"The most powerful element in advertising is the truth." ~ Bill Bernbach
The Future of Consumerism
Consumers are now truly beyond 'being sold to'; gone are the days when the slick businessman in a fancy suit could sell you a used car or an unnecessary extension for your home or some useless, over-priced insurance for your washing machine, at least not without some red flags or primal unease being triggered somewhere in the back of your mind.
As a society and as a culture, our 'B.S Radar' is on high alert and the old-as-time gut instinct that bothers us whenever a questionable situation arises has guided us to be overly cautious in our decision-making, namely whenever we invest our time, money and energy in brands, products and services.
And thank goodness!
We may recoil at what some may regard as ailments of a depressing digital age, where anyone with a smart phone can capture video wherever and however they please, then proceed to promote their content at breakneck speed. Where quality has been sacrificed in trade for quantity. Where in-house video production departments have somewhat nullified the requirement of an outside full-service video production company, due to the evolving landscape of social media and immediate streaming services.
There's a lot of optimism to be found amongst all of that visual noise; it calls for innovation, where it's not about creating value for brands - it's about creating value for consumers.
Buying Power
Whether we like it or not, most purchases and promotional materials today often fall into a political act. Who we buy from; what we wear; what we eat; where we eat; who we follow online; what we see at the cinema; what music we listen to - we take a political stand by how we spend our money.
Through our current chaotic political climate, buying power is one of the few methods where everyday individuals feel they have genuine power - a notion where consumerism can make a real impact.
A great campaign can inspire powerful loyalty amongst a core base of customer and consumers. With a true 'from the heart' message, utilising differentiation instead of 'by-the-numbers' formulas, can make audiences fall deeper in love with brands.
Take a moment or two and recall a commercial that grabbed your attention - that right there is powerful effect a campaign can have on a viewer's memory; something that was created to firmly remain in your mind for years to come.
It's a perfect cocktail of interesting, visually beautiful, emotional, provocative work that captures the hearts, minds and imaginations of millions of people - no longer drawn to purchase something to be 'in with the crowd' but inspired to take action.
"Adequate" Won't Make Your Brand Memorable.
No matter how much money you throw at your campaign, audiences will dismiss a video if it isn't extraordinary. Adequate won't make your money back if what you have fails to present itself with honest transparency in the viewer's mind - if you're trying to convince them that your brand of running shoes, deodorant or beverage will fix all of their problems, change their lives and make them invincible, they'll wave it off; they've heard it all before and they're done with that sales-talk nonsense.
Head on over to Meaningful Brands 2019 and pore over the top players who have turned heads recently - there's a 90% guarantee you will immediately recall most of the commercials they put out there, even if you don't watch TV.
These brands understand that their sales and reputation will perform better when they focus on positive call-to-actions, and they have proven just as much when the likes of Huffington Post, The Guardian and BuzzFeed write up articles analysing the content and impact when those commercials begin to catch on like wildfire across the Internet.
Impact vs Effort
Smart branding no longer sells cosmetics or aesthetics - they sell hope.
It's now about honesty and avoiding certain tone-death tactics (again, you can probably think of a handful of failed and heavily-parodied campaigns right now) that works back from the audience rather than forwards from the client/business' brief.
But a lot of content falls short of reaching its audience or making an impact because it hasn't taken the time to be relatable to their target audience and desired customers, because executive decisions find comfort in following archaic plans and formulas that may have worked ten-or-so years ago, but no longer hit the mark today. The biggest setback of all, the effort that the production team, as well as the money and time invested in the commercial, as all been for nothing - and what becomes the greatest casualty when all is said and done? The video itself.
Consumer expectations are at an all-time high, where human stories, drive for positive change, raising awareness and empowerment are the driving factor behind some of the most inventive, beautiful and intelligent campaign videos that we have seen these last few years.
By properly utilising the social media platform, where our newsfeeds are swamped with bad news and heartbreaking realities, a well-produced and inspiring video can make waves once the 'Share' button is clicked, as viewers dedicate their 'buying power' to that brand and spread the good word to break away any dark clouds hanging over us a society.
All of this is something that Paper Sky Production is truly aspiring to fulfil as the production landscape shifts and changes beneath our feet moment-to-moment - sharing happiness is just a click away, inspiration can be bottled and gifted, feel-good moments and happiness leads to dedicated customers.