We will listen to your vision for your brand’s commercial and ensure that it is implemented at every stage during the production progress. View our video marketing portfolio and find out why we’re the best in the business.
