10 Oct 4 KEY INSIGHTS INTO BRANDED CONTENT FROM AN ADVENTURE FILMMAKER
4 KEY INSIGHTS INTO BRANDED CONTENT FROM AN ADVENTURE FILMMAKER
(5 minutes of value)
(Roo Smith, adventure filmmaker for branded content)
A lucky Chat GPT prompt probed me to Roo’s profile. I was instantly obsessed. Ice climbing, surfing, skiing, everything outdoors. It’s not just the fact that he does it but that he is able to deliver a high quality production each time with a meaningful story.
Roo Smith is an adventure storyteller from Colorado for brands and here’s a couple cool things I learned from our conversation.
If you like what you are about to learn check out the full video:
1. It’s important to understand how a brand feels/wants to make you feel
How you want your audience to feel might not be what a brand wants. They have their own agenda and it’s up to you as a filmmaker to have these conversations with the businesses you are working with. Literally ask them, how do you want people to feel about this branded content? I guarantee you that heads will turn, trust will be built, and you have set yourself up in the perfect position to hit a home run.
After all, we don’t remember much about what was said, but how we felt. That feeling stays, and if you can accurately get that feeling across you did exactly what you were hired to do.
2. Spend a day with the company you were hired by before shooting
One day is all it takes
Understanding me
Possibilities, I look like all you need
True to my parody, one day is all it takes. Live a day in the life with the company you were hired to work for (if they let you). Understand what music the company likes, their culture, what people value, how they interact, what you want to or don’t want to show.
Prior to every podcast, I do my research on the guest I’m talking to. Most of it I forget, but I develop a feeling and foundational understanding of who they are. When we talk, things resurface and I find it easier to navigate our conversation and develop a meaningful connection.
So spend a day at the company. When it’s time to film, your subconscious will fuel your intuition and help you make the best judgements. You will have a feel for the company and will better know what to put in front of, or behind the camera.
3. Branded Content is about selling the values of your company
Content is used for marketing
Marketing is used to sell a product
Brand is to sell the values
It all comes down to money. People will pay for your product/services because they associate with you values. That’s why smart businesses invest into branded content. They want to make their values known. As a filmmaker, leverage this to get work. Seek companies that have branded content in their marketing budget and find ways to make the unaware ones aware.
4. Brands take a huge risk every time they hire a filmmaker
Brands need the right person for the job. A filmmaker is responsible for understanding the brand, its product/service, internal and external functionality and then has the task of accurately portraying it. It’s no cakewalk and brands know that. They need someone who can check all of these boxes. Regardless of how someone might seem during the vetting process, brands won’t know until the job is done. It costs tens of thousands of dollars, maybe even hundreds or million. It might not just be the financial implications if the job is done wrong, but also the image of a brand.
