The Essence Video Explained
It's no secret that all the work we produce at Absolute adheres to our over-arching working principle, 'Start with Why'. This is never more poignant than when we create a brand essence video. An essence video is a 1-2 minute snapshot into the ideology of a brand, showcasing who they are and why they do what they do. We've recently completed one for Sika and so this feels like a good opportunity to explain the process involved.
Unearthing the essence
Every company and every brand is set up for a reason. Often the bigger the company gets, the deeper this original 'reason' gets buried under red tape, financial targets and market projections. Nevertheless, this reason still exists and we make it our mission to unearth it. With Sika Liquid Plastics, that reason was to create a waterproof barrier between their clients and Mother Nature. A barrier that would allow schools to keep educating, businesses to keep doing business and hospitals to keep saving lives, without having to worry about all the problems and expense involved in a having a leaking roof. Our 'Start with Why' methodology led us to the conclusion that Sika Liquid Plastics' essence video should focus on how they keep Mother Nature outdoors so that people can get on with their lives indoors.
Scripting the message
The beauty of boiling a brand down to its core essence is that what you are left with is one clear, single-minded message. For our script writers, this is the perfect place to begin. Our goal is to create the greatest amount of emotional impact using the fewest words possible. The first 15 seconds of the Sika video contains nothing but sound effects on top of the visuals. No music, no voiceover, just the weather. Then, without any fuss or ceremony, the VO begins by simply stating, "Rain. We know a thing or two about it" and our message builds from there.
Creating the video
Our production process, much like everything else we do, is based around simplicity. Our production team are all multi-skilled and infinitely talented so a four person team can be much more efficient and cost effective than a 20 person crew. The nature of filming in a corporate environment also suits a smaller team. Whilst a little disruption is inevitable, it is rarely possible to shut down a whole operation whilst filming. A small team can get the footage needed whilst being courteous to the day-to-day running of a business.
We like to involve the whole company and its employees wherever possible in a shoot of this nature. Who better to give a clear and honest demonstration of how a company works than the people that do it day-to-day. With Sika Liquid Plastics, the staff were all too happy to be involved and were all proud to showcase their passion. Under the careful guidance of the Absolute crew, the Sika team modelled and acted their way through three days of shooting and gave us everything we needed to paint a picture of why and how they do what they do.
Spreading the message
Once the final video has been edited and approved it can be used as a short, impactful marketing tool across a multitude of channels. Sika Liquid Plastics regularly exhibit at trade shows and have a large and active sales team across the UK and Europe. The video Absolute have created forms part of their arsenal of sales tool and is used as an engaging introduction to every meeting and presentation.
"In order to make a successful essence video, you firstly need someone who understands your business, that is exactly what we got from Absolute. From the brief we provided, we were given exciting concepts, none more so than the one we selected. Absolute set out the vision of how it would look, then worked closely with us, managing the process through to completion, making that initial concept a reality. For me though, the most impressive thing was that the team at Absolute always benchmark our company values throughout the production process. We are over the moon with the final product." – Pete Manning, Marketing Manager – Roofing, Sika