Posted by Tony Caridi on Wed, Aug 04, 2010 @ 12:33 PM
Each year we produce a custom video for the local United Way to ultimately communicate "the need" and help raise money for the annual fundraising campaign.
We had some solid ideas on the table for this year's video, but through completely open communication with our client and within our team, we agreed that our first idea wasn't going to achieve the main goals of the United Way: to make people aware of the growing need in the area, and to help compel people to give financially. After talking with the leaders at the local United Way, we decided it was the right time to focus in on the issue of homelessness. And while this is just one area where the United Way concentrates it resources, it felt like the right story to tell at the right time.
Ultimately, we wanted to hand the United Way a DVD that quickly and effectively explained a complex topic. And through creative video production, that story was told.
Here's why we think this video works:
1) It's real.
There are tears, there are honest opinions, there is genuine concern. These elements were captured on video through interviews. Many times we will capture 20 minutes of an interview and maybe use only 45 seconds in the final video. Spending lots of time with people and getting to know the real story about their cause, organization, company or school is the key to a memorable custom video production.
2) It's validated.
We talked to many people who deal directly with the homeless population every day. Each person had a personal story to tell, but the common thread was that every person debunked popular misconceptions. The people who appear in the video are mostly recognized leaders in the field and come across as very natural and believable. Not everyone in a video has to be a known commodity. Sometimes the most compelling parts of a video come from the most unlikely of people. But, as we have come to find out in our time of interviewing countless people, everyone has a story. How that story translates into the camera comes from making a person feel comfortable while being interviewed.
3) It's raw.
Within the first minute of the video, the biggest misconception about homelessness is addressed head-on. You see where some portions of the homeless population live while trying to get back on their feet. You hear straight-forward talk about how homelessness doesn't discriminate. As for the style, the video was shot to match the content of the interviews. We felt the high definition video needed to be captured in a way that felt as though the viewer was behind the camera with their own eyes.
4) It's local.
When the topic is related directly to where you live, it literally hits home. We shot video of recognizable landmarks and not necessarily in the same ways they have been seen before. Using unique camera angles and motion graphics can contribute greatly to the overall emotion of a video.
5) It's emotional.
Ultimately, a video is effective if it raises your emotions. A video without emotion is rarely memorable and doesn’t make anyone want to take the next step. Through interviews, footage, music and motion graphics, this video comes together to tell the tough story of homelessness.
Every fundraising effort is unique, and every goal is different. What doesn't change is the need to effectively and emotionally communicate your cause in a short amount of time. To find out more about how we can help you, click here.
Posted by Dan Pauley on Tue, Jul 27, 2010 @ 06:52 AM
Come into the light and be found.
If you’re not creating video for your corporate website or for online consumption and applications, then you’re missing out on a digital revolution. The explosion of the digital storytelling age is where the interactive/online and traditional broadcast mediums merge into a dynamic, immersive, and inbound world where the customer finds you. That's right...the customer finds you.
And when the customer finds you, what will they get? Hopefully, they get something engaging that will make an impression and give them the information they need to make decisions. Studies are showing that the best way to do this is with creative video. With creative video you can make your point in a short amount of time. You can think about what you want to communicate, get your thoughts together, and give Internet users the information they need quickly and easily. You can further establish your brand, exhibit your personality, and effectively make your point. And once you get a rhythm going, you can keep them engaged and informed with more video content. As Tobi Elkin, of eMarketer put it, “Creating an online video presence helps marketers facilitate an ongoing dialogue with consumers, boost brand equity, lure prospective customers and solidify support among brand loyalists.”
People are using the Internet to make decisions, and who wants to read when you can sit back and watch a great video and quickly get the information needed? Given the choice between watching a video that communicates a message well or having to read through an extensive document, article, or technical data, most people will choose the video. I'm not even sure why I wrote this article... where's our lights and camera?
A competitive edge.
