Why the Majority of Marketing Video Don’t Work

So by now you know that we have high standards, extol the virtues of using video in web design and promotional material and can provide such services to our clients. We have spent many posts telling you what does work, how to do things and how to make the most of what you have.

Let’s change tack a bit and talk about why the majority of video made for marketing and advertising doesn’t work.

The biggest reason for failure as far as we’re concerned is poor production values. It takes skill to create a compelling video that people will want to watch. A considered, measured and professional approach is needed to get the most out of the medium, even if it is only for a company website.

The purpose of a video is unimportant, the goal and the target audience are the things you need to worry about. To produce a good marketing video you need good equipment and good skills. Without these you are bound for failure, and could damage your brand in the process. Grainy pictures, poor audio levels, wobbling camera, poor angles, jarring cuts and many other mistakes abound in more corporate video productions that we would mention.

Another failure is bad scripting. If there is dialog in the video it needs to be short and punchy. There is nothing more boring than watching a CEO standing stiffly in a suit droning on about how good he and the management team are, and what an excellent job they’re all doing. All that video will achieve is soothing their own egos, it won’t endear them to a wider audience.

A CEO standing in a suit using smart, concise and punchy lines delivered with gravity, humor or something else is much more effective. A short speech delivering the message with the minimal of fluff will be much better received, and will show the CEO and the company in a better light. Considering the audience and pitching to them is what sales is all about. Match the company and the character to the product and service and the video should be a success. Take a look of some of Steve Jobs video podcasts if you need more convincing.

The other major failure of a marketing video is that it tries to spread itself too thin. By trying to appeal to the widest possible audience, it risks missing them all. Target the video to its direct audience, make others for other demographics and make each feel the video is just for them, or talking directly to them. The whole idea of a video is to appeal and create an emotional link with the audience. By not appealing to them, or missing them completely the only link involved will be the one to the next website or video.

There are many ways to make a video fail and we don’t want that. If you or your company wants a corporate video either consult an expert or learn the skills necessary to do it justice.

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This entry was posted on Friday, January 29th, 2010 at 7:56 pm and is filed under Tech. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.