When one real estate firm employee’s daily grind became too saturated with routine, he decided to take matters into his own hands.What did he do to snap out of his routine? He strapped a GoPro camera to his body and recorded his mundane workplace activities for an entire day. He then edited the footage into a fast-paced series of boring-turned-awesome tasks. The result is an attention-grabbing, one-and-a-half minute commercial with an impressive 1.7 million YouTube views in its first two days.
GoPro, a high-definition camcorder manufacturer, promotes its products as the world’s most versatile cameras and sets out to demonstrate this through live action videos shot by athletes in extreme sports arenas. Luckily for GoPro, the up-close-and-personal footage angle caught on, and soon everyone, athletes and non-athletes alike, wanted to invest in the technology to turn their lives and memories into exciting, miniature movies. GoPro had started a trend.
The Public Effect
The office drone’s day-in-the-life video demonstrates that even the most banal real estate firm job can become worthy of capturing—and watching—with the right approach. After posting his video, which features rapid time-lapse shots of his hands folding papers, clicking pens, dialing a phone, and filling out spreadsheets, all to the upbeat sounds of OVERWERK’s song Daybreak, the Reddit community raged with intrigue. The post had a 95% upvote rating and over 1,900 comments on its thread, many of which came from those who found the content relatable since they led similarly monotonous lives. Users listed their favorite moments (“I was really hoping he’d miss the trashcan when he threw the paper ball”) and made jokes with each other about memos and cover pages. Significantly, one short video ignited conversations and buzz that lasted a lot longer than one-and-a-half minutes.
It’s precisely this very human element that makes GoPro videos a hit with audiences…and thus very excellent marketing tools. The company’s slogan is “This is your life. Be a hero”. On some level, it appeals to just about every consumer’s dreams, thoughts, and self-confidence. What GoPro has done brilliantly is sell experiences, not cameras. The GoPro YouTube channel connects users with an authentic, emotional experience, which is the same sentiment the real estate office drone captured in his video. In a time when everyone feels pressure to post important life events, colorful images, and compelling text on social media, a video that encompasses all of these in one automatically strikes a chord with viewers. Plus, it takes it to the next level, inspiring audiences to get involved in their own unique ways.
GoPro and Hiring
Companies can employ engaging, reality-based video marketing tactics to promote their corporate brand and recruit top industry talent. GoPro-style footage from the user’s perspective specifically works well in accomplishing this. Its urgency and transparency helps build meaningful relationships with potential employees. Candidates feel they are in the driver’s seat, experiencing company culture on a first hand basis without the need to actually be immersed in live office activities. Simply put, video can help convey what text and image cannot.
GoPro and Consumers
From a consumer standpoint, businesses can utilize a similar approach to better communicate with and appeal to customers. Employee and client testimonials, product demonstrations, and an in-depth look at industry secrets can help develop connections between buyers and sellers instantaneously.
What GoPro has already accomplished through video marketing, however, is an automatic association between its products and entertaining content. Consumers have no idea which smartphone initiated the selfie craze, but they know heat-of-the-moment video footage from the user’s perspective originated with GoPro. AdWeek hailed GoPro as one of the “most impressive gadget/social media marketing combinations” ever seen. This is mainly due to the brand’s ability to not only reach out to consumers, but to also actively integrate user-generated content into its marketing strategy. GoPro takes compelling user footage and posts it on social media sites. Videos end with the GoPro logo and a call-to-action to subscribe. This creates an instant connection and a lasting impression. Again, it’s this closeness and relatability that GoPro has dug its heels into to connect in meaningful ways with consumers.
GoPro consistently produces engaging content of high quality and shelf-life that relates directly to its loyal customer base. It doesn’t shy away from life’s most extreme (or dull-turned-extreme) moments. In fact, it finds and embraces the wild side of almost every scenario. Marketers should take a page out of the GoPro playbook and consider incorporating consumers directly into product promotion. Strap a camera to their foreheads and see where the day takes them!
Has your company used GoPro or other video in its marketing efforts? Let us know in the comments below.
Read more: How The GoPro Marketing Strategy Defines Content Marketing