You already know the impact that the Internet and social media has had on our economy and culture in recent years, but complimenting that power with digital video is growing just as fast. In a recent article on eMarketer.com, Paul Verna points out that customers are increasingly consuming more and more online video and that custom video production is becoming more important for driving sales. eMarketer.com also predicts that by 2014, the number of US online video viewers will represent 77% of internet users. In short, the advertising and marketing world has shifted and online creative video is the new weapon of choice. Retailers and other businesses and organizations are now increasing the amount of money they spend on online video content as opposed to more other mediums and they finding increase ROI as a result.
So, are you ready to join the digital storytelling revolution?
Good. Here's what you'll need to consider:
Creative Strategy.
This means that you evaluate your situation, consider how creative video can work for you, and develop a plan for producing and implementing your new marketing tool.
Creative Ideas.
It's not about a template, or even polished video with amazing visual effects and graphics. It's about a complete, well-planned and well-orchestrated work of art that completely expresses the thoughts, feelings, and beliefs an organization or business. And it's not about being flashy, edgy, or even beautiful. Just because something is beautiful doesn't mean it's good. After all, it's what's in the inside that really counts, right? When you get down to it, effective communication is about compelling, engaging, and real stories. You need an idea. You need to cut through the clutter and communicate a clear and concise message. As you know, Internet users have short attention spans. It's important to get their attention and keep it.
Creative Video Production.
Production is about fulfilling the ideas formulated in the previous step. This requires talented and experience professionals that know how to visually represent and produce products that will work. In some cases, production can be accomplished in-house and without a professional studio. You have to consider whether or not you have the time and ability to accomplish what's needed. And, of course, your budget is a big concern.
Creative Execution.
Once you have the plan, the idea, and the creative video(s), you must stay the course, stick to your guns, and execute, execute, execute. This can be challenging for most businesses... especially small business... because it's just one more thing, right? You may say, "This all sounds great, but I don't have time for this!" Relax. In most cases it makes sense to partner with a reliable professional that can help generate the content and provide guidance.
If you would like to learn more, please contact us for a free, no-obligation discussion of your video and marketing needs…
Posted by Tony Caridi on Thu, Jul 22, 2010 @ 07:36 AM
Four Keys to a Successful Legal Commercial
I’m not an attorney and I’ve never played one on TV, but I’ve seen lots of them pitching their firm in television commercials. I can tell you for sure that most of the time I don’t like what I see. It makes me uncomfortable, like the time Roseanne Barr sang the national anthem. I have nothing against lawyers, in fact a large percentage of my closest friends are lawyers. However, being a lawyer and being a television spokesperson for your law firm are two very different things.
Just because you’re a lawyer doesn’t make you the best spokesperson for the firm. Ryan Seacrest of American Idol fame is a silky-smooth host who is wonderful in front of a camera. However, I wouldn’t want Ryan Seacrest making the closing argument in my defense at a murder trial. You get the picture. We all have our strengths and our limitations.
Over the years, we’ve worked with lawyers in various areas of custom video production and have come up with four key elements to a successful legal commercial:
1) Credibility: The lawyer or firm must be able to communicate a genuine, personal honesty and passion to help those who have been wronged.
2) A Story is Told: The “story” could profile the attorney and his motivation to serve clients or detail a specific client’s case that led to a positive resolution.
3) High Quality Video Production: The look and “feel” of a commercial non-verbally communicates so many different messages to a viewer. Pristine video is the product of detailed planning, professionally coordinated lighting, shot composition, and color correction. Nothing good comes easy and that holds true in video production. If you spend 30 minutes taping a commercial, you’ll get a commercial that looks like it took 30 minutes to produce.
4) Call to Action: A successful legal commercial must include a client offer or direction to obtain more information. It may be as simple as a website address or it could be a specific product-related offering which provides value to the potential client.
