Guy's Star Wars film made with AI: https://youtu.be/A_8Md9j2uXQ?si=CZqEBp-OqqDLF4Qu

1. Introduction (00:00 – 00:00:22)

• Guy welcomes listeners back to the podcast, “Death to the Corporate Video.”
• A quick note on Chicago’s unpredictable spring weather, jumping from 70° to snow in a week.

2. The “like” challenge (00:00:23 – 00:00:50)

• Guy shares his personal goal to reduce the filler word “like” in his speech.
• Emphasizes taking a brief pause instead of using verbal crutches.

3. Why invest in creative B2B video ads? (00:00:51 – 00:02:23)

• The main topic of this episode: exploring the value of creative vs. uncreative ads.
• Acknowledges the inherent risk in creativity and why many brands shy away from it.

4. Risk vs. reward: the carnival mallet analogy (00:02:24 – 00:06:30)

• Introduces a scale from 0 to 10 to assess advertising outcomes.
• Uncreative Ads: Low floor (potentially ineffective) and a low ceiling (moderately effective).
• Creative Ads: Same low floor (could flop), but a much higher ceiling (could be a big win).
• Explanation of how the downside risk is the same, but the upside is vastly greater with creativity.

5. Distilling the key takeaway (00:06:31 – 00:07:44)

• Highlights that being in the “98%” who play it safe means missing out on maximum impact.
• Encourages advertisers to be in the “2%” that leverage creative risk for greater reward.

Focus Your Attention on One Channel

• Pick the platform where you already have the highest engagement (LinkedIn, YouTube, X, etc.).
• Funnel all traffic—emails, social shares—through that single post for maximum algorithm impact.

Mention or Message Influencers

• Research a list of relevant influencers ahead of your launch.
• Tag them or send them direct messages when you go live.
• Even if they don’t respond, the algorithm may push your content to related influencers.

Find a Press Angle & Use PR

• A solid press hook (beyond “look at this video”) can spark media interest.
• Working with a PR professional ensures your press release is compelling and angled for coverage.

Optimize Your YouTube Title & Thumbnail

• Use titles that match what people are searching for—avoid clever or abstract titles no one will type in.
• Thumbnails should feature people or images that reflect the core idea of the video.
• YouTube’s algorithm often rewards strong click-through rates and clear metadata.

Choose Your Launch Day Wisely

• Guy’s rule of thumb is Tuesday—people are settled in from Monday and more likely to engage midweek.
• Avoid launching on days when major news events could overshadow your video.

Encourage Employees & Advocates to Share

• Ask team members and loyal customers to like, comment, and share on launch day.
• Avoid giving them identical copy to post; personalize messages to keep social platforms happy.

• Create Something Worth Going Viral
  • The best “hack” is genuine, resonant content. If it’s not engaging, none of the above tactics will matter.
  • Don’t chase virality—focus on delivering real value and entertainment.

• Originality over “safe jokes.” Recycled humor feels stale and won’t get shared.
• Take risks to stand out. Uncertainty is a part of creativity—lean into it for bigger payoffs.
• Avoid forced funny faces and clichés. True comedic impact comes from authenticity and fresh perspectives.
• Embrace your doubt. Sometimes, your biggest second guess might be the thing that resonates most with an audience.

Incremental Creativity

• You can’t jump from a “zero-risk” corporate video to an ultra-creative ad overnight.
• Start with small creative experiments to help your stakeholders get comfortable with new ideas.

Big Brand vs. Challenger Mindset

• Larger organizations often have more to lose, making them more risk-averse.
• Challenger brands with fewer constraints can take bigger leaps faster—but still benefit from a gradual approach.

Learning to Read and Approve Creative

• Many teams and stakeholders aren’t used to evaluating scripts or bold ideas.
• Introduce them to the concept of “creative risk” in small doses so they can learn how to give productive feedback.

