News

Let’s get back to work

15th September, 2020

Turning it around together

It’s been a rough year for businesses around the world; we’ve seen small business owners make huge changes to their structure and big businesses use their platforms to support us all through the crisis. From Instagram’s “support small business” sticker to Puma promoting mask wearing to Walktrue shouting out important charities, businesses have banded together to keep each other and the economy going.

As we look to September, many of us moving from pyjama bottom Zoom calls to conference rooms, we’re tasked once again with finding a way to to move forward but if the last 6 months have proven anything, it’s that we can figure it out together.

From chats with our clients and our own experience through coronavirus so far, we’ve come up with 3 suggestions to help brands and businesses find their feet again and hit the ground running.

Work backwards

With all that’s happened, consumers are in a very different state of mind and being driven by different things right now. Now your team’s back together, book in a meeting to discuss your goals for the final quarter of 2020 and how you can achieve those in the new climate.

Tying your marketing strategy in to your goals is nothing new but re-thinking how you’re approaching marketing could look something like:

  • A change in brand messaging.
  • Different methods of connecting with customers.
  • Switching to user generated content over stock images.
  • An increase in hope-led marketing and a decrease in FOMO or fear based marketing.
  • A new colour palette for your Q4 campaigns.
  • Focusing on organic social rather than paid ads.

Erica Whyte shares how video helped Charles Stanley stay connected to customers and grab the attention of the financial industry during lockdown.

Team work

Whether you’re B2B or B2C, supporting other businesses is going to be important in turning this year around. Consider creative ways of doing so from the obvious of hiring other amazing businesses to giving a shout-out to complimentary companies that your audience would be interested in.

Teaming up with related businesses to offer extra value to clients or including a list of recommended service providers in your welcome pack or documentation is a great way to encourage those who are making investments in their businesses to get the full kit ‘n’ caboodle!

Big or small, this is something you can implement to continue the community building and networking that gave many of us some hope during lockdown.

Think positive, dream big

We get it, seeing the hard stats about how you’ve been impacted by COVID is a definite mood killer but, for all the tortured artist quotes, innovation and creativity thrive on a positive attitude. It’s going to be tough but try setting aside a few hours each day or week to focus on your end game; conjure up the big dream that saw you start your business in the first place and use that to drive you.

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Work to create some positivity within your team too; ease them back into the office (bonus points for supporting your team and local coffee shop by buying them a nice coffee), encourage them to think outside of the box and keep open, honest lines of communication open with them.

Fostering a climate of positivity brings the very best out of your team, and you, leading to better ideas, better quality of work and better results.

Devilishly helpful productions

We’re implementing all three of these tips here at DHP and we love chatting to businesses about marketing, strategy and business growth. Sometimes we need an outsider to really see where we’re at. Bringing in a second set of eyes always helps us when we’re editing videos and it’s no different for marketing so come and tell us your pain points and let’s work out how your business can move forward.

DHP TV: video marketing but make it sexy

19th August, 2020

Making your marketing almost as good as ours!

We have an announcement that’s going to change your life, increase your conversion rate and boost your bank balance. Can we get a drum roll please?

 

Say hello to DHP TV!

We’ll be sharing all the top secret tips that make our videos devilishly handsome so you can do it yourself. Don’t say we never give you anything!

If video ads can convince Jeff Bezos to change his mind, you know they’re good.

Let’s first address the big question we know you’re asking.

And you know what about video marketing?!

We’re not ones to brag, OK maybe we are, but we’ve worked with the likes of Nike, Sky, Virgin racing, Unilever and Warner Bros and those guys don’t just hire any old video production company. Our director and MVP, Ben Collins, trained in video production at the University of Cape Town before spending six years establishing himself as a director and producer of broadcast commercials, music videos and television series across the globe.

Working alongside Ben are a team of the most creative and talented people in video marketing. We value out of the box thinking here at DHP so we very purposefully put together a group of people with different skill sets and backgrounds to ensure vibrant planning discussions and endless creativity. In short, our team are the best and our work proves it.

You’re just going to give us generic advice though, right?

