The concept of an “holistic” approach to marketing campaigns is not new or even very unusual. The exception appears to be video. For some good and not so good reasons the “one off” video is the norm rather than the exception in most marketing campaigns we see.


Real Cool Productions recently completed a marketing package for Hearth Shares, a Boston non-profit organization.

Our brief was to produce digital materials for the launch of their new program that was aimed at helping to eliminate homelessness.

The project to include a complete range of deliverables.

What the Content Package Consisted of:

  • A YouTube length video
  • A TV PSA
  • A Radio PSA
  • A short form video for the website
  • A video aimed at training restaurant staff

Benefits of a complete campaign

By creating all theses materials at the same time a number of benefits emerged:

  • There is a high degree of consistency in both message and look-n-feel.
  • The overall production cost is at least 20% less than producing them individually and if cost is the #1 priority (over breadth of subject matter) it can be even greater.
  • The sheer amount of the content helps to keep the videos an appropriate length. It removes the pressure to cram everything into one main video.
  • Filming of super busy “celebrity” talent can be leveraged across several videos from one short filming session.
  • You get all the content done on time and on budget.

The principle is very easy. Once you understand the ROI for a complete campaign and why it works there’s no going back.

Reasons not to create sets

So what are the reasons for not creating “sets” of content? Why do one and then another over time?

It seems that the main reason is lack of experience in using this medium. Clients believe that by doing just one video or animation, they can hedge their bets. Something like “try one and see if you like it.”

RCP_Blog_1_Awards.jpgHearthshares PSA
 In what way is this less optimal? I could just list the opposites of the benefits list above to show why this is not such a good idea, but that would be cheating.

The main reason for this strategy not working is simply time. Meeting deadlines is the killer of modern marketing programs. Leadership confidence wanes pretty quickly. If the program is not an immediate success, then there’s always a tendency to back off from the full range of deliverables.

Very few, if any, marketing groups have experience and a deep understanding of the creation of digital content driven programs. A common mistake is to treat video as if it were print. There are similarities. A style guide works for both. There are fonts and colors in both mediums, but the similarities pretty much stop there.

Digital content development is a unique and amazingly broad medium. It takes considerable practice and an understanding of the technical limitations set against the ability to juggle budget and creation time required before you can genuinely begin to leverage the format.

Summary

There are so many benefits to creating a comprehensive digital content program that you wonder why the trend is not a positive one. Perhaps it is a function of the gradual reduction in cost of digital media that has lead to an ever widening group of new marketing professionals becoming involved for the first time.

With a significant financial advantage and increased possibilities of success, content developed in this way can be more effective, will cost less and be completed faster!

Interested in creating a holistic marketing campaign? This example is only one of the ways that we can help create programs from concept to delivery. Please request a free video assessment for more details, examples and a discussion about how to implement these techniques for your next project.