“Video marketing is, without a doubt, one of the biggest reasons I’ve been able to create multiple six-figure businesses online.” - Katie Freiling
One of the single most powerful mediums you can create to connect with your audience is video. Not just any type of video but a video for a purpose. Consumers nowadays look for a consistent and authentic identity and film is one of those few ways you can open up to your audience and express your brand in a non-invasive way.
When done right, purposeful video builds the solidity of your brand and enhances your marketing possibilities far more than most other avenues. It puts it into a league of its own. It forms the core of what a brand stands for and creates a canvas to make an impact on individuals. With videos, however, the possibilities are endless. It includes smaller adverts on social media, high-end productions and is a complex and multifaceted concept. For any company that wants to reflect its true expression of what its brand is; film takes the lead.
To achieve any kind of success, consistency is key, throughout any marketing collateral. To keep your viewers engaged and recognize your brand, you need to know exactly who you are and what your brand stands for before you engage in expression and clear-cut aesthetic. This is where the power of high-end film can be advantageous.
“Video can seem like just another challenge to overcome, but I see a major increase in my business and brand awareness, all from the power of video.” - Lewis Howes
As mentioned in this discussion - "...as an exceptionally powerful tool for storytelling, film has a vast selection of unique expressions. The majority of what your mind can think of can be produced into a recording, more so, as an extension of your brand's identity, video can be a powerful medium to connect to your audience's emotional side..."
Everything from your ethos, to your purpose and mission, can be captured in a matter of seconds. Once you know who you are and what you want to express to your viewers, the creative storytelling and authenticity of the brand can begin. Here are just one of the numerous examples of a film that shares this idea: Carmen’s Story: The Inspiration Behind Moroccanoil
It’s simple - strengthening your brand's current perception is what film can do.
“Clickthrough's on a video are often much higher than a standard website listing on the front page of Google. If you see a video in the Google results… it stands out a lot more than a regular website listing does, so it tends to attract more clicks.” - Matt Carter
How would you like to uniquely identify your offering to your customers? We dissect one popular scenario.
To further iterate what we mean above, we take a quick look at a case study based on a popular figure, J.K. Rowling’s - Wizarding World (JKRWW). The case study based on this research explores the relationship between the modern film brand, which is JKRWW, and its brand image and identity.
The study provides in-depth insight into the brand from the company and consumer perspective as well as the congruency between both the identity and the image. It goes into discussions about how a film's brand is a combination of both the commercial and the artistic. These were based on several 1 hour interviews with participants.
All the information was categorized according to the music, genre, storyline and relatability. Out of these, the findings concluded that three main objectives were realised – people, storyline and relatability.
“J.K.Rowling was seen to be the most important person to the brand, much in the same way any company is. The studio considers her an asset, and as a writer concerned with the artistic side of things, she adds to the commercial value.”
What this study shows is the valuable integration between the identity and the image of the brand, that makes for a profitable cause. The two create a unique interpretation of the brand through the means of a visual medium resulting in a strong brand with loyal customers.
Your company’s role is to add to the commercial value of your customers. When it comes to creating this brand identity, it is, however, a culmination of the production company, and the it's client. Both contribute to the personal values and message equally. The production company has a strong influence over the creation which in turn has a strong influence over the brand identity.
Even though this is a study based on a large franchise brand, it has variants that can be harnessed in smaller films such as identifying films for companies. There are a few factors that play an important part in the creation of this and most kinds of film production – music, location, placement, storyline, and characters.
Everything that is incorporated into a film production needs to have a sustainable reason behind it. Take music for instance, in JKRWW, the music plays a vital role in establishing the brand identity of the film. It creates a feeling of magic and mystery and evokes positive memories, while at the same time connecting all aspects of the brand - to put it simply, it sticks in your mind. This applies to all the other elements.
When all of the above come together skilfully, this is when a true identity film happens. In our post about ‘Great Stories Are More Than Just Great Pictures’ we discuss a few aspects that can create a great brand identity film for your company.
“All too often up and coming brands seem to miss the mark when it comes to creating a consistent brand identity on film. This flipping between brand styles and personalities creates an undependable image in the mind of consumers, making your brand image whimsical and transient in nature.” – Excerpt from Creating brand identity through video
Identity films should be made with the external audience in mind and are often the first go-to when a visitor is on your website.
As a boutique film production company, we see this a lot. It is common to meet clients whose digital platforms are well designed but video content is conspicuous by its absence. The penny has dropped and they now urgently want to make a film to put on there. But what visual content do they create?
A good place to start is an identity film. It does what it says: it communicates in a lively and interesting way why the company exists and what it offers.
This may sound easier to create than it is. Conversations about what to include can lead to lively discussions between colleagues on the client’s team. The process of creating an identity film enriches clients’ internal communications as much as external communications for their own customers.
Deciding on what to include in an identity film focuses minds and generates valuable conversations. This process can be challenging, but once done often clarifies what the next film project needs to be.
Essentially, making the viewing experience enjoyable for the audience is key. It sets things forward for you and them positively. Anything that is presented well, motivational, interesting and relevant to the crowd – pleases them.
Use an identity film – elicit interest.
So, what makes a good identity film? One that:
Why wouldn’t you want an identity film for your business?
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See how we do it: send us an email to hello@shortstories.media if you would like to discuss your next film project.
