Video inspiration: NBC Sports demonstrates the power of storytelling

By Visual Culture Blog, Items of Interest Comments Off on Video inspiration: NBC Sports demonstrates the power of storytelling

Big brands and business often want to know the same thing – how can we connect with our vast audiences most effectively?

According to Kevin Spacey, the answer is simple. Tell a good story and people will watch. “The audience has spoken, they want stories, they’re dying for them” he said at the 2013 Edinburgh Television Festival.
Storytelling is such a powerful communication tool and this month we share our favourite example.

To promote bringing the English Premier League to U.S Television, NBC sports created a satirical video starring Jason Sudeikis as an American Football Coach making a go of it in The United Kingdom.

A 30 second. 60 second and full 5 min version of the video was created and interestingly the extended version was by far the most popular, receiving a huge 8 million views (4 million in the first week).

In an age of information overload, you would expect people to stick to the shorter version, but this video demonstrates people’s hunger for good storytelling. Also, in a country obsessed with its local football code, this is an impressive engagement level for NBC Sports.

So embrace narrative in your next video and don’t be afraid to use a little humour and satire!

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