Using film as your Shop Window Setting the tone of your school s message. Miles Latham M.A (Oxon) Managing Partner - Affixxius Films

Transcription

1 Using film as your Shop Window Setting the tone of your school s message Miles Latham M.A (Oxon) Managing Partner - Affixxius Films

2 An Introduction - Miles Latham and Affixxius Films Managing Partner of Affixxius Films - film production company based in Leicestershire. Very varied educational background from Maintained Primary School to Oxford University. Affixxius works in both the Commercial and Academic sectors, with an approximately 50/50 split between the two (based on turnover and project load). Over 300 clients in the Academic Sector from Dover to St. Andrews and from Montenegro to Bogota. Royal Television Society, The Drum, CASE and EVCOM winning organisation. Affixxius HQ - Trinity Hall, Loughborough

3 A textbook example of the new audience? Daddy to Jack, born March Classical described as a millennial, meaning a person reaching young adulthood in the early 21st century. Family based on split experience of the Independent Education Sector. Sacrifice parent from new money - driven by value and service levels. Online and review purchaser attracted by brand. High exposure to targeted advertising - expect advertisers to know who I am.

4 Part 1: The premise of high brand and marketing appropriately

5 Question 1: Should an Independent School be considered a high brand? Look at the organisation in commercial terms: Proposition of quality, exclusivity and opportunity as differentiators. Average of 10,000-20,000 spend per annum with 90%+ yearly customer retention. Free at point of use alternative available with (generally) rising standards. Catering for the most highly prized emotional asset for any family. High opportunity (50%+) for repeat business from same customer base. 5m- 20m turnover organisation with a Marketing Department of one and a half. If it s lucky the function of high brands is to create dreams, not to pander to everyone and anyone. Vincent Bastien, Professor of Marketing, HEC Paris

6 Question 2: Are marketing priorities the wrong way around? For whatever reason, Independent Schools are obsessed with websites. This doesn t mean they re not important, but this emphasis causes confusion in the narrative of your brand. I ve lost count of the amount of times I ve heard the sentence, we re going to focus on our website and prospectus and then let you know about film. If this was a scenario in the commercial world of high brands, you d be laughed out of the room. But why is this? Start with the purest emotional essence of your school - what makes it it. This is a fundamentally emotional proposition, so why start with a fundamentally un-emotional medium?

7 Simple entry point Question 3: Where does everything fit? The landscape of film use has changed. It s presence alone is no longer a novelty. Core Message Marketing (emotion) Think about the journey your audience member is going on and give them the right film at the right time Further Information Personalised Information Communicating (information) In other words Consider an audience journey (especially in terms of how film is used) in terms of: Online / offline journey to action 1. Love 2. Choose Informed and motivated 3. Buy

8 Question 4: Where is film most useful? Marketing Communications Film used as Advertising Film used as a Surrogate Visit Beyond this point we have seen the value of film diminish over time as schools struggle to differentiate when they simply describe the elements of their offering.

9 Question 4 (cont.): Where is film most useful? The school promotional video has become a stereotype because of this confused sense of priority. I want to play a game Someone calling the school a family Interview shot in front of a fireplace An older student begrudgingly helping a younger child A library book being taken off a shelf A fast-paced montage section of different activities and sports. Sweeping shot of a driveway Headteacher walking along a path with a suspiciously diverse group of children Goal being scored in a football/hockey/ lacrosse match Nervous-looking kid saying It s easy to make friends.

10 Question 5: Does your school have a recognisable and distinguishable story? When you hear the names of certain brands you think certain things. The same is true of schools, whether you want to believe it or not. Narratives are yours to control.

11 Part 2: Real-life applications of film use

12 This Is Where Stamford Endowed Schools The Story : A simple, straightforward journey through the school from Endearing and interesting children come here. We have high aspirations beyond the school. Where we are located matters.

13 #worcesterisgreen Royal Grammar School, Worcester The Story : This is a school with character and a sense of humour. Our students are the stars of the show. Our activities are broad and high quality. We re proud of who we are.

14 History in the Making The King s School, Gloucester The Story : Our school is beautiful and interestingly historic. We look to the future for our students. We re a high quality brand with which to be associated. Individualism and confidence matters.

15 Mind. Body. Spirit. Aiglon College The Story : Aiglon is a place of beauty and we use that environment. What we do inside and outside the classroom makes us who we are. Our school is safe, homely and exciting at the same time. This is something to aspire to. Winner: C.A.S.E. Grand Gold Award 2017

16 So is this Oswestry School The Story : We don t take ourselves too seriously and are willing to laugh. It s important to understand our structure. We re confident in who we are. Excellence is there, but we re not brash about it.

17 Come and Be Inspired Queen Margaret s, York The Story : It s ok to be independent and curious as a young girl. You ll be surprised what you might find here. This is a magical place. You ll be welcomed by the community.

18 Part 3: Specific issues for The Education Sector

19 Word of Mouth We get it. Word of mouth is important. The role of film is to buy you space in those conversations. By making an impact on people emotively you are giving yourself the best possible chance of being part of the talk. Ask what makes people talk, don t just point out that they do

20 Distribution Having a great film (or films) is only the start. The value you derive will come, ultimately, from the distribution methods you are able to put in place. Digital Social Live Website housing YouTube channel(s) Vimeo presence Online PR Creative campaign Digital Broadcasting Mobile optimisation Driving internal PR Facebook optimisation Twitter campaign(s) Instagram Content optimisation Pattern analysis Multiple account population Student-based distribution Influencer marketing Launch event Cinema advertising Television advertising Event advertising In-situ playback Bespoke audience versions

21 More on Distribution Distribution starts from within. Engaging the internal community will fuel the external engagement. Treat film distribution like a ripple High-Level Management Endorsement Internal Buy-In (Students, Faculty etc) Immediate Community (Parents etc) Diaspora Community (Alumnae etc) Satellite Community (New Prospects)

22 What does success look like? Although quantification of emotive marketing activity can never be 100% accurate (this isn t a weakness, it s a logical fallacy to assume it can be), you should be looking at engagement with your film work based on the task you set out to achieve: Average release engagement ( ): c. 17,000 organic views within 2 week period.

23 The bit worth writing down 1. Know where and why films fits in what you are doing. 2. Don t repeat the obvious - you have a story to tell, and stories = engagement. 3. Know when to get the cheque book out. 4. Distribute, distribute, distribute

24 Thank you. Any questions? Miles Latham M.A (Oxon) Managing Partner - Affixxius Films [studio] [mobile] miles@affixxius.com