Marketing Colleges with Video

One of the perks for colleges and universities who play in bowl games during the holidays is the opportunity for some free marketing “facetime.” Playing football on national television brings major exposure for schools to recruit students.

The television networks also traditionally give each school 30 seconds of airtime as part of the game broadcast. This coveted 30 second promotional message is a way for marketing colleges with video.

The biggest challenge for colleges is where to focus the video message. Keep in mind the audience of sports fans filled with potential students and their parents. Where does a school like the University of Michigan start, with its 41,000 students and more than 200 different undergraduate majors? This video uses powerful images, few words and a unique version of the world famous Michigan fight song.



(If you can't see the video, click here.)

Companies in many different industries use video as a recruiting tool. Colleges who are fortunate enough to play games on television get the advantage of reaching a large audience in one shot. Just like in the business world, putting their best foot forward is important to attract the best and brightest students.

Stories Are Gifts to Starbucks

When I walked into my local Starbucks for a morning latte the other day, I was greeted by three simple words on the front door: Stories Are Gifts. Since storytelling is the main focus of our business at Point Across Media, I was curious to see how stories fit in at Starbucks.

“Stories Are Gifts” is the slogan for Starbucks’ holiday marketing campaign. The company is giving customers the opportunity to share their own stories on the Starbucks website or Facebook fan page.

The most visible symbol of the holidays at Starbucks is the red drink cup. Daniele Monti, the director of the creative design team at Starbucks, wrote on the company’s Ideas in Action blog about how stories fit into the look of this season’s red holiday cups.

“This year, we were inspired by the idea of people sharing their own stories and experiences to create the holidays at Starbucks. We used deco-inspired illustrations to create scenes that are open to the interpretation of the viewer – playful interactions between a cast of characters. The idea is to let people fill in the blank and make it their own story. And through all of our shared stories, the holiday spirit is brought to life.”

“Make it their own story” fits right into Starbucks’ success formula. The company is out to make each visit and each cup of coffee a personal experience.

All businesses can take a page from Starbucks. Think about the story your customers would write about their experience with you. Then don’t be afraid to include those unique stories in your own marketing efforts.

Sounders FC Score Goals with Great Marketing

Living in Seattle, it’s been interesting to watch the growth of our city’s Major League Soccer franchise. In just two years, Seattle Sounders FC has made professional soccer fashionable in the Pacific Northwest. Sounders FC averages more than 36,000 fans per home game. The team leads the MLS in both attendance and merchandise sales.

How have the Sounders done it? It’s more than putting a winning team on the field. Sounders FC set out from the beginning to create a fan experience on par with the famous soccer clubs in Europe. Take a look at this video of the passionate crowd at a recent Sounders game.



The Sounders FC marketing plan centers around community outreach. The team connects with young, soccer-playing kids through a well designed summer camp program. The camps not only help build the Sounders FC brand, but they also promote the game of soccer.



Sounders FC takes extra steps to make their customer base feel as if it is part of the team. Season ticket holders are members of a fan alliance that has a say in the direction of the franchise, including a vote on the fate of the general manager. The team gave away 20,000 green and blue scarves the first season. The scarves are very popular in European soccer leagues and have been a big hit here.

After a particularly bad loss at home this season, Sounders FC made a bold move. The team offered a one game credit to season ticket holders toward next year’s tickets. It cost Sounders FC almost a million dollars. But it proved to be a shrewd marketing move. By showing fans the team will not accept losing, Sounders FC comes out looking like a winning organization.

You don’t have to be a soccer fan to appreciate the Sounders FC approach. It’s all about putting the customer first. And that’s a strategy that scores in every business.

Mitsubishi Goes Driver-less

Have you ever bought a new car without taking it for a spin first? Mitsubishi is bringing the concept of the test drive in a new high-tech direction. Starting November 1st, Mitsubishi is offering you the opportunity to drive its new Outlander Sport online. On the surface it sounds like a video game, but this test drive is the real thing.

Mitsubishi Live Drive will let drivers use their computers to maneuver an actual Outlander Sport on a closed course in southern California. Multiple point-of-view cameras will put participants behind the wheel. Advanced electronic receivers and state-of-the-art servo motors will control the vehicle’s dynamics. Virtual boundaries connected by GPS are in place to keep you from driving off the course.



In a company press release, Mitsbuishi’s Vice-President of Marketing Greg Adams says, “We have worked hard to devise a truly innovative marketing campaign utilizing cutting edge technologies to recreate a genuine Mitsubishi-experience that engages consumers upfront about the new 2011 Outlander Sport and the Mitsubishi Motors brand.”

