Great content can lead to new revenue streams and high visibility. Great content on its own can work, but even brilliant brands are leaving opportunities on the table.
Glowing snowboarder
Sometimes I stumble across an artistic video that is mesmerizing and I cannot stop watching it. I find myself thinking of ways to integrate the content with brands in order to extend the story and build a brandscape.
Make sure participants act like partners
That’s a talented snowboarder in the French Alps wearing an L.E.D.-enveloped suit. Many people and products were involved in making this video a success, even including director Jacob Sutton’s dad. The L.E.D. suit was crafted by John Spatcher, and the talented snowboarder is William Hughes. Mr. Sutton used a Red Epic camera to shoot and a lot of “vin rouge” to keep warm. We hear perfectly chosen music by Shervin Shaeri @ Mutant Jukebox. But there’s no connection tying all these great partners together.
Keep the audience coming back for more
Although Nowness.com published this one video (more on them later), I find myself wanting more of this story. How was the suit developed and tested? How were the French Alps chosen? Why was this the story the director wanted to tell? Did the wine freeze on the mountain? All that auxiliary content would make the video production that much more efficient.
Tell a 360-degree story
Brands and partners need to figure out how to tell a 360-degree story. What begins as a one-off video can become a fuller, more dynamic story beyond the original intent. Nowness does not need to tell the whole story; the partners can tell it on their own platforms, linking one story to the next until the user has had enough. I think of it as those old Choose your Own Adventure Books. If I am interested in French wine, I click on that story; if I am interested in the L.E.D. suit, I choose that story. There is more than one story to follow.
Partners round out the story behind the story
When brands band together, there are multidimensional stories that emerge. Each brand needs to understand what they bring to the main story and what they bring to their more focused one. Strong partnerships create efficiencies. A brand gets more bang for the buck and garners a more engaged audience by letting the consumers choose to see what they want to see behind the curtain.
What stories resonate with your audience
Let’s talk about the stories you’ve already shared and the ways to enhance the adventure.