Use ‘3C rule’ Marketing & Branding for Video with Brad Felt

Great to be sitting down with you! For those who've not heard of your company yet, tell us about CreativeJuices and who are you are?

BRAD FELT: CreativeJuices is a Victoria, BC Marketing and Branding company. It is a bit different than most freelancers in the city as I come from an advertising background rather than a graphic design one. While the essence of great design is always prevalent, it is ultimately about increasing brand perception, and customer conversion.

I have been fortunate to had most of my career at Copeland Communications, at one time Victoria’s largest agency, as a Junior Art Director. I worked with some fantastic peers and gained valuable experience on some large, noteworthy clients. After a few stints of working in Toronto and Vancouver, the call of home grew louder until I ended back where we started.

You list “Design + Direction” loud and clear on your site. What is the significance of Design for video marketing?
BRAD FELT: Obviously the significance of Design is big! In the world every man-made material around us has been designed by someone – someone else had that idea in his or her mind, and designed it to be so. Consciously, and sub-consciously you create an opinion based on the design, and that reflects your judgment of the company/product. So be mindful of keeping your quality high.

How does Design play as big a role as ‘Direction', in Marketing and Branding?
BRAD FELT: Direction is just another way of say assistance with strategy and market research. Design is the visual implementation of the strategy that best communicates to the targeted consumer. Design is equally as valuable as Direction; it just has be done in the right order.

In your time as a senior art director at an agency, how did you see video advertising play a powerful role?
BRAD FELT: This is a tough one to answer. With the inception of the TV PVR (personal video recorder), toss in the expense of quality ads, and reaching audiences has become a difficult task. That being said, video advertising is the complete package when coming to telling a story and evoking emotion. When done right it envelopes the viewer through dramatic music, gravely voice-overs, provoking scripts, and stunning colours and action. There is a reason that the Cannes Advertising Film Festival, or the SuperBowl ads are so popular and enjoyable to watch – they’re designed to work.

How does design play a notable role in good video advertising?
BRAD FELT: Every element should funnel back to the consistency of the brand. Lighting, camera angles, set design, wardrobe selection, hair/makeup. All these factors need be addressed and monitored to ensure that the tone and culture matches that of the brand.

What's a great example of a current campaign using outstanding design and sticking to it’s branding cues?
BRAD FELT: The one that always comes to mind the Old Spice Guy. You know the one, everybody does. [Editor: so popular – we’ve covered OldSpice several times before ] It spread like wildfire and was a phenomenon. Besides being witty and comical, it was consistent on every platform that it was on. TV spots mirrored the website, which mirrored the print ads, which matched the Social Media sites. Every detail was looked at: fonts, colours, lighting, music, messaging. The OldSpice campaign was seamless.

When passing up on a seasoned video marketing & production team, what will the do-it-yourselfer be passing up on?
BRAD FELT: A video production today has to be more than just point and shoot. A pro team has the resources for proper lighting, and the knowledge around effective production; strategy, scene cutting, editing, and sound editing. While the hardware costs are coming down and more accessible for the DIY’er, it doesn’t include the knowledge of a professional.

When strategizing their next project, what are some key tips that our small-to-medium business readers should keep in mind with regards to design?
BRAD FELT: Wow, there are lots of pointers that apply here, so I’ll stick to the most important. I would say the 3C rule is key. Consistency, Clarity, and Conciseness.

1. Consistency: Pay attention to branding and messaging, does it all work together as a family?
2. Clarity: Be clear as to who your target market really is. Trying to catch the “Men and Women, 18-65 years old” market is an impossible and expensive venture.
3. Conciseness: Don’t try to cram ALL your offerings into every material piece. Clutter = Confusion.

As an industry veteran, any predictions for the future of advertising, in general?
BRAD FELT: The advertising industry has certainly changed at a rapid pace from the Mad Men era. With budgets shrinking, and overhead costs dinging agencies, I predict more small, specialty shops are going to thrive.

What are the best ways to find you?
BRAD FELT: I can be found pretty much anywhere: my site is www.creativejuices.ca, email is bradfelt (at) creativejuices (dot) ca and phone number (250 508-1409) are the new old-school method, and still best. Otherwise I have Twitter/Facebook/LinkedIn/Google+ accounts to track me down!

Related Article: Brad Felt Opens CreativeJuices, MarketingMag.ca
Related Press-Release: Canadian ad-man fires up CreativeJuices with Big Ideas, Cisionwire.com