Guess again my cynical friend! Here at DHP we hate generic. No, really, you don’t get to become a creative genius by sticking to the status quo. We want you to raise your marketing game because that pushes us to stay ahead of the game; the better your DIY videos are, the more creative we have to get with ideas, style and production. So really this is a somewhat selfish endeavour to keep us on our toes.

So what will you be learning at our brand new infotainment centre?

  • Wanky french terms
  • Planning like a pro
  • Ensuring your visuals are on point
  • Making your audio as sexy as your video
  • At home alternatives to expensive tech
  • Video conferencing like a rock star

It’s not just us you’ll be hearing from either; we’ll be chatting to some of our clients and the most creative people in the tech and marketing world.

Frankly, we’ve got something for everyone. Whether you’re a small business owner looking to improve your video content, a vlogger, or even a big corporate looking to add some extra shine to your video marketing, you’re going to learn something useful from DHP TV.

“The team are always full of ideas that are helping us to shape our brand.” – ai Corporation⁠

The DHP TV challenge

As it’s 2020 we can’t launch without a challenge (or a very large beer) so we challenge you to take our advice and run with it! Hop on over to DHP TV and create a video implementing what you’ve learned. Don’t forget to tag us and use the hashtag #DHPTV so we can tell you how awesome you are and share your epic content.

Head over the DHP TV right now and become the Hitchcock, Boyle or Scott you were born to be!

How the power of video ads changed Jeff Bezos’ mind

30th July, 2020

Video ads convert, it’s that simple

Not to throw shade at Amazon CEO, Jeff Bezos, but we could have told him back in 2009 that video ads weren’t just for companies with “an unremarkable product or service.”

Clearly he checked the stats himself though because in 2019 he spent $6,879 on advertising. We’re guessing he saw that 88% of video marketers are satisfied with the ROI of their video marketing efforts on social media or that YouTube is one of the most popular sites for teens, millennials and seniors, amazing for reaching a broad audience!

Here’s a few things we’d have told him if he’d asked us to prove that video ads are worth it.

1. Videos fuel sales

Consumers are looking more and more for videos to decide what to buy and where, whether it’s reviews on YouTube, influencers on Instagram or explainer videos embedded directly onto websites. Video is a quick, easy way to learn about a product, service or brand and decide if it’s for you.

79% of people say a brand’s video has convinced them to buy a piece of software or app.

It’s also not reserved for B2C brands, video ads are converting for B2B companies too; 59% of executives say they would rather watch a video than read texts. It’s not surprising, video can get everything across in a much shorter amount of time so for busy executives it’s bound to be preferable.

 

2. All the cool kids are doing it

There’s a reason that 91% of video marketers consider video an important part of their marketing strategy and 84% of marketers rank video creation skills important when hiring for a new marketing position. Video is being pushed by platforms and marketers because it works.

On Amazon’s own platform during this year’s pandemic sellers have increased their ad spend. According to Feedvisor, food sellers are spending 65% more on ads, with beauty and personal care ad spend up 24%, electronics up 34% and apparel up 10%. Businesses who invest in marketing will always fare better than those who don’t.

If you’re smarter than Jeff Bezos, get in touch!

 

3. Blending in is a badass ad strategy

Have you heard about native ads on social media? They’re any ad content, video included, which sit naturally in the platform it’s on. Think sponsored tweets, video ads in the Facebook feed or appearing in recommended blocks. They’re ads that blend in to the content around them, seems like a terrible idea right?

Wrong! Native ads produce 40% higher click-through rates than other formats and garner 55% more views.

Now factor in that Facebook video engagement is higher than all other categories of post at 6.01% and you know that’s a recipe for success.

We stan a billionaire who admits when he’s wrong

For all our Bezos mocking, in 2019 he stated that he was wrong about ads and Amazon is now one of the biggest ad spenders in the USA. He could afford to be wrong and miss out on billions of potential sales, but we’re not all Jeff Bezos.

We love creating video but we didn’t get into the business for shits and giggles, that’s just an added bonus! We know the power of video advertising, we see it demonstrated over and over again in every marketing report that comes out. Video offers things that other marketing methods simply can’t, and they’re the things that make the difference as Jeff has realised.

