The location used for the backdrop of a video can have a huge impact on the look, mood, feel, tone, and style of a film. It can make or break a story. Get the location wrong, and the messaging can...
You’ve worked with a strategic creative agency to create a fantastic new video. You’re ready to publish it across your platforms, and you can’t wait to share it with the world. After bringing an idea...
Big Button celebrates its 20th anniversary this year, and while we’ve been working internationally since our very first large-scale project (Motorola at CeBit in Hanover, 2004), it’s only in the last...
Is video the most effective form of content marketing?As a strategic video agency, it could certainly be argued that Big Button might be a little biased on this subject 😉 We’ve been preaching about...
M-I-C, K-E-Y, M-O-U-S-E. Animation is memorable, isn’t it. There is something about the form that makes a quick and lasting impact, which is rather useful in the world of marketing and communications.
At Big Button finance is one of the key verticals that we serve. We choose to specialise in the sector because we’re passionate about the opportunities for great communication, and after many years...
At Big Button we’re lucky enough to work on a huge range of video projects all over the world. The films can take many forms, from simple animation to complex dramas and countless options in between....
Budget, creative direction and audience engagement are of course hugely important factors when making films, but it’s the health and safety of all those involved with the production that is our...
Producing high quality, effective video content can involve a significant investment, so it’s essential to ensure you get the best results.
Many marketers think that YouTube is the right place to present their videos, but it depends on the objective. YouTube has a large audience, which means that it is easy to get ranked and to have your...
Measuring the effectiveness of video is finally becoming a priority for some marketers and communicators, but it’s taken a long time to get to this point - and we’ve still got a long way to go (11%...
An issue that never seems to get resolved in the world of video for marketing and internal comms is that of optimum duration. Lately, the trend has been to create shorter content, with some films...
For most of the lockdown period, government guidance has permitted location filming as long as strict guidelines are observed; at Big Button we’ve certainly embraced the new world of film making over...
We’ve been very fortunate lately to have found favour with a number of awards committees, and while it would be inappropriate to list them all here (!) I can say that having your work recognised and...
One of the challenges we’ve faced during the pandemic has been how to make videos for our international clients on those occasions when using Zoom has either been difficult to achieve at the client...
At Big Button we’ve been extremely busy over the last 12 months, something for which we’re very grateful under these difficult circumstances. It’s meant that the ‘new normal’ (Covid cliché alert!)...
We recently ran a webinar designed to help people improve the quality of the user-generated content (UGC) they are creating within their organisation. As filming with crews has been a challenge...
I recently watched a webinar by a respected marketeer who insists things won’t change in the world of marketing after the COVID pandemic. He made some compelling arguments about how we’re wired to...
Most of the creative industry has been hit incredibly hard by the pandemic lockdown, and it’s not an overstatement to say that our sector changed forever (along with the rest of the world) 2 months...
COVID-19 has disrupted TV and video production in a number of ways. Beyond the obvious restrictions to filming on location and postponed projects, there’s a greater urgency to deliver timely content...
I’ve recently been running a series of webinars about using video more effectively for marketing (if you’re quick, you can sign up here for the next one).
Trends come and go but learning never goes out of fashion. In the past, teaching yourself new skills involved buying or borrowing books, or paying fees to a school or institution. Nowadays,...
A strategic video agency is a video specialist that provides expertise in creative video and contemporary production techniques, but also adds strategy and delivery expertise to the mix.
The popularity of video marketing continues to rise due to both customer appetite for consuming video content, and the great returns for marketers through improved campaign performance.
Over the last 15 years we’ve seen a huge amount of video content. And while video production and delivery has changed dramatically over the years, there are still certain aspects which we consider to...
Over the last 15 years we’ve seen it all when it comes to video. As a result, we’ve been able to put together some useful tips on some of the more common pitfalls.
In case you’ve not heard, video marketing is a must in 2020 as our recent blog post explored.
