Quirky, edgy and fun was the brief!

With CGI, the sky (or even space) isn’t the limit!

What if you need to target more than one type of customer for the same product?

Sometimes you want ONE video to speak to TWO different end users. Because let’s face it, it’s more cost effective to produce and market 1 video rather than 2, especially if your product or service is relevant to both end users. So when Avalara came to us with a brief to make 1 video that would speak to both small and enterprise businesses, we got our thinking caps on and came up with a split screen format.

The resulting online advert tells the story of a work-from-home businessman and an enterprise exectutive who both have the same problem…and would both benefit from Avalara’s software solution – with some subtle cheek thrown in to keep interest.

Perhaps you have a software solution but don’t want to show it in your video.

When Avalara first came to us, we knew nothing about tax, but tax is what they’re all about. After just one meeting learning about their tax automation software, we went home with a few power point presentations and scribbled notes and then set about to fulfill their brief: ‘Tell people about our VAT reporting solution, don’t show the actual solution, do make it fun.’

From scripting to casting talent, venue sourcing, props, etc … we took it all on and ran with it, making sure their company colour (orange) featured heavily where relevant and WITHOUT ever showing their solution.

It premiered on the big screen at one of their seminars in front of hundreds of prospects and clients and is still a valuable sales tool that stands out from other software videos.

What if your product isn’t ready yet, but you need to start selling?

Selling a dream is easy when you use actors. Combined with real life interviews, you have a winning combination of dream vs reality. 

McCarthy & Stone’s luxury retirement living at Augustus House was soon to be ready and they needed a video to sell the dream of living there. We used actors to give a glimpse into what living in the area would look and feel like, backed up by real life interviews with some of their staff and homeowners from other McCarthy & Stone developments and the interior designer of Augustus House. 

Complete with high end drone and gimbal shots, a professional voice over and colour grading, the result is a video that reflects the luxury lifestyle one would expect there.

Ok, you have a great software platform, but do your prospects really want to see every feature in detail?

The answer is, not at first. Initially, they want to understand what your software does and why it’ll solve their problems. That process is all about setting the scene and keeping interest.

This video for software giant Episerver sat on their CMS landing page and told the story of how Lisa, a marketer, was using their platform to give Robert, a customer, a personalised experience. It’s nice to watch, easy to follow and a recognisable situation for the viewer. The video shows off just enough features and functionality to whet their appetite for a more in depth demo – making it a powerful lead generation tool.

What if you already have some stunning footage and just need to fill in the gaps? 

Sometimes less is more. Sometimes, you don’t need to create a whole video from scratch with talking heads and actors. If you already have some stunning footage in your arsenal, you can re-purpose it to create a brand video that sets the scene for your product. 

That’s exactly what we did for UpRoar. They knew their target market and what they were into and wanted to create a brand video that would really speak to them. So we used their existing action footage and cut this with newly shot barber, cross fit, surfing, supping, mix martial arts and parkour scenes to fill in the gaps. We also added some beauty shots of the products with minimal motion text for the key features. The result is a confident, stylish video that embodies the end user of their mens grooming products.  

If you can spark imagination, you’re more likely to sell.

The buying process is often driven by emotions. So if you can make a customer imagine a great lifestyle that involves your product, you’ll get further than if you just throw a bunch of features at them. And it always helps when you have a stunning location to set the scene!

We shot this product lifestyle video for Dry Ice Coolers in Mauritius. The video not only shows off the features of their innovative cooler bag, but helps to sell a dream by showing it being used in a tropical location by tanned, happy people doing cool sports. They played this video on a loop on their tradeshow stand and sold out of bags, days before the event was due to finish…