The COVID-19 pandemic and stay at home lifestyle has opened our eyes to how important engagement is across all channels of business. With various levels of preparedness, businesses around the world had to adapt quickly, to increase communication, make sales, and connect with partners. For companies that were able to stay the course, video was a main reason why. As a video marketing company, we have noticed how different companies are utilizing videos and different trends emerging.

As a result of the Coronavirus spreading so quickly, many companies have restricted non-essential travel while others are stuck in-decision, going so far as to decommit and then recommit to an industry event just to have organizers pull the plug. Companies spend massive marketing dollars to build out their conference presence and prep sales teams to win deals, even planning product launches around their attendance. Natural Products Expo West, The Chicago Housewares Trade Show, and SXSW are just a few of the largest events that have been canceled, forced online or postponed as of the writing of this article. With a massive ripple effect, many companies are left wondering how they will promote their products, hear from industry leaders, and fulfill their 2020 marketing and sales goals.‍

If you’ve seen the Social Dilemma, Netflix’s latest, sensational documentary, then you know that humans—and marketers—often juggle the pros and cons of our very own social dilemma. Do we create content to feed the algorithm? Or feed the soul? One drives volume, the other drives impact. Neither is inherently bad, but their results could take on very different shapes of their own. 

Do you remember those ASPCA ads from the late 2000s? You know, the tear-jerkers featuring Sarah McLachlin that made you feel like you needed to adopt a dog… or else? We’ve all experienced the advertising tropes devised to convince us to do something, buy a new product or subscribe to a service (or even adopt a puppy). ‍Some make you laugh out loud. Others tug at your heartstrings. No matter the type, there’s logic and data behind the creative that forges emotional connections between your brand and your customer, ultimately driving them to action.‍

With an unrelenting volume of noise, much of it peppered with unease, barraging your clients across various platforms, what you do with the time and attention they give to you is that much more crucial to your client relationships. Think through what you are implying within the message and weather that’s reflecting the core values of your business and intended communications. ‍If you look back at some of your most effective messaging, the kind that elicited exactly the response you were hoping for, you are likely to see that you included one or more of the following foundational attributes.

Imagine waking up one morning and logging into your E*trade account just to find out that your entire investment portfolio has been wiped out or being held at ransom. That’s a very scary thought – but is a very real, and serious threat. Financial Service Giants like JP Morgan & Chase spend roughly $600M each year with a staff of around 3,000 IT security personnel to make sure your accounts and investments stay safe.

Millions of people tuned in to watch the Super Bowl LIV… but how many people actually watched the Kansas City Chiefs beat the San Francisco 49ers? …major comeback! (Fun Fact: This Super Bowl gave Head Coach, Andy Reid his 222nd career win on 02.02.2020 … also a Palindrome Day.)

Millions of people tuned in to watch the Super Bowl LIV… but how many people actually watched the Kansas City Chiefs beat the San Francisco 49ers? …major comeback! (Fun Fact: This Super Bowl gave Head Coach, Andy Reid his 222nd career win on 02.02.2020 … also a Palindrome Day.)‍It typically plays out like this; the holidays give way to the NFL playoffs, then the playoffs build into Super Bowl weekend. As excitement builds up, we saw more and more shades of red flood retail stores, fundraising squares, watch party invites, and of course predictions of what commercial will capture America’s heart. We have a sneaking suspicion that the real game to watch has shifted from the field to the commercial breaks, or in some cases a combination of both. Early in the game the NFL set a new engagement standard when their ‘Take it to the house, kid’ commercial, turned into the live delivery of the game ball on the field. Anyone else get chills from that one?‍

Remember Game of Thrones and how they backpacked 8 whole seasons on the single tagline, “Winter is Coming?” Series finale controversy aside, if they can squeeze a tagline to the bitter, chilly end, then we can write a single blog… no matter how long it’s been since Bran the Broken seized the throne. ‍The COVID wave we’re riding has many similarities to the Tale of the Seven Kingdoms. We’ve seen kingdoms fall. We’ve also seen some rise up. But like in the Song of Ice and Fire, the worst is yet to come.

Pitch decks, slide decks, presentations… regardless of what you call them, they are the de facto delivery method for conveying big ideas. Throughout the years, our team has had a front row seat to the evolution of the pitch deck. We’ve seen the good (what works well), the bad (what confuses completely) and the ugly (delete, delete, delete!), taking note of the crucial components that add up to big results. We’ve broken these nuggets of knowledge down into a few simple secrets we hope you will steal!