“Budget Production Company Woes: Seeking Solutions”
Sage Hospitality is a leading hospitality management and investment company with hotel properties across the country. When they first contacted us, they presented us with the above issue–something that we’ve heard many times before.
It can seem unnecessary to set aside part of your marketing budget for video production, but as Sage and many other companies learn the hard way, you get what you (don’t) pay for.
Opening up a budget means opening minds to the possibilities and advantages that video can have for your business—for Sage this meant having a ready-made tool for marketing, employee recruitment, and enticing potential investors.
Take a look at our projects below, and you’ll see how we did just that.
SAGE INVESTMENTS AND CULTURE
THE PROJECT:
Zerosun was tasked with creating two videos for two very different campaigns. The first video was meant to entice investors by showing off the luxurious, artistic side of Sage. The other would be a culture piece, focusing on the people that make Sage Hospitality a fulfilling and fun place to work. Our contact, PR Manager Kate Davis, provided us with Sage’s branding and style guide.
THE CHALLENGE:
The two videos would require a five-person crew to travel between Denver and Portland, Oregon to visit four different Sage properties. Traveling to a shoot with no prior location scouting requires a nimble team and a range of equipment that can quickly adapt to any environment. Also a challenge—both videos would be filmed at the same time, so we had to make sure the message of each wouldn’t be muddled by using similar footage and people.
THE RESULT:
Each piece is unique, and we’re excited about them both for different reasons.
Sage Investments:
Using the Zsun RED camera, we were able to take the image piece to the next level in terms of picture quality and versatility. We chose to have a narrator voice this piece so that the images could be appreciated without distraction from interviews or other natural sound.
Sage Culture:
As for the culture piece, we’re proud to say that each and every person in this video is a Sage Hospitality associate. Instead of hiring talent, we are confident in our ability to make anyone feel comfortable and natural on camera—a fact that saves our client money and also establishes a more authentic feel for the piece. We were also able to elevate this video by having fun with Sage’s branding. We created color block overlays and added text to separate distinct areas of focus. This video is now shown at conferences to current associates and used as a recruitment tool for future Sage associates nationwide.
DOLLARS FOR DREAMS
THE PROJECT:
Giving back is important to Sage associates, and they wanted a video to explain why and how they contribute to their communities through their philanthropy, called “Dollars for Dreams”. One of the ways employees support this cause is by choosing to directly donate part of their paychecks. This video would encourage new hires to begin donating to Dollars for Dreams.
THE CHALLENGE:
Because of budget and deadline constraints, we wouldn’t be able to film ANY new material for this video. Everything would have to be made from archive footage. How could we possibly get creative with such a simple, limited project?
THE RESULT:
After gathering as many archived videos and photos from Sage and Zerosun’s own footage, we still felt there was an element missing. We decided to reach out to Sage associates from all over the country to create a short video (shot on their phones) about why they care about donating to Dollars for Dreams. These videos, paired with a motivating and educational script, and simple, colorful text slides made this video into something special. Sage was thrilled with the result and didn’t have any major revisions for us to make.
BRAND RELAUNCH
THE PROJECT:
Sage Hospitality relaunched their entire brand strategy in 2016, needing a video to accompany the internal / external campaign.
THE CHALLENGE:
Using photos and imagery (from the video we shot on previous projects) mixed with edited motion style graphics, we needed to create something high energy that would not only impress their clients and potential future business, but also motivate and inspire their workforce.
THE RESULT:
A colorful, high-tempo and thoughtful brand spot featuring copy that related to their company identity and culture. In the end, we decided a voice over wasn’t necessary, and SAGE was happy with the direction we took.