Avoiding the Video Rabbit Hole

Alice: "Would you tell me, please, which way I ought to go from here?”
Cat: “That depends a good deal on where you want to get to."

This famous exchange between Alice and the Cheshire Cat takes place in Lewis Carroll’s classic novel, Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. Even though the story was first published in 1865, the message in these two simple lines is useful today. If you don’t know where you’re going, how are you ever going to get there?

In my business, I’ve met with many organizations who’ve heard about video or seen someone else using video. They recognize the value of having a video to tell their story. They see how storytelling video can make their website more dynamic and user-friendly. But sometimes they don’t know where video fits into their overall marketing strategy. It can be like buying a computer with no idea of what you want it do. Sure it’s cool to have one, but if you don’t use it right…does it really help you?

Answering that key question about goals for video gives us the ammunition to produce something that generates results. Video is a powerful tool. It moves people to action. It can lead to sales for your product or service. Video can increase awareness of your brand. It’s all about how you use it. For video to be part of a successful marketing campaign, you have to map the road to success from the start.

Photo used under Creative Commons from isox4

Viral Fever…Your Business and Justin Bieber

In most cases, your business has little in common with the latest pop superstar. But when it comes to online video, too many companies want to be like Justin Bieber. Why? Because his video for the song “Baby” is the first video to receive 300 million hits on YouTube.



It’s so easy to get caught up in unrealistic numbers in the online video world. Consider that of the top 20 viewed YouTube videos of all time, 13 of them are music videos. The rest feature people doing funny things, especially babies.

There are two critical factors to consider when producing a video about your company.

• Your message: What are you saying?
• Your audience: Who are you trying to reach?

Think about your brand and who you want to see your message. Maybe becoming the next viral sensation should not be the goal for your video. Instead of 300 million hits from non-customers, why not aim for 500 hits from people who will actually buy your product or use your service? It’s quality over quantity.

UPS Thinks Bigger, Gives Brown the Boot

For many years, UPS has been synonymous with one word: brown. Brown was more to UPS than the color of the company’s delivery trucks and uniforms. Brown was the UPS brand, thanks mainly to the “What can brown do for you?” advertising campaign that launched during the opening ceremonies of the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City.

Now UPS is going in a different direction. Brown is out. The slogan “We love logistics” is in. Take a look at the first television spot touting UPS as the leader in logistics.



UPS wants to be known as more than a package delivery company. According to a company press release, the new worldwide campaign is meant to “demonstrate how it has vaulted past competitors to offer the broadest range of logistics services in the industry.” UPS has launched a separate website to show how companies all over the world leverage the power of logistics.

How will consumers react to the new UPS branding? Brown was easy to wrap your arms around. Logistics is more difficult. Non-business people might have a hard time even defining the word logistics. Making logistics a household word will be a huge challenge.

What do you think?

Video Is Good Medicine for Healthcare Companies

We are working on a video for a hospital that is using a new procedure to diagnose and treat heart conditions. The hospital is looking for a way to enhance its image as a cutting-edge medical facility. The basic idea is to reach out to prospective patients (read: customers) with a compelling message.

While it is easy to focus on the talented doctors and nurses in the operating room, the real story is about who benefits most from their skill. During the planning phase of our project, the hospital’s marketing department told us they had identified a patient who would share his surgery experience on camera. Not every person makes for a good interview. However, this particular patient was terrific.

This patient’s unique story became the centerpiece for a powerful video. The answer lies in connecting the visual piece with the message of the story. As storytellers, the healthcare industry offers a rare opportunity to create stories that generate a response from the viewer. From new drugs to new technology, what is happening in the healthcare industry can directly affect our lives.

More people are going online to get health information. Kevin Kruse is the organizer of an upcoming conference geared toward reaching and supporting digital health consumers called e-Patient Connections 2010. In a recent interview, he made an interesting point about storytelling and healthcare.

“This year our focus is really on how do you not just connect with e-patients, but how do you connect in a way that leads them to take action. How do you spark healthy behavior change? To this end, we think an underutilized secret weapon is storytelling. We are often moved by other people’s stories, our emotions fire up when we hear stories more than facts.”

There are many different mediums in which to pass along stories. But we live in a video age. The healthcare story is so important and so relevant that it is a natural fit for video.

Can Facebook Help Repair Toyota's Image?

Stuck gas pedals…faulty floor mats…out of control cars…millions of recalled vehicles. The Toyota brand has taken a major hit over the past year. So when Toyota went looking for a way to turn the tide of public opinion, the automaker called on its ace in the hole: the loyal Toyota customer base.

It started with a new advertising campaign rooted in social media. In July, Toyota started asking longtime owners to share their own stories about their cars and trucks on the company’s Facebook fan page. Toyota seemed to recognize it was taking a chance by letting outsiders control the message. Just look at the disclaimer on Facebook:

“FYI: These are the words of our owners, not us. We love ‘em but that doesn’t mean we agree with everything they say here.”

Toyota produced a few video examples of the “auto-biographies.” Testimonials, especially on video, can be a very effective means to get your point across.



“Every Toyota has a story” on Facebook now features more than 6,000 unique tales. 180,000 people have clicked the “Like” button on Toyota’s Facebook page. It will take much more than one campaign to convince prospective car buyers that Toyota’s are safe to drive again. But by using the stories from their devoted customers, Toyota is taking a step in the right direction.

To Flip or Not to Flip

The Flip camera is a great piece of technology. It’s small, easy to use and allows just about anyone to shoot good quality video. And it’s fairly cheap. All of these qualities are exactly the reason many video producers fear Flip is going to run them out of business. It follows the basic theory: “Why hire someone else to do something you can do yourself?”

I look at this from the other side. Technology like the Flip camera encourages more companies to jump on the video bandwagon. Video is a powerful medium to get your point across that you can use in many different ways. As companies embrace the video revolution, marketing directors are increasingly aware of when to call on a professional versus using their own Flip.

Look at IBM. Video is a large part of Big Blue’s internal and external communications. The company is now producing much of its own content, but still brings in outside video production services for bigger projects like customer case studies.

I used to cringe at the idea of "novices" creating their own company videos. What I've found is that appreciation for professional visual storytelling is stronger than ever in the marketing world since Flip showed up on the scene.