Fossum Creative Blog

Where Do You Find Inspiration?

The inspiration for creativity comes in different forms for different people. For me, it comes in the form of music and movies. For years, I tried to figure out why this was the case. It was a giant revelation when I realized that it was the way music and movies made me feel. One song could change my entire mood for the better. Or if I desired, for the worse. (Sometimes you just need to go there.) Movies have the same power. And while I watch fewer than I used to and most of them aren't that good, the ones that hit me stay with me forever. 

One of my favorite songwriters is a gentleman by the name of Brian Fallon. He is the frontman of The Gaslight Anthem, as well as his side-project The Horrible Crowes. His music and lyrics moves me in ways I can't explain and inspires me to become a better writer myself.

The Horrible Crowes' album 'Elsie' was my soundtrack for the second half of 2011 and contains more soul-shattering lyrics than I know what to do with. If you get a chance, you need to check it out. 

To get to my point though, it's always interesting to see who inspires the people who inspire you. And it's even more interesting to hear why this is the case. Often times, they say it better than you ever could. Which is why I so thoroughly enjoyed this article about Brian's influences - not just for who those influences are, but for the way he describes them.

A few of the highlights really speak to the creative process:

"I love songs or movies or books that, if somebody asked you what the movie was about, you’d be like, 'I don’t know man, but it feels like this…' That’s what I care about – the emotion coming through and that kind of sentiment." 

"When you listen to a song and you’re influenced by it, what that really means is you’re trying to steal the essence, or at least, that’s how it is for me and some of my friends. You try and take what you can and make it your own. When it’s movies, there isn’t something specific that you can steal. It’s a feeling you have to re-create in a different way that relates to your life."

You can read the entire article here and when you're done, do yourself a favor and go listen to "Elsie" by the Horrible Crowes, just about anything by Gaslight Anthem, or whatever it is that inspires you to do your best creative work.

Then see what happens.

Fossum Creative LIVE: "Storytelling in the Digital Age"

Last month I had the pleasure of presenting a talk at Kelly O'Neil's IGNITE event in downtown San Jose, CA. Here are some of the highlight topics I covered:

Storytelling in the Digital Age: How to share your authentic voice through words and video

• Why being yourself can dramatically shorten the sales cycle

• The many secrets to creating an emotional connection with a single click

•  Why you don't really want everyone to know, like, and trust you

• The 8 elements of powerful social video

• How to write a script without ever picking up a pen

• How a single video can increase your prices overnight

Hope you take a moment to watch the replay below. Lots of good nuggets in there!

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5iGcq192XII&feature=related

 

 

Check Out Our Latest Videos!

 

We have spent the past few weeks moving web hosts from the unreliable and outdated iPower to InMotion Hosting. And while we were at it, we made a few tweaks to the long-neglected website. This includes new additions to the video gallery. So head on over there now and check out some of our best video work from the past year. We're quite proud and hope you enjoy it all as well!

http://www.fossumcreative.com/gallery.html

Is a Return Policy the Best Policy?

A colleague and I were recently discussing the return policy of his parents' executive office chair business. His folks were concerned that if they were too liberal with their policy, they would wind up losing money every time somebody returned a chair. I suspected the opposite would be true, and suggested that they extend their return policy to 30, 60, or even 90 days. 

The rationale? 

The chairs in question are very high-end and cost in excess of $2,000 each. A large portion of their sales come directly from their web site, which means they're asking customers to spend a hefty chunk of change on something they probably can't experience first. Strong copy and sexy imagery can help whet their appetite. But they can only go so far.   

Having a strong return policy diminishes the perceived risk for buyers who are on the fence. They get to order the chair, try it out, and if they don't want it, they know then and there that they can return it for a full refund. 

Some will. But most of them won't. So the company may take a hit on logistics costs associated with the returns, but they will more than make up for them with the additional sales they earn because of the return policy.  

This point was driven home even further in the May 2009 issue of the American Marketing Association's Journal of Marketing (Vol. 73, No. 3). In their article "Are Product Returns a Necessary Evil? The Antecedents and Consequences of Product Returns", authors J. Andrew Peterson and V. Kumar reveal that "customers who return a moderate amount of products tend to purchase the largest amount of products in the future."

They go on to point out that if customers feel good about a retailer's return policy, they will feel less risk when making a purchase and will exhibit stronger brand loyalty in the future. And let's not overlook the fact that many in-store product returns are accompanied by additional purchases during the same visit that may not have otherwise occurred. 

