Sales & Marketing

Why do you buy? Why do your customers buy?

If you think that emotion is the reason, you are half wrong. And if you think that reason is the reason, you are still only half right.

Action is the natural result of passion. To motivate action, you simply must awaken the emotions of the person. But anyone who thinks that the media can (or should) be used to manipulate people's emotions has a very low opinion of human nature.

Reasons supply the doorways to emotion. If you want an audience to open their heads and hearts to the emotion of your message, you need to ask their permission to enter by the front door. If you enlist their thought, verbalize their objections, anticipate their legitimate feelings, and honor their reticence, you will find that once their reason has been satisfied, the doorway to their emotions -- and their active response -- will open.

It takes a deft touch to balance this process. We like people, we believe in the dignity of our audiences, and we listen so carefully that we learn precisely what your audience needs to hear before their reservations are met and their heart is won. Yet we don't tell them what they want to hear. We tell them the truth, and that is what they want to hear.

Film and video (especially when delivered via high quality formats like DVD) remain the most powerful means of communication ever devised by man. What a shame that so many video producers try to seduce instead of courting their audiences. No wonder lots of discriminating executives have given up on video as a means of persuasion.

Let us try to reach your audience with a soft sell presentation. You'll be amazed at the cold, hard cash you can gain as a result.

Glencoe McGraw/Hill -
"Connect to the Real World"

How can an accounting teacher relay the realm of practical business to his students? By splitting into an alter-ego who demonstrates the creative potential of the new Glencoe curriculum! This brilliant creative piece was shot on green screen in our own studios -- and uses the immense talents of Chris Broyles.

VLM International - "Versatility with Stability"

In this second national campaign for a software and billing services client, we focused on the balance of versatility of the software platform with the stability of the client in a very fluid market. Using client testimonials and high-energy still photos, this piece sells via both the web and CD-ROM videos. Ben Franklin became the iconic image that symbolizes this balance.

URS - "Airports"

URS is one of the 5 largest architects/engineers in the United States, and one of the coups in recent years has been the design of the Guangzhou airport in China, which they won after an international competition offered to the top airport designers in the world. Having done several sales and marketing presentations for URS, we were asked to produce a marketing video that featured their VP in charge of the Airport practice and their head designer discussing their philosophy and the reasons for different solutions they have presented to clients. An inexpensive production, but with high energy imparted by excellent interviews and aggressive editing of the stills the client made available to us. Augmented by an hour's worth of shooting at the Port Columbus International airport, which URS also designed.

The Medallion Club - "Inspiration..."

What makes a golf course valuable? 54 distinct holes, plus the beauty of its setting and the amenities of its clubhouse. Our film helped this residential community find its footing and establish its brand in a town that offered lots of private clubs that compete with our client. We interviewed Clark Kellogg, Cabot Rea, and other native notables who had chosen Medallion for the quality package that it offered.

Arshot Investment - "Colts' Neck"

How can you sell premium home sites in a development that doesn't yet exist? Capture the essence of what the equestrian community will be in Lexington, Kentucky, and then describe the diversity of architectural styles and large lot sizes in the language and style of Henry David Thoreau. This exceptional script won a Bronze Award in the International Columbus Film Festival.

Glencoe McGraw/Hill -
"Buen Viaje!"

Imagine a Spanish teacher's nightmare: her students encounter scary situations in Spain, in which their only response is to recite lists of colors or vegetables in Spanish! That's the premise that opens the door to selling a curriculum that really does teach useful communication skills. Shot on film and video, this creative tape is one of many exceptional tools we have delivered to the largest secondary-school textbook publisher in the world.

Frank Gates - "Higher Ground"

What's the best way to dramatize the marked professionalism and honest decision-making skill of a Workers' Comp firm? Select a metaphor for quality and integrity: "Higher Ground". The flagship video which we created for the Frank Gates interactive sales presentation won a national Silver Telly award.

Drumstick - "Frosty Paws"

How do you bring food brokers to their feet, cheering your surprise new product? Tell them, in the best traditions of Jaws, "The Dogs of America want to EAT OUR ICE CREAM!" Using live dogs, a zany interloper and a clever presentation script to prime the audience for this hilarious film, we literally had the audience on their feet ... and prompted the brokers to go out and generate national sales and shelf space without any additional advertising!