“So yeah, we tried slack. Turns out it worked”

Slack cashed in during 2020 due to the pandemic thanks to the move to remote working, however back in 2014 they absolutely killed it with their ‘So yeah, we tried slack’ marketing video. It is, in a way like a testimonial video, which made people love it even more as it appeared so down to earth. The video actually tells the story of how a production company started using Slack (in between cuts of them bigging up the product) during the process of making a video on the brand’s behalf. That’s a great example of inception right there. Members of the production team tell the backstory of why they started using Slack and why Slack approached them to make a video. They also talk about the features of Slack and how they benefit their production team. All the while images of Slack conversations are popping up around their office, combining awesome visual effects and a cool spin on a product marketing pitch. If you need some inspo we recommend you watch it on Youtube, here. 

There’s puppies? We’re sold.  

Ah puppies. How we wish every product could be sold using puppies as a marketing hook because the success rate is sky high. The Purina ‘Puppyhood’ marketing video has been viewed almost 13 million times, and its popularity even led to a series of videos telling the story of a sweet owner/puppy duo. The video tells the story of a man who comes across an adorable puppy at a store and instantly takes her home. What entails is a relatable, funny and modern tale of their relationship. The humanisation of the puppy from her owner carries the video as he asks her questions such as ‘What do you want to do later?’ and ‘If you want to change anything (in the house) just ask’. Product placement is done perfectly, subtly being introduced at different stages which never compromises the narrative. There are no special effects here to wow the audience, but this video doesn’t need it. It is carried perfectly through emotion and great scriptwriting.

It’s a good day to die hard. 

Now, this is a great example of how an influencer (or mega celebrity in this case) can really help your marketing push. Enter, Bruce Willis. Somehow, American based company Advance AutoParts managed to secure Bruce Willis for a part in their marketing campaign video. Their car battery aptly named the ‘Diehard’ was the focus point of the video and has Bruce Willis recreating some of his iconic scenes in an Advance Autoparts shop. Pretty genius. This marketing video is fairly simple, but pulled out all the stops in recreating the scenes, which really pulled on the nostalgia feelings of viewers. Of course this is only achievable with a big marketing budget. If only all of us had the money to feature big stars in our marketing campaigns. 

YOU THROW LIKE A GIRL. Thanks.

Since when did ‘You throw like a girl’ become an insult?. The ‘Like A Girl’ video campaign from Always brought this question to light. Rewriting how the phrase ‘Like a Girl’ is interpreted. 

Both children and adults alike featured in this video for emotional impact and reflected on how they’re treated and how the phrase “like a girl” is used so negatively, which we’ve all felt the sting of at some point. Playing on the negative connotations of the phrase, it actually emulates a positive, inclusive message that lives outside the product. This is what helped the video to become a success and really connected emotionally with the audience.

Throwing it back to 1999 with Internet Explorer. 

When it comes to marketing, sometimes there’s nothing more successful than connecting with your audience on a nostalgic level. Reinforcing happy, innocent memories is a powerful tool with throwback being at the core of it. Internet Explorer and Microsoft, perfectly executed this in a marketing campaign video that reintroduced themselves as an early friend of Generation Y. They were simpler times when the internet was clunky and slow, and computers were used for coding and video games. Internet Explorer was the earliest form of internet browser, we all clicked that little blue ‘E’ at some point back in the day and this campaign optimises all of our happy memories. Good work Microsoft, keep on building that empire.