Last week was a busy week for all of us, it was Shark Week! Hard to believe this year was the 25th anniversary for the series. As I watched these deep sea predators once again, I started to wonder: How does the Discovery channel suck me in? I dedicate seven evenings (or DVR) to make sure I don’t miss a moment of this series; it’s become my undeclared annual ritual… and I don’t even know how it started!
Any campaign that generates success is a massive achievement. For Discovery, to maintain increased viewership and media hype for a single week every year must be magic, or they hypnotize us…right! No, this isn’t coincidence, its smart marketing, and we could learn a thing or two (or three) from this.
With that in mind, I’ve decided to chomp down on their video marketing strategies, to grasp a better understanding on how to implement successful approaches for our own video campaigns.
Vivid video: The images they capture are captivating and up close, leaving you wondering: How did they get that shot!?
Sure, sharks are more intriguing than business presentations, but the concepts are not much different. When creating your video series consider what makes a captivating video, such as angles or themes to captivate your viewers. Consider if Discovery just filmed sharks and didn’t create the emotional fear with their up close angles and music; you can do the same with other emotions, unless fear is what you’re going for!
Catchy Jargon: This isn’t the cleverest tactic in their marketing campaign, but it sure is fun. It’s seriously jawtastic (Had to do it.). This play of words is so influential for their campaign, because its word of mouth promotion. Viewers can’t resist the shark themed jokes. For business, consider the idea of using alternative catchy phrases or obscure images that will work with your messaging. It will captivate your audience and give them something to remember or even say.
Aura of the Series: This is what ranks the success of the Shark Week phenomenon. People find this series cool, not just as an education forum on sharks but it also makes for a good water cooler conversation. When your company decides to produce a video series, remember to conceptualize the series with a similar intention. As in, do not film it as an educative service on how to produce successful videos, but a thriller series that incorporates useful video techniques.
Well, shark fans, that sums up our analysis on creating successful campaigns for Internet video production. Brace yourself for next year, where we will learn even more about shark attacks. Better yet, how about we tune in for a sensational series from you!
