Here at Creative Concepts, we’re often asked to help our clients create interesting videos on location — maybe at work, in a restaurant, during a photo shoot or on the street. And while these on-location videos can be tightly controlled or spontaneously energetic, the locations themselves always present the same batch of speed bumps, roadblocks and complications.
If you want to film a branded video on location, here are 7 tips we’ve learned — some of them the hard way — to help filming and post-production go as smoothly as possible.
1. Befriend and respect the location’s manager or owner.
If you’re filming in a business or office, track down the manager, owner or supervisor. Be friendly. Explain what you’re doing, and what your goals for the video are. Ask them if they know of any obvious stumbling blocks to avoid, any shortcuts, or any particularly photogenic angles. (After all, it’s their building.)
2. When you’re outside, roll with the punches.
If you’re outdoors, be mindful of the public, the nearby property owners and the police. What you’re filming probably looks interesting, and you may attract a crowd. If you’re not controlling the crowd with barriers and security, they may linger. This is good, because it increases the exposure for your shoot — but it also increases your opportunities for unwanted noise and distractions.
Does the location play music on a PA system? Is the heat or air conditioning on? Are the walls thin enough to let nearby conversations come through? Does the floor vibrate when cars or equipment move past?
If you can hear it in the room, you can hear it on the video. Make sure the audio that’s in your video is supposed to be there. And if you can’t turn the noise off, be prepared to work around it (and hope you can reduce it in post).
4. Shoot more than you think you’ll need.
Maybe your script only calls for 10 shots, and you’ve wrapped ahead of schedule. Be proactive. Get an extra introduction or conclusion. Ask the interview subject a few unscripted questions. Pitch some alternate ways that a product could be shown, or that a topic could be discussed.
It’s these unexpected additions to the script that may well turn a stiff, boring video into a human story with actual character.
5. Stay loose.
No matter how comfortable someone seems in person, putting them in front of a camera is like sending them into battle. People freeze when that red light comes on. They panic. They become acutely aware that the next words out of their mouths will be seen by numerous strangers, possibly for years to come, and that’s a lot of pressure.
Be personable. Help the subject loosen up. Make them laugh. Get them comfortable. Change the subject. Ask them a question. Change the lighting. Move them to a new room. Make a mistake, then fix it, so they see that mistakes can be corrected and recovered from.
Above all, do whatever it takes to ensure that the personality seen by the viewers is the same personality you saw on your subject’s face before the red light went on. (And if all else fails, film them when they think they’re not being filmed. It’s funny what some black tape over that red light can accomplish.)
6. B-roll will save your life.
Get ample footage of the location, inside and out. Get shots of every participant, even when they’re not looking. Shoot labels, packaging and displays. Shoot products, in all stages of assembly and execution.
If you’re filming a conversation between two people, get reaction shots from both of them. Get shots of the table. Get shots of the audience. Get shots of their hands.
There will always be at least one place in the final edit where you’ll wish you had just one relevant clip to cut away to, over an emergency edit you had to make. If you don’t have something to use, you can’t make that cut. Never, ever shoot yourself into a corner.
7. Always carry release forms.
You’re shooting on the street outside a business and you’ve only planned to get once scene with the company’s owner. Suddenly, her favorite customer, or a longtime vendor, or her family members arrive unannounced. What a wonderful opportunity to film a meaningful exchange with your client and the people who matter most to the success of her business!
Now, if only you had a release form that person could sign, so you could legally use their image…
For more business tips, connect with us on Twitter or Facebook!
The web is crowded and filled with distractions. A successful business finds ways to break through the clutter and deliver compelling messages to the people most likely to act upon them.
But how well can you articulate who your target audience is?
“Whole Foods is actually a psychographic, not a demographic,” said Paul Rossi, The Economist’s managing director and executive vice president for the Americas. “One of the things people say is, ‘You go after an affluent audience.’ But we don’t define our audience by their demographic. We define our audience based on what they think.”
That’s a bold move — and, at least for now, one that’s paying off on The Economist’s bottom line. But, to do this, a company must understand what its core audience thinks, wants and needs, and be able to deliver those solutions in a manner that resonates.
If you can do that… why stop there?
How Creative Concepts Helps Its Clients Expand Their Core Audience
When a client asks us to help them deliver a message, they often already know what they want to say and to whom they’d like to say it. What they initially expect us to do is help them find that audience online. And we do.
