One of video’s greatest strengths is that you can convey so much without actually saying anything– a little like a smile.

The aesthetics in video campaigns matter. It affects how we perceive a brand, how hard the emotional impact hits us, and how much we’ll take away later. Sometimes we remember a feeling more than a message, and a strong visual with strategic aesthetics can be key to that.

This is something that dental alignment company Candid clearly understands and has embraced enthusiastically, using portrait-syle videos to help them sell something we all love: a beautiful smile.

In this brand video breakdown, we’re going to look at how Candid’s simple strategy can help brands create effective video campaigns that will make a big impact on their target audience.

The Brand

I had braces twice growing up, so the idea that you could get a picture-perfect smile without them was almost unreal to me a few years ago. Now, Candid has made a name for itself, offering clear retainers to offer straight smiles that anyone would envy.

Keep in mind that Candid had to work extra hard when they were building a brand. Plenty of dentists will refer patients to nearby orthodontists that they know and trust, handing a patient off to an expert in their fiend. Candid had to try to attract patients entirely through online marketing because they were an ecommerce brand, and they were marketing a largely unfamiliar-to-audiences product.

The Strategy

Candid ran a number of diverse marketing campaigns to help get their brand off the ground and make a name for themselves. The one we want to look at in particular is a strategic choice of video format to center their product and what it can do for customers.

Most brands rely heavily on landscape style videos, which are horizontal and allow for a wider range of visibility in the camera. Candid, by contrast, opted to use portrait video formats instead. This puts a single object or individual in greater focus, and there’s typically much less background hanging around to distract the eye. Candid used this specifically to draw the eye right to where they wanted it most– the smileys they wanted to sell you.

This was all strategic, especially since they had to work hard to prove they could deliver something great. Continually using those portrait videos on social media was smart, because repetition can breed familiarity and trust.

It’s also important to note that portrait-style videos– and all vertical videos, really– do well on mobile. We’ve seen a big increase in brands who are offering more vertical video-centric features, including IGTV and Stories on both Facebook and Instagram.

The Takeaway

There are a few things that Candid’s video campaigns did well here that other brands can replicate.

One: They found a style of video that wasn’t being leveraged by other brands and took advantage. It didn’t matter if it wasn’t the “standard;” they went for it anyways. This can help them stand out in feeds and make them a little more distinctive and recognizable. Going for a distinct branded look can work well.

Two: They chose a specific aesthetic and style of video to help them promote their brand. The portrait view forces you to pay close attention to the video’s subject and their bright, beautiful smiles. Seeing the aligners in some of the videos keeps the focus there, too. They’re effectively drawing users’ eyes where they want them to go, and that’s something to take note of.

Three: They keep plenty of their video campaigns simple. This is a great example of a brand that hasn’t needed to drain their entire marketing budget on insanely expensive video campaigns. The concept is simple but effective, and can easily be created quickly and with tools like Shakr’s video editing software. Remember that scalability is always key for a strong video campaign, especially on social where you need to be putting out content regularly to keep your audience engaged.

Four: The video formats just happened to be mobile-friendly, which worked well with the big mobile boom that we’ve had. Vertical formats are perfectly optimized for mobile devices and mobile-only (or vertical-prioritized) formats like Stories and IGTV. This means that your content is accessible to all users and optimized for where they’re most likely to be engaging with it. Even if you love landscape video campaigns, consider adding in at least some mobile video to the mix. You can use Shakr’s vertical video templates to help speed up the process.

Conclusion

Candid sells a relatively simple ideal: the perfect smile. It only makes sense that they do so with simple campaigns that let that basic promise and all that potential shine through.

When you’re looking at video campaigns that could work for your business, think about the aesthetic of what it is that you want to convey to users. Imagine where you want to draw their focal point and what you want them to take away from your video campaign. This will help you decide what video style and subject you should focus on.

Want to start leveraging vertical, mobile-friendly video ads for your business? Check out our full library of templates here!