There’s a lot of talk these days about making ‘YouTube’ style videos in marketing… videos that don’t look too polished or slick. There’s a strange notion that by making a video look like it was shot by an amateur, somehow it will be more “real” and connect with the audience. But here’s the problem… the look of the video has nothing to do with making something seem real or authentic. It all starts with the right message.
What people are really looking for is a video that feels real, and not like marketing spin. The straight goods right from the horse’s mouth. It makes sense – in the age of social media viewer connection is extremely important. So, that’s why there’s such a big push in marketing to let real people tell the story of a product or company – basically testimonials. Sometimes it’s done really well – and sometimes? Well, not so much…
Don’t get me wrong, I’m not attacking the dentists featured in these ads by any means – they’re dentists, not actors. It’s all in the production. At the core, it’s a good idea – let real professional’s talk about the benefits of a product in a way that makes the viewer feel like subject really believes in the product. But these ads are a perfect example of trying to make something look authentic… When you read the comments on this spot you see things like ‘what’s with the camera angles,’ and ‘why is there a close up of his forehead?’ The result is something that’s really distracting from the message instead.
The bottom line is this – you can’t force authenticity. Your subject and message has to be authentic. No amount of ‘forced-amateur’ style shooting is going to make the audience believe a scripted message is reality. It has to be authentic from the start… which means finding the right message and the right people to tell your story. Take out the over-scripting and bad camera angles, and those dentists might actually sell some toothpaste (and I don’t doubt they did).
So am I suggesting you forget about a video production company, dump the script, go buy a Handicam and shoot your own video? Sure, if that makes sense for your message… like if you’re a rock star… or a celebrity. Otherwise it’s probably. There’s a time and place where that can work, but when it comes to using video in marketing you have to take in to account all of the factors that lead a viewer to a conclusion; what’s being said, how it looks, how does it make you feel, what does it make you want to do?
There’s a fine balance between the budget, the right look and the proper message… the bottom line is your brand and your company image is going to be represented by the pictures and words you put in front of a viewer. No single piece of a video works without all the other pieces – the message, the lighting, the camera work, the audio, the music and so on. It all has to work together – one piece doesn’t compensate for the lack of another. But most of all remember that a scripted message will look exactly like that, no matter how hard you try and make it look ‘real.’
Video is a visual medium and if it looks awkward, sounds bad, or is hard to watch – that’s exactly what viewers will walk away with. And I’d guess that’s probably not the message you want to send.
