{"id":2407,"date":"2016-02-01T01:20:14","date_gmt":"2016-02-01T01:20:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/anne.myupcomingsite.com\/?p=2407"},"modified":"2019-07-10T02:23:40","modified_gmt":"2019-07-10T02:23:40","slug":"video-as-story","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/anne.myupcomingsite.com\/?p=2407","title":{"rendered":"Video as Story"},"content":{"rendered":"

Mountain View Group Shares Best Practices in
\nDigital & Video Communications\u00a0 <\/em><\/strong><\/h2>\n
\"Mountain<\/a>
(L to R) Thom Gonyeau and Stephen Pruitt, principals with Atlanta creative agency Mountain View Group.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Mountain View Group<\/a>, an award-winning Atlanta-based creative communications agency founded in 1981 by a documentary filmmaker, wowed professional communicators on Jan. 26\u00a0with their insights on the power of video storytelling.<\/p>\n

\u201cStory is ultimately about affecting change \u2013 it could be change in what someone knows\u2026it could be change in what someone believes\u2026and it could be change in what one does,\u201d Thom Gonyeau, Mountain View Group\u2019s principal and founder told the Atlanta chapter of the International Association of Business Communicato<\/a>rs (IABC) during the organization\u2019s first meeting of 2016.\u00a0 \u201cStory is the means, and change is the end.\u201d<\/p>\n

Gonyeau, a creative storyteller for over 20 years, was joined by principal Stephen Pruitt, as they shared the keys to engaging people\u2019s hearts and minds in today\u2019s video age.<\/p>\n

Noting that \u201ca very high value is placed on video content,\u201d Gonyeau cited a statistic from B2B Marketer<\/em> that over 80% of B2B marketers now rely on video content in their annual communication plans, posting video via corporate websites, YouTube, video blogs and even six-second Vines. \u00a0ChiefMarketer.org, reports an even higher percentage of video usage at around 96%.\u00a0 \u201cIn the B2C space, you are talking about 100%,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n

Gonyeau called the \u201choly grail\u2019 of video storytelling is when companies take a long-term approach to their video strategy rather than doing one-off videos.<\/p>\n

\u201cOne thing we\u2019ve learned is that no one really needs a video. What you need is a solution to a business problem,\u201d said Pruitt, explaining that is how his firm always starts conversations with new clients. \u201cIf you start to think that way about your video content or any creative content, you start to think more strategically about your message and what you need that content to do for you.\u201d<\/p>\n

Pruitt explained that video isn\u2019t always the best communication tool if one needs to present a lot of detailed information. But it\u2019s a great medium to excite, engage and emotionally connect with people. \u201cVideo can stir the imagination \u2013 it\u2019s a great vehicle to showcase people, places\u2026it\u2019s also a great way to motivate people to want to learn more,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

One thing is clear, Mountain View Group knows its stuff.\u00a0 Pruitt said the team tackles an average of 150 projects a year, from corporate videos, animation and commercials to graphic design, communications strategy planning to social media. Last year at the IABC Atlanta\u2019s annual Golden Flame Awards, the Inman Park creative firm won eight Golden Flames for their work.<\/p>\n

Gonyeau said there are three ideal times for a video story: \u00a0at the birth of a new company, when a company is going through major change, and when it is facing real challenges. In the case of change, video can \u201cbring some certainty to the chaos.\u201d During times of challenge there\u2019s \u201can incredible opportunity to use story in an authentic and purposeful way to get your message out there,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Mountain View\u2019s team of 15 full-time creatives takes a process-driven approach to helping their clients strategically think about their video project. They start with the \u201cCreative Brief\u201d \u2013 a consensus-building tool that enables client and agency to jointly define the project deliverables and the purpose and objectives, including audience and key messages.<\/p>\n

Gonyeau considers the purpose and objectives \u201cthe real meat\u201d of the brief.\u00a0 It\u2019s where he asks clients, \u201cWhy this?\u201d \u201cWhy now?\u201d \u201cWhat\u2019s changed?\u201d\u00a0 It\u2019s also when the agency helps the clients define the creative challenge of \u201cWhat do you want the audience to think, feel and do?\u201d<\/p>\n

From the Project Brief, Mountain View\u2019s team defines their client\u2019s story. A storytelling worksheet helps the process along \u2013 it embraces the classic three-act screenplay structure, including the concept of a hero.<\/p>\n

An important detail is distribution of the video, leveraging a company\u2019s internal and external social media, video and PR channels. \u201cToo many people leave this as an afterthought,\u201d\u00a0 \u00a0said Pruitt. \u00a0\u201cWhen\u00a0 you tell stories with video, you are making an investment and you want to make sure you are getting the most out of that investment. Creating a multi-channel distribution plan is the way to do that.\u201d<\/p>\n

He advised, \u201cLook at what the core communication channels are to reach the target audience, whether it\u2019s internal, external, corporate marketing, PR, social media. You can figure out which ones to take the most advantage of and which ones you didn\u2019t think of to get this message out. Then, once you have the distribution plan mapped out, promote it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mountain View\u2019s principals then shared examples of their agency\u2019s video work from clients such as Coca-Cola, Raytheon and GE. \u00a0Check out videos showcasing:<\/p>\n