Chipotle does it again

A while back in this space, we took a look at how one "fast food" establishment was building its brand with short animated films. Here is the latest effort from Chipotle:



Next, we're told the company will launch a video game. Appealing to a younger audience has always been a staple of fast food marketing, with Happy Meals from McDonald's arguably setting the standard. But we live in a different world today, one where table computers, smart phones and socially-connected video game consoles have replaced the gaily colored drive-thru bag our kids used to scream for from the back seat.

Say what you want about the company's product and its suitability or superiority to its competitors', but it's video-based marketing is excellent!

The 3-minute Niche Marketing Video

YouTube.com did a lot to blast us out of our decades-old paradigm of 30- and 60-second video commercial spot announcements. This is what you were buying if you were using video in your business in the 70s, 80, and 90s. During the early years of this century, there was a lot of debate about the proper length for a YouTube video.

Today, we have  6-second Vine videos on Twitter all the way up to made-for-the-Web feature films, but the sweet spot for online video viewers seems to be between 2 and 5 minutes, depending upon how engaged the viewer is. Even the most engaged web viewers have a hard time sitting still for more than 5 minutes.

So, it should come as no surprise that we're seeing more 3-minute videos deployed online to appeal to niche markets. One of the best I've seen yet is from Palm Harbor, Fla.-based Nationwide Title Clearing.

The company runs a complicated business that's completely in the industry's back room, making it difficult to explain to prospects who don't really care about the details the company handles for them. This video is an excellent way to show what the company does and why a prospect should trust them with their business.

 

One element I love to see in these videos is current customer testimonials. Those stories go a long way toward proving worth in the mind of the new prospect.

Once a company has a video like this, they can deploy it on their websites, put it up on their social networking sites and even put it in their LinkedIn profile. In the near future, at least in our industry, they'll have another place to put it.

Keep your eyes on the new Mortgage News Network. They'll be bringing video news to the industry soon and will also provide a great place to host your marketing videos. Check them out on the web at www.mortgagenewsnetwork.com.

Telling stories in unconventional ways

Increasingly, short films are carrying our marketing messages. Have you begun to explore this medium?




More brand managers are realizing that their product offerings can become stars, with a little bit of help from a filmmaker. This opens up companies to some very interesting opportunities.