The test drives are only available for a 10 day period and each one lasts just 90 seconds. So it isn’t likely the Live Drive alone will sell many new Outlander Sport vehicles. Mitsubishi is counting on the buzz it will receive by doing something different. There is a huge amount of risk involved here. What happens if there’s a technical glitch? Mitsubishi could come across looking badly unprepared.

What do you think?
Do you give Mitsubishi credit for thinking big?

Disney’s Marketing Plan Captures Memories

Disney is taking a new approach to attracting visitors to Disneyland or Disney World. Well-produced commercials with actors are out. Real families are in.

“Let the Memories Begin” is the slogan for the new marketing campaign for Disney Parks. It’s built around the experiences of Disney guests, who can share home videos and pictures on YouTube and a special website designed for the campaign.

The opening video to launch “Memories” features a collection of footage with kids learning they are going to Disneyland or Disney World.




There’s a lot going on here to tug at your heartstrings. The home video, the music and the soothing voiceover all tie together to make an emotional connection. We can easily imagine our own families in this video.

Even without amusement parks and happy kids, we can all take something away from what Disney is trying to do. First and foremost, Disney is telling a story. Successful marketing is about telling your story.

Do you know what your story looks like?

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

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.

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.

What TV’s Wipeout Can Do For Your Next Video

Sometimes a great idea comes along that smacks us right in the face. In this case, it knocks us right into the water. Not literally, of course…unless you are a contestant on the ABC-TV game show Wipeout.

If you haven’t seen Wipeout, it features a series of obstacle courses where contestants try to avoid falling into the water. I’m the first to admit this show’s attraction is purely from an entertainment standpoint. This is not Masterpiece Theatre. Watching everyday people take crazy spills off the “Big Balls” might make for good conversation at the water cooler, but it probably won’t make you smarter.

As a fan of the show, I’ve picked up on 3 themes from Wipeout that apply when creating sales and marketing videos. Marketing directors who are faced with the task of getting out the company message can benefit from keeping these themes in mind.

1. Everyone has a backstory. Before each contestant tackles the first obstacle course on Wipeout, there is a short interview where we learn about one of their passions in life. Now we can identify with the contestant and decide to root for them or against them. When you are developing your company story, look for the backstories within your organization. These are the surprising little nuggets of information that come out on camera to make your company unique.

2. It’s okay to laugh. A big part of Wipeout’s successful formula is making the audience laugh at the expense of the contestants. While you likely don’t want to go that far with your marketing, many companies avoid using any humor in their videos because they are worried not everyone will think they are funny.

3. Don’t be afraid to fail. Even the ultimate winner on Wipeout ends up being bounced into the water a few dozen times. We find some clients initially look at video as a big risk, mainly because most marketing professionals don’t come from a video background. Finding the right production partner who understands your business is an important step to making video a successful investment.

Know Your Audience: How to Get a Standing Ovation

Several years ago while I was working at KAKE-TV in Wichita, Kansas, I received a special invitation. I was asked to give the commencement address for a small southern Kansas high school. I accepted knowing it was a big responsibility. After all, it is the commencement speaker who passes along the last words of wisdom graduates hear before they go out into the real world. At least that’s the idea.

So I showed up at the school on graduation day all ready to give the speech of my life. I took my seat on the stage in the gymnasium and looked out at the crowd filled with proud moms and dads, grandmothers and grandfathers, aunts and uncles, brothers and sisters. And they all had one thing in common: they were waving their graduation programs like crazy. Only it wasn’t like the celebration wave at a football game. People were using the fans to try to stay cool. There was no air conditioning and it must have been over 100 degrees inside the gym that afternoon.

By the time it was my turn to speak, the crowd was melting. In football language, I knew I had to call an audible…a change of plan. Goodbye long speech, hello short and sweet remarks. I thought back to my own high school graduation ceremony. We had our state’s US Senator give the commencement address. I don’t remember a word he said, but I will never forget how this distinguished politician spoke forever. He must have thought he was in Washington, DC. The senator went on and on and on when all we wanted was to get our diplomas and go hang out with our friends.

I shared that story with the audience. Only I included the words “I’m not going to do that to you” at the end. The crowd laughed and cheered loudly. I finished by telling the graduates this is a special time for them because now the door is open for them to be anything they want to be, do anything they want to do. That was it. I had spoken for about 2 minutes.

Then a funny thing happened. I got a standing ovation. Not because of the words I said, but because I had gotten to know the audience. I could tell what they wanted and I gave it to them.

Too many businesses fail to know their audience when it comes to creating their marketing messages. Instead they try to develop something for the masses. Many of our clients tell us up front they would like a video that will go “viral” and get millions of hits on YouTube. That works for some companies, but it doesn’t take long to figure out most are better served by having a targeted video message that can influence the right people…their potential customers.