Nike can be counted upon to present compelling messages, particularly via video and TV. In one of their commercials, narrated by professional soccer player Megan Rapinoe, “You Can’t Stop Us,” athletes are juxtaposed from a variety of sports in creative split-screen actions that present a message of diversity and unity by converging different competitive moments into harmonized motions.
For those in the video production world, this uniquely features video editing, which is the least visible of the three most fundamental components of video storytelling:
- Writing
- Directing
- Editing
Generally speaking, editing is not supposed to call attention to itself. It’s the inconspicuous power in the background, like the electricity that runs through a building. It enables what you see, but editing, like electricity, is intended to be unseen itself.
That’s thrown out the window in the above video. The editing is front and center as the conspicuous storytelling element, energizing the message in a way that invokes attention while inspiring the viewer.
Like so much big-brand advertising, this is not selling a specific product or service. Its job is to associate in our mind positive feelings about the sponsor and by that, not only stir our imagination but hopefully inspire us to consider their brand in our future purchase decisions. The fact that big brands spend so much each year on this strategy is a testament to its efficacy.
And to underscore the obvious: people like stories.
Nevertheless, for businesses that don’t spend multiple millions of dollars year after year to continually burnish their image, Nike’s example is still instructive. Can you present your products or services in a way that presents positive feelings among your potential buyers? Sometimes, any added cost can be negligible, or there’s no additional cost at all. For instance, when pertinent, viewer impact can be lifted by the simplicity of adding a little humor or even some quirky relation to the viewer.
More to the point: your business can benefit from the integration of storytelling.
Avid hiker, bicyclist, motorcyclist and long-time advertising pro. Founder of Skyworks Marketing, Nonprofit Fire and Our Ventura TV (cable TV). One career highlight was working on a small team that built a business from nothing to over $100 Million in 3 years. Skyworks Marketing provides lead generation and video advertising services. We create custom marketing funnels that provide the highest-quality leads and sales.