So instead of viewing customer returns as a necessary evil that costs money, the wise retailers should position their return policies as an opportunity to minimize anxiety in their customers, create additional sales, and enhance their relationship and loyalty over the long-term.  

How does your return policy factor into your marketing plan? 

Want to read more about this? You can find the original article abstract at http://tinyurl.com/d96c6d.

This Ad May Be Brilliantly Funny — But Will It Work?

Audi just posted this on Facebook and it made me bust a gut. I mean I literally LOL'ed at the end of it. Which is what they wanted me to do. 

My initial reaction afterwards was to post it on the Fossum Creative Facebook Page and rave about how brilliant it was and why it worked so well. But then I started to read some of the comments, and they snapped me back to reality.

Check out the video first:

    

Most of the comments came from Audi owners — of which I am one — who weren't too happy with it. Sure it was funny, but what does it have to do with the brand? And how does it make people want to buy an Audi?

Do the prisoners represent Audi owners? If so, what does that say about us?

Is Kenny G the new face of Audi? If so, what does that say about the brand? (With all due props to the man for poking a ton of fun at himself and even dropping the f-bomb quite successfully.)

Audi is a really cool brand. But stylish cool. Classy cool. Elite (in a good way) cool. Even grown-up cool (it happens to the best of us). 

But it is not ironic cool. We don't drive our Audis ironically. And there is nothing ironic about the brand. It isn't what we pay for. 

Toyota can pull off irony in their advertising with the the Sienna Family and their Swagger Wagon because they are appealing to families and playing off of the stigma that comes with minivans. And because they are going after a different audience with different needs.

The Kenny G spot is apparently a preview of something bigger; some new ad that will blow our minds this Super Bowl Sunday. But while it made me laugh, in hindsight, it didn't make me feel proud of my Audi affiliation. And if the feedback on Facebook is any indication, I'm not alone in this. 

It's a funny concept. Great execution. Wrong brand entirely.

What do you think about it? Leave your comments below and let us know!

Watch Our Words Come to Life for Cisco Systems

Cisco Systems recently hired Fossum Creative to write a series of videos for its new Cisco Videoscape service, which they announced earlier this month.

Working together with the clever minds at Lux Design up in San Francisco, we fleshed out a bunch of crazy ideas that never saw the light of day. One of them involved a giraffe.

But it was all part of the creative process that led us to the final versions you see here: a series of kinetic text promos that highlight the key competitive advantages of Cisco Videoscape over other similar services. 

We've never seen our words come to life like this before! Hope you'll take a moment to enjoy. 

Cisco Videoscape: Access More Content

 

 

Cisco Videoscape: Enjoy Higher Video Quality

 

 

Cisco Videoscape: Enjoy Higher Video Quality

 

 

Cisco Videoscape: Increase Your Mobility

 

 

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Cory Fossum is the Principal and Creative Director of Fossum Creative, a Silicon Valley marketing communications and social video agency. For cool video tips, powerful marketing strategies and a healthy dose of geekiness, join us on Facebook at www.fossumcreative.com/facebook. 

(c) 2011 Cory Fossum. All rights reserved. You are welcome to use this article on your blog, website, or newsletter as long as you include the entire bio above.

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Has "Storytelling" Become Another Lame Buzzword?

About a year ago, I made a video for Fossum Creative where I discussed the power of storytelling as it relates to marketing your products and services. To peel back the curtain for you, it was all part of a long rant I went on for my videographer where I discussed what was on my mind at that moment. 

When I took the footage into the editing room (which doubles as my office - gotta love the MacBook Pro), I pieced the interview together into what I think is a compelling little piece about the impact you can have on people by telling just the right story. I thought it was a pretty original approach. And I still feel this way. That hasn't changed.

Here's What Has Changed

But you know how when you're shopping for a car and you suddenly notice every single car on the street? Or when you're in the market for a new computer and you suddenly pay more attention to what that random girl in the coffee shop is using? Or when Apple releases a new iPhone and suddenly everyone seems to have it but you? (OK, maybe I'm projecting a little.)

As soon as I released the storytelling video and started to play up the storyteller angle, it became apparent to me that I was not alone. There were other storytellers out there. Everywhere.

Suddenly, everyone that had anything to do with marketing was a storyteller. At some point when I wasn't looking, "the story" had become the term de-jour of the marketing world. And now that I was looking, it seemed that everyone had become a storyteller.

