Smartfish Group

It’s a bird…it’s a plane…it’s a …Drone?

Has anyone noticed the increasing trend of videos on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter? And not just hand-held shaky cams from your iPhone, but beautifully stunning aerials that must’ve been taken by a professional videographer via helicopter?

Well think again – the future of video is here and it’s being captured via a drone. The barrier to entry is lower than ever now with the development of the drone industry, which BloomBerg Technology projects to be valued at $127 billion in 2020. With this great boom in technology and opportunity, brands and industries are taking creative approaches to digital marketing showcasing this impressive video content.

Action Sports Brands – Red Bull

For an extreme lifestyle brand, such as Red Bull, you can imagine the difficulty of capturing crystal clear (and smooth) video of a mountain climber 2000ft up, a snowboarder bombing down a mountain off a jump, or tracking a surfer on the wave of the month. This is where drone and aerial videography is so crucial – it gives content marketers unprecedented access to these exciting moments, all with cinema-oriented quality. By directly aligning themselves with aerial videography, Red Bull has been able to create some of the most breath-taking and engaging video content on the internet – which is critical as Facebook has shifted their newsfeed algorithm to showcase video 76% more frequently than still images (Techcrunch.com). As if death-defying feats of these Red Bull athletes were not impressive enough… the crystal clear drone video will certainly further enhance the experience.

Lifestyle Brands – Beautiful Destinations

Have you ever had the urge to take in the breath-taking icing mountains of Iceland? Discover a quaint bistro along the rivers of Venice? Or simply take in the natural beauty of the Philippine islands? Well Beautiful Destinations is confident you do – and they’re directly focusing on drone videography & photography to entice you to do so. With a combination of stunning visuals, precise video editing, and selling the natural romance of these breathtaking places – @beautifuldestinations has over 13.5 million social followers across their digital channels – providing unprecedented social media influencer power, which many brands from ‘I love NY’ to Hilton Hotels & Vacations are tapping into. By aligning themselves with visually stunning content, these brands are extending the average view time of a user from 3 seconds (adweek.com) to a whopping thirty-four seconds on average … that’s’ 1133% increase in viewing, which will ultimately lead to more engagement and potential action for viewers.

Real Estate – Drone Cinematography

When it comes down to pulling the trigger on that first home, summer house, or winter chateau – visuals are the first step in making that decision. The National Association of Realtors has stated that: “85% of all buyers deem photography as a necessity to consider buying, with 93% of buyers preferring video to get a real taste.” With these types of statistics, and the digital industry skewing toward live/real content, it makes perfect sense that aerial videography has skyrocketed and changed the real estate industry forever. Why take a photo of the land when you can have an all-encompassing view of the entire property, surroundings, views, etc.?

Looking Ahead

With the technological advancement of drones and the aerial videography & photography industry, it is no surprise that marketers and brands alike are hopping on the bandwagon. With an unprecedented ability to capture attention, provide stunning visuals, and encapsulate a brand’s essence all in one swoop – you could say the sky is truly the limit! (pardon the pun)