Salesforce.org's customers include a vast array of organizations working tirelessly for a more equitable society. Leaders of these organizations are recognizable, trusted, powerful activists and advocates, championing big, transformational ideas about how the world could and should be.
Conversations with these customers revealed that many saw the good that could come from the tragedy of the pandemic -- an opportunity to drive positive change, both in the world and also within the way their organizations operate. And unsurprisingly given the times, these conversations also revealed huge uncertainty, and intense debate, on just how to drive that change.
Historically, marketing events were the popular venue for these Executive Fireside Chats -- you know, the ones in large conference rooms, where we'd sit shoulder to shoulder, in an enclosed space, breathing on each other... Because of the pandemic, this option had largely been relegated to digital webinars and online events. But digital fatigue had begun to creep into the numbers and online audiences needed a very good reason to tune in -- not another webcam video, please!
Beyond a high-quality presentation, we also knew that a resonate narrative identity would be key: both to bring cohesion to the multi-asset release approach as well as form a basis of connection with the audience. That basis would need to be true to the customers' experience of leveraging work systems in pursuit of achieving their mission, in the midst of a confounding pandemic.
From all this, we recognized an opportunity: Imagine the best fireside chat you've seen at a marketing event. Now, take it out of a conference room, hit it with a cinematic flair, ramp up hard on the personality of the moderator, film it out in the world to tell a story that feels lived-in and relevant to this extraordinary moment of our time, and deliver monthly, to keep Salesforce's No. 1 Sales play -- customer success -- regularly refreshed in market, on a channel our customers frequent.
INSIGHT
STORIES is built upon the "A Future to Raise" narrative identity framework. In addition to establishing a clear identity and direction for the show, it paved the way to treat the content as an episodic production. This production process offers a number of compelling advantages.
For one, an episodic format allows us to build regularity -- and thus, predictability -- into the production cycle. That means it's easier to forecast out costs so as to stay within budget and operate efficiently, and also accommodate the political timeline inherent to all brand partnerships and comarketing adventures.
At the same time, this approach presents a creative vehicle that can build a community of supporters, while still being responsive to what's current and relevant to the business. That means it's easier to be responsive to Salesforce.org's overarching marketing & communications plan -- as customers could be selected on the basis of new product releases, shifting priorities, and reactionary messaging.
Hooking the audience in this way also makes landing messaging campaigns easier because you've already got supporters tuning in regularly and paying attention to your brand.
If that audience was going to show up at all, though, we knew authenticity of intent would be crucial. Research shows that though trust in NGOs is strong, trust in corporations -- especially Big Tech -- is not. As such, Chris Thomas was identified as the logical host. Not only did he hold the title of Vice President of Nonprofit Executive Engagement at Salesforce.org, but he'd previously served as Chief Innovation Officer at Sierra Club -- an internationally relevant and respected environmental NGO.
(Plus, he totally reminded us of Dr. Who -- a relatable character popular in the community that uses technology and smarts to fight for humanity. Perfect!)
Proving the program's flexibility, Senior Director of Education Executive Engagement Razan Roberts hosted the "Future of Work" episode, which featured Robert Morris University president Dr. Chris Howard.
CREATIVE APPROACH
Befitting our C-Suite guests and audience, the show needed to feel like a highly targeted, polished program -- like something you might find on Netflix.
Cinematic realism is the best way to describe the unifying aesthetic of this series. This observational approach is all about finding raw beauty in the real world. Embracing natural lighting, shadows, and reflections, the priority was authenticity.
Sound and motion design ramped tension and drama. Sound design conjured the International stylings of Acid Jazz, while the flash and pop in the titling graphics was meant to feel contemporary and exciting -- a bit of celebrity. We wanted guests to "feel" larger than life, emphasizing the gravity of their organization's missions on a global scale.
Mindful of our digital audience, we introduced an agile line motion-design system to spice up the first :30 seconds. The lines signify the interconnectivity of life, and also reflect Salesforce's messaging pillar emphasizing Connection -- that is, how the technology connects these organizations' digital operations under a single umbrella solution.
To signify re-emergence and awakening, we evolved our color palette over the course of the series, shifting from a modish tungsten-and-straw at the outset to much warmer, saturated reds, yellows, and oranges for the finale.
IDENTITY
RESULT
STORIES pioneered the mid-length episodic video format that now features prominently in the award-winning Salesforce+ digital content platform. Average view duration steadily increased over the course of the 6-part series, with the final episodes clocking in 48% higher than the average of Salesforce.org’s previous customer marketing films.
Audience testing revealed 43% of viewers felt the series positively impacted their perception of Salesforce, and 71% of viewers told us they would seek out content like STORIES from Salesforce.org in the future.
SYNOPSIS
The STORIES episodic series was a key customer marketing and executive engagement effort in 2020-21. The program functioned as a thought leadership-based storytelling platform across web and social, and offered a cinematic (and COVID-compliant) reinterpretation of the classic Executive Fireside Chat.
CREDITS
Peggy Peralta -
Director of Photography
Reina Lam -
Producer
Lance Casey -
Editor
Gwenaëlle Gobé -
Art Director
Mithra Krishnan -
Graphic Design
Lori Hamasaki -
Motion Design
Andrew Duncan -
Sound Design
Ryan Kleeman -
Production Audio
Kellyn Dunn -
Creative Strategist
Production Support
Sound Off Films
CLIENT
Salesforce
ROLE
Creator
Director/Creative Director
Executive Producer