How can people watch your video... if they can't find it?!

Okay, so sometimes it's best to just 'show' what the heck you're talking about, so click play...

As as promised, here's their video... once you find it:

As I mentioned, I think Bewilderwood looks like an awesome place to visit with the kids and they are doing SO much right with their site, business and social... I'm not picking on them as such, just using them as an example of something that so many companies get wrong.

If you've made a great video, let people see it!

Want to make a great video? Get in touch!

(NOTE: In August 2015 I finally went to Bewilderwood. It really is a magical place to take kids. In fact, we returned in August '16 too. So great that an independent business (you know, not part of the big tourist attraction magnates) can be so imaginative and create a place without the need for any technology-based 'rides', just encouraging the joy of playing outdoors... Head to Norfolk with the kids and enjoy!)

#HIBERNOT

“Land Rover aren’t just selling us the car.
They’re selling us the story.”

Hibernate? No Chance. #Hibernot

That was the brilliant message Land Rover ran, or drove, with all winter long.

Don't sit indoors. Get out there and enjoy life. Especially if it's in a Land Rover.

This was an epic cross media marketing strategy powered by a) a LOT of money and b) several agencies working to make it happen. But that doesn't mean there aren't lessons any business can pull from it.

Video was a major tool in the campaign and at the heart of it all was the #HIBERNOT family. Taking a 'real family' and making them trade their sofa for a week exploring and having fun together (in a Discovery Sport).

What's key here, is Land Rover aren't just selling us the car. They're selling us the story.
7 days of adventure for them to share. 7 videos for us to share.

“7 days of adventure for them to share.
7 videos for us to share.”

'Look at how this car brings the family together and lets them bond and live life in the way we all dream of, look Dad, you're not a loser in a xmas hat, you're a real man!' it says.

This could be your life too! Well, almost. Even if you could afford a Discovery Sport, it'd be an even bigger stretch to book Ray Mears to hang out with you for the day (genuinely - Day 3, Dad rather handily had to utilise the extra hidden seats in the boot to make way for their foraging hitch hiker).

This was a great campaign. Reclaiming 4x4s from the school run image they've gained over recent years and using great storytelling to sell us the lifestyle of a family united.

Honestly, #HIBERNOT is so immense in its ambition that I could talk about examples of what it did well for far too long. The best thing to do, if you're interested, is check out their site that has brought together all of the material.

The final day of Land Rover's Winter, was celebrated with this video:

So how can your business learn from #HIBERNOT?

Just think hard about this question:
How can you tell the story of what your product/service can do for real people?

Don't just sell a product. Sell a lifestyle. Sell a better version of me. I want to buy that change.

Show me how that's happened to someone else. Let me see the change.

It doesn't have to be 'sexy' like cars. It doesn't need a celebrity with a handy knack for surviving without matches. I'm not going to pretend it doesn't take vision, nor for that matter, a healthy budget, but it will set you apart from your competition if done right. It's about moving beyond an 'About' video and a 'How To' video and creating something special, sharing a story that shows just how awesome my life could be if I had your 'product' in it.

Make Your Video Part Of Your Site's Design

“Web Design & Video are key to your brand.
They’re a hot couple, they deserve to be seen together.”

Recently I teamed up with design agency 71Degrees to create animated videos as part of the new site for their client Event UK.

From the outset, our intention was clear: to create videos that were part of the site's design and thus part of the visual brand.

We were able to use the style of the site, the colours, fonts and actual artwork like the icons within the video so it feels totally at one with the page.  Plus Andy at 71Degrees created customised thumbnails to sit at the start of the videos - so it totally felt part of the site with an obvious play icon. We then stripped back the embedded Vimeo screen furniture like titles and share buttons and customised the play bar to be the same colour as the site as well.  

This is screen capture of the site in action:

Above: screen capture (without sound) of eventuk.co.uk homepage - take a visit for the full experience

I haven't embedded the videos I produced for them on this post as clearly I think you should watch them on the site itself, so take a look and imagine how it could work for you: www.eventuk.co.uk

And it's not limited to animation

Just make sure the graphics are in keeping with your site as well as the framing of the embed itself. Check out this great example by Artisan State.

Just one scroll and the next 'panel' of their site comes seemlessly to life as a video (that's another Vimeo embed by the way, this time with all but the play button removed).

Live action video also works in keeping with the site's design in this example above (not made by me).

But why does it matter?

Your visual brand is key - every little bit of design reflects on what the message of your business is from your business cards to your vehicles. It doesn't get more visual than a video.

And besides, it looks cool. Imagine the shiny new EventUK site above with a doodle style video embedded in a YouTube frame. It would be like fitting your lounge with the finest furntiure and then buying a rug from the pound shop.

Web design and video are key to your brand. They work well together, they're a hot couple, they deserve to be seen together. So, next time you're having your site redesigned, think about how you'll introduce them to the world.

Want to work on something similar for your site? Get in touch!