branded web videos: best practices
DESCRIPTION
Wally Sabria, SVP/Creative Director of Weber Shandwick in Los Angeles runs SocialStudio, the agency's specialty practice focused branded content development for the web.TRANSCRIPT
I want a viral video
“I want a viral video”…I’ve heard someoneeveryone say
“I want a viral video”But videos on the web aren’t
“made” viral
They “go” viral.
And to go viral, it needs to be cool sh#t people
want to share
…with Hundreds
Thousands
Millionsof people
“I want a viral video”It doesn’t have to be
a crap shoot
“I want a viral video”Here are some
fundamentalsto keep in mind:
Story
“I want a viral video”First and foremost, it needs to tell
a story
“I want a viral video”Be it a funny one
“I want a viral video”a sad one
“I want a viral video”a crazy one
“I want a viral video”an inspiring one
Or just be purely
amazing
pose aquestion
or answer one
“I want a viral video”document an interesting
issue or person
“I want a viral video”go behind the scenes
“I want a viral video”reveal the secret of how something was created
“I want a viral video”invented
or tested
“I want a viral video”tap into a
subculture
or comment from the latest
in pop culture
resurrect an
obscure celebrity
or showcase a popular
web-lebrity
Voice
It’s important to transmit
a unique point-of-voice
a unique toneand personality
something that proves
you are human
relatable
and someone worth spending time with
and engagingin conversation
NEWS FLASH:
Don’t constantly talk about yourself.
no one wants to be
bored or sold
and don’t take yourself too seriously
(your brand) (no matter who you are)
Context
It’s not a commercial
in between scenes of their favorite show
People need to
find itwatch itshare it
Why would anyone
care?
Ask yourself:
that proves you’re in-the-know, reveals your interests and expresses your personality
Content is social currency
What (besides yourself)
can you talk aboutthat others might care about?
What topics, beliefs,
values, sense of humordo you have in common with your audience?
Hip Hop CultureFast Food
Hiking TrailsCelebrity Gossip
Nature PhotographyFantasy Football
OK.
So talk about that.
The brand can be:a Charactera Facilitatorthe Narratoran Inspiring Voiceor even the Hero
is notBut the brand
the story
Quality
high-qualitydoesn’t mean
high-views
in fact, lots of
crappy videoshave millions of views
but resist the flip
don’t let poor production quality
distract from your story(or make your audience dizzy)
HD is a mustthese days
and a
good soundtrackis timeless
TRT
there’s no magic number for
how longyour video should be
be glad it doesn’t matter but be careful you
don’t loseyour audience
on the web,
5 minutes is considered
“long-form”
but no matter how
long or short
don’t wait all the way till the end to reveal yourlogo or what you’re selling