But we also help them tailor their original message to the tastes of multiple audiences, each of which combines to form different aspects of their extended customer base.
For example, Ecover is a multinational company that manufactures sustainable cleaning products. Their obvious core audience is “green” moms in search of healthier alternatives to chemical cleaners.
But the list of customers who are, could, or should be motivated by Ecover’s solutions is much broader, including:
Journalists
Scientists
Teachers
Fathers
Kids
Grandparents
Gardeners
Cleaning staffs
Corporate buyers
… and so on.
Likewise, tea might not seem like an obvious conversational topic for sports fans, traveling salesmen or history buffs, but our work with Bigelow Tea has helped expand brand awareness among these unlikely audiences.
And while Ouidad may be the “Queen of Curl,” the interested audience for her products extends far beyond the walls of her New York City salon. As we helped Ouidad track inbound web traffic and blog comments, we found passionate customers from around the world — many of whom speak Spanish or Portuguese. This prompted us to begin translating Ouidad’s content, in order to better serve her growing multilingual audience.
Understanding your core audience is a key to driving your business forward. But finding different ways to deliver one message to multiple audiences is one way Creative Concepts helps our clients expand beyond their core customers.
As we’ve mentioned, getting a brand to talk about something other than itself can be difficult. But creating lasting relationships involves finding a common ground — and no matter how wonderful your brand is, no one wants to talk about you 24/7. (Even you.)
So where’s the overlap between your goals (profit) and your customers’ goals (solving their problems)?
One Tip: Find a Common Enemy
Ecover (our client) creates ecological cleaning products. As such, they’re naturally passionate about the environment. They stress the need for sustainability in everything they do, from their product ingredients to their factories to their supply chain.
Ecover also knows that their core customers are informed and passionate (and, at times, frustrated) about environmental issues. And that’s one reason they’ve asked us at Creative Concepts to help them build their Ecover Facebook page and Ecover Twitter account as forums for broader ecological discussions that go beyond the limits of buying and selling.
Obviously, Ecover wants to sell their household cleaning products. That’s how they stay in business. But if they didn’t occasionally shift their focus to the big picture (i.e., the real world), they wouldn’t be true to their ethics as a company. And by giving their customers a platform to discuss the issues they feel strongly about, Ecover provides a secondary service to their audience: a community that’s actively engaged in improving the world we live in.
In Ecover’s case, finding a “common enemy” with their customers is easy: pollution, erosion, waste, ecological misinformation… the list goes on. Each of those issues makes it harder for Ecover to do its job (cleaning without further burdening the environment), and each of those issues also makes it harder for Ecover’s customers to live a happy, healthy life.
Thus, spreading the word about global ecological problems — and, ideally, sharing practical solutions — is in everyone’s best interests.
So… where do you and your customers have a common enemy? (Hint: It’s not your competition; it’s what you and your competition each exist to prevent.)
We may not have common enemies, but we can still be friends on Twitter or Facebook!
Most companies consider Facebook, Twitter and blogs to be the cornerstones of their social media strategy. If they invest in a fourth channel, it’s usually YouTube, because video is often a high-impact media asset.
While most of Flickr’s massive userbase are amateur or professional photographers, Flickr’s actual audience is as large as the web itself. This makes Flickr increasingly attractive to brands seeking to capitalize on its unexplored traffic-driving possibilities.
Surely your company has dozens of product shots, photo spreads, news articles, in-house designs and personal candids that tell your brand’s story. And those images might be interesting to long-time fans and potential customers alike.
As a family business (for 65 years and counting), Bigelow’s history is a family photo album, and they wanted to share their memories with their customers. But they also wanted to ensure that curious tea drinkers could easily find their way to the Bigelow website, so we at Creative Concepts embedded links to any relevant Bigelow products within the text descriptions of each photo. (Because if that photo of a vintage 1960s Constant Comment canister looks good now, why not order a box today?)
2. Promote your fans.
Ouidad (also a client) is known as “the queen of curl.” Her delighted customers often post photos of their amazing post-Ouidad hairstyles on Ouidad’s Facebook page. But why stop there?