Nitrogen Metaphor & Boiling the Frog

• Guy uses a story about alien life forms adapting to nitrogen as a metaphor for acclimating stakeholders to creativity.
• Slowly turning up the heat (or adding “nitrogen”) ensures your ideas can survive without being killed off prematurely.

Practical Next Steps

• Try smaller, in-house projects that push creativity just a bit further than usual.
• Gradually build trust and familiarity among internal teams before bringing in bigger, bolder campaigns.

Show Notes:

• Opening & New Year's Resolution (0:00)
  • Guy's resolution to be more socially proactive with friends
  • Choosing achievable resolutions over typical ones
• Main Topic: The B2B Marketing Mistake (1:36)
  • Why focusing solely on product differentiation falls short
  • The reality of product similarity across competitors
  • Examples of AI companies (ChatGPT, Sora, Google's Vo2)
• The Solution: Prioritizing Audience Connection (5:05)
  • Moving beyond product features
  • Using emotion as your "trump card"
  • The importance of entertainment and relatability
• Case Studies & Examples (6:37)
  • Australian Lamb's "Generation Gap" viral campaign
  • Note-taking apps comparison (Fathom, Otter)
  • Apple's approach to emotional marketing

Key Quotes:

• "Your trump card is not your product, your trump card is emotion."
• "Your customers, your prospects don't care about your product."
• "When they go to buy, because all products are the same, they're going to pick by who they have an emotional connection with."

Key Takeaways:

• Storytelling is King: A compelling narrative with conflict keeps viewers engaged.
• Authentic Performances: Great acting brings the story to life and makes it believable.
• Realistic Dialogue: Writing that mimics natural speech enhances relatability.
• Visual Excellence: Aesthetically pleasing visuals attract and retain audience attention.
• Quality Audio Matters: Good sound design is essential for a professional ad.

Show Notes:

1. Introduction to Chris LeClerc and his company, Territory6 (0:00)
2. The meaning behind the name "Territory6" and its connection to storytelling (1:30)
3. Discussion on the simplicity and power of storytelling in marketing (3:45)
4. The importance of visual storytelling and showing vs. telling (9:00)
5. Trends in brand storytelling: from mini-documentaries to narrative films (11:30)
6. The "barbell approach" to marketing: balancing entertainment and brand messaging (14:15)
7. Challenges of long-form content vs. traditional commercials (16:00)
8. The risk and reward of storytelling in advertising (18:30)
9. Analysis of the famous Eminem Chrysler commercial (22:00)
10. Defining story: the importance of conflict in narratives (24:00)
11. South Park creators' approach to storytelling: "This happens, but then this happens" (26:00)
12. Final thoughts on why conflict makes stories compelling (27:30)

Key Quotes:

• "Stories have been around since the beginning of the earth, and they always take you to a different place." - Chris LeClerc
• "Would you rather have people wanting to watch a thing that only shows your logo once, but they watch it five times because they love it, or people watching 5% of your ad only once because they hate it?" - Guy Bauer
• "Are you able to stop the world for just a moment and make them remember?" - Chris LeClerc
• "Good is boring." - Guy Bauer

References:

• Territory6
• Don Hewitt and 60 Minutes
• Googleheimer project
• Apple's "Apple at Work" series
• Eminem Chrysler "Imported from Detroit" commercial
• South Park creators on storytelling
• Spaceballs quote

Here are the 5 tips for making an obligatory corporate video feel less cringeworthy:

Get out of the office for interviews

• Shoot outside or in interesting locations, not just stale office settings
• Frame shots creatively, not typical corporate talking heads=

Never use stock footage

• Plan ahead and storyboard to avoid relying on generic stock clips
• Get creative with illustrations, animations, or recreating scenes yourselves

Keep it super short

• 2.5 minutes max, no exceptions
• If you need more time, make it a series instead of one long video

Find the music first before shooting

• Let the soundtrack inspire shots, edits, pacing
• Build in natural transitions around musical cues

Pay for color grading

• Adds a premium, polished look that elevates it beyond typical "video"
• Differentiates it from amateur productions