Behind the Scenes: A Q&A with BrandonB on Reaching 48 Million+ Organic Views

In the dynamic world of digital marketing, hitting the viral jackpot and reaching audiences organically is the ultimate win. Connect Management Ltd’s recent campaign in collaboration with renowned VFX artist BrandonB and Uber, showcased just this. Through a fusion of creativity, technological expertise, and strategic storytelling, the campaign soared beyond expectations, amassing over 42 million organic views. This creator spotlight dives into the collaboration, dissecting the strategies, creative elements, and impact that catapulted Uber’s reach in the UK market.

BrandonB Takes a Unique Spin on Branded Storytelling

Brandon Baum, popularly known as BrandonB, excels at crafting advertisements that defy the conventional mold, seamlessly integrating them into the digital space with his production company, Studio B. His approach involves infusing creativity and a unique visual style into each project, ensuring that the content doesn’t come across as a typical ad but rather as engaging storytelling. Specializing in VFX, BrandonB has the knack for turning branded messages into immersive experiences, making them feel more like genuine narratives rather than promotions. What sets his work apart is the subtle integration of product stories, making them an organic part of the overall narrative. BrandonB’s ads stand out by effortlessly blending artistic expression with effective marketing, creating content that not only grabs attention but also resonates positively with the audience.

VFX Takes the Spotlight in Uber’s Viral Campaign

Within the Uber campaign, BrandonB’s central idea revolved around an extraordinary milkshake featuring iconic London landmarks, all created within an Uber Eats bag. BrandonB’s video had over 48 million organic views across TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube with over 777K likes! This campaign stands as a testament to the power of creativity, collaboration, and strategic storytelling in driving brand awareness and engagement. 

Q&A With BrandonB

Can you tell us about your background and how you got started in the digital marketing industry?

I spent four years working in TV, always fascinated by the world of social media. I spent all my time watching YouTubers and digital content. Working with various YouTubers, I learned how to create viral, organic content. Off the back of that, I set up a creative agency that specialises in viral, organic content. As we’ve grown as an agency, we’ve started to expand and build even larger campaigns that involve out-of-home (OOH) advertising, paid media, distribution, and influencer partnerships.

What inspired you to get into digital marketing?

There is such a massive opportunity and so few agencies really understand how to create content specifically for digital. 

Social media advertising is unlike any other marketing platform that has come before it. To truly achieve success on these platforms, you need to approach it from a creative and entertainment-first standpoint as opposed to an advertiser standpoint. Due to our deep understanding of what consumers want to watch on social media, we understand precisely how to craft explosively viral campaigns.

Can you walk us through the creative process behind the visual effects in the Uber Eats campaign? How did you come up with the concept and execute it?

Prior to launching any campaign, we thoroughly examine all the messaging the brand wishes to convey. As a studio, we possess a bank of thousands of viral ideas awaiting the perfect brand partner. Within this repository lies billions of potential views, waiting for the ideal brand partner to bring them to life. By joining forces, we aim to unlock larger budgets and create something truly monumental, surpassing what we could achieve independently.

Our initial task is to assess the brand messaging they wish to convey. We then align it with a concept that we believe fits best, ensuring a delicate balance between fulfilling the brand’s objectives and prioritising entertainment value.

What role do you believe visual effects play in enhancing brand storytelling, especially in the context of digital marketing and advertising?

Nothing and everything at the same time. The reason our VFX campaigns go so viral and perform so well isn’t due to VFX alone, it’s down to the incredible creative it’s partnered with. Incredible VFX with terrible creative makes a terrible video. Bad VFX with incredible creative can still make a great video. What StudioB are so good at is understanding how to couple the two together to create the perfect campaign. At the end of the day, people buy into great ideas and great stories, not just great visuals. The true key to hitting viral success is understanding how to do both perfectly well in synergy.

In the process of crafting a video, how do you strategically consider and cater to your target audience’s preferences and interests?

With every brand we work with, we dive deep into the audience they’re targeting. We analyse the content preferences of that specific audience segment to tailor our approach accordingly. Our aim is to understand people so we can understand what entertains them the most. By doing so, we optimise our content to achieve the greatest reach and results possible.

In your experience, how has influencer marketing evolved over the years, and what trends do you foresee shaping its future?

I think we’re still at the tip of the iceberg with influencer marketing. As more brands allocate larger portions of their budget to it, this space is poised for significant evolution. 

I believe we will start seeing influencers and creators branching out into other advertising mediums, which is just beginning with OOH and TVCs being incorporated into their campaigns. Right now, influencer marketing often feels like an afterthought, but as more brands invest in it, this trend will surely evolve

Something that we’re focusing on as a studio is working out how the entire vertical fits in together, telling a cohesive story from top to bottom rather than disjointing the entire operation across the different mediums. I think we’re going to start witnessing a surge in creators and influencers becoming the faces of billboards and TV commercials, rather than segregating different personalities for different platforms.

How BrandonB Creates Content That Stands Out

• Clear Objective: The campaign had a clear objective of introducing and amplifying Uber’s membership program, UberOne, in a way that went beyond traditional advertising approaches.
• Narrative-driven Approach: The focus on storytelling over direct advertising resonated well with the audience, resulting in high engagement and organic reach.
• Visual Appeal: The blend of innovative visual effects and unique editing style created a mesmerizing and shareable piece of content.

Ready to Elevate Your Next Campaign?

This campaign serves as a powerful testament to the impact of creativity, collaboration, and strategic storytelling in elevating brand awareness and engagement. By teaming up with Captiv8 brands can harness the expertise and reach of creators to amplify their campaigns. Captiv8 provides a robust platform that facilitates seamless collaborations, allowing brands to connect with creators who resonate with their target audience. This strategic partnership opens avenues for authentic storytelling, creative brilliance, and increased engagement. Interested in learning more? Take a platform tour today.