If you can’t afford to miss out on the proven ROI of video, shoot us an email right now.

a rugby scrum, one of the things sportable's tech can provide insights on

Sportable: revolutionising rugby

26th June, 2020

Named as one of the sports companies to watch by Giles Morgan, Sportable are changing the face of sports with their performance tracking technology. DHP were excited to be brought on board to create a series of videos to explain what they offer and how it’s going to improve player performance and fan enjoyment.

Our videos are embedded on Sportable’s website offering everyone from rugby players and coaches to enthusiasts the opportunity to learn more about their incredible, game changing technology and we’re excited to be a part of it.

Sportable’s game changing tech

Sportable are working closely with Gilbert on the launch of a new, smart rugby ball which offers real-time 3D tracking, kick pass trajectories and high accuracy spin-rate up to 600 rpm. The instant insights provided by their technology are revolutionary for match officials, coaches, players, commentators and fans alike.

Their ‘Smart Ball’ has been tested and adjusted over four years and the final product trialled by England Rugby’s senior and Sevens teams as well as Bath and Leicester Tigers to ensure it performs exactly as a standard ball while in play

Ross Weir, Director and Co-Founder of Progressive, said “Sportable and Gilbert’s smart rugby ball has the potential to revolutionise how rugby is played, watched and officiated” and we couldn’t agree more. With matches restarting, we can’t wait to see how this improves the game for everyone.

Check out the work we did for Adidas for the African Cup of Nations and see how our award winning VFX team can surpass expectations in a limited amount of time.

Wearables are where it’s at

The talented team at Sportable have also created the world’s first impact wearable, and you thought your Apple watch was fancy! Specifically designed for rugby their vest measures forces in scrums, tackles and body checks delivering objective insights for coaches and fans.

As sports fans ourselves, we’re ready to see this implemented in games to speed up play, reduce referee errors and give us some juicy stats to dissect at the pub later!

Communicating the complex

One of the reasons we’re so passionate about video is that it’s a great way to make complex things easily digestible. The ball is the most important part of Rugby so making it clear that performance isn’t affected by the chip and explaining all the things it can add to the game was key in selling it to anyone invested in the game.

We’re proud of what we delivered and Sportable’s Chief Technology Officer, Pete Husemeyer, was equally pleased with our work.

“DHP are phenomenal partners and have really helped propel our business to the next level. Every brief has been handled smoothly and diligently, executed with incredible flare and expert understanding. The whole team is amazing to work with and truly go above and beyond. We’re so proud of the content they have created for us and will continue to work with them in the future.”

Video marketing and sports

We explored in our sports marketing article how sport is more than just the game which is why our sports projects include passion, excitement and leverage the communities built on love of the game. From smart balls to new boots to sporting education, we know both industries inside out which makes our videos truly stand out.

See how our animation team excelled when we worked with Nike to showcase the Inneva in stores, online and to the Nike tribe.

We can’t wait to work with Sportable again and to hear what their next ingenious idea is. With their talented team and amazing partnerships we know the sky’s the limit for them.

Let’s chat about your video needs

Book your free video consultation with us today to find out what’s possible when you work with our phenomenal team.

Good news for digital marketing and eCommerce

10th June, 2020

Not everything is awful!

Let us take you on a little tour of the digital marketing and eCommerce space right now. Armed with stats (we love stats), like the fact average order values are up in grocery, pharmaceutical and general retail sectors, and some creative suggestions, we’re going to help you find silver linings in the COVID clouds and turn them into brand recognition and sales.

People are still buying

Maybe not in the numbers or amounts they used to, but they are still buying. In fact KLAVIYO, who’ve been surveying its network of 30,000 businesses throughout the COVID-19 crisis, found that at the end of March 28% of respondents said sales were going up.

Spending is shifting; people are being more careful with their cash but they’re not only buying essentials, they’re looking for distraction and fun too. Tweaking your marketing to focus on the benefits of your products and services and implementing an upbeat strategy could help your business start to see an increase in sales right now.

Graph of global page views for ecommerce by category showing a year on year increase in all sectors but luggage, bags, religious and ceremonies.

Where people are buying is changing

Predictably, being as we can’t go out, more people are buying online. SEMrush found searches for “buy online” have reached up to 27K+ searches per month globally, an 80% increase since the start of the year.