Kinda Good. Kinda Not So Much.

Of course, the part of me that's still convinced I came up with the expression "I'm Audi 5000" was a little bummed by the discovery. But the marketer in me was thrilled. The role of storytelling in marketing was getting the attention it deserved. And not a moment too soon.

In this new world of social media, businesses need to use storytelling to capture the imaginations of their customers. To bring them into the experience. To engage with them and make them feel more connected to the company. 

For intuitive-feelers like myself, it feels like the rest of the world is finally catching up with the way we think. My worldview of connecting through emotion is finally becoming accepted by the marketing community. People are constantly looking for new ways to incorporate storytelling into their marketing message.

The industry as a whole is realizing what many of us had known all along: consumers respond positively to empathy and shared experiences. Because before they are consumers or executives or salespeople or prospects or customers, they are people. And barring those with sociopathic tendencies, people just like it better when they are treated like individuals. 

But Here's the Rub

But there is a problem in all of this storytelling business. The term itself is running the risk of overexposure. It is on the brink of jargon status and I fear that it will soon need to be placed on a shelf next to other buzzwords. I worry that the title is about to become a marketing cliche. Which would not bode well for a lot of us in this field.

It's one thing for marketers to call themselves storytellers, but what does this really mean? What role does storytelling really play in the sale of goods and services? And how is this different from what we've been doing all along? Is it just a new title for business as usual?

Once we have a handle on what it actually means to be storytellers in the marketing world, maybe we can put the practice to better use. And help to ensure that storytelling doesn't become just another lame buzzword.

So how do you define storytelling in terms of your marketing? And what companies do you think are doing it really well? Please leave a comment below and tell us what you think!

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Cory Fossum is the Principal and Creative Director of Fossum Creative, a Silicon Valley marketing communications and social video agency. For cool video tips, powerful marketing strategies and a healthy dose of geekiness, join us on Facebook at www.fossumcreative.com/facebook. 

(c) 2011 Cory Fossum. All rights reserved. You are welcome to use this article on your blog, website, or newsletter as long as you include the entire bio above.

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What is your Emotional Takeaway?

  

As marketers, we often spend a lot of time focused on the end game of our advertisements. What is the call to action? What do you want people to do? What is the big takeaway? But in the process, we tend to overlook a critical element: how do we want people to feel?

Feelings. Emotions. A lot of people don't like to discuss them. And that's fine in your personal life, if that's how you roll. But this is a critical component in marketing—especially marketing with video. People react largely based on feelings. When you put them head to head, emotional reactions will trump logic and reasoning every time.

Which is why it's just as important to determine from the outset what the emotional takeaway of your video will be. How do you want people to feel when your video is over? Should they be hopeful and inspired? Are you trying to make them laugh? Do you want them to feel nostalgic and introspective? Or are you trying to startle them into facing a harsh reality?

The visceral experience of video is what makes the medium so powerful. In just a few short moments, a video can literally change a person's mood and leave a significant impression on them. However, you want to make sure that the mood they leave with is the one you want them to leave with. 

Establishing the desired emotional takeaway up front will help you determine the style of shooting, graphics, editing, and audio you end up using throughout the project. Once you know the direction these elements are taking, writing the script and creating your video will be a much more efficient—and effective—process.

Video Series Part 1: The Way We All Connect

We had an incredible video shoot last week for a client. It was a series of interviews for a personal documentary and they were all filmed against a white backdrop. When the shoot was over, I took the opportunity to have lighting and sound expert Tim Rosenberg interview me while cinematographer Conner Quinto filmed it all. 

As tends to be the case when I get in front of the camera, we had no idea how it would turn out, or even what I was going to say. But after conducting five interviews in one afternoon, it was neat to have Tim turn the tables on me and guide me through some questions about Fossum Creative and my thoughts on social video. 

In the course of about 12 minutes (the maximum clip time on the Canon 5D and 7D we shoot with), I provided enough material to frankenedit my thoughts into six separate social video spots.

And instead of covering all of the edits up with b-roll as we did with the Thoughts on Storytelling video, I left the cuts as they were for two reasons: first, I thought it looked cool and worked stylistically with the video; and also, I wanted to provide you with a glimpse of how we piece these videos together from longer interviews to create the seemingly scripted and single coherent thought.

The editing process takes a lot longer than it does when you use a script (though writing a script would balance out any time savings), but the result is much more natural and spontaneous. Thus the impression of transparency and authenticity with the viewers—and we all know how important those attributes are in the social media world. 

