Lauren Luke: Online makeup goddess
Online videos are making more and more of an impact as they become better integrated with offline initiatives and multi-faceted campaigns. Certain brands or types of brands have an easier time translating their messaging into an effective, engaging, entertaining, and brand-affirming video. L2 chose their top 5 Luxury Branded Videos of 2011, and there are similarities that make these videos exceptional. Thinking bigger, what can any brand learn from these examples?
Fantasy
Who doesn’t want their own Vespa waiting for them in Piazza San Marco in Venice? Or to travel up MC Esher style stairs? Or to see Megan Fox in her underwear? All these videos play up consumers desires in a way that allows the consumer to be a part of something they wish they had. No one wants to see a video of a woman simply commuting to work after having sprayed Coco Mademoiselle. But if the commute is in Italy on a Vespa to the job of stripping down for a good-looking photographer, then you have a luxury fantasy worth filming! What fantasy does your brand evoke?
Aspiration
Tiffany knows its customer dreams about her perfect wedding day, looking with longing into the eyes of her one true love while wearing a $10,000 gown and a Tiffany solitaire diamond set in platinum. They know this because they have a deep understanding of their customer. Cartier understands a man’s desire to be a James Bond-esque man of mystery and they play to that in their “Mechanics of Passion” movie series.
Focusing on key audience targets to get inside their heads and deliver a message that is both on brand and aspirational — it’s what luxury brands do best. But all brands, through targeted audience focus, profiling, and segmentation, can achieve this knowledge and leverage it for meaningful content creation.
Redefine Celebrity
Natalie Portman and Megan Fox talent fees would stretch the budgets of most brands. But big name celebrities are not the only option. Redefine celebrity in your own terms and make or find your own celebrities in your space.
In the cosmetics industry, for example, many brands like Cover Girl seek celebrities like Drew Barrymore to endorse. But consider Lauren Luke, who loves makeup and loves teaching application techniques and started by posting helpful web tutorials about applying makeup. She now has her own product line. A cosmetics company just starting out or with a niche focus could have snatched her up for their own brand as she already had a following. Find these hidden gems and use them as your own Natalie Portman.
Here’s the key. Think like a luxury brand, align your video to meet your consumers’ expectations, yet focus on taking them to unexpected, fantastical places — meet their wishes. That’s how you make video content that resonates.
