Weekly Column: 2017-09-08

This time I’m planning a business trip to New York. It’s to make a video that I need for a project I’m working on, so what better city is there than the city that leads the trends of the world, New York? Truthfully, the video I used from before isn’t bad, so I mulled it over in my head for a while. I debated on whether I should invest time and money in the pursuit of change or continue on with the material I already had, and ultimately, I bought a flight to New York and plan to leave soon.

The video I already have is to describe the product we sell. It’s a video that thoroughly details the features of the product and how to use it. Each and every feature of the product is carefully and thoroughly explained and the main purpose of the video is to sell the product to the viewer.

It’s true that I was at a loss when I first took on this project and came across the video. I was introduced to the product through the video even before the product was made, and the detailed explanations were good, the video made me think that it was a very good product, but not a product that I absolutely wanted. Most videos are created once the product is completed, but because the video was created with only sales in mind, the features that appeared on the video became a priority, and the process of making the product became a bit reversed to match this. Because the process was backward, and the marketing also reflected this, ultimately they could not leave the frame of the video, nor could they properly market it.

Everyone has experienced that unpleasant feeling when they have been forced to do something. Whether it is trivial, something absurd, or even something they want to do, they would not want to do it if they are forced to do it. There is such a big difference between being forced to do something and volunteering to do something, even if it is the same thing because everyone wants to be respected, not coerced.

Because the existing video had a message that strongly insisted selling the product, I could not carry out the desired marketing for this project and in the end, it came to the point where we had to create a new video to fit the new product.

So what content should this new video have?

People are more likely to do the opposite thing if they feel like they are being forced. Therefore, I decided to exclude all the product explanations. I also did not need to explain how the product worked. Showing New Yorkers using this product in their everyday lives in the icon of world trends, New York, would be enough to attract the attention of consumers. Without trying to force a sale in any way, if I can move them to feel empathy, then it becomes marketing that communicates to the consumers and they themselves find the desire to purchase the product.

Recently, there are many companies that are attempting to empathize with consumers through videos. However, since this is not done with the goal of communicating with the consumers, but with the trends of that time and sales in mind, it will be difficult to keep a hold on the consumers with this type of transient marketing.

Consumers give priority to things that they feel are considerate to them and understand them. If we force our conclusions to these consumers first, will they not reject us? In the end, really understanding and empathizing with consumers is the best way to get consumers to open their hearts.