New Product Demo Videos for FIVE STAR
Background
Many brands are challenged with building an online shopping experience that resonates with their target audiences. As FIVE STAR continued to move into the digital retail space, there was a need for rich, scroll-stopping media to help bring shoppers forward in their purchase decisions.
GOAL: Develop fresh new product demonstration videos that communicate the features and key differentiators of our top products in a disruptive way.
MY ROLE: Lead project from start to finish.
First Steps and Considerations
FIVE STAR’s key brand pillars are durability, innovation, and organization. We wanted to make sure these attributes were baked in to the creative look and feel of our new videos. How do we showcase durability, innovation, and organization in ways that are relevant and intuitive to viewers?
Based on prior consumer research, we heard directly from students that failing school supplies are a major source of stress in their academic lives. However, FIVE STAR products are built to resist the wear and tear of the school year, eliminating this frustration that students experience with other school supply brands.
Consistent innovative thinking is crucial to inform quality product development that addresses consumer pain points. These pain points include supplies falling apart, bulkiness, lack of storage space, lack of personalization, etc.
Staying organized is something both students and their parents call out as a major challenge throughout the school year, however, the key features of FIVE STAR products create organizational solutions.
Pre-Production Research
We knew our audience, but what was there still to learn specifically about how they shop online? Our team of Brand and Product Managers participated in brainstorming sessions to identify pain points specific to online shopping, including:
Impossible to touch and feel the product without purchasing
Absence of relevant information or having to dig for the information needed
Too much information that is not easy to digest
Un-interesting, boring content
To address these with the new videos, we set the following guardrails:
Incorporate rotating 360⁰ shots so viewers get the full picture of the product and use extreme close-ups when appropriate to show product texture
Each frame should be quick and hard-hitting, while allowing enough time for viewers to absorb the information provided in text callouts
Content should be engaging, using movement, punchy music, brand-appropriate graphics, and bold color
Production
Once creative direction was finalized, FIVE STAR enlisted the help of a video production agency to bring these videos to life. Filming took place over a 4-day period.
Once filming was complete, we worked with the agency to fine-tune the footage, adjust graphic elements and timing, and ensure that the sequencing and flow of each video told an easy-to-follow story about the product.
Where We Were and Where We Are Now
Looking back at FIVE STAR’s original product demo videos, these are drastically different from our new and improved videos. The UX of the new videos is enhanced to meet the expectations and needs of the target audience in a digital space.
They are youthful and energetic vs bland and boring
They feature the human element to create a connection with the human audience but in a subtle way that does not distract from the product
Each action sequence feels natural and is filmed to clearly show the features and benefits with close-up and 360⁰ shots
Copy callouts are brief and to the point so viewers do not have to read too much and can focus on the demonstrated action
Background colors and tableaus are bright and bold, while music is upbeat and quick
On average, the new videos are 45 seconds shorter than the originals, making the new versions more digestible for viewers
THEN
NOW
Conclusion
The new product demo videos were received with excitement both internally and in the market. These have been incorporated into numerous marketing efforts and have been viewed thousands of times on YouTube. The creative direction taken has given FIVE STAR a fresh new look and feel that allows our audience to connect with our products and our brand digitally.
The video above of the FIVE STAR Carry All Zipper Binder is my favorite. It’s amazing how something as commonplace as a school binder can come to life online and work as a tool to minimize student stress on their path to academic success.