Here’s an example of how we combined these elements for attorney Brian Prim. A large percentage of Brian’s cases deal with victims suffering from the fatal disease of Mesothelioma. There are a number of national firms who solicit cases involving Mesothelioma. Their shotgun approach can be termed impersonal and corporate. Prim’s approach is completely opposite; he builds relationships and becomes an advocate for the victims and their families. Those relationships last long after a settlement has been reached or a verdict returned.
Rather than forcing Brian to deliver scripted comments, we conducted a long form interview that allowed him to be totally natural and confident as he addressed his passion of caring for victims of Mesothelioma. The result is a commercial that contains all four keys mentioned above, and one that directly led to an increase in the number of Mesothelioma cases at Prim Law.
You’ve seen our four keys to a successful legal commercial; do you have any others that you think are essential? Let us know.
Posted by Dan Pauley on Tue, Jul 20, 2010 @ 03:20 PM
During a high school football game, Mike suffered an injury that left him paralyzed from the neck down. After receiving physical care, Mike still had to cope with the devastating emotional effects of his injury alone, because at that time there wasn’t a program available to help people through this sort of life change. Today, Mike is an advocate for LifePath, a five-step, at-home program developed for people who have survived a traumatic event that affects a person’s quality of life. Pikewood Creative recently had the opportunity to observe and document the transformations taking place because of the LifePath action steps, and has created videos to help inform people who are leaving hospital care about how LifePath can help them, too.
To understand what’s really behind the LifePath philosophy, we at Pikewood educated ourselves extensively on their self-paced recovery kit. We wanted to know as much as possible before the shoot so that we could tell a story that would leave a lasting impression on patients watching the videos and move them to action quicker than if they met with a consultant without prior knowledge of the LifePath program. Our goal was to create the best material for LifePath to help them sell their product to people who needed it.
In every instance, when a LifePath consultant sent out one of the informational DVDs that Pikewood created to a potential client, they got a sit-down meeting.
Pikewood developed three videos: Mike’s story, an overview of the LifePath program, and a how-to video explaining how to use the at-home LifePath recovery kit. The feedback from LifePath consultants and patients has been tremendous. Potential clients’ knowledge and comfort level regarding the system is much higher after watching the DVDs, therefore making the sale easier. The LifePath team has been able to use the videos in various mediums, from large-scale presentations to their website, and attributes much of their newfound ability to communicate their story to the videos created by Pikewood.
An email to Pikewood from LifePath Director, Dr. Brian Johns, Ph.D :
“I wanted to send you a quick note this morning to tell you our Grand Rounds presentation at National Rehabilitation Hospital yesterday was so well received. It was attended by physicians, psychologists, executives, department directors, therapists, patients, family members, and advocates. They thought the video was incredible. Mike and Russ are big stars now! Many of them had already read the book. They actually gathered around the boxes of books to take extras with them. We are moving forward with them in the coming months. All of you played a role in preparing us to succeed.”
Find out more about LifePath
Posted by Tony Caridi on Tue, Jul 06, 2010 @ 07:20 AM
Promotional video production can be an overwhelming experience for someone who’s not familiar with the process. Take a deep breath; while producing a commercial may seem overwhelming at first, it can actually be a very enjoyable experience. Like most things in life, the more you do it, the easier it becomes. To try and help build your confidence, here are the five most frequent questions we hear from clients:
1) HOW MUCH DOES IT COST?
Producing a commercial can range anywhere from hundreds of dollars to over a million dollars. Both of those numbers are obviously extremes. Let’s use a car analogy here, would you like to buy the Tato Nano (the world’s cheapest car) or the Lamborghini Reventon (the world’s most expensive car)?
We’ve found the best way to determine a budget is to show a variety of examples of our work in creative video services. From those examples a client will usually find one that he or she can say, “That’s what I like and that’s what I can afford.”
2) WHAT SHOULD WE SAY?
I was raised in a grocery store. One of my early lessons learned was that you cannot put five pounds of onions in a three pound bag. Translation: keep it simple. The reality is that a viewer will take only one message from your commercial. Don’t overload your bag, uh, commercial.
