Best examples of long-form video marketing

We’re always taught to “keep it short and simple.” After all, our average attention spans are getting shorter.

But long-form writing and video are not dead arts. When done properly, they can communicate things that a simple 15 or 30 second video or short blog post can’t do.

Long-form isn’t always appropriate and there are some best practices to keep in mind (see this article from Forbes). But if you need some inspiration for long-form video, here are some of my favorites.

Company: H&M

Video: The Road Trip featuring David Beckham and Kevin Hart

Why it works: It’s really funny and really quite entertaining

Company: Nature Valley

Video: 3 Generations

Why it works: Being outdoors and active fits into Nature Valley’s brand and image.It’s hard to watch when the kids talk about how much time they spend on their devices, but the video ends on a positive note

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=88o1TccaJw4

Company: Nike

Video: Snow Day

Why it works: This is just a fun video. It takes you back to being a kid on a snow day. The long list of cameos is also a nice touch.

Company: The Butcher Shoppe

Video: Moments

Why it works: This was produced by local company for a family run grocery store in my town. This drives home the point that you’re not selling groceries, you’re selling a chance to enjoy family time together.

Company: Dove

Video: Real Beauty

Why it works: Dove’s Real Beauty campaign is a very well known marketing campaign. The overall campaign works for a number of reasons – mainly that it focuses on real people, which resonates better than had they used models. The video works because it does a great job of capturing emotion to tell a story – something you couldn’t do in a 30 second spot.