We all live in a digital world bombarded by messaging and imagery. In fact, most of us carry a high quality image capture device, a mobile phone. If you think about it, in our daily lives we are inundated with home-grown social media messages, friends and family photos, as well as lots of TV ads, social media ads, Youtube posts, and so much more. Intertwined within the flood of media content are many well crafted visual messages for national and global brands.

So, does high quality video matter for a brand’s success? Honestly, that’s a tricky question. My immediate response is YES, quality video production matters. But with more thought, what matters more than quality video is the IDEA itself! The creative spark that ignites interest in a brand! The old adage that “content is king”. It’s the core idea and innovative messaging that matters.

Many would say that just as important as “quality video” is authenticity, not being FAKE or artificial! What’s interesting in higher end national spot production brands invest millions of dollars to create advertising that looks and feels genuine and authentic. What looks on the surface as a simple image of two people sipping coffee, dining or other activity actually takes a lot of skill and attention to production details to achieve. A good example is a Starbucks TV ad of young people dancing on a beach in the sunlight holding various Starbuck drinks. The images looked very authentic with sun refractions hitting the lens, the camera being hand-held and a bit shaky, and the entire scene feeling real and not contrived. Ironically, in the world of high end film and video production it takes a lot of expertise and a good eye to accomplish that look. To a viewer it looks not so different from their own organic home videos, but in reality there’s much more behind the curtains to make it happen.

All those national spots that feel so real, genuine and authentic are not left to chance. Execution of such lifestyle ads takes team work with writers, producers, art directors, directors and more. Achieving believable simplicity takes planning and great execution.

So back to the basic question: Does quality video matter? I would say YES it does. The execution of visual concepts so that they do not feel contrived or fake takes a team of talented folks to pull off!

On a local level, we have all seen the local ad with the business owner screaming at you! That’s a level of authenticity a lot of us could do without! It may be an approach to proclaim a sale but I am not so sure it builds any emotional tie or trust in a brand!

So no matter what the concept or budget, the quality of the production WILL have an impact on how a person perceives a brand or product. So many images, scenes, etc that look so simple required attention to makeup, wardrobe, art design, lighting and so much more. Scenes that do not look lit were actually lit by a gaffer, and grips. It is an art and a team sport to make the imagery look natural!

So great ideas and authenticity will never tire nor will great production values! High quality image execution for a brand does matter!

Michael Wunsch, Producer / Director

OUTPOST WORLDWIDE