Tag: Video

Endangered Species

I have to take a minute just to recognize this long spot for Forza Motorsport 4. The Gran Turismo franchise is the recognized leader of racing video games, so Forza has a bit of an uphill battle with its latest release.

But they’ve done a lot right. They hired Jeremy Clarkson, one of the most recognizable voices amongst auto enthusiasts to do the voice over. The copywriter also did a great job with the script, a long editorial about the struggle of being an fan of powerful cars. Overall, it’s very easy to watch this 2’40” spot and feel passionate about driving expensive cars fast and irresponsibly.

The Mother of All Hot Wheels Tracks

Here’s how you make a viral video. One thing I’ve noticed about viral videos, is that they’re earnest. They’re not overproduced. And they rarely give you the sense that the creators really thought that they should make this in order to go viral.

I also really liked the last 45 seconds or so. After watching the video, they make a plea for a small donation to their favourite charity. Having watched the video, don’t you feel like you owe them?

World Gone Sour

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tw7uhVtpI5I

Here’s a really entertaining music video from Method Man and Sour Patch Kids. It’s kind of surprising to see a member of Wu-Tang hocking candy, though rap is no stranger to paid product placement.

I can only imagine that this is an attempt from Sour Patch Kids to do some “viral” marketing (I wonder how that meeting went). While I’m not sure about how viral it actually is (it isn’t), and I don’t know how the video contributes to the brand perception (do these candies need more street-cred?), I give them credit for getting a credible artist, and not some hip-pop “star”.

Bitdefender Rebranding Video

Rebranding videos are an often overlooked part of the rebranding process. Which is unfortunate, because they often do a great job of providing some much-needed context and reasoning to a brand’s employees and its customers. Furthermore, they’re usually a lot of fun and can reenergize an otherwise tired audience.

This video launching the newly updated Bitdefender identity is a good example of this type of work. Brand New has a writeup of the rebranding that is, as always, quite good.

Chuck Testa Taxidermy

I love this commercial that went viral last week. It’s got this self-effacing attitude about itself, without feeling forced. I’m really digging the way that small brands are able to use a bit of relatively cheap consumer equipment and the internet to create powerful advertising.

When your Product is Strong, Simple Sells

Watch this video. It’s simple, not overproduced, and it will sell the heck out of the company, Resource Furniture. The video could be made in an afternoon using any consumer grade video camera and a copy of iMovie (though it was produced by the fine folks at Core77).

The video works because the features and benefits are made so clear. They don’t bury the lead, they get right into the good stuff: demoing their products.

Their website could use an update, but I’m still jealous of the lucky people who get to market stuff like this.