Make sure your website SEO is including words like “buy online” and “shop online” alongside other keywords for your product, service and business. Ensure your marketing makes it very clear that people can buy online and also explains delivery information, this doesn’t need to be in very quick T&Cs talk but can be a part of the campaign itself. Additionally, if you’re not already, consider including shopping on social media to make buying even easier for consumers.

Video is key

Looking for something to do, people are spending more time watching video content on platforms like YouTube, which has seen a 15.3% increase in website usage since January. With stats like that, video marketing really is essential right now. Whether you invest in paid ads across platforms (IGTV ads have just arrived) or are focusing on organic reach with creative video content slotted into your social media strategy, there has never been a better time to reach people through video.

Not to toot our own horn but we make devilishly handsome videos for all sectors, give us a call for more details.

Your audience is moving

Twitter is the darling of the pandemic having seen a quarter-on-quarter increase in active users of 14%. Reaching these news hungry audiences with smart marketing tactics offers brands and businesses an opportunity to increase visibility and find new customers.

Messaging apps have also seen a huge increase in usage with 46% of people spending more time on them than before. Creating shareable content is a great way to leverage the power of messaging as people share your epic videos with their friends. Free marketing? Don’t mind if we do!

If you didn’t know, you can also advertise in some of those messaging apps and also use them to allow potential customers to connect with you easily.

ROI is going up

With many brands reigning in spending on ads, cost per click is down making this an ideal time for eCommerce to focus on digital marketing, and for many other brands to get some ads out there. Many influencers are also seeing an increase in engagement meaning even more people are likely to hear about the brands, products and services they’re shouting out.

Need some help with your video marketing?

We’ve worked with everyone from established brands like Sky and Nike to start ups just working out what their brand voice sounds like. Get in touch now and speak to our amazing team about your marketing needs.

Sports marketing sans studio

12th May, 2020

Sports never stops, why should your marketing?

Every sports fan knows that sport is more than the game. It’s a community and a passion that doesn’t go away just because the season is over or there’s no events on. Sport is a way of life and we think marketing needs to realise that.

At DHP, we know that you don’t need to be in a studio or on location to score a home-run with your video marketing campaign and, because we’re team players, we’re going to share how.

Prepare for name dropping!

Nail it like Nike

Nike asked us to create a really eye-catching promo for their new shoe, the Nike Inneva, to help launch the product globally. With only a two week turnaround time there was no time to organise models or locations so we tore the shoe apart. Digitally speaking.

With the Inneva being designed to mimic the biomechanics of the human foot, we wanted the unique construction to be centre stage so we set our animation experts to work peeling back the layers of the shoe. We showcased the woven mesh growing and moulding itself to the shape of the wearer in an organic way, like ivy around a tree. Beautiful but strong.

The film was shown in-store, online and broadcast to the Nike tribe around the world and is still one of the projects we’re most proud of.

Classic moments, new message

There are some sports moments we all want to relive (and others we’d rather not!) so why not give the people what they want and use them in new marketing campaigns.

To announce the release of Pro Wire’s contender series we used classic MMA footage to remind fans how it feels to see memorable moments unfold, sparking their desire to not only watch new events in real time but get access all areas and personalised content for their favourite sport.

Smack-down!

Nitrocharge your next campaign

What makes a great marketing campaign, in our humble opinion, is creativity, understanding the target market and flawless execution. Adidas agree, which is why they came to us to promote the release of their new football boot ‘Nitrocharge.’

They held football trials around the World to find the perfect team of Nitrocharge players. The chosen few were invited to play on the revolutionary Adidas Power Pitch in Rio De Janiero, Brazil. We were brought in to create a series of films to document the event.

But guys, that’s definitely not “sans studio.” Well spotted, we actually used a multi-camera setup including several drones and a 90 meter dolly track while on location but we wanted to show off our nifty VFX skills! Visual effects are a great way to give any footage a fresh new look so you really don’t need a studio.

Looking for a marketing hat trick? Our golden shoe worthy team is ready and waiting so get off the starting blocks and get in touch now.

The full service video marketing agency

30th April, 2020

Eye catching video without studio time

Amazing video content doesn’t have to mean studio shoots or even live action. While we love being on-location (we wouldn’t be a great video marketing agency if we didn’t!), we also excel at other video styles. We’re basically the Mary Poppins of video production; practically perfect in every way!

