Outdoor Video Production Doesn’t Have to Break the Budget to Inspire, Entertain and Influence
As a marketing and PR agency with nuanced expertise in outdoor video production and content distribution through active lifestyle and outdoor-focused media outlets, we can confidently say that it doesn’t take a six-figure, or even a five-figure, budget to create aspirational video content that inspires, entertains, influences and educates.
Content is everywhere. Whether you’re scanning your social feeds, seeking out content on video platforms like YouTube, or reading your favorite news sites, video has become the primary digital medium for entertainment and education. This is why outdoor and active lifestyle brands are going “all in” on leveraging video content to engage audiences, inspire trial, expand their following and grow their bottom line.
The good news, especially for startups and small to mid-size brands without massive content budgets, is that outdoor video production, with the right team and creative vision, can appear as professional and aspirational as content developed by outdoor behemoths like Yeti, Patagonia and Columbia, for a fraction of their budgets.
Whether you’re filming a piece of lifestyle content, a branded profile piece wrapped in a compelling narrative, a product spotlight video or a straight forward brand video, outdoor video production teams with vision, creative expertise and a clear-cut understanding of brand goals, can deliver top-quality content, regardless of team size.
Public Haus Agency’s outdoor video production experts and cinematographers work within client budgets to deliver the highest quality of content, with a clear emphasis on brand storytelling. Sometimes our projects call for a team of ten or more, and other times we can accomplish client goals with a single video pro alongside a seasoned audio specialist. In the latter scenario, we might not have capacity to incorporate as many camera angles or extensive drone shots, but when it comes to a narrative that inspires, engages or educates, sometimes less is more.
Even when doing outdoor video production in remote locations, on rugged terrain or somewhere “off the grid,” compelling content can be achieved with just the basics: a small team of pros with experience shooting in the elements, a subject with a story (whether it’s a person or product) and a clear-cut plan for securing the footage that will resonate with your intended audience. And here’s a pro tip: if you plan to interview your subject and lay the audio on top of b-roll, you can conduct the interview well before you trek into the wilderness so you can exclusively focus your outdoor video production efforts on securing the footage that aligns with the narrative.
Because it’s more cost-effective for our clients than traditional commercial content, and resonates much more powerfully with audiences, Public Haus incorporates profile-based outdoor video production into the majority of our active lifestyle client campaigns. The branded content that results from these shoots can then be leveraged in many more ways than traditional “hard sell” product-focused content. Additionally, if a paid media budget is allocated, this type of video content is often time more affordable to place with relevant outdoor and active lifestyle media outlets because it’s story-based. We’ve actually had media outlets run our content free of charge because the videos were compelling, in direct alignment with the content tastes of the media sites’ audiences, featured someone whose story they felt needed to be shared and were more editorially vs. promotionally focused.
Additionally, lifestyle content that places the brand in its natural environment and captures and communicates the essence of the product in an aspirational way also powerfully resonates with viewers. As opposed to relying on stuffy, overused, marketing jargon to convey product details, lifestyle-based outdoor video production techniques can communicate the quality and ethos of a brand through elevated imagery that draws the viewer in. This type of content resonates on social channels and is great for one-minute, short-form sharable content.
Think about what other brands move you. If you’re an outdoor-focused company, chances are you track, follow and maybe even engage with a variety of other active lifestyle brands. Which do you aspire to be like? Who’s got the largest and most engaged social following and what can you do to be more like them? If you’ve seen Yeti’s content, you’ve probably noticed the majority of it takes the shape of short, documentary-style films. Their approach to outdoor video production and content marketing has helped the company gain massive exposure, credibility and influence among active lifestyle enthusiasts. Maybe it’s time to start emulating what works.
Here’s the best part. You too can produce and distribute the same kind of content, but for far less than the category leaders spend. As an example, Public Haus recently created this video for Chevron, telling the story of a world record-breaking motorcyclist, his cross-country journey supporting veterans, and how he took care of his bike along the way. Through distribution on his channels, our client’s channels and articles in a variety of media outlets, the brand’s powersports product is generating wide-scale viewership across all if its platforms while building major influence among the motorcycle community. And we accomplished this on a budget far less than what you might expect. This is just one example of many.
Whether you’re looking to go “all in” on content strategy, streamline your current video content, or looking for wider distribution, our team of outdoor video production creatives and marketing pros can customize a strategy that will amplify your brand with powerful, aspirational content that ignites interest, influence and sales.