I love it when low budget video production does well online. It is proof of the potential democracy of the Internet and it means the little guy does stand a chance against the big brands. I am going to share with you some of my favourite low budget video successes – prepare to be inspired.
1. Orabrush – Bye Bye Bad Dog Breath – Orapup.com
This video tells the story of how Orabrush began to market their main product. A student supported Dr Bob to make a YouTube video that cost ‘a couple of hundred dollars’.
The Orabrush is a great product to engage audience participation and make product demonstration interesting and not cheesy. Videos like this one are low cost. Think about making the most out of events that are already happening to create original video content.
2. Official Ojai Taxidermy TV Commercial
This commercial was created by YouTubers Rhett and Link – they are one of the most successful video making partnerships on YouTube. In 2010 it was reported that they were probably earning more than $100,000 each year from external sponsorship. They have worked with brands such as Alka Seltzer, MacDonald’s and Cadillac.
Their Ojai Taxdermy commercial has had long-sustained popularity and millions of views. It is definitely low budget but the humour is what makes it.
3 . Embrace Life – always wear your seatbelt
This UK road safety advert was awarded the Gold World Medal at the New York Festival of International Advertising Awards. Competition in this category included Starbucks and Nike.
The strength of this advert is in it’s simplicity. The musical score carries the narrative and the slow motion effect gives the story time to resonate with a universal audience. At 47k it isn’t the lowest budget advert but it certainly a lot less expensive than the average cost of a TV advert, which can go into the millions.
4. Blendtec – will it blend? Justin Bieber
Blendtec took a very low-budget idea and turned it into a formula for repeatable success. Their series of videos involves another random object being blended in one of their powerful blenders. This one involves blending some Justin Bieber paraphernalia. It is easy to see how this smoothie making company can widen their audience base in virtue of what they decide to blend next!
Think product demonstration with a twist and you could be on your way to creating a very original, low budget video production.
5. OK GO – music video
A band is essentially a small business working hard to get known by the masses. Ok Go borrowed some treadmills from a treadmill company to create this fantastic video. It is simple, entertaining and can’t have cost them much at all.
6. Eagleman
For good measure, I thought it would be nice to share one of the worst low-budget corporate videos/commercials ever made. Eagleman was made in 1993 and featured on the David Letterman Show and was considered by many as the worst commercial ever made.