Creating and curating in our personal and professional lives, we are deeply embedded in a world of storytelling that we make sense of and bring to life with the moving image. Arguably, it’s what makes us human.
At the BFI (British Film Institute), we believe society needs stories, so we’ve embedded storytelling at the very heart of our organisation. It’s who we are. It’s a huge privilege leading the marketing team at the BFI, the UK’s lead body for film, TV and the moving image, a cultural charity with almost 90 years of history. Our role spans across education, talent development, production, the BFI National Archive and, of course, our public programmes. Each place taken on the BFI’s training courses, offered in partnership with CIM, helps to fund education and engagement with the moving image for others.
The flexibility of the moving image is its strength. In a crowded market-place, a compelling story alongside skilled use of image and sound can deliver impact in recruitment, thought leadership, user testimonials, product demonstrations, infographics, vlogs, interviews, event highlights, tours, exclusive content, calls to action and charitable appeals, to name but a few.
So what does this mean for brands? Video can communicate and demonstrate the action of your brand values and help differentiate from competitors. It’s a fun, exciting and wide canvas for teams to build a brand world and bring to life complex information, improve accessibility and encourage loyalty. Remember that accessibility and inclusivity are a must, so be sure to ask where audio description or closed captions can be used and about additional channel functionality.
Often, the challenge for our marketing and creative teams is to cut through in a congested marketplace, competing for attention with a fraction of others’ campaign spend. It can be hard to be enterprising with tight budgets, which I suspect resonates with many.
Give as much consideration to planning or briefing as you do with the production. Having a practical understanding of the medium can only benefit organisations in being selective about what can be produced effectively in-house and where commissioning externally can add value or is needed. Treat video as a craft, as you would copywriting or design.
We are all consumers too, and through our experience on both sides, we know some projects call for bigger budget productions, where others can make use of high quality, short turnaround smartphone videos. Your project is only as good as your brief, so take the necessary time to refine it, to shape it and let it breathe. Start with whether it truly conveys your brand and purpose – it should spark a creative interpretation responding to tone, language and values. Above all, take risks and reward innovation.
Courses
Develop these essential skills with the BFI’s courses delivered in partnership with the Chartered Institute of Marketing.
For more information and to book, please visit the Chartered Institute of Marketing’s courses page.
Catalyst magazine is the Chartered Institute of Marketing’s member-only magazine for the strategic marketer, bringing business leaders the latest insight and knowledge from across the profession.