With our help, Ouidad has begun cross-posting fan photos (along with product shots and “before-and-after” images) to Flickr. And, as with Bigelow, each Ouidad photo includes a text description with links inviting viewers to further explore the Ouidad product line or join Ouidad on Facebook. (Because if their hair looks this good, shouldn’t yours?)
3. Use Pictures to Solve a Problem.
The Redwood Rollers (not a client, but we still like their moxie) are a roller derby league in Humboldt County, California. While Flickr provides them with a home for their photos — over 2,000 uploads so far! — it also provides them with a means to overcome a possible business pitfall: audience perception.
The sport of roller derby is increasingly popular, but it still takes a few extra nudges to get a skeptical viewer to attend his first live event. What better way to convey the thrills of a fast-paced sport than with visuals? Being able to see the competitors’ personalities and camaraderie up close can provide potential fans with the emotional fuel they need to get involved and start cheering. (Plus, you can’t get this personal at the major leagues.)
So… still on the fence about Flickr?
Don’t just take our word for it — check out what these other worldwide brands are doing, from 7-11 to Urban Outfitters. And then think about all the ways your company can make use of those overlooked images.
And while you’re at it, check us out on Twitter or Facebook!
Social media is about people. Companies are about profit. Finding ways to bridge that gap can sometimes seem tricky.
But there’s one commonality that’s always worth discussing: charity.
Most companies have at least one charitable cause that they feel passionate about, usually for personal reasons. And whenever your company invests their time and effort in a cause other than direct profit, that’s a potential feel-good story that your employees and your customers can get behind.
Ouidad and her family have been personally affected by breast cancer. In response, Ouidad founded her own charity to help raise funds for cancer research.
Why do we mention our clients’ non-profit endeavors?
Because they’re the kinds of stories that remind customers how the products they purchase are, ultimately, created by human beings. These are the conversations that help the people on both sides of the storefront find a common ground, and remove the barriers that make us think of all businesses as impersonal moneymaking machines.
Ultimately, social media and business are about people.
Your company is people.
Don’t forget to remind your customers — and yourselves.
Want to connect with us more personally? Follow us on Twitter or Facebook!
If you’re just beginning to use social media, Twitter and Facebook may seem very similar.
And while it’s true that both services…
Are built around publicly shared “status updates”
Enable users to “follow” or “friend” each other
Can be simultaneously updated through third party services like HootSuite
… you’ll soon realize that the audience for each service has very different goals and expectations.
Broadly speaking, Twitter is good for…
Connecting with peers and industry professionals
“Water cooler” discussions of breaking news & pop culture
Real-time information-sharing, research, Q&As, etc.
Technology-focused and business-driven discussions
One-way broadcasts, with occasional commentary
… while Facebook is good for…
Connecting with people you already know “in real life”
Threaded discusssions (where all comments are collected)
Personal opinions
Photo albums
Videos
Twitter, while offering less robust features than Facebook, is also (paradoxically) considered to be the more professional and business-oriented platform. Meanwhile, Facebook (like MySpace before it) is the more visually-driven sharing platform among friends, family and acquaintances.
This means that the users of each service have different expectations for their experience on each platform. And if you’re piloting a brand across both channels, you need to be aware of those differences. (Dan Zarella writes frequently, and well, about how to do this.)
For example, in December of 2009, we at Creative Concepts were helping The Children’s Aid Society promote their annual Miracle on Madison fundraiser. Most of the news about that particular event — celebrity sightings, fashion updates and high-end sales — differed from the vast majority of The Children’s Aid Society’s traditional topics (children’s health, education, foster care and family services).
We quickly learned that the charity’s followers on Twitter remained open to the Miracle on Madison messaging, but their fans on Facebook chilled to the idea. While they may be interested in the actual work being done by The Children’s Aid Society, that must seem at odds with more “commercial” updates about a high society Manhattan fundraising event.
So they made their voices heard – some abandoned The Children’s Aid Society Facebook page.
When we noticed a drop in Facebook numbers that coincided with an increase in Miracle messaging, we followed our instincts and dialed down the Miracle mentions on Facebook. And when their fans’ behavior subsequently returned to normal, we chalked that up as a lesson learned — and one we believe is worth sharing:
Facebook is not Twitter is not MySpace is not a blog. You may have one message, but you have multiple audiences.
Listen, and then adjust your pitch.
Want to hear our various voices? Follow us on Twitter and Facebook!
