Do you have a formula when writing video scripts?

For me, the scripting and concept stages are the most important elements of creating an effective video asset. Information gathering and distilling down the multiple copy points and "must-have" features of a product is time consuming but a vital component of any internet commercial whether it's a short 30 second brand message or a three minute technical deep-dive.

When it comes to drafting the script there are three things I keep in mind:
1- What are the pain points? i.e what are the issues that this product is helping to solve.
2- What's the current perception of the product in the market-place and how do we want to change that?  Or, if it's a new product, what's the most compelling reason for people to buy or want to find our more information about the product?
3-Who's the audience?

Armed with the answers to these questions gives a solid foundation to begin to build the creative execution and script flow.

Do you have any "formulas" or best practices when kicking-off a project?

Who's rifling through your corporate data?

Here's a radical idea: let's leave fifty cell phones in random locations in five North American cities and see what happens. And, just to make sure we know exactly what's going on, let's monitor every finger-track, app access and data breach that the finders attempt to make on the phones. Oh, and by the way, let's make sure that those phones are populated with not just private data, but also "fake" corporate data that's irresistible to curious minds.

That was the game-plan behind Symantec's Project Honeystick, an innovative experiment to uncover what happens when you lose your cell phone and it's picked up by a stranger. Watch the video for the startling results that will make you think twice about how you protect your company's confidential data on mobile devices.

The initiative took place in late 2011, with the results published a few months later.  Rather than just relying on a series of predictable power point slides to talk about the project, Symantec TV was commissioned to produce the video for a keynote speech at Mobilecon 2012.

The video was written and conceived by Symantec TV, working closely with our client to ensure the correct messaging.  We shot over two days in New York, San Francisco and LA, using local crews shooting on DSLR's.

This video is a great example of how creating a multi-media asset can help communicate your message,  as well as position your company as producer of commercial-quality vide.  Of course, the video then has legs across multiple media platforms to maximize the investment.

I'm a big fan of using video for these kind of projects. It elevates the perception of your company and provides your viewers with a compelling reason to watch and take in your message. And, with a title as tantalizing as Honeystick, we're hoping to attract a few more viewers to the pot.

Symantec Data Center Down.  
Drama, action and data centers. 

Just a week before the intrepid Felix Baumgartner set the world skydiving record, falling 24 miles from space, we at Symantec set our own free-fall record when we launched a fully functioning data center off the top of a downtown San Jose office building in the heart California's Silicon Valley. The goal? To show, in the most dramatic way possible, the effectiveness of Symantec's Disaster Recovery products.

Cutting through the clutter is key when we develop our marketing videos, and this all begins in the conceptual stages when we develop out the message and the most effective way to communicate that to our audience. We worked for a several months on this idea, planning the shoot, scouting the perfect location and making sure once it was completed we had an powerful promotional campaign behind  it. This included an exclusive behind the scenes video on the making of "data center down" to keep the momentum going.

For me, this is a prime example of how high-tech companies can leverage dramatic video content to gain awareness for their products. What could have been just another dry communication about disaster recovery became a compelling narrative that captures the attention and keeps you watching.

Welcome to b2bvideobuzz

Welcome.

My name is Dylan H. Jones. I'm the Creative Director for the Digital Marketing Department at Symantec Corp.

Here at Symantec TV we produce, create and broadcast over 100 separate and unique video elements every quarter, from live broadcasts to event videos, product launches to product demos. Today, many other high-tech companies are finding that video content is now the most effective and efficient medium to communicate their message across the web.

I started this blog because I'm passionate about marketing, especially the creation and promotion of digital video assets to connect with consumers, whether it's a small to medium business or a large global enterprise. At the end of the day we create videos to either build awareness for a brand or product or to increase sales; if it doesn't achieve at least one of these goals, then you have a wasted asset which probably cost a lot of time and money to produce.

The goal of this blog is to share some of my experiences and expertise from the 15 years of experience I've had across multiple verticals, including Broadcast TV, retail, place-based media, print radio and digital advertising. I'll share some of the work we do at Symantec for our internal customers as well as link to any interesting 2b2 video content I find as I scan the web for content that inspires me.

Enjoy the blog and please check back often for updates. I will also be adding new blogs to Twitter and Linkedin.