It's difficult to reach people authentically without an emotional connection. How can brands bring their customer into their story and create this connection? Make them the hero.

Video transcript:

Doubling Down on Brand Values

Most companies are built from the passionate belief that something can be made or done better. That passion eventually becomes the core values of the brand. If you are a company whose passionate belief is that great products are made from bold, innovative thinking, then your brand values include words like courage and audacity. Many companies are sidestepping the coercive style of advertising by promising a more authentic engagement with audiences with web-based content that doubles down on brand values.

Case Studies - Reflecting Brand Values

Cadillac has reinvented their brand in recent years while creating stories about customers who “Dare Greatly,” focusing on creatives and tech entrepreneurs who are taking bold steps in their own careers. http://www.daregreatly.com/

This video about artist Bryan Blue begins with text on screen that reads, “To accomplish something new, you have to dare to pursue it.” The video is about him leaving a career in football to pursue life as an artist. We see him in his studio working alone, then traveling to meet with his mentor, Stephen Kenn, who is a furniture designer. What they have in common is a creative drive. What Stephen imparts to Bryan is how building a team can help him grow creatively. In the end Bryan remarks, “It’s always about making the idea bigger than you.” This statement illustrates Cadillac’s intention in making these videos, that the values they embrace are more than about cars, but daring to pursue something that makes you uncomfortable.

This video series we created for Sagamore Rye whiskey used the stories of their customers as inspiration for cocktails made by a featured bartender. The customers in this case were influential musicians and entrepreneurs who reflected Sagamore’s brand values of authenticity and a sense of adventure.

That the customers were themselves influencers with a strong social following added credibility to the campaign and aligned the spirit of the brand with individuals who aspire to forge their own paths in life.

We can be heroes

Shifting to the dynamic, authentic voice of customers is a bold move, and doing so sends a clear message that the lifeblood of the company lives in the people who believe in you enough to buy from you. You’re telling the world that your customers are your heroes.

How to make them care

By focusing on the customer’s story, we see the brand woven into the context of the human journey, complete with adversity and triumphs. That story is the brand’s story.

We are Shine Creative, a video production company with a mission to connect brands to audiences authentically through emotionally driven video. If you'd like to work with us, please email us hello@shinecreative.tv