John Mark Engle

Videos are a great way to promote your product. However, videos are subject to the same greatness and suckage as anything else on the internet.

Take for example this video:

However cheesy it may be, it has charm and is undeniably entertaining. I have no idea what slow-mo death match really is, but I do know it’s coming to F.E.A.R. 2. Also note the good production value – ignoring event the special effects(!), details such as editing and good sound quality shine here. This is a video I want to send to my friends, even if they don’t care about the message it’s trying to get across.

Now, for another video game related promo spot:

As much as I identify with Directors of Operations and Strategic Planning, I have a really hard time watching this video without cringing. Really? A suit with a monotone narrating some menu navigation? Some of the new features are ripe for story telling. Stories are always more memorable.

Then, there’s the production value. A static, eye-level view of Mr. Director (or is it just Director) intertwined with “compelling footage” of some menus. The amount of creativity, thought and effort that went into this video really shows.

There’s no way I’d send this to my friends, even if any owned a PS3.

In the end, what it comes down to is knowing your audience and knowing your medium:

Knowing your audience prevents you from giving a 5 minute lecture on your new menu system. Instead, it enables you to conduct in-depth scientific research into slow-mo death matches.

Knowing your medium keeps you from making a video that 2X too long and isn’t distributed through established, social video services. Instead, it enables you to create a hit video that can capture the interest and attention of those even outside your core audience.