Think Bigger

If you set out to create a video for your brand with the intentions of reaching viewers just down the street, you aren’t thinking big enough. Over 500 million hours of video are being watched EVERY DAY on YouTube. This is telling us that video is one of the most popular methods of communication and advertising today. It doesn’t matter if you are located in a tiny town that only has one gas station and a population of 102 people, you have the ability to reach someone on the other side of the world.

A great example of this is the YouTube Ad leader for 2017. Samsung India’s long form ad, now has over 150 million views on youtube. 150 million! Their approach to storytelling combined with the sound design kept me watching the spot even though I didn’t speak the language (of course subtitles help). It takes creativity to keep the viewer engaged with such little to go on. We know that the Samsung employee has a service call to make, but we don’t know WHY it is important. The emotional soundtrack paired with the clever shots of the journey, kept me engaged. In fact, I didn’t realize it was 4 minutes long until I had watched it the third time. It can be said that 70% of what we see is really what we hear. Without the right sound design, this spot may never have had the same impact. You just need to watch (listen) for yourself, because if this story doesn’t convey how sound can trigger your emotions, I don’t know what does.

Three Truths About Video

This commercial’s popularity proves to us three things, first that the length of your piece doesn’t matter. If done well, a video will hold your viewer’s attention. Second, that film is an international language. It doesn’t matter if you understand the dialogue perfectly, but that with the right visuals and emotional cues, the viewer will be engaged. And finally, this ad shows us that the traditional boundaries of broadcast advertising no longer exist. This commercial produced for Samsung India, can have a resonating effect in any country. It has 150 million views across the world. The WORLD. This proves that your audience reach is much greater than you probably think. With the right content and messaging, you can reach anyone, anywhere.

P.S. Sorry for any frogs in the throat caused from watching this video. I may or may not have have needed a tissue after watching.

-Roni