Let’s get animated

Sure we keep banging on about our award winning animation team but if you had an award winning animation team, you’d be shouting about them too!

Whether you want to build hype for your upcoming release, tell the world about your new brand or create some engaging internal videos for staff, animation has something to offer.

Building hype

Your latest offering deserves the best. It deserves eye catching, scroll stopping video marketing from an agency with all the skills.

Our work on an online campaign for The National Maritime Museum for their Plague, Fire and Revolution exhibition aimed to draw viewers into the cut-throat world of Samuel Pepys.

With so much to distract people online, ads have to stand out so we combined stop motion animation, dramatic music and evocative wording to pique viewers’ interest. Working closely with Blast Design and illustrator, Bradley Jay, we separated the layers of each illustration in order to add dynamic movement and depth to the film. We then added impactful visuals and sound effects to bring the exhibition to life.

Keep it simple, stupid!

Not everything needs to be fancy, flashy and full-on. We’re a big believer that sometimes less is more and simple wins out.

When the Wellcome Trust asked us to create an animated piece of video content to visualise their new brand and strategy direction, we knew that simple was the way to go.

The project showcases how the combination of simple graphic design, dynamic animation and a clear voice over can create a compelling and descriptive brand film.

Straight forward, to the point but still sexy. Yeah baby!

DIY filming, professional post-production

Maybe animation isn’t your scene but you also don’t want the costs of an all singing, all dancing studio shoot. Why not do the filming yourself and let us bring that professional video marketing agency vibe in post?

We’ve been working with Charles Stanley Direct on their cool and creative series of interviews with their employees. Simple screen-recording software and some willing staff members are being turned into branded, polished videos which they’re proud to share across social media and on their website.

Whether you’re looking for branded vlogs, motivational to-camera shots or, like Charles Stanley Direct, interview style videos, post-production can give any video you film the edge.

The video marketing agency for you

With a multi-skilled and creative team, we have the ability to create striking video content that meets all your brand’s requirements and exceeds your expectations.

Whatever your vision for video, drop us an email and let’s chat about how we can make it happen.

Beating the Corona Outbreak with Video Marketing

26th March, 2020

Get ahead of flattening the curve

We’re the socially conscious, caring sort here at DHP so spreading the coronavirus through our team and the rest of the UK isn’t very on brand. Many physical options for both communication and advertising are becoming impossible as the COVID-19 pandemic becomes evermore serious. Fortunately, we have a whole host of ideas to not only keep your business afloat, but also to help you up your video marketing game without anyone needing to even be in the same room as someone else!

 

Animation FTW

Whether you’re looking for quick visuals to get information out there or a more involved, storytelling project, animation is a great way to get your message across.

For internal comms, animation can make potentially dull content far more accessible. Ideal for staff training or updating them on how you’re managing the developing coronavirus situation, especially when working remotely.

Both B2B and B2C businesses can benefit from animation too as strong branding is easily achieved in this medium. Selling, entertaining and informing can all be made more engaging and easier to digest by a talented animation team. It can also work out cheaper; with no on-location expenses, animated videos are an option you should definitely consider.

47% of marketers say they have reduced the number of support questions after going live with their animation video.

Reuse what you’ve got

Got some videos from last year’s promo or a series you filmed back when you first started experimenting with video marketing? Re-tailoring the footage in your archives can give it a whole new lease of life.

You’d be surprised at the magic a great editor can work on your old videos, turning them into a totally new story or tweaking them to tell an up-to-date message.

Pandemic or no pandemic, reusing your content is just good business sense, unless you’re the type to throw an outfit out because you’ve worn it once! You do you, but at the moment we think splashing out on a whole new shoot might be overkill.

90% of online shoppers say they find videos useful when making purchasing decisions.

 

Consider the cutting room floor

You remember those great shots that didn’t make the final cut? The moments that didn’t quite fit that campaign? The outtakes?! Drag that footage out of whichever vault it was put in “just in case” because this is the just in case scenario!

Outtakes can work really well on social media, especially during a time many of us need a laugh. They show a more human side to your brand and lighten the mood.
Other unused footage can be turned into a whole new video, or series of videos, maybe even inspiring a whole new campaign. A few fancy editing tricks and you’ll have an amazing marketing video that fits the current climate and still promotes your business.

