Blog: Virtual renaissance

Global Views’ Show + Tell series take product videos up a notch

By Susan Dickenson

As the newest member of the Home News Now team, I’ve been back at the keyboard (and on the text, email and phone circuits) for almost a month now. After several weeks of talking with industry friends, attending premarket and, as of late, prepping for Fall High Point Market, I’m beginning to see that something very interesting has taken place.

During that scary, stagnant sales period of March-April-May 2020, everybody took five. Took a break. Stepped out of their normal routines, comfort zones and daily practices — and granted, in many cases it wasn’t a choice. It just happened.

But it gave a lot of people and organizations some good old down time, and as a result, a sort of renaissance took place.

People, and businesses, began to tackle old To-Do lists, examine their lives, renovate their houses, learn how to use their computers, explore creative interests, try out some new apps, technology hobbies and design tools.

In the home decor industry, it gave rise to some creative takes on networking, selling and staying “relevant.” The early weeks of spring brought forth a plethora of Zoom and podcast events. My social media news feeds and messages were stacked with what seemed like a nonstop reel of posts and invites for virtual seminars, design talks, how-to lessons, design discussions. Quite honestly, I turned most of them down – primarily because the last thing I wanted to do was to sit in front of a computer or iphone screen.

But as “Zoom Spring” gave way to “Supply Starved Summer,” something else happened…

 Everybody turned off the noise and began to create beautiful virtual products: spiffed up websites and catalogs, hired professional photographers, produced videos, virtual showroom tours and shopping tools.

One of the best things I’ve seen so far are the Show and Tell videos that Global Views and Studio A Home produced and released in May. I found out about them when I saw (Global Views CEO) David Gebhart this past weekend and he asked if I’d seen them.

I had not, but I pulled them up the next day on Global Views’ Facebook page, which I’ve found to be the easiest way to see the Show and Tell series at a glance (link HERE). You can also find them if you go to the May 2020 section of their Facebook wall.

 

 


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Once I started watching, I couldn’t stop. David, who could make a broken toenail sound elegant, along with Ashley Childers, George Sellers and the rest of the GV team, put their gifts to work and came up with something really special — product videos that are so interesting and beautiful to watch, you forget that they’re selling something.

If ever there were an argument for video’s superiority over still photography when it comes to exhibiting product, this is it.

The settings are dreamy. The photography (cinematography?) is world class. The sizes, scale and color hues come across so much more accurately than in stills. The dialogue is natural, authentic and engaging. The inspiration and design stories are fascinating. They didn’t use actors or spokesmodels or “influencers.” It’s just them. David even keeps an electric screwdriver/drill thingy nearby to demonstrate how installation works.

My purpose in giving the Show and Tell series some attention here is twofold. Many of you have told me how much you miss markets and are starving to see more beautiful goods – well, here’s some delicious decorative eye candy for your viewing pleasure. Second, for any manufacturers or suppliers who are thinking of doing the same but aren’t quite sure how to proceed or conceptualize it, this is a great place to start.

 

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