Great Commercial = Strong Story with Unique Voice

We love commercials, branding videos, and marketing media with strong stories – stories that celebrate a company’s unique voice and culture. Too often do we see videos by companies trying to be what they are not because they think it is what people expect of them. Our company has made plenty of those videos unfortunately (gotta pay the bills!). We understand that making a video can be a large investment for a company and so it is difficult to take risks. But, choosing to only do what has worked for other companies in the past instead of striving to develop a message and video that fits who you are is not effective because EVERYONE else is doing the same exact thing.

Most Companies Have Bad Marketing Videos

We are here to tell you that the video industry has changed. Affordable and effective video messaging is accessible to all due to technology advancements and new sharing platforms. A high quality looking video is a norm. Just walk outside and you’ll see teenagers and dads carrying cameras that can easily shoot a commercial!  In a time when so much content is being created, your company MUST stand out from the noise. The best way to stand out is to know and create a videos that embodies why and what makes your company unique in your own unique voice. So how does a company go about this?

How to make a GREAT Marketing Video?

KNOW YOUR VOICE

Who, what, and why is your company unique? If your company loves to tell jokes or be funny, you should celebrate that. If your company helps solve a problem, highlight it in a heartfelt way. Laugh at your company’s weaknesses. Be okay to show your company’s personality and do not hide behind the suit and tie because everyone else’s videos are like that. “Dollar Shave Club” implied the F word in their commercial, threw a giant confetti party, and pulled out a machete! They are doing quite well right now.

KNOW YOUR AUDIENCE

Who is your target market and how do they consume content? If your target audience are teens, chances are they will not going to sit and watch your company’s 5-minute long “talking heads” interview video about the greatness of your company or watch your video on TV. Do your research!

KNOW YOUR PLATFORM

Is your video for social media, TV, or YouTube? What kind of Social Media?

A 10-minute video on Facebook will probably not be watched, unless it is super spectacular. People on Facebook usually watch videos without sound – maybe consider adding captioning. Instagram only allows your videos to be 60-seconds long… and the list goes on.

KNOW HOW TO REPURPOSE CONTENT

Did you know your 5-minute video could perhaps be repurposed into 30 second sizzles in 5 different ways? In general, the costliest part of commercial filmmaking is usually the production. So, if you can get multiple videos out of 1 full day of production work, why not figure out how to creatively edit the video with different target messaging goals so you get 5 videos instead of just 1? Economies of scale will help your overall video package cost go down significantly per video.

KNOW YOUR MARKETING STRATEGY

Why do we know about a film’s release date 2 years in advance of its actual release? Because without it, opening box office numbers would suffer greatly because no one would know about the film. The same idea applies to your commercial. If no one sees it, you are NOT going to get the ROI (return on investment) that you hope for and often companies assume the video is just not good enough, which is usually not the case.

So that is quite a lot of information that may seem obvious, but is very important to know. So how does Moth to Flame fit into the picture?

Why Moth to Flame Videos are the Best

1. First and foremost, WE ARE MARKETING NERDS! That’s right, many of our team members have MBAs and marketing backgrounds. We are not your typical film school guys. Though the cinematic value of your film is greatly important to us, we will not do it if we feel that it does not add to your overall marketing goals.
2. Our stuff is pro. There is a reason why you should not take your HD camera and try to do this stuff yourself (unless you yourself have a video background). Shooting something is different from properly lighting, capturing sound, hiring talent, editing, coloring, sound mixing, and all the many things that go into making your video go from example A to example B.

Non – Professional Video

Professional Video by Moth to Flame

3. To us, the final product is not an end all be all. We believe in an overall marketing strategy that is planned way before the final release date of your film. Starting from how we market the launch of the film, to the day of release, to the days after the release… these are all questions that should be addressed and planned for in the production of the video. If not, you could be significantly decreasing the effectiveness of your video and the overall reach, as well as not allowing the dollar spent on your video to stretch as far as it could possibly stretch.

So,  come find us! We are super easy to reach (especially via email) and easy to talk to.  Or just admire our videos. Here are some of our top 6 commercials that we have had the honor of making! Enjoy!