So I hope you enjoy this first video in the new ad series. The others will be posted in the days to follow and each will touch upon a different aspect of social video and the power of visual storytelling. Please share your comments below. And if you really like it, be sure to share it with your friends on Facebook and Twitter.

 

P.S. I look forward to the day when Facebook and YouTube let you upload your own thumbnail image. 

 

How the Ritz-Carlton Gained a Customer for Life

I was originally going to write about how much I can't stand Raley's new "It's a mom's world" campaign. And I will. But I don't feel like being negative today. So instead, I just wanted to share another real world example of Companies That Do It Right. Today's example should come as no surprise—it's the Ritz-Carlton, after all. 

Yesterday was my son's 7th birthday. We spent it up at Northstar in Tahoe because we were up there for a wedding over the weekend. On Saturday morning, we decided to have breakfast at the new Ritz-Carlton hotel at the top of the mountain. My girlfriend has wanted to check it out for the longest time and it was a perfect day to sit outside and let our two boys enjoy the sun.

As boys their age tend to do, they charmed the socks off of the staff there. And they had a great time in the process. The buffet was delicious and the service was exceptional. I mean, even for the Ritz-Carlton, it was exceptional. I think my son liked it even more than I did, because he insisted on going back the next morning for his birthday brunch. We tried to persuade him towards a... well, less Ritz-Carlton breakfast in Truckee, but he was persistent. And it was his birthday, so my hands were tied.

When we returned, they recognized us right away and the hostess's face lit up. I told her it was my son's 7th birthday and he chose to spend it back at the Ritz. It was like you could see little elves scurrying in the back when they heard the news. They were about to cook up an amazing experience. I just had no idea how amazing it would be.

It started with a small cheese pizza as an appetizer while we waited for our foot. On the house. Not just any cheese pizza. But one of the yummiest you've ever had. Nothing could make two exceptionally hungry boys any happier.

When our food arrived, it was accompanied by two specially-made cranberry virgin cocktail drinks with cherries on top of the straws. Birthday drinks for the boys. The bartender had made them especially for them. On the house.

I don't need to go into detail about the meal itself. Five-star all the way. I want to eat brunch there every day. But our server, Wayne, kept referring to the boys by name and even put together that my girlfriend and I have different last names and used them accordingly. (The boys had explained the whole who-belongs-to-who situation the day before. Let's hear it for the honesty of children.) He had been our server the day before and we commented that he looked just like the animated Anakin Skywalker. We knew that because my son is a huge Star Wars fan.

So the next surprise probably shouldn't have surprised me. But it did. The entire restaurant staff came out to the patio where we were eating and presented my son with a delicious chocolate dessert with his name written right on the plate. But they didn't sing Happy Birthday. Instead, they placed on the table an iPhone that was playing the Star Wars theme as loud as it could. We hadn't mentioned his fanaticism since the day before. But they remembered. 

And if that wasn't enough, one of the servers placed a Ritz-Carlton bag on the table and said that if it wasn't the right size, he could exchange it downstairs. My son opened the bag and found a card signed by the entire restaurant staff. He also found his very own Ritz-Carlton t-shirt and an adorable Ritz-Carlton baseball cap. He put them on right away and they both fit perfectly. And within minutes, his shirt even had two little chocolate stains on it. At the very bottom of the bag was a huge bag of Gummi Bears. 

I was overwhelmed with gratitude. The whole staff had made my son feel like a complete VIP on his very special birthday. The supervisor came to the table and as my girlfriend and I were thanking her profusely, she explained how important it is at the Ritz-Carlton to create customers for life. They made no secret about it—they hoped my son would love his experience there so much that he would keep coming back for the rest of his life. It wasn't enough to just give us good food and good service. They wanted to create an experience for us that we would never forget. And they did.

In these economically uncertain times, it's easy to balk at the excess of places like the Ritz-Carlton. I'm just as guilty of it as the next guy (something my girlfriend will gladly attest to). But the truth is, you get what you pay for. No matter where you go. And in these same times, there is something to be said for being treated like you matter and that your business is appreciated.

And while I want to believe that they went above and beyond for my son, I'm also aware that this is also part of the way companies like the Ritz-Carlton choose to do business. They are in it for the customer. And they are continually trying to make new ones. No matter how old they are.

And if the joy my son took in recounting his birthday brunch is any indication, they succeeded.