At the 2018 Des Moines American Advertising Awards, Two Rivers Marketing received a Silver Judge’s Choice Award for a series of videos it produced for Campbell Hausfeld. Following is a short synopsis of the work and how it was received by a demographic that all marketers are striving to win.

Research conducted in 2016 uncovered surprising evidence that Campbell Hausfeld might want to expand its marketing focus on an unlikely demographic segment. According to DIY purchase trends, 85% of millennials surveyed had at least one home improvement project planned in the next 1-2 years. It seems millennials were far more interested in taking on home improvement projects than originally thought. To leverage this insight, Two Rivers Marketing recommended tactics that have long proven effective with this segment: video and social media.

Campbell Hausfeld’s portfolio of compressors and pneumatic tools can help equip even the most inexperienced DIYers with the means to make short work of a home improvement project. But to drive this home in a video requires clear step-by-step instructions. Unfortunately, showing the entire process of even the simplest project — no matter how well edited — requires way more time than recommended for social media platforms. For instance, a four- to five-minute instructional video showing the entire construction of a compost bin for the backyard was unrealistic. The sweet spot for videos on popular social sites is more like 30 seconds.

Two Rivers Marketing video campaign earns Judge’s Choice award

To accommodate this truncated time frame, the video team at Two Rivers Marketing employed time-lapse photography to speed up the construction time of the highlighted videos. Five videos in all were created, providing instructions for building a wine rack, wood wall, headboard, laundry organizer, and compost bin.

The complete assembly process for each project was shot in its entirety in real-time. Then during the edit, the footage was sped up using time-lapse techniques which reduced the viewing time to around 35 seconds per spot. To give interested DIYers more detailed instructions, a link was also included in the post, which took them to the Campbell Hausfeld website. While the end result impressed the American Advertising Awards judges, the client and agency were more pleased with the impression it made on customers. Running from August 11 to October 10, the five videos achieved hundreds of thousands of video views; nearly a million impressions; and hundreds of reactions, comments, shares, and links. Clearly, video and social media come through when attempting to reach millennial DIYers.

About the American Advertising Awards

American Advertising Federation (AAF) is the nation’s oldest national advertising trade association, and the only association representing all facets of the advertising industry. AAF of Des Moines honors and recognizes the creative efforts of advertising agencies across Central Iowa with its local American Advertising Awards competition (formerly the ADDYs), receiving more than 260 entries each year. First of a three-tiered national competition, the AAF of Des Moines American Advertising Award winners will advance to one of 14 district competitions.