This was going well for a while and several videos were produced but production hurdles soon prevented any new videos being posted. Everyone at MacCase feels like we make the best MacBook Pro cases available. Finding the best video format that shows this off and tells this story was our challenge.
The early videos featured a straight on, table top presentation of one or more of our MacBook Pro cases. A voice over matched the actions of a lone figure on screen, pointing to and or interacting with the various sleeves, cases, and bags. The films proved to be informative, but took long to produce. The reaction from customers and potential customers alike was positive. But something was missing.
The Best MacBook Pro Cases Videos We Can Make
No one at MacCase is ever happy with the status quo and we soon we were looking for a better way to present our MacBook Pro cases, either from our leather or nylon, collections, in the best possible light.We put together a list of things we wanted to improve for the new generation of videos we would produce. One thing we wanted in this format reboot was a quicker turn around for the production. Each video in the old format was taking weeks to create. This was far too long. From planning and writing the script to shooting, editing and posting, we all agreed the process was much too drawn out. This had to be corrected.
The second, but more important issue we wanted to tackle was the presentation itself. The old table top format made it difficult to see inside the MacBook Pro cases which is something potential customers are very interested in. We sent out observers into some big box retail stores to watch how customers interacted with the bags on the shelves.
The "Getting to Know You" Process
What we saw is what we expected. Once a customer picked up a bag that caught their eye, they would begin a process of discovery. Flipping it over, checking out the padding (in the case of a backpack or messenger bag) and then the handles or straps was a pretty common first step. Then the investigation really began. Everyone opened all the pockets and compartments, looked and put a hand inside to check the "feel". Was this bag going to do the job?This "getting to know you"process is absolutely key because it allows the customer to feel comfortable enough to make the purchase. It's also key in that it allows the customers to compare their "must have" list to the actual product they have in front of them. All while evaluating whether the MacBook Pro case, sleeve or backpack will meet their needs.
This hands on, "touchy, feely", getting to know you process is exactly what is missing when shopping online. This process is abstracted and replaced with a series of "stand-in" experiences that tries to replicate the in-store shopping process: Photos, descriptions, customer reviews and last but not least, videos.
Replicating The In-Store Process
For the new videos of our MacBook Pro cases and iPad Pro cases, we wanted to try and replicate the "touchy, feely, hands on, getting to know you" approach as much as we could. This is the format of the next generation of our product overview videos.The first thing we changed was the camera angle. We moved from a table top, front view approach to an overhead angle. The overhead angle still allows for the front and rear views of the bag or case being featured to be clearly shown, but once the case is picked up and pockets and compartments are opened (like in a store), the interiors can been seen and much more fully understood. This is one of the key advantages of the new video format.
Three new videos have been produced featuring this new format. It tries to simulate what a potential customer would do if they walked up to our product on a store shelf: Pick it up, flip it over, get a feel for the materials and then open it up and look inside.
The visual experience is enhanced by text which calls out each product feature, advantage and or benefit. The text is there to supplement what is at it's core a visual, exploratory experience.
See our MacBook Pro Cases Like Never Before
For years customers have been asking of photos of the inside of our MacBook Pro cases. We have tried several times to correctly capture the interiors but nothing has been successful enough to post and not nearly as successful as what a good video can show.For the first time, customers can see inside our MacBook Pro cases just like they would if they were on a store shelf. Our Vintage leather MacBook Pro cases feature a black interior liner. For this reason, many of the videos will feature our pebble grain black leather models because the interior liner is light gray.
The light gray colors allows the camera (and the viewer) to see down inside the case much more easily than the black liner. If the point of the video is to share more information and more information is visible using the black case with the light gray liner than that is what we will use.
Another major change to the format is removal of the voice over to explain the features. The aforementioned text has replaced what was a arduous script writing and production process. This will enable us to reduce the production time from weeks to literally hours.
Another addition to our format reboot or update comes in the form of music. Hundreds of sound files were listened to before settling on something we felt would work for our MacBook Pro cases. Picking music was so much harder than I would have ever imagined.
Higher quality, in terms of information shared, and higher quantity in terms of getting more videos done, were our goals in the format reboot. Overall, we feel the new video format is a quantum leap over the old format in terms of production time and information shared.
More videos featuring our MacBook Pro cases and iPad Pro cases are coming. We hope you find them as informative as walking up to one of our bags on a store shelf. Please let us know if you feel we've achieved our goals.