In 2019 85% of businesses used video as a marketing tool1, and it continues to grow in popularity year on year. If done right, video marketing is the strongest content marketing strategy a business...
Things have changed significantly over the last five years, but many are still rating the success (or failure) of their videos based on views.
With video having made all the headlines in recent years, some may consider podcasts to be a thing of the past – but that couldn’t be further from the truth.
What is most important: a film’s overall objective, or its key messages?
One of the more positive current trends in branded video is accessibility. Beyond the worthy principle of making video content inclusive, there are a number of other reasons why adding captions and...
We’ve recently been involved in two global projects that have created impressive ROI just by creating amazing cost efficiencies.
An impressive array of video kit can be found in most offices, warehouses and work vehicles around the world — usually it’s a smart phone, but often these days it can be something a little more...
When it’s done right, Google TrueView is a powerful way of reaching your audience. There are plenty of useful resources by YouTube on optimising your TrueView video content, including which metrics...
At our regular hosted breakfast seminars, we often discuss whether video can be used to enhance actual sales, rather than just ‘create a buzz’ or boost brand awareness. Can it deliver real profit for...
As I work for a video agency, my clients sometimes feel awkward when asking me how to go about shooting things themselves. They shouldn’t. More and more great content is being produced in-house by...
Recently, I was speaking to a marketing manager who explained how she had amazing ideas for video content, but was struggling to persuade the right people in her organisation to make it happen. They...
When it comes to producing effective content, the right brief is critical. If the instructions are vague, unclear or simply asking for the wrong thing, there is a good chance you will get… the wrong...
- We’re 15 years oldDon’t learn from your own mistakes, you can learn from ours! Whatever you’re trying to achieve with video, it’s likely we’ve already done it and we can bring that experience to...
Video is a powerful recruitment tool, as it’s a great way of showing why you're the right choice for someone’s next career move. However, it needs to reflect the quality and integrity of your brand;...
I was running a course for digital marketers last month, and one of the attendees mentioned that their video agency constantly missed deadlines. That surprised me, as did the comments from others in...
If you're interested in developing video within your organisation, or are doing so already, the key question is 'How do we know how we're doing? What does success look like?'
The much-publicised change in the Facebook algorithm - that chooses what we see in our newsfeeds - created panic when it was first announced. But is it all bad news for business?Apparently, Mark...
There are many ways of measuring success with video. Typically, most people focus on the number of views their videos get, or softer metrics such as their colleagues saying they liked it or praise...
Once upon a time, flying a radio-controlled (RC) helicopter was hard. It’s why only a handful of hardened RC geeks tried it… including me. Today, flying a drone is significantly easier, so many...
Time is of the essence when working on a video project. We are often asked, ‘how quickly can you make us a video?’ and we always do our best to accommodate even the most 'last-minute' requests.
When speaking to potential clients, the first question I’m usually asked is about the cost of video production. And while I don’t wish to be coy, it’s a tough question to answer without knowing some...
Summary
- YouTube has massive potential but it’s important to understand its limitations.
- YouTube is an advertising platform. It’s free to publish videos but they will promote other people's content...
We once lived in a state of blissful ignorance, where the only success metric was ‘does our client like the video we’ve made for them?’ If the answer was yes, we’d duplicate the video in the hundreds...
360 video has been around for quite a while, but as with anything ‘new-fangled’ it has taken some time to establish itself.
Everybody knows about the power of video to influence viewers and drive behavioural change – from wearing a seat belt to buying a product, video is the best way to reach and engage your audience.
Of course, you’d expect us to talk about the growth and success of video for business. But to prove that we’re not just making it up, we’re kicking off the year with some quite compelling stats about...
If you spend hundreds of thousands, or even millions on branded content every year, you should be using a big marketing agency, right?
As a multi award-winning expert in viral and social video, our Creative Director Simon Crofts is often called upon by the media to comment on high-profile video campaigns. Today, it was the turn of...
