1 SaaS explainer video: 25m views, $48m in revenue & 10m+ account signups…Video Marketing Examples #13

^{Obligatory disclaimer: This isn't an ad or sponsored content. We simply wanted to share this analysis with you as a great, recent example of video marketing.}

We’re raiding the archives for this week’s Video Marketing Examples, shooting way back in time to 2010.

Back then, a fledgling tech startup called Dropbox was desperately trying to sign up beta users- primarily through paid ads. 

The results were pretty terrible. 

They were reportedly spending between $233 and $388 to acquire a new customer for their product (which, by the way, only cost $99.)

Company founder Drew Houston had already made a fairly basic screen recorded demo video, which convinced him of the value of video as an educational tool…

...and he now decided he needed something super simple that explained what Dropbox was.

 And so, they created what became known as Dropbox’s ‘MVP’ video. It’s pretty legendary in explainer video circles and many of the traits which made it so successful are things that still work in the genre today.

Here it is:

The impact was immediate. CEO Drew Houston later said, “[The video] drove hundreds of thousands of people to the website. Our beta waiting list went from 5000 people to 75000 people literally overnight. It totally blew us away.”

Now, yes: visually, the video is showing its age. The design looks tired and jaded and the rough, choppy whiteboard-style animation wouldn’t cut the mustard these days.

But there’s a lot to like too - mainly in the script. Qualities we recommend to our clients all the time. Stuff like:

• Short and simple - The video knows its place in the customer journey and doesn’t forget it. The ‘goal’ of the piece is to educate the viewer about what Dropbox is, and why it’s valuable. It appreciates that there’s a limited window of attention and keeps the message under 2 minutes. 

• The right language - Given the time constraints - and the viewers’ position in the journey - there’s no need to include complicated details about file infrastructure etc. It’s about the end user experience as, for now, that’s all the viewer needs to know.

• Empathy & character - The video seeks to focus on an actual user and the difference the product makes to his life. This is such an effective way to show value: introduce a character, with the problem your audience faces, talk about their goals and challenges, then show how your product helps them overcome and achieve.

• Point of difference - This sort of offbeat marketing is commonplace now but, when you consider what most giant tech companies looked and felt like in 2010, you can appreciate just how different this is, and how crucial a role the video played in establishing Dropbox as something ‘different’ to the established status quo.

• Front and centre - One of the things that isn’t immediately apparent from just watching the video - but played a key part in its success - is that the video was positioned front-and-centre of an incredibly minimalistic front page. The below screenshot shows you what literally happened when you logged onto Dropbox.com circa 2011. We wouldn’t recommend an approach quite this blunt in 2021, but the idea of putting an explainer video front-and-centre of your website, easily accessible, surrounded by supporting copy and imagery, remains a powerful strategy.

We all know what happened next: Dropbox grew to become an industry titan. The company was valued at over $8.8 billion in 2020. 

And it all started with an explainer video!

Interested in getting your own video?

Do YOU have a piece of pillar, entry-level content? A video that helps your audience understand in seconds what you do and why they need to be interested in it?

We’re storytelling experts who can bring your brand, product or service to life with a beautiful, memorable animated explainer video.