Talking about what companies do to impress their customers, clients, viewers, and visitors are becoming a tradition at NDigitec. Last year we covered the most creative advertisements of all time. This year we will talk about the trends we have noticed while browsing the web for the best New Year video.
Follow the steps we have gathered for you below to create the perfect New Year video or pick the ones you feel like will fit your format the best.
1. Play with the imagery
There are a couple of things that scream New Year: New Year tree, presents, Santa Claus, lights, start, snow, family dinners, elves, red, deers (Rudolf, to be specific), green, etc. It doesn’t, however, mean you need to have all of them to communicate the right vibe.
Choose one or two of the imageries and experiment with them. The video will end up being easier to comprehend.
The only typical to the New Year elements in this video are 1) the song, 2) red, and 3) baking. No Christmas trees, no Santa, and even no presents. But it works!
The tune gives off the right vibe, reminding that you are looking at a New Year themed video. The steps are turned into clever holiday wishes, and the overall warmth that comes from this video reflects the spirit like nothing else.
So, if you feel like some New Year elements have lost their freshness, it doesn’t mean you have nothing to work with. Even the elements that convey the New Year spirit, the least can communicate the message just right if you put in a little work in it.
2. Tell a story
Humans are natural storytellers. We are driven by stories and they have power over us.
Even if you are working on a very short, a couple of seconds long animation, you can still make it meaningful by using a simple structure: setting, conflict, and resolution. Your hero need not save the world (though it can because it’s New Year, and everything can happen).
Finding the right toy, sharing a dinner, making friends, helping someone out — all count as meaningful story plots you can use to create a memorable clip.
In this one minute advert, Vodafone they have told a story of a deer looking for his family. The forest animals tricked the animal and surprised him with a secret celebration in the middle of the forest. As a result, after a moment of disappointment, the deer is greeted by his loving friends and family.
It is a warm story that the company has told in just 1 minute. The heartwarming feelings it communicates say New Year vibes better than anything else would.
3. Text only when necessary
When coupled with visuals, the usage of text should be decreased to a minimum. Not only it makes your message easier to understand but also more international and thus more accessible.
People don’t watch videos to read walls of text. So, do your best to compress your text into sensible bits that communicate meaning. Be laconic and to the point, avoiding text when possible.
This humorous New Year card from the black spiced rum company reflects on 12 days of Krakmas, a made-up holiday. The Kraken tells the story through smart and catchy copies that perfectly communicate the company’s message.
Without using complicated animation and walls of text, they have a unique communicated and won over the hearts of viewers.
4. Pick an original tune
While it is a tradition to use New Year themed music when creating a gift card video, it doesn’t mean it is the only option. As long as you use other elements that still make it clear your clip is about everyone’s favorite celebration, you’re good to go.
Choose a piece of music that fits the tone of the video. At the end of the day, people are a little tired of hearing the melodies all the time and would rather listen to something new.
Like in this video from Lacoste. In their 2018 New Year greeting card, they dedicated the task to a rock tune, and it worked out pretty well.
5. Communicate a clear message
Yes, of course, you want to congratulate your customers with your New Year video. It’s an important task, but you can also use the opportunity to tell them about your position on an issue, highlight your priorities, and talk about their achievements.
In other words, you should make it yours and make it special.
In this New Year video, Hyperbubble turned their product — synthesizer into a theme song. It worked. The funny video with top-notch stop motion animation communicates the desirability of their product through a humorous video about the product and the holiday.
It is both light, memorable, and catchy. So much so, we are sure you will be mumbling the tune for at least a couple of hours. Not bad for a simple New Year video, right?
6. Keep it short
You might have a lot to show and say, but your celebratory New Year video is not the right time and place for you to show off. Remember that, unless you make it an entertaining short story or something educational, people will not be willing to spend a lot of time watching your New Year celebration. So keep it short and sweet.
And by short we mean less-than-a-minute short. Most of the time, digital gift cards will be played online, sometimes, while your followers are doing something else. Your video needs to be aware of those conditions if you want it to be watched.
We make it a rule to keep our greeting cards compact. The last year’s New Year video wasn’t an exception. We wished our followers, clients, and viewers the best of luck in their upcoming endeavors, accompanied with simple icons and graphics.
For digital video cards, we believe that less is more.
Here you have it — your perfect New Year video
The holidays present a great opportunity for you to show off your skills. People are paying attention to the brands and secretly want to be surprised.
Use the opportunity to shine and showcase your brand in an interesting light that would get them talking. It is time to let your creativity wild or ask someone else to bring your crazy ideas to life.
