How Mailchimp reinforce their brand with video: Video Marketing Examples #3

^{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.}

Mailchimp released a beautiful, whimsical animated short recently paying tribute to the spirit of entrepreneurs throughout the current challenges.

We found this really interesting, not only because of the deliberately simplistic, naive design styles used, but also through comparing what it says...

“Look at you.
All of you.
Even you.
Dreaming up your biggest ideas yet.
Designing your world.
And building it, too.
Baking.
Shaping.
And shaking it.
Sewing.
And mowing.
Coding.
And creating it.
If you're sometimes overwhelmed,
by an often overwhelming world.
Know that your ideas will flow again.
You'll pick yourself up and go again.
Who you're meant to be, you'll be.
Because you're never gonna stop,
and neither will we.”

With what it doesn’t say…

• Not a word about Mailchimp’s product, features or pricing.

And what it says without actually saying...

• Mailchimp is a brand that advocates for small businesses.

• Mailchimp is a brand that supports all manner of different niches from tattoo artists to gardeners, and cares deeply about it.

• Mailchimp is a brand with a conscience, and personality.

• You, the viewer (assuming you’re an entrepreneur) are part of something bigger than just you, and Mailchimp shares your values.

• You should really use Mailchimp to grow your business, both now and in the future.

Packaging these messages subtly, like some sort of storytelling trojan horse, results in a feelgood minute that you can 100% imagine people sharing with their entrepreneur buddies and saying: “Hey, we’ll get through this” with little to no cognition of the fact that they’re essentially amplifying ad reach for free.

It’s also just a really nice video that no doubt reflects many of the real passions felt by Mailchimp as a brand, and their team.

So, time to have a think. What does your brand stand for? What could you say in a video that’s eminently more powerful than directly explaining your products, listing your benefits or demonstrating functionality? Could you tell a story that goes deeper than that? That says a million words in 60 seconds about who you are?

Key Takeaways

Never look down on simplicity and naivety in style

This isn’t a shortcut - it takes incredible skill to execute properly and, without your audience ever consciously considering it, says powerful, powerful things about your brand, product and service.

Understand your audience’s motivations and concerns

Seriously, that’s the whole essence of this video: times are tough, but they’ll get better! What’s bothering your audience? How could you demonstrate in 60 seconds that you hear them, you understand them, you’re here to transform things for them?

Remember the resonance of story at all costs

Perhaps the most important takeaway of all. You’ve heard it time and again: story is how people make sense of the world. We’re more suspicious of advertising than ever before. We have short attention spans. Create content that bleeds story and creates an emotional response. This is what hooks people, gets them interested and encourages them to spread the word.

Has this sparked your imagination? Got an idea for a story to tell through your brand? We’d love to hear from you, drop us a reply to this email!

Feeling inspired?

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