3) SHOULD WE USE HUMOR OR BE STRAIGHT?
As a college freshman I received an A+ on my first speech of the semester. It was a funny speech and I don’t remember the topic, but I do remember my professor’s note that came with the grade. He wrote, “Comedy is like love, fleeting in the beginning and volatile in the end.” In short, you might be funny once, but it’s hard to continually be funny. You should approach being funny with the same level of care used by a tightrope walker. It’s hard to do, but if you pull it off you’ve done something very special.
4) DO YOU RECOMMEND USING A SPOKESPERSON?
A spokesperson can legitimize your business and bring credibility. A spokesperson can also hurt your business. Sound confusing? Much like humor, a spokesperson’s effectiveness can go either way. The number of business owners who can serve as their own spokesperson is a much smaller number than those who think they can perform the role. Just because you sleep in a garage doesn’t make you a car, and just because you own a car dealership doesn’t make you a car spokesperson. We’ve all see painful examples of well-intentioned dealers pitching their products. It doesn’t work.
Here’s an example of a restaurant owner we know who does a wonderful job of serving as his restaurant’s spokesperson. It works because he’s honest, he’s passionate, and he’s totally unscripted.
Muriale's Hospitality from Pikewood Creative on Vimeo.
5) HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE TO PRODUCE A COMMERCIAL?
The average production time can last anywhere from days to weeks. Depending on the level of complexity and number of different locations, a commercial can normally be produced and ready for use in three to six weeks.
These are just a few of the questions that we receive when meeting or speaking with clients. If you have questions about our digital video production company and how we can help you, please feel free to contact me.
Posted by Dan Pauley on Fri, Jun 18, 2010 @ 02:10 PM
Muriale's Training Video from Pikewood Creative on Vimeo.
Muriale's Italian Restaurant is a family tradition in North Central West Virginia. For years, Muriale's has been known for great food, service, and atmosphere. The history of this establishment is an American story: a story of how hard work, dedication, a focus on customer service, and a commitment to excellence can lead to success. Today, owner/operator Rocco Muriale continues the tradition by practicing these core values on a daily basis and passing his beliefs and values on to his staff.
Rocco Muriale is certainly an effective communicator and leader. So how could a video possibly help such an established and effective restaurant owner?
Rocco will tell you that, done right, mentoring takes time. It's hard work, and there's no way around that. However, if new or potential employees can sit down, watch a video, and through that custom video get a feel for the rich history of the establishment, witness the synergy between staff members, see the respect they have for their manager and the system in which they work, and learn exactly what it means to be part the company, then in a very short amount of time, you've started everything off on the right foot. You've set the tone, set expectations, and laid a solid foundation for the future. You've clearly stated how things are going to be at this place of business. You also generate a sense of pride among existing staff members, motivate new employees, and maybe even make them want to be part of the team.
Granted, that's a lot to accomplish in a short video, but we had a plan. For years we had worked with Rocco to communicate his message through TV commercials, web design, and print on many occasions, and we knew about his beaming personality. So when the idea of creating a custom training video surfaced, we knew exactly what to do... get Rocco on camera. We interviewed Rocco and his senior staff and formulated a short story--the story of Muriale's. The interviews were the first step and served as the foundation for the video. The interviews were shot on location at Muriale's, where we used HD video and special lighting techniques to compliment the atmosphere of the restaurant. We then included custom video graphics to finalize the piece. All of these ingredeints: the interviews, the lighting, the beautiful footage, and the graphics, helped communicate the tradition and excellence of Muriale's Restaurant.
