Urge to Explore
Exploiting the urge to explore by showing sit-at-home net surfers what’s out there in the wilderness is good for them and good for selling goods. Video can do this effortlessly. It takes the viewer to places they can imagine themselves; climbing cliffs in Nevada, scaling the Alps or trail running Helvellyn
Product video doesn’t have to be literal demonstration. Dress it with aspiration, show off the products in that setting and plant the seed. Associating an outdoor brand with adventure in the wilds is a well-trod path in video terms; the idea is so strong Salomon has its own up-to-date, high quality content TV playlist on You Tube.
But as in all things execution is everything
If the video is to link brand to adventure and demonstrate product, then a narrative within film will help keep it on message like this one from Berghaus; not just a montage of beautifully shot pictures but a story that remains memorable.
The signature video or brand video resonates with viewers. Read the comments on You Tube on the North Face Explorer video. With over a hundred thousand hits, and comments like “F*** this commercial gives me a lust for life” (thanks Cindy G), linking an outdoor brand with the beauty of the outdoors and the gravitas of an explorer like Buzz Aldrin using video is a smart way to make a brand resonate.