Long after an experience is over, details are blurred and facts are forgotten but the one thing that remains is the way it made you feel.
‘I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.’ Maya Angelou
The same is absolutely true of your marketing messages. Your audience may forget figures and facts but what they’ll remember is how your brand made them feel.
People connect with people, not with numbers. We’re repelled by abstract details. The best brands tell the best stories and make a heart connection.
Take, for example, the promo video created by UK’s Channel 4 to promote their coverage of the 2016 Paralympics. The video showcases a number of talented athletes, musicians and everyday superhumans who are all living with a disability. The result is an inspirational story of empowerment and motivation. I have watched it with my kids over 100 times and every time, we’re in awe! I literally cry every. single. time. What’s even more extraordinary about this video is that it’s a brazen 3 minutes long.
In the age of ‘snackable’ content (ie content that can be consumed very quickly, before the attention span of the viewer is spent), 3 minutes is a long time to hold anyone’s attention. But this video succeeds! Someone once asked me what’s the optimal length for a promo video? I replied ‘it needs to be as long as the content is good.’ Some ads should only be 5 seconds long. This one is worth every second of its glorious 3 minutes.