The world of marketing has changed dramatically and if marketers want to remain relevant and succeed in their marketing campaigns, they have to embrace videos. Undoubtedly, this has emerged as not only the most important strategy for marketers but also the medium of preference for consumers. With the explosive growth of videos on the marketing and advertising landscape, consumers are lapping up videos most avidly. No wonder than that well created videos have a positive impact on marketing results.
Though it is the age of videos, there are some heart-warming ones that you don’t mind watching many times over and again:
1. Google Android’s “Friends Furever” figured in second spot in Unruly’s annual Top 20 Global Video Ads Chart and focuses on featuring different videos of unlikely animals–elephants and dogs playing together, monkeys and horses, and even dogs and cats- that are surprisingly good friends. Although it’s a simple video, it has great emotive appeal and the message at the end of the ad-“Be together. Not the same,” tugs at the heartstrings.
2. Reebok’s 25,915 days clearly sends out the message that our lives are finite and we should make the best of every waking hour by taking advantage of every day that we live. It’s a reminder to those couch potatoes to live life to the full potential by overcoming impediments to remaining physically fit. This video is said to be a continuation of Reebok’s ‘Be More Human marketing initiative and urges viewers to start their fitness campaign immediately.
3. Dove’s “Choose Beautiful” ad is meant to inspire women into feeling beautiful every day, because it is this feeling that brings in its wake happiness and confidence. Every woman has something within her that is beautiful, every woman is special and important and Dove wants them to recognize that.
4. Facebook “Tips” series ads are really condensed tutorials that are simple to follow, quick to read and easy to understand. It drives home the point that even serious questions can be answered in an entertaining and lighthearted way, making it easy and fun for viewers to understand and remember.
5. Intel: “Meet the Makers” Series is a wonderful ad on how; by using technology you can help people to help themselves. It’s a gentle reminder on how (if you really want to) you can reach out to others and help them and become a better human being in the process.
6. Artifact Uprising: “On Legacy” – This ad focuses on how a product or service can be used to make a life better and how much it means to everyone concerned when it is shared. The company in question creates custom photo books that are more than mere pictures—they evoke different kinds of emotions in different people. Products and services can also be made to mean more than what they appear to be on the surface.
7. GoPro: “Fireman Saves Kitten” – Though this ad is not the usual adventurous stuff that thecompany puts out, the ad is meant to inspire a wider audience rather than mere athletes. It’s a reminder that heroism is not necessarily about jumping into the water or diving from a cliff to save people but it lies also in the ordinary, everyday events that save people and animals from accidents. It’s merely a way of saying that companies should not be afraid to diversify and extend their outreach and widen their audience.
8. Google Earth: “Homeward Bound”-Technology can be powerful and nowhere is this power more apparent than in this ad where a boy, separated from his family, uses Google Earth to trace the path back to his home. This was 25 years after he was separated from his family at a railway station. The emotive appeal that the story has reinforces the power of the product.
9. Always: “Like a Girl” – This ad redefines the age-old phrase “like a girl,” and shows how females today are empowered and no longer the weaker sex. The feminine hygiene brand ad was advertised during the Super Bowl and clearly indicates how companies are trying to attract women customers by altering how and when they advertise. The old rules of advertising apparently no longer apply.
10. American Greetings: “World’s Toughest Job”- How many would agree that moms all over the world have the toughest jobs?? That’s the message that is driven home in this video campaign, making people see Mom—not for someone who’s taken for granted but as someone who plays an important role every single day of their lives. It urges viewers to remember this always and honor their mothers. By adding a new twist to your product or service (something that can’t really be predicted), you’ll have your audience glued to your content and can engage them better.
11. Nike Women: “Better For It”-This commercial, which is a part of a new campaign for brand sportswear for Nike shows how women grit it out through grueling workout sessions though they are not really enthusiastic inside. Each one motivates the other and as they push themselves to higher levels, they succeed in conquering personal goals. Making products and services can be tough and selling them challenging, but introduce a little humor and personal touch and watch the difference it makes.
12. BuzzFeed for Purina: “Puppyhood” – A great video about how to advertise your product or service without appearing to do so. The entertaining story of how a man adopts a puppy and raises it takes you through the trials and tribulations that he faces along the way as he has to be up nights to feed and look after it.
The above mentioned videos are all winners in their own right and have great emotive appeal. That’s what marketing is all about today—getting people and customers involved, engaged and making them to buy without thrusting things on them. Videos are an important part of marketing strategy and can make all the difference between ‘to buy’ or ‘not to buy.’