In the world we come from, we lived and died on things called ratings.
If the films and TV shows we made were bad, the audience switched off – and we’d all get axed.
Being fired by Kerry Packer at 4.30pm on a Friday afternoon was good for the soul. I’ve been there and done that (Fear Factor Australia).
The Internet isn’t ruled by ratings. Yet.
One day, in the not too distant future, the marketing campaigns you launch will come under the same sort of scrutiny. We call it Battleground Living Room.
And the stuff you throw on that screen had better measure up. Unlike many other trades, cinematography is a profession where you can literally buy the equipment, slap up the sign ‘We do Video!!’ and away you go.
Add to this falling technology costs (hardware and software) combined with an already ‘low bar’ for entry into real estate marketing services, and it’s pretty easy for the impostors to slide under the radar. With a few jobs under their belts, they’re ‘Video Gurus’ and pretty soon, you’ll find them sitting on Advisory Panels.
These are people who’ve never shot video before – telling you why you need to implement it as a solution. So when choosing a supplier, ask to see their showreel. Take a look at their work. Ideally, you’ll want to see some real world examples of professional delivery. Not just ‘it’s on YouTube.’ Finally.
Ask yourself “Would I watch this in my living room on my big new 3D wide screen TV.” If the answer is NO, find a real production company fast. Because real estate marketing is headed straight for that big, flatscreen TV in the living room where media savvy viewers are armed with those gadgets called remote controls.