Top 10 Universities Making Branded Video

By Megen Musegades |  Executive Producer, Branded Filmworks

Most universities have a ways to go to break into the viral video age.  Perspective students are going to be relying on social media more and more to help make their higher education decisions.

Recent research shows that online video users are expected to double to 1.5 billion in 2016, (Cisco) and 92 percent of mobile video viewers share videos with others (Invodo).

Universities are going to want to hop on board the video train. We were happy to see these early adapters putting so much creative and thoughtful attention to their videos.  This list is based on YouTube and Facebook subscribers, as well as interaction with subscribers and the variety and creativity of their videos that offer a sense of what their university community is about.

1. HARVARD UNIVERSITY 

Harvard is very good with diversifying their content.  There seems to be a little bit of everything on their YouTube and Facebook pages, offering a good sense of "college life" at this prestigious East Coast University. For each post on Facebook, there are many shares, likes and comments, helping to make this University number one on this viral video list.




2. STANDFORD UNIVERSITY 

Standford's viral video strength lies on their facebook page, their facebook fans love to comment and share their videos.  However their YouTube page is also chock-full of great content, including videos of campus life and news from the work of their professors and students. 



3. FULL SAIL UNIVERSITY

Full Sail University is an art, music and film school.  With that said, it is one of the best sites in this group for really showcasing their students work.  Due to the fact that many of their students work involves video, that may make it easier to do.  The whole online community Full Sail creates, shows perspective students what they can expect.



4. UNIVERSITY OF PHOENIX

The University of Phoenix is an online university and is doing very well.  As an online school, it would make sense that it's students look to social media for school information.  It's YouTube subscribers aren't nearly as large as some of the other universities on this list, but their social interaction is strong.  Also, many of their videos have had views in the hundreds of thousands and even some in the millions. U of Phoenix partnered with NFL wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald, and are making a series of his time there.

5.  MASSACHUSETTS INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY (MIT)  

MIT puts all of their courses online for people all over the world to view free of charge.  They also have a separate, easy-to-use site to help you find everything you need to know and more about MIT.

6.  ARIZONA STATE UNIVERSITY 

Arizona State University captures student life very well on both their YouTube Channel and Facebook page.  They have a wide variety of video programming.



7. UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN

The University of Michigan's YouTube channel is probably the most organized and easy to use of all the ten listed here.  They've combined their landing page to include all their channels into one.  It really looks like you've tuned in to the UM station.




8. TEXAS A&M UNIVERSITY

While the majority of facebook posts are sports based and their most popular youtube channel with over 10,000 subscribers is their athletic department, Texas A&M knows what their subscribers want and get a lot of interaction on both sites.




9. UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA

The University of Pennsylvania does a great job with their youtube page.  Their videos are well-rounded and offer a good sense of what the University has to offer.  There's also lots of feedback on their posts.



10. LOUISIANA STATE UNIVERSITY

Louisiana State University's YouTube page shows the schools sports pride, but it also has a nice section featuring different events happening.  Including the first ever open house of the libraries special collection section, showcasing some of the rarest historical artifacts and literature.

Sprint hits it out of the park with Jones & McDowell

Ever since I was little, I would get excited for certain commercials.  Sprint has a new series called "At Sprint, Everything's Important" that makes me un-mute the commercials when I see James Earl Jones and Malcolm McDowell appear.

My favorite one so far is titled Totes McGotes.  This is a great campaign, there is something for everyone.  There are renditions of a couple texting while trying to find each other in a store, a girl checking her facebook page, to another person checking emails.  AdAge talks about the launch in this article, if you're looking for more information.

A Cat's Guide to Advertising

This video from Tidy Cat, is smart.  Previously Sad Cat Diary.  It's a funny little video that you want to share with all your cat-loving friends.  The voice-over has a Ron Burgundy feel to him.

"Besides that cute little tuft on their heads, humans are for the most part, sadly, hairless.  During the day they cover themselves with little body blankets. You must donate your fur to these articles whenever possible. Each night you must curl up on their faces or they will freeze to death."

Enjoy.

Top 10 Hotels Making Branded Video

By Megen Musegades | Branded Filmworks

Most hotels have a long way to go, but these top ten are setting a good example. There are some unique and charming web series online.

This list is based on YouTube and Facebook subscribers, as well as interaction with subscribers and the variety and creativity of their videos that offer a sense of their company life and mission.

