Brand/Explainer videos
It’s not rocket science—it’s marketing 101:
“Who is your audience, and what do you want them to do?”
Those two, seemingly simple questions are always the first two I ask—which inevitably opens up a critically vital introspection: who exactly are we trying to reach (and how will we reach them)? What metrics will best measure our effectiveness?
All of which is to ask: “What does success look like?”
Finding the humanity
THE IDEA: This was originally intended as an internal piece to get Environmental Defense Fund’s 1000+ staff excited about the new brand identity and tagline
How do you make an abstract concept like “A vital Earth. For everyone” viscerally exciting? Work with what you’ve got! Since “vitality” is literally about life, I made it come alive by infusing it with humanity and emotion.
THE IMPACT: Huge success! Overall impressions were up by 95% in the period we ran this campaign, successfully getting EDF's new brand identity in front of target audiences. This was a top-performer on our social media channels in the 99th percentile, generating 7X the median engagement.
Making the most of a good thing
THE IDEA: Environmental Defense Fund needed to educate high-level audiences on the importance of reducing methane pollution. When we got word that Bill Nye wanted to help, we jumped at the chance to utilize both his science credentials and his sense of humor to turn a potentially boring subject into a very fun ride.
THE IMPACT: It worked! Formatted to work across all channels and delivered to all audience segments, this asset became the most-watched, most-shared video EDF has ever released. Not only was the video engaging on-platform, particularly for a younger, more diverse audience, it also generated clicks back to the landing page, with click thru rates 140% above industry benchmarks.
This one was a huge win for both the EDF brand and for climate awareness.
Capturing magic
THE IDEA: Environmental Defense Fund’s Development team wanted to connect with their major donors with the goal of having them share something across their (very wealthy) networks. We thought hard about the audience and realized that the majority of them had kids and grandkids. When we pitched the idea of using 2nd graders as stars of a video, the Development team was nervous—you never know what you’ll get with kids—but they decided to trust us.
THE IMPACT: Good thing they did! With an excellent engagement rate, this video was in rotation at the top of the “high value prospect” funnel for more than a year.
This was a home run with the target audience, and they shared it far and wide—introducing a number of new donors to EDF. It also grew to be a massive hit with EDF’s membership and the general public. It did a great job of humanizing the EDF brand.
Making the complex simple
THE IDEA: Environmental Defense Fund’s “Small to Big” campaign—where small actions add up to big results— was up and running, but we’d yet to apply the concept to one of the organization’s most complicated issues: methane pollution. The solution turned out to be easy: reel in top-of-the-funnel audiences by simply explaining how the seemingly (small) problem of leaky pipes leads to a (big) solution: launching a methane-sniffing satellite.
THE IMPACT: Mission accomplished! With a click thru rate 40% higher than industry benchmarks, this video broke down a complex issue and enticed audiences to click to learn more.
Bringing the core idea to life
THE IDEA: To celebrate its 150th anniversary, Corning Glass needed a “big” video to open multiple events across the country. This was at the time when fiber optic cable was a core of their business and that gave us our “a-ha” moment: the interaction of light and glass was at the core of every product Corning had ever produced. It also gave us the opportunity to position the start of the Corning story all the way back at the beginning of time! That’s “big”.
THE IMPACT: The video was given a standing ovation at virtually every event, and has been playing at the Corning Museum of Glass ever since. Once again, some good ROI.
Revealing what’s fascinating
THE IDEA: As part of an integrated marketing campaign surrounding its 150th Anniversary, Corning wanted to spotlight its luxury consumer division, Steuben Crystal. When we began researching our approach we became entranced with the beauty and skill that went into the creation of these beautiful pieces. Realizing that other people would feel the same way, we shot this like a documentary, pulling back the curtain to reveal the beautiful reality.
THE IMPACT: The video was such a hit at the anniversary events that Corning had us turn it into a broadcast spot. All hail the re-usable asset!
Finding the story right in front of you
THE IDEA: PBSKids was launching a new campaign to promote caretakers reading to children. We’d seen a kid sitting on his grandpa’s lap and spun the story out of that. They wanted an “urban” feel (their word) and seeing chalk drawings on New York City sidewalks gave me the idea for the look. I still think this is a sweet little piece.
THE IMPACT: The execs liked this so much they ordered up a Spanish language version and both spots were broadcast for several years. More to the point the reading campaign was reportedly a big success (though I have no real data on it).
