In the normal YouTube Tuesday format, I choose three product or service videos and give each a quick marketing critique. This week is no different except the videos aren’t for real products — they’re all made by students in Stanford’s class on creativity and inovation. And they all promote hypothetical products the students invented to solve problems they uncovered. The full set of videos are here and here. I’ve selected three below for the usual format.
I learned about these videos via Tina Seelig’s Facebook wall. Thanks.
1. The Riding Hood
This is a great product video — not to mention a great product idea. The problem is clearly stated, the solutions are clearly presented. And it’s fun to watch. Clever name too.
2. My Hair
I love this. I need this. Way before smartphones, and before I standardized on getting a “#3 buzzcut”, I used to take photos of my favorite haircut in to the hairdresser. This is a solid video that does a good job explaining what the product is and why it’s valuable. BTW, lots of these videos used simple prototypes (like this one using paper to simulate the screen) and they’re effective. It’d be tough to get away with that (not impossible, but tough) in a video for a real company, but it’s a great way to put something together fast and know if you’re on the right track.
3. Microcut
This student has an amazing touch with video. Look how much story the video conveys with simple construction paper. And as soon as the music slows down you know the date’s gone bad! But… and a big but.. what’s a microcut? Like with several other videos (sometimes the most artful ones in terms of videography like this one), it’s really hard (actually imposible) to know what the product is. That’s key to a successful product or service video. Lot’s of professionally produced product videos for actual companies forget this too. And they’re not nearly as fun to watch.
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