Looking for a new way to spice up your brand’s video campaigns? Or, maybe your brand just needs a whole new perspective on its strategy. Well then, maybe a drone can add an interesting perspective!
Drone videography has become one of the hottest trends in event marketing in the last 2 years or so. Not only can drones capture cool new angles and perspectives, but they also provide a unique and engaging way to capture video footage, which can benefit your next video campaign greatly.
Video content is one of the best performing content types out there for almost every single social media platform, so drones could be a key element when planning your next campaign.Here are just a few ways you can start working drones into your next marketing strategy.
As A Tool
This one goes without saying, but drones are usually used for what they were built for pictures and videos. But to dive further into this, the drone as a camera can help save money and reduce time on shoots as they can often record perspectives that used to require a lot of time, effort, and money to capture. Before drones, marketers would have needed to use cranes or helicopters to capture certain shots (can you imagine how much that would cost?), but now all that is really needed–in most cases–is some drone footage!
You don’t have to compromise quality. Due to the rapid rise in sales and interest in drones, manufacturers have made them easier to use and have installed much higher quality cameras.
Aerial Shots
Before the use of drones, capturing an aerial shot was difficult, time-consuming, and expensive. The whole process was usually very resource-heavy, but with the help of drones, aerial shots are now a breeze!
Motion Shots
Take it from Redbull TV, drone videography is especially popular for events that have a lot of fast action, like for extreme–and not so extreme–sporting events. You can get your camera close to the action without the risks of getting in the way or of getting hurt.
Though this level of drone photography/videography demands a high level of skill, hiring a highly skilled drone operator to do this for you costs only a fraction of the price you would pay to capture these shots otherwise.
As an Actor
Many people believe drones are only good for taking pictures and recording videos when, in fact, you can do so much more with them, such as starring in your new marketing campaign. Instead of making your drone the “man” behind the camera, put it in the forefront and make it the main focal point. As I’m sure you’ve seen by now, Amazon created an ad doing just that when they launched their Amazon Prime Air commercials where they playfully jest about how drones are the future of package delivery.
Whether it’s actually going to happen in our lifetime or not, the point is that Amazon recorded a drone flying around and their audience ate it up. There is still so much more a drone can do for you and your work. A drone doesn’t have to just be a camera; it can also be a component of the art being created.
For example, the tech company Intel used 500 drones to help make Lady Gaga’s Super Bowl LI halftime show one to remember.
This is pretty darn cool, there’s no argument there, but let’s be real, this drone performance was also a marketing tactic in favour of the Intel brand as they displayed their trademark name in lights across the night sky when they had the attention of millions of people.
When used properly, drones can be a powerful marketing tactic used to leave a lasting impression of your brand with your audience.
Drones as a Platform
When planning our marketing strategies, our minds usually default to more traditional methods of advertising, like print ads, TV commercials, billboards, and internet ads, but with a drone you can take your strategies to new heights.
Considering drones can travel almost anywhere, this also makes them an ideal advertising platform for your business. Where most advertising platforms are stationary in position, drones can carry advertisements and brand messaging directly to their audience, wherever they happen to be, like potential customers who happen to be hanging out in a park or working in an office building on a higher floor.
For example, some restaurants will actually use drones to fly menus around cities or to fly banner ads around.
Keep in mind, though, that drone advertising depends on local law, so be careful before implementing a tactic like this. When looking to do drone footage in Canada, make sure you know all about the Drone Laws In Canada before you get you started.
Location Spotting
Besides using drones for capturing content footage, they can also really come in handy for scoping out the perfect spot for your next shoot or event.
It can often be difficult for event planners or creative directors to get an accurate idea of a full space or property just by walking it or by looking at it on a map. If you have a drone you can fly it over the potential location to get a better sense of what it looks like from a bird’s-eye view. You can even capture hard-to-see areas for better mapping and planning or use those drone shots to organize the event with an in-depth look at where everything is in space.
Besides that, sometimes it’s just nice to know what awaits you at the top of that mountain/building/fixture before putting the effort into climbing it.
Event-Based Buzz
There are lots of ways you can use your drone to make the most out of your event. Here are just a few ways to help inspire you at your next party/convention/charity/etc.
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- Aerial shots: Here’s our lovely aerial shot friend again. Use your drone to get a bird’s -eye view of everything going on during the event (or pre- or post-production). This helps to capture the experience in an attention-grabbing way. Take aerial photos or close-up shots you can use in marketing materials for your next event. Professional photography can elevate the perceived quality of an event, so that next time around you can attract even more customers – and maybe even at a higher price point.
- Live Stream: Some drones now have live-streaming capabilities, so you can actually film the event from a number of angles to get a super-immersive video that your followers at home can watch even if they couldn’t make it to the event. Live-streaming also works great to show on monitors to give attendees a more comprehensive experience.
- Behind-the-scenes: Show behind-the-scenes views as you’re getting ready for the event. Aerial photos of a stage being set up, or a product being made, can be a great way to generate excitement before the event. Show an overview of all the activities you’re offering. For example, at a music festival, you can fly a drone over the space to show multiple stages and audiences at once.
- Entertain: Put the drone in your show. You can fly drones around as part of the entertainment, and/or use them to help event attendees see other parts of the stage or venue for a uniquely immersive experience.
- Sponsorships: Drone videography can also work well for highlighting a sponsor’s involvement in an event. You can use drone shots to demonstrate where the sponsor’s booth is, where their signage is, or how they’re participating. This works especially well if you’re not putting on the event yourself, but want to create a sizzle reel of all your involvement.
So, regardless if you’re a content creator looking for a new point of view, a real estate agent taking pictures of a large property, or an advertising agency looking for that unique shot, drones are becoming an ideal way for people to obtain breathtaking aerial shots.
Now, we know what you’re thinking. You’re thinking all of this sounds really great, that you would love to work drone videography and/or photography into your next campaign but you’re just not sure where to start.
That’s where adHOME Creative comes in! Give us a call [(519) 672-9090] or send us an email [info@adhome.com] and our team will work with you to find the right creative drone solutions for your company or brand!