A recent report suggests that content marketers are rapidly expanding beyond conventional content, with the use of videos as content on the rise.<\/p>\n
The Content Marketing Institute<\/a> and Marketing Profs<\/a>\u2019 report \u201cB2C Content Marketing: 2025 Benchmarks, Budgets, and Trends \u2013 North America\u201d<\/a> discovered that 74% of content marketers say they use video to reach their consumers.<\/p>\n This increase is linked to the viral nature of video content, with massive view counts and shares accumulating on brand videos. These videos are most-often ones that tell stories consumers connect to on an emotional level, with their product\/services acting merely as a compliment to the story.<\/p>\n The following are four viral brand videos successfully using emotional narratives:<\/p>\n https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=DRoqk_z2Lgg<\/p>\n A prime example of how effective emotional connections can be and how they capture consumers, Pandora<\/a>\u2019s Mother\u2019s Day-themed video has garnered over 30 million YouTube and Facebook views since it\u2019s release in mid-April.<\/p>\n The video\u2019s story is built around the bond that mothers share with their children, and features them being blindfolded and asked one-by-one, to locate their mother out of a line-up of mothers, using only their sense of touch. These children feel their faces, hair, and most cleverly, their \u2018unique\u2019 pieces of Pandora jewelry, in order to identify them; a subtle way of promoting their product as being complimentary to the uniqueness of Mothers, while also tugging on the audiences heart strings.<\/p>\n https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=CdhWhgA8Y0A<\/p>\n With over four million views on YouTube, this Nike Golf<\/a> video was successful for a number of reasons, it’s inspiring story being a major one. <\/p>\n The video begins with the portrayal of a young Rory McIlroy<\/a> admiring Tiger Woods<\/a> on a television in Ireland, while practicing his swing in his family room with his father. From there we see McIlroy grow-up, practicing and watching more games, and pinning posters of golfing-greats to his walls. Finally he’s shown facing his idol, Woods, in present day, and doing so while wearing Nike. <\/p>\n There\u2019s something especially engaging about the way these videos let viewers step directly into someone\u2019s shoes, even if it\u2019s just for a couple of minutes. You start rooting for the kid with the broomstick or the mom waiting anxiously behind a blindfold, almost forgetting you\u2019re being marketed to at all. It\u2019s not subtle manipulation, exactly\u2014it\u2019s just smart, honest storytelling that treats the audience with some respect and maybe even a bit of affection.<\/p>\n That seems to be the trick: less selling, more connecting. If brands focus on building stories where a product fits quietly into an existing emotional context, the result feels a bit more genuine\u2014or at least harder to write off as a commercial. When these campaigns land, people actually want to share them, because they don\u2019t feel embarrassed forwarding an obvious ad to a friend.<\/p>\n https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=H9LGBBWTGgk<\/p>\n1. The Unique Collection by Pandora<\/h4>\n
2. Ripple by Nike<\/h4>\n
3. The Happiest Thank You by Coca-Cola<\/h4>\n