A few years ago, we helped our client, Bigelow Tea, produce a video showing viewers how to naturally decaffeinate an ordinary teabag. (Why would someone do this? Because sometimes a cafe doesn’t have your favorite flavor in a decaf version, so wouldn’t it be great to reduce that caffeine level all by yourself?)
There was just one problem: the metrics Bigelow cited in that video were outdated. Newer studies had clarified the expected levels of caffeine after natural decaffeination, and they differed from the numbers in the video.
Fortunately, one astute viewer noticed this discrepancy and brought it to Bigelow’s attention.
Even better? Bigelow listened.
Initially, they hoped they could fix those numbers with updated graphics, but there was no way around the numbers Cindi Bigelow herself was saying aloud throughout the how-to section.
So, in the end, they opted to have Creative Concepts (that’s us) reshoot the whole video and replace it across all video outlets. Cindi even tracked two of the most recent studies the night before the video was filmed, just to ensure that the numbers were still in line.
In Bigelow’s view, sharing accurate information is far more important than cutting corners. They pride themselves on providing their customers with insights and information they can count on, and when those facts and figures are in dispute, they take their corrections very seriously.
How committed to clarity is your company? (And are they listening to their customers to make sure their messages are being heard… and heard correctly?)
When our client Ouidad first launched their blog, they — and we — thought we knew exactly whom its readership would be: smart, savvy women who take great care of their curls and feel passionate about looking good.
It turns out we were half-right.
Yes, the blog attracted exactly the kind of readers we anticipated. But it also attracted a number of readers we didn’t expect, including teens, men and moms on the go. It also appealed to non-English-speaking readers in search of curly-haired tips, and African-American readers interested in more reliable hair care solutions.
So we adapted.
We helped Ouidad create new blog posts on the subjects their readers asked the most questions about. We broadened the blog’s focus to include tips for men, teens and kids (or, more specifically, their moms). And we now regularly include posts written in (or translated into) Spanish, to better accommodate Ouidad’s multilingual audience.
Our lesson?
Good companies support the customers they already know they have; great companies find ways to accommodate the customers they never knew existed.
Do you know who your customers are?
(Are you sure?)
What’s your favorite way to “discover” new customers? Tell us on Twitter.
Last month, Ecover (our client) had an unusual problem. A UK consumer magazine named Which? alleged that several “green” household cleaners were fabricating (or “greenwashing”) their claims. Ecover was one of the brands named in the report, which was published in The Guardian, creating a maelstrom of public opinion.
But there was one problem with the article: in Ecover’s eyes, the methodology that Which? used to create the report was flawed, erroneous and misinformed — and now it was being reported as a verifiable truth.
When one Twitter user, Jane C Woods, tweeted a link to the Guardian’s article, Ecover’s Kipling Wagner noticed and responded by sending Jane a link to Ecover’s rebuttal. Afterward, Jane — who’s an Ecover customer in the UK — took the opportunity to ask Kipling a question about a problem she was having with her dishwasher, which she believed may have been caused by Ecover’s dishwashing products. Kipling and Jane each researched the issue — Kipling within Ecover, and Jane with her repairman — and each came to a similarconclusion, with steps to remedy the situation.
We (CC) asked Kipling and Jane about their discussion on Twitter, and here’s what they had to say.
Kipling Wagner, Assistant Marketing Manager and Brand Activator at Ecover, Inc
CC: How did you first discover Jane’s tweet re: the Which? article?
KW: I saw Jane’s tweet through my monitoring alerts on Tweetdeck.
CC: Why did you feel compelled to share Ecover’s rebuttal with her directly?
KW: I felt compelled to share it with her directly because of a combination of details. I looked at her other tweets to gauge what type of twitterer she is (was she sending out quality messages? Interacting with people positively? Was she influencing others? All of which she seemed to be). I also noticed that someone had thanked her for sharing the original Which? article, and this alarmed me because I knew this article was gaining momentum virally. If people were looking to her tweets for trustworthy information, I knew I had to share our side.
CC: How did you go about investigating her question re: her dishwashing issue?
KW: She replied to me, thanking me for the Which? article clarification, and then followed it with a product question. I was reluctant to answer because she is in the UK and we’re in the US, and I was worried about the invisible boundaries and crossing lines within our own company. Now I was interacting with a UK consumer, not just a UK tweeter. First, I let her know I had seen her question, and then I sent an email to our communications department to confirm with them my suspicions on why she was having said issue. Once they got back to me, I let her know the verdict.
