“I don’t think enough thought goes into how to translate brand style guides into visual videos.” As the founder and CEO of Tectonic Video with a background in brand strategy, Doug Scott helps nonprofit brands worldwide unlock the power of video storytelling. We discussed video, social media, brand style guides, and more this week on the On Brand podcast. 

About Doug Scott

Doug Scott is the founder and CEO of Tectonic Video, a leading video agency for nonprofits. His team works with nonprofits across the US and around the world to create award-winning videos that drive results. His work has been featured in The New York Times, NPR, CNN and AdWeek and he is a frequent guest lecturer at Stanford University on the power of storytelling for nonprofit organizations.

Episode Highlights

Why is video so effective and engaging? “Video continues to be ascendant in all brand communication because video is extremely efficient. It can show in seconds what it takes thousands of words to say.”

Video by the numbers. Doug shared some compelling stats with us including the fact that Facebook posts with video are viewed five times longer than static content. Furthermore, the preference for video increases as age decreases.

A video-centric brand style guide. “I don’t think enough thought goes into how to translate brand style guides into visual videos. There’s often nothing about visual video storytelling. What’s the brand experience for video and how does that look different?”

The three types of video every brand needs. First, there’s the brand overview video. “This is a restatement of the values of your brand.” Second, testimonial videos from customers. “How do you want those stories told?” And, finally, a campaign video reinforcing your current key messaging. Doug also shared other “nice-to-have” videos including internal HR and culture videos and social media videos.

“Production doesn’t always correlate to success.” Many often feel that they have to make the best, most-polished video to ensure success. “Your iPhone is fine a lot of the time,” Doug shared. Why? “A visual language has been established for (low-production) iPhone videos on social media. They also feel very authentic.”

What brand has made Doug smile recently? “I might upset some of your listeners with this one,” Doug warned before sharing that The Lincoln Project—a group of “disaffected Republicans” creating anti-Trump videos—is the brand that has made him smile. Like our conversation during this episode, it came back to the group’s consistent visual voice across their videos. “You know right away it’s one of their videos.”

To learn more, go to tectonic.video.

As We Wrap …

Did you hear something you liked on this episode or another? Do you have a question you’d like our guests to answer? Let me know on Twitter using the hashtag #OnBrandPodcast and you may just hear your thoughts here on the show.

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Until next week, I’ll see you on the Internet!

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