Five Tips for Case-Study Videos That Get Results
From: MarketingSherpa | Monday, 09 July 2012 13:07
We have short attention spans, and we don’t have a ton of time to learn. Plus, the success models of companies like Kickstarter make it clear that the case-study video plays a pivotal role in today’s business success stories.So how do you make a crowd-pleaser video that gets real results? Rae Ann Fera joined FastCo.Create to produce a list of tips from veterans of the Cannes Lions Festival of Creativity. Here are five tips that are right on the money:
Keep it short. Chris Baylis, ECD Tribal DDB Amsterdam, uses the elevator-pitch model: “No more than 30 seconds of film, where you have to present your case clearly and succinctly.” According to Baylis, that’s all the time needed for your viewer to decide whether you’re a fit or not.
Let the work shine through. A case study is “a creative production,” so “get the idea across quickly, be attractive, original, clear, and don’t be boring,” says founder/ECD Rémi Babinet of BETC.
Kill the chest-pounding. “You should never, ever boast in a case study. Stay away from that and just stick to the story,” cautions Susan Credle, chief creative officer of Leo Burnett USA. “Don’t make a judgment on whether you were brilliant or not.” Focus on the service, illustrate it well—and save the vaunting for your fans.
Build standards. “It’s really fun to look at well-told case studies but the question is, are we spending more time on the case studies than the creative work that the world actually sees?” wonders Credle. Don’t let creativity stop at the video; let it shine in every component of your product, including your logo, site, design, and creative.
Make the package artful. Your service is the most important selling-point, but remember that differentiation is seduction. “If you can’t be bothered to capture my imagination in the first 30 seconds of your case film, how the hell did you capture the attention of your client’s customers?” wonders Tom Eslinger, worldwide digital CD at Saatchi & Saatchi.
The Po!nt: Don’t preen, present. A case study is more than just a how-to, it’s the blueprint for how your service belongs in users’ lives. That’s a precious position to achieve; make sure your video shows that you merit it.
