2 minute read
Recently, we had the exciting challenge of helping Paula’s Choice Skincare create an “about us” video. They’re a successful web-only retail company out of Seattle, WA that sells their own skincare products and they don’t have a conventional bricks and mortar store. So from a video and marketing perspective, it was a visual dilemma to help explain the essence of Paula’s Choice to a first time audience.
Here’s what we did. If you go to the testimonial section of their website and Facebook page, they already have extremely loyal customers who LOVE their products. Many of these customers passionately, publicly share their appreciation about the Paula’s Choice experience.
Initially we had to convince Paula’s Choice that together, we can find a few people who have a genuinely great story and who can articulate that story well. Plus the crew at NXNW will be able to help tell that story so it resonates with potential customers. We worked together to “audition” a number of great authentic customers. Since the customers were not local, I recorded a Skype conversation with each of them. That worked well to get an initial feeling for how they look and sound on video. From there, we picked our testimonials.
Second, we all agreed to make these videos about each person. It’s not directly about the company, but rather about why each person chose the products and why they stay loyal. So during the shoot and edit, we carefully focused on creating a genuine story. We didn’t put words in their mouth and we didn’t ask them to do anything that felt forced. We also found a few simple, real hobbies for each of them so we had some nice b-roll footage to go with their interview. That part created a fun experience for each person and their friends/families.
Of course we wanted to tell three genuine stories, but we also wanted to help viewers understand some “key themes” about Paula’s Choice. In that regard, it truly was a soft sell. We all agreed that discussing or showing specific products would detract from the genuine stories. During editing, we worked closely with Paula’s Choice to be sure we got the emotional story AND the message correct.
In the end, we created one video about all three people. Then, we edited that into three shorter videos that tells each person’s story in more detail. It’s been very successful so far. Our client had this to say, “We’re so happy with the results. The videos are authentic and truly communicate the values of the company and the difference our products have made in the lives of our customers. Thank you for capturing that so beautifully!”
For more informative and entertaining articles about the strange and wonderful world of video, subscribe to our blog below. Fun fact: North by Northwest Boise is celebrating its 22nd year, and over 10,000 videos! It feels good, and we’re accepting all birthday cards, gifts, and cake at our physical location.
About the Author
Steve Simkins directs and produces videos at North By Northwest, A Digital Studio. He has been working as a visual storyteller since high school, in the late 1980s. Today he specializes in helping businesses tell their story through the magic of video. Steve believes that there is a great, genuine, compelling story literally behind every nook and cranny. He really wants to know your story too. Just ask.
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