Digital production aids customer engagement
With increasing competition for advertising airtime and marketing space, the demand for better communication has never been greater, and it is has never been more important to engage consumers and get the right message across, according to Paul McHugh, managing director for Carbon Digital.
A marketer's job is to communicate what a product can do - above its competitors - in the most effective way possible. Some of the 'old faithful' techniques are still of great importance (e.g. keeping the message short, sharp, and with the right pace).
While too much information tends to switch audiences off, Carbon Digital argues that dynamic and informative video messages can visually 'bullet point' the key facts in a shorter time as well as captivate and engage the viewer. Of course, with the wealth of digital techniques now available it would be easy to get carried away, and there is a risk that the key storytelling element can be easily lost.
"It's all about creating a balance, building on the foundations of a great idea, communicated in the best way, with top class delivery and cutting edge techniques," explained McHugh. "For example, the computer graphics (CG) techniques available to us allow us to communicate key messages like never before. We can visualise things that would be impossible to film for example microscopic germs within the crevices of skin or particles of shampoo smoothing a single hair shaft. In a couple of seconds of CG we can instantly explain what a product will do for the consumer."
Marketers now have at their disposal the ability to create impressive, attractive and highly descriptive visuals that grab consumers' attention and help convince them to buy specific products to suit their needs. While still employing creative storytelling methods to describe products, high impact graphics can also be inserted into communications to really bring to life the main reason to buy a particular product - whether that's laundry bubbles creating a fizzing action inside the fibres of fabric, or an extreme close up of mascara plumping and extending eye-lashes.
But, more importantly, previously mundane data can now be presented in more exciting ways to clarify and enhance the essence of the marketing message, and associating the product with cutting edge motion graphics suggests to the consumer that the product is very "now".
"In fact, these techniques are all about control, and we have the ability to exactly portray what the brand needs to present," said McHugh. "These messages should revolve around and visually demonstrate the product's key selling points. For example, when we worked with Unilever on a Domestos TV advert, we worked with one of their head scientists who has spent years developing improved product formulations to enhance the way their bleach clings to and covers the inside of a toilet. With graphical fluid techniques we were able to replicate the way the thick fluid actually flows and sticks."
Finally, the addition of the right music to graphical presentations has become essential, and creating the right tone and style can really bring the visual elements of the marketing message to life.
The added value and lasting effect of engaging content is that current technologies (such as YouTube and Vimeo) allow consumers to spread the word among their peers, allowing adverts to become much wider reaching and ultimately more successful. It is worth remembering also that interesting, quick, and easy-to-view content is much more likely to be forwarded to other interested consumers.
"All of these methods can only be a success if an absolute top quality, high end film quality is achieved," concluded McHugh. "The technology available now can achieve stunning results. Brands may have spent years bringing a product to market, and even a simple product demo can benefit from the best possible finish to its message."
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