Social media has pushed us way beyond the point of content saturation. Endless feeds see us scrolling and scrolling, mindlessly breezing past mountains of selfies, vlogs, ads, polls and articles - but what is it that really makes a brand video stand out?
Back in July, Caterham Cars invited Zach and I on a drive-out event. Essentially, this meant that we were lucky enough to go out on an adventure across the South of England in their cars, and live like mini-ballers for the day. We set off from the brand’s Gatwick HQ, on a journey that took us through the winding back roads of the South Downs to Goodwood Motor Circuit!
Joining us on the day was a mixture of fellow content creators and Caterham employees. There were no set conditions on the day, simply an ask that if we did capture any great content, then the team at Caterham asked if they could share it.
The format of the day got us thinking about the current state of content production.
Social media has pushed us way beyond the point of content saturation. Endless feeds see us scrolling and scrolling, mindlessly breezing past mountains of selfies, vlogs, ads, polls and articles (the fact that this is another isn’t lost on us – but we hope it offers some value) – but what is it that really makes something stand out, what element does a piece of content need to convey to grab our attention, and is it possible to boil that down to a formula?
Even if you do nail the process of creating killer content every time, how often should you be going after it? The quantity vs quality debate is one we have often. Is a well curated, once-a-week piece enough, or will you just find yourself getting lost in the noise?
In reality, there is a middle ground to be found. A space where content is well-crafted, regularly timed to hold the attention on ‘your brand’.
This all sounds so simple, but in reality we know it isn’t. Especially when your challenge is creating around a product that doesn’t change at the pace of content. Or if that product doesn’t change much at all – the Caterham Seven being a great example.
Sounds like an almost impossible task. Nearly, but there’s a way.
So how do you begin to break the brand video process down?
For us there is a sweet spot to hit, one that can only be reached when you have three critical skills within your team. Firstly, you need to be able to follow a strong creative vision, one that is suitably unique to grab your audiences attention. This unique vision needs to be underpinned by a strong strategy, this is the part that ensures what you create really speaks to your audience in a way that resonates strongly with them. Without a strong, smart creative vision your content risks getting lost in the noise. Finally, your team’s craft is what pulls it all together. Smart, effective creativity can only deliver results for your brand if it’s realised to a high standard. By working with a team that understands how to achieve certain shots, and present them seamlessly in the final content piece.
If you can achieve those three things at a pace that keeps your brand, product or business in a position of relevance over time, then you’re nailing it.
We make it sound easy, right?! We all know it’s not quite that straight forward.
Shooting for that sweet spot is a good aim to have, but as we learned from our day with Caterham, there is definitely some environmental factors at play in helping you achieve that.
Freedom, for us, is a biggie when it comes to fostering fruitful creative relationships.
It is one thing that we always advocate for when planning campaigns. In our experience, it’s the element when shooting brand video campaigns that leads to capturing that special little element, that in some cases, make the campaign.
The day Caterham set up gave enough freedom for those of us tasked with shooting content to really experiment with different ideas, and look at things from multiple perspectives. This led to an authenticity in what was captured that we think would have been difficult to achieve had the client specified strict parameters for the day.
In the end, we were able to capture some great rolling car shots, and lots of on-track content, looping drone footage, and awesome line-ups after arriving at Goodwood.
After a long day and a fun journey, here’s where we got to. Could day’s like this be the future of brand collaborations and content creation?
In some instances, the freedom of the shoot day certainly enabled us to experiment and capture some great pieces for the team at Caterham. However, as the old adage goes, if you fail to prepare, prepare to fail.
While fostering an environment of freedom is great for the creatively-minded, having the ability to do so successfully can only come about through building trust. For us, that comes from consistency in marrying up those three elements that we feel underpin every piece of great content.
By embarking on these journeys alongside the brands we work with, it is possible to reach a destination where you’re able to capture moments that work hard for the brand.
Creating engaging touch points for audiences at a pace that keeps them locked in to where you are heading. If your brand is at the beginning of this journey and you would like to discuss how to hit the content creation sweet spot with your brand video, get in touch, we are always keen to talk.
