When measuring the success of your blogging effort, should you be concerned if your blog posts receive no comments? We’re told by experts that engagement is key – we need to have a community of blog readers commenting and interacting with each other and the company. But what if blog traffic comes in via search? Are they part of your community? And if they read your post but don’t comment on it, have you failed? With a hat tip to our corporate clients, watch the video for our take on the importance of blog comments, and let us know what you think in the comments. (an ironic request, isn’t it?)
Video Production
We Call It Home – Video Production for Mayor Francis Slay’s Reelection Campaign
Falk Harrison was contracted by the reelection campaign of Francis Slay, Mayor of St. Louis, to concept and shoot a one-minute television ad. Sometimes St. Louis gets an unfair rap, both locally and nationally. All cities have challenges before them, but the complaints St. Louis often hears don’t really register or resonate with St. Louisans who love their city. We’re a better city than we’re often given credit for, and the last 12 years have seen major progress come to Washington Avenue, Cherokee Street and elsewhere throughout the city.
The mayor’s team had two requests: set a tone for the campaign, and don’t create the same old political ad. This may seem atypical, but the mayor’s campaign hired Falk Harrison specifically because of our lack of experience in doing political TV ads. They said, “We’re talking to you because you’ve never done this before. Look at our challenge from a different angle.”
After considering their request, our chosen direction was “uplifting, with a tone and message similar to a PSA.” The goal was to have St. Louisans feel proud of their city, with the understanding that the mayor has done much to contribute to the city’s progress. After deciding on creative direction, we drafted four different ad concepts and presented them to the mayor’s team. The chosen concept, “We Call It Home,” featured four St. Louisans that are proud to call St. Louis home. After a week of shooting (including several bouts of inclement weather), we had the footage we needed. We identified and focused on four key concepts that deserved attention: the improving school system (especially the charter schools), our cultural attractions, small business, and cooperation between St. Louis City and St. Louis County.
We took the reelection team at their word and looked at the campaign and the city’s issues from a fresh perspective, resulting in an uplifting message that was unlike most political ads. Our challenge was to create an ad that would set the tone for the campaign, and the client reports that we hit the mark. Quoting them, “It was excellent work, and it both introduced and ended our primary campaign.” It was our first – and may be our last – political TV ad, but the work proves that strategic, thoughtful communication and design can be applied to almost any endeavor.
Thanks to Falk Harrison, the making of “We Call It Home”bit.ly/10nu8bf
— MayorSlay.com (@MayorSlay) March 8, 2013
Annnnnnnd ACTION!!
On a recent video shoot, I actually said “Annnnnnd ACTION” and it felt kind of strange … and cool, all at the same time. In the past few months here at Falk Harrison, we’ve been doing a great deal of video work and frankly, it’s fascinating. I finally understand what “motion pictures” means. I’m not suggesting we have any budding Scorseses over here, but in composing shots and picking locations, you really are taking pictures that move. It’s a new medium for us, a new process, but our clients are loving the results and we have other clients lining up for us to do similar work for them.
So whether you need training videos, product demonstrations or want to introduce yourself on a Social Media channel, YOU OUGHTA BE IN PICTURES!
Some examples of our work:
