Role: EP, D, W
The Ask: Create a day-in-the-life hero video of Olympian Kerri Walsh Jennings that incorporates Almond Breeze.
My Role: Executive Producer, Director and Copywriter
The Challenges: Another brand had recently partnered with Kerri on a day-in-the-life video. How could I differentiate our video from that one? In the other brand video, Kerri declares she wants to “be the best me.” But there’s no story. No drama. The video just tails off into a list of things.
I needed to find a story filled with obstacles that would keep the audience engaged and rooting for Kerri. During my research, I learned that Kerri was rehabbing from shoulder surgery to try and win a 4th straight gold medal in the upcoming Olympics.
When conducting the interview for the documentary, I kept tactfully trying to break through Kerri’s professional athlete shield. To get more personal and intimate. To get past the regurgitated soundbites. I kept dangling my line in different parts of the water, hoping to snag the sentiment I needed. Eventually, it clicked. Kerri realized, “Oh, this is one of those interviews.” The shield dropped. She said, “I want to be the best I've ever been in my whole life...” and then conceded, “and I’m not there yet.”
Her humble admission humanized her. She’s not perfect. Now we know why she works so hard. As an athlete. And as mother with a hectic schedule. To get better at both. Busy parents could relate to her. The narrative flowed from her declaration.
The Results: The completion rate for the Almond Breeze video was nearly 85%, proving that the emotional hook kept viewers’ attention which encouraged deeper engagement.
The Almond Breeze video received 53% more engagement than the other brand video. It had significantly more shares, comments and likes. The overwhelming positive tone of the comments supported Kerri and cheered her on.