Posted by Dan Pauley on Fri, Jun 04, 2010 @ 05:23 PM
I recently had the opportunity to attend the An Event Apart web design conference held in San Francisco. The following are a couple of thoughts upon leaving the event:
A Pivotal MomentFor me, I tend to forget that web design is still very much a growing and evolving industry. I get caught up in my own little world and in the here-and-now of my current work load. In a fast-paced environment, it's tough to keep up with new developments and concepts. In my experience with interactive and computer graphics design, many technologies have come and gone. Some had great promise and didn't deliver.... or haven't delivered yet (e.g., Flash) and some have been around almost since the beginning and are vying to revolutionize the web/user experience (e.g., JavaScript, Google maps, etc.) The main focus of An Event Apart and A List Apart have been to standardize the web and create some common ground... to create some order and institute best practices. And they have done a great job. I know my own methods of web design have been influenced greatly by these principles. These are all great things and this is an exciting time in the interactive/web industry. However, there is still a great deal of work to do. Through listening to the speakers at the conference, it was clear that we need designers and developers to step up and help propel the web to the next phase and that this will be accomplished by those bold enough to take risks. For the web designer, it appears that HTML, CSS and JavaScript are the future of rich applications and effective/immersive interface design... so get good at them. We are on the verge of some truly amazing stuff and we should be thankful to folks like Eric Meyer and Jeff Zeldman for facilitating the next great developments in the web.
Flash will save us all?I used to attend Flash conferences frequently (circa 2000) and used it quite often in my work. Back then, I thought Flash would completely kill HTML and every other web technology out there. The Flash conferences were full of excitement and hope. Designers like Joshua Davis became minor celebrities... I can remember standing in a long line, full of excited Flash designers, waiting for an autograph myself. I mean, who needs all that other stuff when Flash is so cool and capable? It was a designer's dream. You can create great animation, make sure your interface looks the same in every browser.... what's not to love? It appeared to have it all. However, I've noticed over the past few years that Flash is becoming less and less useful to me. Why use it for animation and motion graphics when you have After Effects and digital video? Why use it for application development when it's so difficult to keep up with the constant changes in the interface and in its native programming language? Why use it for simple web site design when it doesn't help with search engine success? Plus, it's almost impossible to make an accessible site with Flash... just ask my good friend Dave Schafer at YellowNumber5. Because of these things and Adobe's lack of concern about the needs of the web development community, I think Flash may be on the way out. It appears that the major players have switched focus to JavaScript and open source technologies to make up for the shortcomings of Flash and other plug-in based technologies. At the conference, presenters demonstrated 3D graphics, animation, and elegant type rendered right in the browser! Could it be that one day we won't even need Photoshop to design great websites? "JavaScript will save us all" was the title of Eric Meyer's talk at An Event Apart. I'm starting to think Eric is right. With no support on the iPhone and other applications, I'd say the days of Flash as a legitimate tool for web design and development are nearing an end.
Posted by Dan Pauley on Fri, Jun 04, 2010 @ 05:06 PM
By telling a great story with custom video production, a dermatologist can have clear skin.
Recently, we had the great pleasure to work with the folks at Appalachian Spring Dermatology in Fairmont, WV. The lead dermatologist, Beth Santmyire-Rosenberger (MD, PhD) is one of the top doctors in her field and new to the area. She came to us to help her develop a strategy for increasing her business. When you are dealing with folks of this caliber, the solution for how to help them is easy--get to heart of the matter and tell the story of what makes this place different without getting in the way.
Pikewood’s capabilities cover the gamut of the forms of communication: video, radio, print, social media, etc. But we knew if we could adequately capture the story of Appalachian Spring Dermatology in a series of 30-second commercials on local TV, we could get Beth the business she needed.
So we learned about her business, talked to the right people, and it was lights, camera, action. We produced a series of TV commercials, put them on the air, and they really worked. Her business quickly increased, appointments were scheduled, and people have been helped. So much so that the TV spots were suspended because the demand was too high! Not a bad problem to have. There is some talk out there about how TV advertising is giving way to online advertising. Well, it's not dead just yet. Just ask Beth. The trick is to have a great product and talented people telling your story. That's what it’s all about.
Check out one of the final commercials...
Appalachian Spring Dermatology - Skin Cancer from Pikewood Creative on Vimeo.