Visual information is processed 60,000 times faster than text.

 

Think outside the box

If you’re wondering how your business can survive this you’re not alone, but with a little out of the box thinking all businesses can leverage the online space and keep selling. It’s 2020, we might not have flying cars (I know, we’re bummed too) but we do have the technology to bring us closer, even as we socially distance. With so many ways to connect with consumers, employees and investors online, we’re more surprised that it’s taken a global pandemic for people to realise the power of digital and video communication.

In case you hadn’t noticed, we weren’t really “in the box” to start with but if you’ve been sticking to the traditional (tired!) ways of video marketing, there’s no better time to discover all the new, creative options. Not least because, as COVID-19 increases social distance and lockdowns across the world, more and more businesses will be modernising their marketing strategy.

 

If you want to be ahead of the curve while we flatten the curve, drop us an email.

 

Stats: https://www.realsalesvideo.com/14-powerful-statistics-about-animation-videos-and-their-use/

DHP DOES TRAVEL!

11th November, 2019

At DHP we love travel and have a pedigree of work in the industry, we recently put this short edit together to showcase our experience in this space – check it out below. 

 

We would love to know what you think, give us a shout if you’d like to know more or talk through any potential projects – [email protected]

Six steps to a handsome creative proposal

24th July, 2018

From our name, it’s clear we are a modest bunch here at Devilishly Handsome Productions. We often blush when clients are kind enough to compliment our professional work ethic and sexy production content.

Another skill we have is our creative writing ability – specifically the ability to respond to briefs with really, really great proposals. It’s why we rarely lose a competitive pitch and – whether the project moves ahead or not – we frequently get quiet compliments from their recipients.

Obviously these prized documents reveal a peek behind the curtain of many past campaigns, both speculative and successful. They contain secrets that must be kept. They are the silent performers that are so important to our business and, as a creative video production company, embody the secret to our success.

In an effort to celebrate this often unseen art form, we’re going to share six points that we feel create a compelling proposition that is hard to ignore.

    1. Creative Research. Ok, seems obvious, but answering the brief with brilliant ideas that are suitable for the client is the key. How we get to those ideas…. not so obvious. We undertake meticulous research and examine old campaigns for the brand or client on multiple platforms.  We learn and understand how they like to convey their voice, and we identify how that voice can evolve and strengthen their core message.  Not many brands want something completely new with little of their existing DNA. A gentle reboot of this identity that brings fresh perspective within the parameters of the new brief is the way to go.
    2. Create a narrative. Creative ideas can be hard to convey on paper.  Putting them into a linear structure is needed for the client to follow your train of thought. Much like a good piece of content, taking the client on a journey through the creative proposal breaks down barriers. We disassemble each element of the idea: story, visuals, assets, style, brand voice…and we work out how to feed each one to the client to ensure that they understand the full scope of our award-winning pitch.
    3. Visual Design. Clients are, on the whole, time poor. The last thing these guys need are long, rambling chunks of text to wade through. The idea needs to be conveyed in the fastest, most compelling way possible. If a picture tells a thousand words, you should make the proposal as visual as possible. Everybody is drawn to good design – we make sure every slide or page in our proposal is a piece of art.                                                                                                                                                                                  
    4. References/examples. However creative you might be, sometimes the people you are pitching to are… not. Always help convey the exact style and tone of what you want to do by stuffing your proposal with loads of visual references – video and imagery. To really stand out, consider creating some spec work on your own time – it has always been well received by our clients.
    5. Don’t be precious Always give as much detail and transparency as necessary… within reason. The creative industries are competitive but creative work cannot be wholly owned in this day and age. Provide more than one idea if possible. Give your best creative thoughts and give them freely – more often than not you will be rewarded.
    6. Bring extra value. We wrote an article last year about how film production companies need to work harder. Consider how the content you want to create can be adapted and retooled into bonus content for other platforms or even other campaigns. For example, could you create cut down or truncated versions for social media distribution? Added value for them – not much cost for you.

Want to get a peek of one of these prized documents for your next project? Get in touch. No cost. No questions asked.