Why Most Brand Videos Suck
This parody video of a generic ad created by Dissolve.com (and republished by AdWeek.com) cracks me up. Dissolve took stock footage to create the ad based on Kendra Eash’s “This Is a Generic Brand Video” originally published on McSweeney’s.
How many brand videos does this remind you of, right? This vid features every sin committed by ads all rolled into one awesome video of what’s wrong with branded ad video content:
the convoluted story, the buzzwords, the genericized messages that sounds like everyone else, the veiled hints at humanity, the music, the allusion to something important without really saying anything at all, the recognizable narrative voice replete with the appropriate level of gravitas, the generic demographic that lacks any diversity or hint of who the ideal audience is….…yep, it’s all there. It’s a whole lot of saying nothing and not standing out.
The Five Key Questions to Ask About Your Brand Video
Source: Dissolve.com
Content
So how do you avoid falling into this trap? Start by asking yourself the following questions about your ad content:
1. Is it clear exactly what our company does?
2. Can customers get ‘it’ in 7 seconds or less?
3. Is content focused on my audience? (as opposed to me/us/our/my/I/we)
4. Is it buzzword-free?
5. Does it leave a positive feeling/emotion that makes people want to share or take other action
If you can answer “YES” to each question, you are likely in good shape. If the answer is no, you’ll want to rethink your content – STAT!
How do you keep your ad content “Human?” Let me know!