CC: How do you feel about the exchange thus far? How has it been beneficial to you / Ecover?
KW: Absolutely beneficial. Although she’s way over in the UK, the boundaries on the web are non-existent. It’s important that we’re able to take a potentially negative situation – spreading of an inaccurate depiction of Ecover through questionable journalism – and turn it into an informed and positive exchange. Also, Ecover is very focused on being honest and transparent, so having the (new) ability, thanks to Twitter, to talk to someone about their concerns (like the Which? article) and then wind up resolving a product issue is priceless. I value that Twitter allows us to do all of this with our audience. It’s like “super practice” for those of us in marketing to be able to work out issues with our consumers, all under the watchful eye of others; we learn more about our own company and products and our consumers at the same time. It’s very rewarding.
CC: How did you originally come across the Which? report?
JW: I am a regular subscriber to Which?.
CC: Were you surprised when Kipling contacted you with Ecover’s response?
JW: Very surprised. Initially, it ‘freaked’ me a bit, as it felt a tad ‘big brotherish;’ but then I realised that all big companies keep an eye out for discussion of their products.
CC: How did Ecover’s rebuttal change your opinion of the Which? report (if at all)?
JW: It didn’t really. Although I guess I would agree that the Which? report hadn’t gone into huge amounts of detail. I had had a problem with Ecover for a while in that my machine does get gummed up. Repairman said it’s a common problem with Ecover type products, and I also had to put some cleaning fluid through my machine… which kind of defeats the object doesn’t it?
CC: Was Kipling’s advice about your dishwasher problem helpful?
JW: Yes, in that it was the same advice as given by the repairman, i.e., run a very hot wash now and again, and run it empty. I do leave the drawer open, but I’m not convinced that will help.
CC: Do you frequently engage with businesses on Twitter? Do you find these kinds of digital interactions beneficial?
JW: Yes, often. I also tend to use Twitter to promote my business. It’s very helpful and it encourages me to buy from companies I have tweeted!
********
Considering Jane’s ongoing concerns about her dishwasher, we expect more discussions between Kipling and Jane — and between Ecover and their growing international customer base — in the future.
After all, every problem has a solution, and those solutions almost always involve a conversation.
Is your business talking — and listening — to customers?
This past week, we wrapped up a short social media campaign we’d been involved with for a client, Bigelow Tea. As is often the case, what didn’t work is just as valuable (if not more so) than what did work, and we thought you might be interested in some of our observations.
Facebook and Twitter Are Not the Same Tribe. When Bigelow Tea was preparing to announce their new spokesperson*, together we spent a week dropping clues on Twitter, followed by a one-hour window in which participants could guess the spokesperson’s identity. But fans of their Facebook page were upset that the contest wasn’t extended to Facebook as well, and some of them made it very clear that they didn’t (and wouldn’t) tweet. Ever. Lesson: Don’t expect users of one platform to naturally migrate to another.
Private Twitter Accounts Can Complicate Contests. In the same Bigelow contest, participants were provided with a hashtag — #GuessWhoBigelow — to include with their guesses. But not all of the hashtagged responses showed up in a search for that hashtag. Why not? Because some guesses came from Twitter users whose accounts are set to “private” (AKA the ones whose tweets are preceded by a padlock icon), and “private” tweets don’t show up in general searches. Lesson: When planning a public contest, take into account whether (and how) “private” people can easily participate.
Your Interested Audience Is Not Always Your Target Audience. One respondent to the contest complained that “all these sports-related clues are pretty useless to some of us on the Internet,” which we found to be an interesting — and, in this case, unresolvable — objection. Since Bigelow’s new spokesperson is a sports legend, the contest naturally leaned in that direction. We therefore presumed anyone taking part in the contest would use their Googling skills to find the answer. Unfortunately, non-sports fans felt left out of both the contest and any means of finding the answer. Lesson: You can’t please everyone.
The knowledge we’ve absorbed from this campaign will pay off as we apply it to future projects. And while social media may have a never-ending learning curve, it doesn’t mean we can’t all keep getting smarter, one lesson at a time.
* If you were wondering, the answer is Wayne Gretzky.
