Video Needs an Emotional Connection

My favorite TV show of this year's spring/summer season has to be The Next Food Network Star.  Last night the winner was announced, and while watching I found myself so invested in the show’s characters that I was moved to tears.

I don't usually do this, but throughout the season I found myself logging onto the Food Network website and voting for young chef, Justin Warner.

Justin's back story about his deceased father’s mentoring and encouragement to follow his own unique drummer struck a powerful chord in me.  As I heard him tell of his father's influence I found myself getting teary eyed.

But Justin wasn't the only Food Star contestant to move me.  Another, Yvan Lemoine, moved me with tales of his immigrant family gathering food from dumpsters behind supermarkets. "We would peel off the outer leaves and eat the rest — and I thought it was fun!  It was like a game," he said.  "And now I'm on Food Network Star!"And I thought my life was tough ...

Jake Harris of the FV Cornelia Marie

Here's another example, this time from The Deadliest Catch.  The character that moves me:  Jake Harris.  Drug problems.  Rehab.  When his father passes away, he and his brother try to carry on the family tradition of crab fishing.  Since neither is a qualified sea captain, they hire a skipper and work for him — even though they own the boat!  But it's bad fishing and clearly the hired captain is a bad fit, so the brothers let him go.  The captain's final act?  Revenge!  He calls the police on his former employer and tries to get him arrested for drug possession.

Every episode, my heart goes out to Jake.  I want him to triumph!

Great shows, both, that do well in the ratings.  Compelling.  Involving.  Powerful entertainment that hooks us right in.

So what's my point?   It's that great video has to tug on our emotions.  Whether you love the characters or hate them does not matter.  What matters is that you get emotionally involved.  Any video that can reach us on such a deeply personal level is sure to be a success.

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How do your videos make an emotional connection?  Your comments and links to this page are welcome and appreciated!

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Need to make an emotional connection to your viewers?  We can help!

Contact us at www.BrownCowStudios.com to learn more.

Match Your Imagery to the Clients You Desire

In last week's edition, I wrote about matching your style to the industry niche in which you operate.  We continue the theme this week with a discussion of how to match imagery to attract the clients you desire. 

All images have meaning, and they mean different things to different people.  A photograph of a luxury car has a different meaning than does one of an economy model.  Though both cars, the intrinsic messages are different. 

The same is true for video clips and even the written word.  You can call your pet a pussycat, or you can call it your "house lion."  Though logically, both refer to the same animal, there's a difference in meaning.  You'd expect the "house lion" to be a hunter on the prowl, wouldn't you?  Not so much for a pussycat. 

When creating videos or print ads, imagery must be carefully chosen to match the audience's mind set. 

I was recently discussing plans for a new series of videos with one of my clients.  We talked about imagery and how to appeal to the clientele he wanted to attract.  We knew that people attending the local community college would have less need for his college planning service than those who would attend an expensive private university.   Once we made that determination, choice of images to use in his video was easy -- we needed shots of kids graduating from Ivy League schools.  Shots of middle class families were important as well.  The idea was to include footage that his target clientele would relate to. 

Take a look at the two photos of industrial sites on the left.  Though both depict factories on a lake, the intrinsic meanings of the images are vastly different.  Which factory would you rather live near?  Why?


So when you're developing your next project, remember to match the imagery to your target market. 

Brown Cow Studios of Boston specializes in producing high-quality

targeted audio and video content.

To learn how we can help your business be more successful, 

get in touch with Fred Pagano at (617) 230-4019. 

Match Your Style to Your Industry!

The other day I saw a freelance job posting online.  The poster wanted someone to produce a video to promote his business.  As an example of what he wanted, he cited the cartoon style that Epipheo.com has made popular.  So far, it sounds great.  Those Epipheo cartoons are quite entertaining. 

But there’s a problem:  The man seeking the video is a lawyer.  One who represents businesses before the state licensing commission. 

Is this appropriate? 

I don’t think so.  Using a cartoon to advertise a law firm undermines everything that a law firm stands for:  credibility, reliability, authority, and trustworthiness. 

Perhaps if the lawyer represented clients involved in animal welfare – veterinarians or pet shops perhaps -- a cartoon style ad might work.  But for one representing business interests with tens of thousands, perhaps millions of dollars at stake?  No way.  These are serious clients, with serious amounts of money at risk.  They need a lawyer who’s serious too. 

The point is that you must match the style of your advertising – whether radio, TV, print or on the web – with the style of your business.  Live action would be a much better choice for the lawyer.  Or a question and answer interview format.  Anything as long as it shows us, as potential clients, that he knows what he’s doing.

I’ll say it again:  Match the style of your ads to your industry.

Bullshots is published by Brown Cow Studios of Boston.

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