industry case studies

Tip of the hat

Video marketing has emerged as a key player in modern marketing strategies, enabling organizations to share their narratives in a captivating manner. Through videos, complex messages are distilled into engaging content that resonates with audiences on a personal level. This medium has transformed the way brands connect with their audiences, creating a space for more interactive and emotionally rich communication.

InspirED Case Studies

Luckily, the InspirED School Marketers Brilliance Awards offers an opportunity for teams and companies from all over the world to showcase their work. Their case studies give a look into what schools are doing, at every level, and over multiple mediums. We broke down a few case studies of previous winners to learn what they did, and why it was successful.

The journey to a successful marketing campaign begins with a well-thought-out strategy that aligns with the audience’s interests and the core narrative. Engaging the audience effectively often requires a relatable theme that resonates with their experiences and aspirations.

Different institutions have harnessed the power of video marketing in unique ways, showcasing the versatility of this medium. Pacific Hills Christian School, embarked on a creative journey to animate a knitted nativity scene using stop-motion animation. Fiona, their in-house videographer, knows their audience, and having them in mind, took the time to map out an idea. This project showcased how creativity can breathe life into a well-known story, making it fresh and engaging for the audience​.

An essential phase in video marketing is pre-production planning, which entails organizing ideas and visualizing the end product. Fionia’s project highlights the importance of pre-production through storyboard creation and script development, ensuring a clear direction before diving into the production phase​.

Severn School, sought to update their admissions video to reflect their evolving identity following a brand refresh. Through a close collaboration with Cottage Creative, we created a series of videos that authentically showcased the student experience at Severn. This was achieved by balancing scripted moments with candid footage, allowing viewers to envision the everyday life at Severn School. 

The marketing and communications team opened the school to Cottage, allowing us to capture more of the experience than you can get in a day or two of well staged production. Authenticity in marketing fosters a genuine connection with the audience. Severn School’s documentary-style videos captured true moments, showcasing the school’s culture and growth accurately. This genuine portrayal helped in building trust and resonates with the viewers.

The process and outcome of creating Woodward Academy’s award-winning fundraising video shows the importance of dialing in on the right audience, especially for fundraising. Initially, the focus was on identifying the target audience, which in this case, were the parents of students at Woodward Academy. The campaign, named “fALLIN for WA,” aimed to boost parent participation in the school’s annual fund within a concise six-week period. This targeted approach was crucial for the success of the fundraising efforts.

To motivate potential donors, the strategy revolved around retelling the story of The Woodward Fund in innovative and relatable ways, considering the community’s context. The collaboration brought together Woodward’s internal teams and Consume Media’s expertise – a Woodward alumnus’ company – ensuring high production values and a deep understanding of the school’s ethos.

What strikes us as creatives is that, despite various approaches, targeting the ‘why‘ of an organization allows the deliverable to resonate deeply, creating a lasting impact on the audience.

Including video as part of your campaign opens up a world of opportunities for organizations to connect with their audiences on a deeper level. Through real-world examples, the potential of video marketing in building authentic connections and telling compelling stories is vividly illustrated. As these case studies show, a well-crafted video, aligned with strategic planning and infused with creativity, can significantly enhance audience engagement and drive towards achieving broader organizational goals.

To get in touch and learn more, please reach out to Alex – we’re excited to get started.