Last week we were delighted to host our final breakfast meeting of the year in conjunction with Communicate Magazine, and our friends at Buto. The theme of the discussion was video within Internal...
It’s often useful to start with a tale about ‘the olden days’… You or your team decided to launch a marketing campaign, you agreed on the messaging, and either you or an agency came up with some...
We were delighted to attend EVCOM's Clarion Awards on Friday 7th October, and were even more delighted to win recognition for two of our projects, against some very tough competition in the video...
If you’re new to commissioning video content, or you’re already using video but not achieving the results you’d hoped for, the following list might be useful. None of this is rocket science, but...
DOWNLOAD OUR LATEST FREE EBOOK: 8 THINGS YOUR VIDEO AGENCY SHOULD DO FOR YOU
If you’re plugged into the zeitgeist, got your finger on the pulse, or have a teenage child that can be bothered to talk to you, you’ll perhaps already know that Instagram have increased the maximum...
For the 7th year in succession, we're delighted to have made it into the Televisual 'Top 50 UK production company' list, at number 29. Equally exciting is our placing of 9th in the peer poll, which...
A couple of years ago I met the Marketing Manager of a petro-chemical company. He was very excited about a viral ‘success’ the company had achieved with one of their videos – almost 2 million views....
DOWNLOAD OUR FREE E-BOOK: 8 THINGS YOUR VIDEO AGENCY SHOULD DO FOR YOU
With an estimated 3,000+ video production companies in the UK, there’s clearly a lot of choice when it comes to commissioning a...
If I were to sing the name ‘Don Amott’ to you, would you respond by singing ‘King of Caravans’ back to me? If so, then I’d know that you were almost certainly a child of the 70s or 80s that grew up...
In 15 years of running Big Button, I have received hundreds of CVs and letters from hopeful graduates looking for their first break in Film and TV. In that time, we’ve employed around 50 people, but...
Over the past 18 months we've worked with multinational support service Interserve on a wide range of branded content. We’ve visited underground tunnels in Edinburgh at midnight, spent the day with a...
So much content and so few views! It’s a common problem – lots of video content being produced without any real strategy to make sure it’s produced for a reason, and is effective. I recently wrote a...
Last year, we worked with Samaritans creating some films for their Listener Scheme. The scheme provides training for prisoners so that they can then offer a friendly ear to fellow inmates.
Who doesn’t love baking? EVERYBODY loves baking, so we were delighted to be asked to create a series of films to promote Great British cookware brand Tala. This film is about their iconic ‘cook’s...
What if you aren’t bothered with a strategy or “content marketing”? What if you just want to make the best video in the world?
Some clients are worried about changing their digital agency or video producer because they feel their current supplier knows them so well.
Let’s face it, sometimes you have to communicate messages that aren’t particularly exciting. How do you make sure the audience will want to watch that content?
Video is great. But what if your audience is geographically spread and doesn’t have access to a screen?
Most employees “expect to see video at work” (Melcrum), and for good reason. Remember when the...
Ten years ago it was tough to measure results from video. We were producing VHS or DVDs, with the only measurement of success being whether the client liked it or not. You could ask for feedback when...
We have recently completed a series of films for mining specialists The Quartz Corp., filming in Norway and the USA. To read a brief case study about the project, download the PDF here.
When it comes to producing video content, keeping track of your analytics is vital. You can learn a lot from even the most basic of analytics. What resonates with your audience? Should your video...
We are thrilled to have been presented with an IVCA Silver Award in the category of Best Learning & Development Communication for our film ‘Plan for the Weekend', created in partnership with M&C...
We love the way that our clients Lancashire County Council have incorporated the videos we created for them into the design of their website. It's great to know that our animations are being shared...
Online video presents a big opportunity to brands, whether they're looking to increase conversion, gain exposure or improve dwell time. In fact there a number of strategic objectives that can be...