Learn, grow & pivot.
As we release a new Fifth Story reel on a (possibly) unsuspecting world, it got me thinking about how much has changed in the five years I have been Creative Director inside these walls; both in the creative world at large and within the confines of our small but determined agency.
When I joined Fifth Story, my first act was to watch every video that the company had produced over the previous two years. Admittedly, video content was in its nascent days, but after experiencing a “what have I done” moment, we all rolled up our sleeves, rebuilt the creative team, redefined our direction and then shortly after that, rebranded the business. Fifth Story was born and so far, we haven’t looked back.
So…allow me to look back for a few seconds.
We were there as content marketing and video simultaneously hit the ground running. Often the projects were singular in focus, tactical if you will, but always striving to drive client engagement while raising the bar creatively. This attitude produced some big wins for us very early into my tenure – San Pellegrino, Jackman Reinvents, Canada Beef and Forestry Ontario come to mind.
As the numbers grew in support of video driving market engagement, so did our intent to make sure every video was the right choice at the right time and went hand in hand with a strong plan set on reaching as many eyeballs as possible. Often, we discuss the point of making a video if there’s no plan, and dollars it’s going to take to ensure it reaches the target market. As we got out in front of this, organic reach went the way of the dodo – and we were well positioned to execute creative that had both research and strategy baked into the creative idea.
Video is only one part of a larger strategic plan.
This drive to learn, grow and constantly pivot has led to the collection of work you see represented in our 2018 reel. Video elements are only one part of a larger strategic plan born out of joint conversations between account managers, writers, digital experts, producers and media planners – everyone here works together pulling in one direction, no silos and no greater purpose than to get the best result for each client.
You may have already seen some of this work online (Enbridge, Panasonic, Velux or YVR to name a few). Maybe you’re a television news junkie (who isn’t these days – yikes) and have seen our Chapman’s or Buckley Insurance work, or maybe you have a child who participated in this year’s Terry Fox School Run. By the numbers, a lot of you have seen our short doc on Terry Fox, a piece that we produced with a great deal of pride…Either way, enjoy the reel and we’d love to know what you think. And then let’s talk about your next project, our operators are standing by!
Thanks,
Stephen C. Stanley
Creative Director
Fifth Story