4 ways to convey a brand’s soul through video

Video shows us what a brand stands for. Not what it sells. 

Now more than ever, people demand authenticity. They want to know what a brand truly stands for, not just what a brand sells. They want to see the heart and soul of a brand. And this is particularly true for healthcare brands, where compassion and care are core to their existence. 

To bring a brand to life authentically requires a multidimensional approach. That’s why we encourage our clients to invest in video storytelling. Video is not only one of the most engaging forms of media, it also allows us to tap into real and shared human experiences. It can build compassion and deepen understanding. Simply put by one of our creative directors, Rob O’Brien, “If it’s done properly, a video can be a window into the soul of a brand.” 

But shining a light on the heart and soul of a brand is a challenging balancing act. When video is done well, you can feel the integrity and genuine passion behind a brand. Done poorly, videos can feel stiff, cheesy, or even worse, disingenuous. Yet brands are often up against challenges that make it hard to be authentic and strike heart strings. A brand’s complexity, legal or privacy regulations, or logistical problems can all hinder a video story from being properly told. 

Our many years of experience in healthcare and video creation have taught us ways to overcome these and other challenges. While every video’s journey from concept to creation can vary, we abide by four main principles to produce stories that are authentic, engaging, and soulful. 

4 principles for video storytelling:

1. Elevate authentic voices. As the world strives for greater inclusivity, giving people the opportunity to tell their own stories is more important than ever. Featuring relatable people with stories that resonate on an emotional level can leave a lasting impression. Healthcare marketing can especially benefit when we find ways to let patients and physicians own their stories. 

For one project, we collaborated with the CarolinaEast Health System to show how Philips serves them. Rather than hiring actors who read from scripts on manufactured sets, our team went on location to showcase the real people at CarolinaEast. According to one of our cofounders, Lisa Reid, that decision was made because “there’s something rich and relatable about seeing people in their environment, walking their hallways, interacting with their colleagues, and seeing what they’re going through on a daily basis.”

Similarly, Philips Informed Perspectives video series spotlights IT leaders in healthcare. We shot the Informed Perspectives series during the pandemic, and the easier option was to do a series of phone interviews, write scripts, and hire actors on a set. Instead, the videos were shot on location, with real people inside hospitals and even the homes of the healthcare leaders across four continents. We believe in the power of our shared humanity, and we know that elevating authentic voices is worth it, despite logistical challenges.

2. Build trust in the storytelling process. According to Lisa, “No matter how strategically sound or creatively compelling a story might be, we’re not going to be able to bring it to life if we don’t establish trust and rapport with the very people that we’re featuring.” If people feel nervous or mistrustful, they often freeze on camera, or they speak too formally or incoherently. That can all come across as disingenuous or disjointed, and video bares all, for better and worse. Building trust, both on set and virtually, is a top priority when it comes to creating video stories. For us, that trust starts with respect for people—patients, healthcare teams, and the many others our clients serve.

Rob, a creative director on the Informed Perspective series, said the project offered a one-off chance to profile the people behind the technology during a period of constant change. “It’s important to shine a light on what [IT leaders] are doing in healthcare right now,” he says. “Working with the Philips brand and our production partners, we wanted to champion what they do.” Chief information officers and other leaders carved out valuable time to talk to us during the pandemic. Our deep respect and appreciation for their role earned their trust and allowed us to make the most of that time. 

At CarolinaEast, our subjects needed support to feel at ease in front of the camera. Lisa, who was on set, recalls, “It was really important to me that each of the people we interviewed felt as comfortable as possible, so they could tell their stories and make a real impact on the video.” Lisa encouraged each person to speak simply to her, human-to-human rather than human-to-camera. Just off camera, she at times even held their hands and rooted them on, as they settled in to share their stories. Going above and beyond to build trust with clients and partners will always lead to more authentic relationships and better results.

3. Allow space for unscripted moments. Tight schedules and feeling pressured to get the job done can sometimes impede the creative process. But being open and flexible during a shoot can allow unscripted moments to happen. And often, those moments help shape a story into something more relatable, authentic, and surprising.

For a video series featuring patients with Alzheimer’s disease and their caregivers, our team was filming at a patient’s house when the completely unexpected happened. Police surrounded the house and banged on the door, shouting, “hands up.” They had the wrong house, thankfully, but the commotion caused the two people we were filming to share a deep laugh together. Luckily, our videographer caught that beautiful and tender moment on film. When you allow space to go off script, you allow space for surprise, truth, and deeper connections to emerge. 

4. Keep digging until you find the heart of your story. If your subject matter is  clinically or technically complex or if it feels too dry or too specific, it might seem like video isn’t the best choice. But there are ways to make the complex compelling and the mundane interesting with video storytelling. 

We look for the human story in everything, even the most technologically complex. When we interviewed healthcare IT leaders, we could have built the story around a technical angle, like interoperability or cybersecurity. Instead, we saw a common thread in their stories: a group of people who care deeply about the communities of clinicians and patients they serve. Though these IT leaders work behind the scenes, we showed how their work impacts millions of patients. This added dramatic appeal and humanized the complex subject matter.

Universal truths can be found everywhere. For example, we created videos for a hospital in a semi-rural setting in North Carolina. Though they are a small- to mid-sized facility, they faced some of the same big challenges that much of healthcare does: not enough capacity, disconnected care settings, and inefficient coordination between care teams. We centered the story on what is universal: the desire for connection, of all kinds. How this health system connects to its community; how care teams connect with their patients; how our clients’ technology complements those connections; and how forging connections can make the world a healthier and brighter place.

Videos are not  just a flashy medium to snag an audience’s ever-decreasing attention. When done well, they allow brand’s to connect with their audience in ways that are true to their soul, authentic, natural, and powerful.

Sources

Graphic 1: “Video vs. Images: Which Drives More Engagement in Facebook Ads." Databox.
Graphic 2: “Video Marketing Statistics 2021." Wyzowl.
Graphic 3: “The Digital Journey to Wellness." Google.