Ads Review - A Brief History of B&H
B&H Photo Video, a camera and tech store based in New York, has run a pre-roll YouTube ad for the past few years called “A Brief History of B&H.” 99 times out of 100, it’s unadvisable for a company to tell their history in an ad. Customers don’t care. But this video has 65 million views, a 95% like rate, and hundreds of super fans in the comments expressing how much they love the ad and the company. So what’s the difference between this ad, and the CPA website home page video your grandpa asked you to film? It’s interesting. Check it out, and I’ll explain why this ad works.
Fast Pace
Right off the bat, this ad is moving. The animations switch quickly, the music is driving this piece, and the story gets going right away. Even though B&H is asking their viewers to indulge them as they tell their story, they’re still telling an interesting story. At least they’re telling it in an interesting way. They break a rule here, but they do it with a tone of a fun uncle you’d like to sit next to at a wedding. A rule of thumb you can pull here is to be swift! Especially with digital ads, which customers have the option to click past or scroll through, don’t waste anytime with a cinematic establishing shot. Save that for the short film side project. If you’re making a digital ad, pick up the pace. That’s what B&H does here.
Great Voice Over
The voice over makes this piece. Let me say it louder for the people who don’t believe me. THE VOICE OVER MAKES THIS PIECE. B&H doesn’t use their founders. They don’t use an employee. They don’t use someone with a classic radio voice. They use a fast-talking, Brooklyn-accent guy, which brings an unexpected, and comical tone to the piece.
A voice over is a real art, and no company should trust their founder to do one. Customers don’t care who does the voice over, they care if it’s compelling to listen to. And forgive me if I’m making a blanket statement here, but the kind of people who are good at growing businesses are almost never the kind of people who are good at recording voice overs. Sorry, my voice over rant is over.
Valuable Information
Even though B&H is sharing their history and values, they’re still making sure all the information is valuable to the customer. The ad begins with an explanation of how long they’ve been around, which increases credibility and trust. Then, they move on to a quick description of their values, which increases positive perception. Next, they explain all the product categories they have available, which is valuable to show customers that B&H has more than just cameras. Mix in a little bit more fun, some shots of employees, a quick conveyor belt flex, and you’ve got the ad! The main takeaway here is that you can get away with telling your story, so long as you tell it in a way that is valuable to the customer.
At the end of the day, well-made ads still stand out. Ads that play it safe and follow the rules will always be ignored. Ads like this one from B&H, which breaks the rules and does it right, will stand out and really work.
Great job, B&H!
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