Category : Web Video
Non broadcast orientated Video advertisement not broadcast on television or cinema. Examples include Online and Viral videos. Single or Series.
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The Saskatchewan Institute of Applied Science and Technology (SIAST) is widely known in Saskatchewan for being a leader in trades training but not as well known for other programming. Results from the institute’s 2012 Market Awareness Survey indicated that awareness of the breadth of SIAST programming is low. When asked about the programming that SIAST offers, 79% of respondents indicated trades and 44% nursing. In actuality, less than 25% of the business SIAST does is in the area of trades training. Less than 25% of the respondents were aware of the other named areas of programming.
The goal of the SIAST video was to increase the awareness of the breadth of SIAST programming across the province of Saskatchewan. This goal supports the organizational goal to advance SIAST’s positioning and branding as identified in SIAST’s Operating and Capital Plan. The marketing objective identified to determine success was to generate 5,000 YouTube views within six months, and we achieved that.
As part of the video creative it was important to showcase the hands-on learning approach at SIAST and to feature students, faculty and staff in their program environment. As many of the 150 programs offered at SIAST as possible would be included in the video as well as other campus life footage, including Aboriginal. To support the visual message of the video, the tag line “150 programs. 1 that’s right for you.” was used. This tag line is featured in other marketing and recruitment materials for SIAST, and very quickly identifies to the target audience the main goal of the video. The video was shot over a period of five days and included footage from all four campus cities. We had a 30 second version recut for additional advertising opportunities such as the theatre advertising we purchased at Cineplex Odeon theatres throughout the province.
SSTC wanted to create an online video in 2013 with hopes that in 2014, it would be repurposed into a cross-platform advertising campaign. We approached this task with high-level, platform thinking. Having worked with SSTC in the past we were at an advantage in knowing what had been done previously, and what options had yet to be explored. After some brainstorming and vetting we landed on “Dawn of the Tread”. It points to the seriousness of tire recycling in a way that is entertaining to consumers.
Although, the full campaign is set to launch in Summer of 2014, the video was created and shared online in Fall 2013 to start to garner attention, building up to the full release of the campaign.
While the overarching goal was to inform, we also wanted this video to have emotional appeal. After touring the brewery we were inspired by the story of the Original 16 founding members. We thought that juxtaposing the passion and grit of the founding brewers with the typical sports metaphors would be interesting and help not only tell the story of this beer, but also build pride in the brewery. The voice over was written in the style of a pre-game locker room pep talk given by a coach. Using a series of common sports metaphors, we tell the story of how this very special limited edition beer was created, brewed, packaged and delivered to customers. The writing was crafted in such a way that each metaphor speaks both to the determination of the brewery as well as the determination of a sports team. The spot was well received and garnered much positive social media feedback, leading to a 30 second version being cut and played on the MaxTron during Grey Cup.
THE BRIEF: Use web video to extend the reach of the broadcast spot which had the production budget under $10,000.
THE DELIVERY: The web videos were developed to extend the reach of the initial TV spot. We used basic props and wrote simple alternate endings to allow us to make 3 unique web videos. These videos would be released throughout the campaign to maintain the freshness of the message.