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Brand Video Production: What is Big Rock Content?

“What you’re really seeking is to be trusted, to be heard, to be talked about, and to matter. And if we look at any brand that’s succeeded, that is what they have done.”
- Jason Miller, Content and Social Marketing Leader, LinkedIn

The term ‘Big Rock’ content was initially coined by Jason Miller, LinkedIn’s Head of Content. He describes it as a piece of content so substantial it allows the brand sharing it to ‘own the conversation’. This is the ultimate extension of Google’s hero content. In the world of branded video productions, Red Bull’s ‘Stratos Jump’ is a perfect example of Big Rock video marketing; it’s so audacious and the brand’s ownership is so complete that it excludes anyone else from getting involved.

 

However, this may be pushing the realms of possibility for 99.99% of brands. Nike’s ‘Breaking 2’ was one of the standout pieces of content in 2017, where the brand brought together three of the world's fastest marathon runners in an attempt to break the 2-hour barrier. The event generated a large amount of supporting content, and additional online coverage.

Malcolm Gladwell at Talks at GS - an example of Big Rock video marketingMalcolm Gladwell on Talks at GS

A slightly more accessible Big Rock video marketing example is of the Goldman Sachs Talks at GS series. These productions – reminiscent of TED talks in their approach and quality – feature presidents, actors, and business and charity founders, who are some of the most interesting thinkers and personalities of our time. The interviews are up to 20 to 30 minutes in length, which means that there is loads of video content that can be repurposed into shorter outputs to be shared elsewhere. As far as branding goes, the video series sets the bank up as a powerhouse for global business and financial success, and the production has earned over 30 million views on YouTube so far.

Related: Check out our Casual Films Guide To Marketing Video Production and find out what it would take to create your own Big Rock brand video production.

Whatever you decide to make your ‘Big Rock’, there are a couple of things to keep in mind:

Make it really big and really desirable. It needs to be audacious and eye-catching enough for your audience to share their personal details with you to get involved. This may just be an email address, but it could be so significant that they will actually pay for it. Whatever the goal – make it big.

Consider two points: What conversation do you want to own? What is the number-one question on your audience’s minds? Where do these two questions intersect? They may well not, in which case you need to think about how you can transpose the two without compromising too much. This is where you should place your ‘Big Rock’.

Once you’ve made the investment in your ‘Big Rock’, you can repurpose parts of the output again and again - 'atomising' it if you like. You can use these smaller pieces of content to drive engagement with the central story. This can, in turn, massively increase your return on the original investment.


Whether you want some guidance on what your 'Big Rock' might be, or if you just want to make sure you're sharing the right kind of content in the first place, a free consultation call is a great place to start. Click here to book a call back with our marketing video production team and learn just how much more your content could be doing for you.

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