U.S. Navy Branded Content: Aviation
One of the coolest production trips of our year was riding on board the U.S.S. Theodore Roosevelt (CVN-71) for a week. We walked on in San Diego and flew off in Alaska.
One of the coolest production trips of our year was riding on board the U.S.S. Theodore Roosevelt (CVN-71) for a week. We walked on in San Diego and flew off in Alaska.
The first half of the trip was focused on flight operations. Flight ops are loud, both on deck and throughout the ship. We found a quiet place in the ship’s museum to film interviews. Behind the subjects hung a flag that had hung in Teddy Roosevelt’s Oval Office, and the ship’s company is affectionately known as the “Rough Riders.”
On deck we discovered that allergies to JP5 jet exhaust are a real thing. But despite watery eyes, our crew got to do the foul-line dance between Cat 1 and Cat 2 during F-18 launches. That is probably one of the coolest experiences that a film crew can have.
Stand aside F-18s and warbirds, we’ve got a drone warming up on the deck!
Watch the Films
This Video Made Engineers Teary-Eyed
Great videos are hard work. As you'd expect in East Tennessee after a summer rain shower, steam rolled off the asphalt. The humidity was 100% and I'd sweated through my short-sleeved shirt.
Great videos are hard work.
As you'd expect in East Tennessee after a summer rain shower, steam rolled off the asphalt. The humidity was 100% and I'd sweated through my short-sleeved shirt.
Greg, the company's president, had arrived from the airport 20 minutes before. He was dressed in slacks and a blazer, and the location for filming was a 10-minute walk through a non-air-conditioned manufacturing plant.
It was lunch time, stomachs were growling, and we were trying to find a spot out of forklift traffic with a nice background and tolerable noise to film Greg's line. He whipped off his blazer, wiped his forehead and said, "Okay, let me see if I can get it right this time."
All that for one shot in a video that we filmed across 13 locations, 6 states, and 2 countries. Let me underline it: Great videos are hard work.
So why did Mueller Company believe that an internal marketing video for employees was a good investment?
They knew that inspiration is exponential.
Inspired employees are loyal, they're problem solvers, and their enthusiasm is contagious. When employees are energized by a mission they become ambassadors for the brand, and they create an environment where a product will start to "sell itself."
After watching the internal marketing video employees said things like:
"It gives everyone a great sense of pride to see where we have come from and where we are going."
"The response to the video was extremely positive this week and people are asking if they can have copies to share with friends and family."
"Everyone in our group felt a great since of pride being part of the Mueller Company. Something I have always felt during my years of service, and it’s good to see the connection affecting others."
Working on a video that has that kind of impact is always worth delaying lunch and sweating through your shirt.
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See our photo blog for more moments and people that inspired us while filming Mueller® Brand Essence:
https://pathfinder.exposure.co/mueller-company-reliable-connections
How to Make a Brand Essence Video
When developing creative for a video where do we go for inspiration? A while back we were asked to make a brand essence video. Here’s what inspired us while we were on the hunt for references:
When developing creative for a video where do we go for inspiration? A while back we were asked to make a brand essence video. Here’s what inspired us while we were on the hunt for references!
AUDI - It Couldn’t Be Done
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ad6YiHeDhzI
WHY WE LOVE IT: Audi does an amazing job showing its company history. With a fun little voice over nursery rhyme that tells the story, we see the evolution of the car company throughout the last century. It makes great use of archival footage to give an authentic feel. Even though it’s 90% archival, surprisingly, it feels fresh and current.
Siemens - Wind Project 60
WHY WE LOVE IT: Siemens chooses to highlight the people they serve and the people who work for them in this creative video. The video, filled with beautiful cinematography, has an equally beautiful transition with the video portraits of members in the community to the manufacturing staff. Using wind to re-create Strauss’ Blue Danabue is also a unique way of bridging the service and the people it serves. It has a strong sense of place and community.
Honda - The Power of Dreams Failure: The Secret to Success
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iJAq6drKKzE&feature=youtu.be
WHY WE LOVE IT: Although this is the longest video on our list, this video is definitely one of our favorites. Honda uses a visual symbol as an ongoing motif to demonstrate failure and success. This references Thomas Edison’s personal failures with inventing the lightbulb. It uses real stories from race car drivers, to engineers and designers, all sharing their failures. What’s more important, is that it clearly shows the company’s philosophy and mission to be a learning organization in practice.
Dodge - How to Change Cars Forever
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gogQLQNrDds&feature=youtu.be
WHY WE LOVE IT: Process is everything. This shows the behind the scenes process at Dodge. We are able to see how the idea became a product. With fast paced editing, fun visuals and a great VO, Dodge was created a fun video that shows the company’s innovation. There was also a lot of coffee, and what’s not to love about that?
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All these videos were used as reference for a project we produced for Mueller Co. You can check out that video HERE!