When Cole & Co. produced Nikon School’s, “A Hands-on Guide to Creative Lighting” back in November, the Boston-based firm felt confident the program would be well received in the marketplace — but it never expected it to cause an international hubbub.
After watching a preview copy, a popular online evaluator of photographic flash equipment, The Strobist, left no doubts about its opinion with a blog entitled, New Nikon Video: 154 Minutes of CLS Goodness. “It is far and away the best resource available for those of you who want to better learn how to use your Nikon system strobes,” says Dave Hobby, founder and chief blogger of The Strobist.
Great reviews from influencers like The Strobist, plus the boost from word-of-mouth, have helped create brisk sales for the 2.5-hour tutorial program. The DVD, which is sold in the U.S. through photo retail outlets and the online Nikon Mall, is now in its second printing. As an unexpected consequence, the positive web-based buzz captured the attention of photo enthusiasts outside U.S. borders. “A Hands-on Guide to Creative Lighting” is not currently available in other languages or international formats. An online petition with nearly two hundred signatures to date is asking that “A Hands-on Guide to Creative Lighting” be made available worldwide.
“The marketplace is full of extraordinary products that do amazing things, provided you understand how to use them,” said John Cole, who directed the program for Nikon. “Video is without exception the single best way to deliver that information. It’s clear, you can see the application, you can see how the product is used, and you can see the results.
“After the sale, consumer satisfaction is the number one driver of brand loyalty. Too many companies spend millions trying to attract new customers and nothing to train them. That’s foolish. Consumers that understand how to use devices like a digital camera, PDA, software or any other complex product, generally become brand ambassadors.”
Many manufacturers include instructional videos in their product packaging as a supplement for the printed user manual. A big benefit of “in-pack” video is the reduction of expensive call center volume. “We always preach the value of ‘show, not tell’ to our clients,” says Cole, “Consider the dollars saved at the call center, the value-add benefit at retail when your packaging promotes the video, and the brand loyalty that comes from a satisfied customer.
“A Hands-on Guide to Creative Lighting” is an example of how marketing with video can take on its own organic, viral surge. “Nobody set out to create a ‘viral’ program,” Cole said. “The video’s subject, content, and production qualities all hit the right chord for the industry. The news spread like fire through the power and reach of the Internet.”
A 20-year-old video production and marketing firm with a long history in the photographic and graphic arts industry, Cole & Co. has been hired often by Nikon USA to script, shoot and edit Nikon School videos.
The current show features award-winning National Geographic Traveler photographer Bob Krist and world-renowned lighting guru Joe McNally as they take viewers through a tutorial of Nikon’s advanced creative lighting techniques. The program uses diverse locations and scenes to demonstrate a range of lighting situations, such as dancers at the Boston Ballet School, the crew of a charter cruise boat docked at night in Gloucester, Massachusetts, and a bride getting ready for her wedding.
Check out a trailer of the video here.
