Just a few months ago we saw Vine shut down but that wasn’t an end to micro content, far from it. It was just the beginning. Better storytelling is coming in 2017!
We’re about to see a huge shift in 2017 on how businesses and brands reach their audience. The 30 second and 60 second commercial isn’t going anywhere anytime soon but what we’re seeing is brands looking for ways to strengthen their relationships. There is simply no better way to tell stories to fans and customers then with video. The behind the scenes look and instant feedback you can get from Twitter is great and the perfectly crafted photos on Instagram look amazing but do they really tell a story?
This is the type of content you’re about to see make a big splash in 2017. Explainer videos like the ones we’ve been creating at LooseKeys for the last 5 years have helped influence this trend of taking something complex and making it easy to understand in a brief video.
That short time frame can be a powerful way to reach people and also entertain them. While explainer videos had been essentially a longer commercial, what we’re starting to see is brand content that isn’t there to sell but is out there to keep you coming back and remembering the brand.
Brand stories are not marketing materials. They are not ads, and they are not sales pitches. — Susan Gunelius
Just last week Taco Bell launched a “Taco Tales” series on YouTube. These weekly videos feature stories about things that could only happen to Taco Bell fans. What’s great about these 3 minute videos is that they are fun and don’t push Taco Bell. Fans of Taco Bell will likely want to see more videos. If you’re not a fan of Taco Bell and you saw the video, you’ll likely smile and think positively of the restaurant chain the next time you drive by one, maybe thinking about a funny Taco Tale yourself.
Going off a similar theme, Starbucks this week launched a weekly 60–90 second animated short. Animation, now that’s something we can really get behind at LooseKeys. Starbucks goal with this video was similar to Taco Bell in that they were breaking away from that traditional ad format and giving their loyal fans something that they wouldn’t expect from the coffee chain.
The goal here is original content that focuses on telling a brand story rather than pushing a product. Another business we’re seeing really go big on this is Goose Island Beer Company, a business we’ve worked with on a couple of projects. In 2015 Goose Island took the circuitous story of the creation of their award winning beer, Bourbon County Stout and broke it out into an eight part video series that they released weekly leading up to the beers release. Leading to 6.9M total views of full chapters across Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube.
Goose Island is willing to take risks with it’s digital adverting and it’s paid off for them. They haven’t let up off the gas and likely won’t as we see more and more of this type of content into 2017.
The strategy came as the video was being conceived. We let the content inform our strategy. As we laid out the storyline, we realized that the concept was larger than we ever imagined and couldn’t be covered in 5 minutes or even 10. — Mike Smith Associate Brand Manager at Goose Island
Flexibility and variety with your digital content is so important as we move into this new year. Video isn’t going anywhere and you’re going to need more of it to reach an increasingly fragmented market. Working with a team of story tellers like LooseKeys, who can help put together more than a single marketing video will be a smart step in 2017. That’s why at LooseKeys we don’t just make video, we tell stories.
So get started telling your story and make your customers and clients smile when thinking of your brand.
