Over the past several decades, brands have recognized the power of art, storytelling & brand narrative in the curation, attainment, and retention of their clients and employees. The field of art, be it through pictorial mediums, video form, musical arrangements, or the written word was one that was previously thought to be quite separate from that of the corporate setting of profits.
However, as art slowly became a more accessible and more important element in marketing and advertisement, companies began to recognize the true value of implementing a vein of artistic, emotional, and abstract notion into their advertisements. This not only served to create a clearer recognition of the brand, but also allowed brands and companies (from FMCGs to The Big 4 auditing firms) to establish a more productive, loyal, and prioritized connection with their clients and their employees as well.
One of the most memorable implementations of product into art is Andy Warhol’s Campbell Soup depictions. That piece of art allowed Campbell’s Soup to become a household name in countries that it was not even sold. In a way, inserting Campbell’s Soup cans into an artistic context, as a way of visual storytelling, established the brand as a cultural icon. This was not even promoted. It was merely an artist’s portrayal of an All-American product.
"You need to let the little things that would ordinarily bore you suddenly thrill you." – Andy Warhol.
That quote from Warhol truly sums up why visual storytelling allows products to suddenly shine. This stems from taking an ordinary product or service and presenting it in the most thrilling way possible. This requires creativity, technical prowess, and a vision for the very subtle elements that make the product or service truly stand out. The trick is to tell the story in a way that is very clearly and emotionally communicated to the audience.
What distinguishes the insertion of art and visual storytelling into the marketing model of a business is the fact that it stimulates a response. It allows the target audience to be drawn to a brand not merely based on its prices or other tangible factors. Through inserting another dimension of competition, brands can compete on the ‘feelings’ that they stimulate in their clients. This creates a form of client retention that lowered prices and other promotional gimmicks do not offer. The audience begins to identify with the brand on a higher level, one that is highly impactful on the perceptions which drive consumer attitudes. Therein lies the power of visual storytelling.
Across the region, there seems to be a very interesting new trend that is changing the way brand stories are told. Companies ranging from banks to fizzy drinks are investing more and more money and energy into developing their brand stories rather than merely setting a marketing budget for promotional ads on a billboard or via Instagram. Through telling a brand story, these companies are recognizing the value of content marketing and witnessing a great return on investment. The storytelling experience can be as simple as a set of curated images, describing the brand.
Below are some statistics that reaffirm the importance of the visual storytelling content creation process in today’s world –
Tweets with visuals received 150% more retweets than non-visual tweets (Buffer)
87.5% of marketers use visuals on at least half the content they produce (Venngage)
32% of marketers agree that visual storytelling is the most important form of content (Hubspot)
The most important media form used in content marketing is video (Hubspot)
Visual storytelling allows the audience to retain 65% of the information they’re exposed to (Hubspot)
Video proves to be the most effective content because it serves as a multi-sensory medium. Viewers see it and hear it. Moreover, video is not static, thus it holds peoples’ attention as they are scrolling in the endless void of digital media platforms. Thus, video is storytelling’s favorite medium.
However, it is essential to remember across the entire process of video content creation that having the right message, the right story and the right talents to tell the story are the key features to creating memorable brand narratives – not merely creating interactive animations or putting moving images together.
"I am all for conversations, but you need to have a message." – Renee Blodgett
The message and vision of a company are attainable through working with the right media production partners to develop your visual storytelling content. This content, preferably in video form, must reflect your company’s values, abilities, and development. It should make your audience relate to you, aim to be a partner with you, and most importantly, feel something towards the brand. Conversions do not happen through static posts, witty captions, and/or direct marketing. Conversions happen with the progress of a story.
We, at Cinemagic, have witnessed how impactful it is for a brand to tell its story visually. They tell their stories through us in the most collaborative, personalized, and customer-centric manner. We have created vivid and moving video content for clients including NBK, Ooredoo, Boubyan Bank and more. And witnessed how the brands' audiences reacted to the story elements of a company instead of perceiving them as cold corporations that exist to sell.
We genuinely understand the power of a story told via video. That is what has driven our brand, our team, and our accomplishments for the past 18 years. As the scope of our operations wears a digital cape, we are redefining the way brand stories are told, viewed, perceived, and communicated to your clients.
We will be your brand's partners in this journey of art, advertisement, and video content that truly means something! Contact us today to help you tell a better story.
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