The 2010 Google Zeitgeist Video

Zeitgeist [tsahyt-gahyst] – noun German.

the spirit of the time; general trend of thought or feeling characteristic of a particular period of time.

As we ring in a new year, it’s a good time to look back on the past year. Video is a particularly effective medium to relive the events that shaped the year. Television newscasts are filled with “year ender” video montages.

To capture the spirit of 2010, the creative team at Google broke down on the billions of search queries people typed into Google this year. The result is this “visual Zeitgeist” that also showcases Google’s products.



(Can't see the video? Click here.)

Here’s to a great 2011!

A Storm Story Without Words

Filmmaker Jamie Stuart is receiving national attention for a short film he made about the recent East Coast blizzard. Stuart shot “Idiot with a Tripod” on December 26th in New York. In a three minute film, Stuart is able to beautifully capture the post-Christmas snowstorm.

By December 27th, links to the film were being passed around on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube. Film critic Roger Ebert was one of the first to see “Idiot with a Tripod.” Ebert thinks the film should win an Academy Award for best live-action short subject.



(Can't see the video? Click here.)

To me the most impressive thing about this film is the way Stuart is able to tell a story without any words. No spoken words, no graphics, not even any natural sound. Yet the viewer sees a story through the images on the screen. We are able to follow the progression as the storm impacts life in New York.

I don’t know if “Idiot with a Tripod” will be nominated for Oscar, but it is a nice piece of visual storytelling.

Ford Goes All In On Video

Two months ago, Ford started its Ford Focus Global Test Drive contest. Winners receive a trip to Madrid, Spain where they will drive the new Ford Focus on a high-speed test track. They also get $10,000 to give to charity.

Video Play #1: To enter the contest, you must make a video telling Ford why you should be included in the test drive. The videos are submitted through the Focus Facebook page where fans can vote on their favorites.

Video Play #2: To build buzz around the contest, Ford invited some targeted bloggers with large reader bases to participate in the test drive. How were the bloggers invited? With a personalized video appeal directly from Ford employees, of course.




(Can't see the video? Click here.)

Scott Monty, Ford’s global director of social media, told blogger Becky Johns why the company relied on video so heavily.

“We decided to use personalized video invitations for the Focus Global Test Drive because we wanted to be sure we had the attention of the high-level influencers we wanted to reach. Moreover, we wanted to be sure that it would be in a format that they could easily share with their readers. We believe that video is one of the most personal and intimate ways to communicate online, and it’s also a medium that allows us to showcase our products at the same time. A video invitation, shared with the world, is basically one-on-one communication in the public square.”

Ford has advantages that make video a powerful marketing tool. Ford’s products are very visual and play well on video. It is a huge company that can afford to spend money to tell its story through high quality video.

But the key here is that Ford gets it. “We believe that video is one of the most personal and intimate ways to communicate online.” You don’t have to be a world class automaker to take advantage of video. You just have to believe in it.

The Wrong Place for Funny

Let’s face it. Everyone is not funny. For every person you know who tells good jokes or makes people laugh, you could probably name 10 people who do not have much of a sense of humor. They are not bad people, just not very funny.

I often tell my wife that I’m the funniest person I know. Judging by her reaction, I’m the only one who feels that way.

Eye of the Beholder

When it comes to humor, we all have different tastes. That’s one reason why I try to steer our clients away from trying to be funny in their marketing videos. Humor can work in a 30 or 60 second TV commercial. For a company trying to engage potential customers, your attempt at comedy can easily leave the wrong impression.

Take this holiday commercial for the Minnesota Lottery. Do you find it funny?



A Short Shelf-Life

You might laugh the first time you watch the Minnesota Lottery commercial. You might even laugh the next time you see it. Odds are you won’t be laughing at it two or three months from now, which is why the one-armed snowman will have melted away after Christmas (told you I could be funny.)

In fact, humor can have the opposite effect you desire. What is funny at first quickly becomes annoying. And instead of making people want to do business with you, the “not so funny” profile video on your website will simply turn customers away.

Stick with your personal story on video. If it’s produced effectively, it doesn’t need to be funny to help grow your business.