1. JUMEIRAH HOTEL & RESORTS

Jumeirah Hotels are luxury hotels based in Europe, the Middle East and Far East.  One quick look at their youtube channel and you will see they're not joking around with luxury.  Each hotel looks like a fantasy.

In their latest video, they partner with Red Bull.  "To celebrate, Infiniti Red Bull Racing's 750bhp Formula One car became the first to run and do donuts on the Burj Al Arab helipad.

Burj Al Arab's distinctive sail shape makes it an icon of modern Dubai. Its duplex suite-only accommodation, host of private butlers, chauffeur driven Rolls Royce, Mercedes and helicopter airport transfer service cause it to be constantly voted as the world's most luxurious hotel."




2. HYATT

The Hyatt is good about adding videos often and giving viewers a solid idea of what is important to their company.  One of their campaigns is called #InAHyattWorld.  The campaign centers on mini documentaries of Hyatt employees helping out strangers with little things to help make their day more pleasant.  In this video, they hand out umbrellas during a rainstorm.  They also have a video where employees open doors for people all over the city, and another where they offer free juice refreshments on a warm day.




3. FOUR SEASONS

The Four Seasons looks like they encourage their staff to participate in their social media efforts by adding a variety of helpful tips and information on the cities each hotel is in.  This keeps their youtube page up to date and full of useful information.  They have a nice series called "Concierge Recommends" and while I wish the quality of the sound was better, the concept is good.

Another nice web series they have is the wedding series.  They film different couples' weddings that take place at their hotels and turn them into mini documentaries that help showcase the hotel, but also share the couples story, which is ultimately what makes viewers keep watching.





4. HAMPTON INN

Hampton has made up a new word, "Hamptonality", to show off their special type of hospitality.  The latest videos posted on their youtube pages are stories of football and football fan give-aways.  Searching a little further back you can find videos on how they're helping improve their communities, Hampton staff volunteering to help at the Boys & Girls club in Atlanta, or the story of how they opened their doors to people displaced by Hurricane Sandy.  However, my favorite video from Hampton is this sweet documentary about TJElevatorFan and what they did to make this child feel important.




5. HOLIDAY INN

The Holiday Inn recently put in lots and lots of benjamins to improve their hotels.  Along with the renovations, they've added a musical web series to show off the improvements.  They took real customer reviews and turned them into song.  Some of the videos are as short as 16 seconds, which can be used for Instagram, and others are a bit longer, like this one showing their new, almost sound-proof, rooms.





6. BEST WESTERN

Best Western has a variety of web series, including one with Cesar Milan offering tips on traveling with pets to showcase their pet-friendly hotels, but my favorite series is their Best Western Indie Films.  Best Western is a franchise, so they decided to showcase the different individuals and/or families that run some of the hotels.  It's a great way to showcase the care and attention that goes into even an economically priced hotel chain.




7. W HOTEL

The W likes to push their music and fashion interests in many of their videos, but my favorite is their Four Stories series.  It is clear from their videos and facebook presence that they're looking to attract the "cool crowd" or at least those who want to be part of it.  They know their target demographic and they execute their strategy well.

For the Four Stories web series, the W Hotel partnered with Intel and chose four short screenplays out of almost 1000 submissions.  Four Stories was created  "to identify and support rising visionaries in filmmaking, and provide them with a platform to share their talent with audiences around the world."  Of course the films were shot in various W locations.  The one below is directed by Actress/Writer/Director, Lake Bell.




8. KIMPTON HOTEL

Anyone who's stayed in a Kimpton hotel knows they have a unique, fun touch they put on things.

Their videos do a good job of showcasing who they are as a company and what's important to them.  I hope they keep building their page with more "how to" videos.  Also, their "Meet Mat" commercial with the Ron Swanson-like mustache yoga mat is adorable.  More of that please!



9. HILTON HOTELS

Most of Hilton's videos are more or less beautiful tours of their different hotels.  They have the most facebook fans of any of the hotels we've included in this top ten list.  Their last video was posted about three months ago.  They helped kick off Market Days as part of their "Stay Hilton. Go Out" campaign in Chicago and had a concert featuring Steve Grand.

Hilton has so many subscribers, they will hopefully keep adding more videos like the concert and maybe take note of the personal videos that Best Western and Hampton are making that they can add to their mix.





10. SOFITEL

Sofitel has been good about adding videos often, showcasing a different hotel every time.  They were also one of the few hotels listed that had a link to their youtube page on their facebook page.

While it's great that they keep adding new videos, they are a bit boring and more like moving slideshows.  Hopefully they're working on adding a more personal touch to up-coming videos.