We all know video is a great storyteller. We also know that stories are great fuel for marketing campaigns that go beyond “marketing” well into the realms of mesmerizing story telling. In fact, if you narrate stories the right way, you can actually change the way brains work (that’s what we all secretly crave to do with out marketing campaigns, don’t we?).
According to research conducted in Spain, our language processing areas called Broca’s and Wernicke’s areas light up to grasp the story. We begin to visualize. Often, we also connect with emotions. That’s probably the reason why we feel “alive” and “involved” while reading gripping tales.
Using the power of narrative content, you can fire up your marketing campaigns in all formats. The best way to do complete justice to story telling on digital media is, of course, the video format.
The change is underway. Many websites not only use video for their regular marketing campaigns but also have video backgrounds enabled on home pages to make those pages come alive. Video backgrounds are a great way to engage your customers, and take your brand to the next level, as Aygul Zagidullina opines.
You should note that video backgrounds don’t fit into every website design idea. They aren’t perfect for every business out there. Plus, flash is out. Meanwhile, your videos should load instantly. Of the many websites we visited to curate this list, half of the websites wouldn’t load and take way too long to load. Video backgrounds shouldn’t come at the cost of speed.
Here are 12 websites that successfully use video backgrounds:
PayPal
The ubiquitous payment engine for the Internet now has a brand new video background. Not only is the video quick to load and easy on your system resources or Internet bandwidth but it’s also quick to demonstrate what PayPal can do for you.
The video shows real people with their mobile devices whipped out ready to make payments on the go? That’s exactly what PayPal wants you to know, and do.
The Missing Bulb
A lot can be said about a small business by looking at the people behind it. If that’s true, The Missing Bulb is a small design studio based in Manila, Philippines.
It’s a small agency but it’s getting it right with a nifty video background where a man and a woman are busy working away at their keyboards – a peek into their workday, so to speak.
Panoptiqm
Stories are smart. What’s even smarter is to use video to engage you, right away. Panoptiqm is a studio that delivers direction, motion videos, creative scripting, corporate film creation, animation, and post-production for advertising.
One visit to their home page and you’ll be hit with intriguing video shots like “Where’s the cow?” and “The Fighter Jet Dude”. Just how they manage to shoot these videos is a mystery for now.
Y.CO Yachts
The creative design team at Tranquil Blue write that subtle persuasion and user engagement are keys to a successful web design. I couldn’t agree more.
That’s when websites such as that of Y.CO Yachts make sense. The video reveals a family enjoying their holiday on a yacht – a perfect way to make the experience seem “aspirational” for their yacht rental, purchase, or yacht management services. Cool. One video does all that they have to do without making it “salesy”.
Meet Mini Z
What’s the best way to show off your product? In person.
Ok, what’s the next best? A real video taking you through an immersive journey where video and interactivity come and play together. Mini Z lets you test drive the purportedly world’s first handheld, backscatter X-Ray scanning system. That’s what Mini Z does best with its mini-site. So, if this doesn’t convince you about the power of interactivity, speed, great UX/UI, and video, nothing will.
Reebok’s LookBook For CrossFit Training
How do you determine the quality of fitness training? Either immerse in it yourself or watch a video online on how exactly it’s done.
Reebok’s Look book for women’s crossfit training does exactly that with click and drag videos adding that extra oomph factor for interactivity while showing you real athletes lifting weights, skipping, jumping through hoops, shifting training balls, and the whole shebang.
Eagle Clean
Can you add video to your website without actually distracting visitors from the actual content on the website? You can, if you see what EagleClean – a London based cleaning services company does.
While the website itself is minimalistic in layout, a wee bit of background video pops in (hand in glove), just to get the point across. Wiping, cleaning, spraying, and rubbing off the screen, as you view it.
Dadaab Stories
Can you move people with video? How about telling some real stories, put right into perspective? Ever imagined how others life their lives? Dadaab stories is a website that chronicles the stories, aspirations, and lives of thousands of refugees in the world’s largest camp for refugees situated in Northern Kenya.
The interesting thing is that the website presents real video shots depicting the lives of these half a million people spread across 5 camps.
British Higher School of Art & Design
What better way is there to showcase life at a higher school of Art & Design than putting up a “life in the day of…” video shot? The home page of British Higher School of Art & Design, displays the cafeteria and adjoining areas with people coming in and going out – just to show you a part of their daily routine.
It’s a nice way to let the world know that there’s work being done that’s worth some coffee.
iSurfBecause
While Billabong is an ecommerce business that sells surfing apparel, accessories, and surfing essentials, the home page at isurfecause.com aims to collect your statement on surfing: “I surf because ____”.
The video on the home page puts a surfer back into the water, so to speak. It characterizes adventure, sport, and individualism. Each time a stunt is performed, the video freezes to show you a random statement submitted. Oh, and we love the Typography too.
Tim Flach
What’s more intriguing than taking a video shot from right below the subjects?
Tim Flach is a photographer specializing in “animals” and his home page video drives the point home. The video makes you feel like you are viewing animals from under a sturdy but clear glass frame. We love the shots, Tim. You bet.
Uniqlock
Love dance? You must check out the exotic Japanese rendition of the dance form in HD video, right on the home page at Uniqlock before getting into the “menu”.
Talk about pretty girls, and even better dance. It’s not a single shot that you see on the home page though, with a clock ticking away, you get to sample many different versions of dance with multiple staged dances. Rehearsals never looked so good.
Conclusion
What are your favorite websites with video backgrounds? Do you think they are a must or are there specific use cases that they are great for? Share your thoughts with us.
