Tribe Pictures’ Founder & Creative Director Vern Oakley says authenticity, not viral video, achieves better results.

CHATHAM, NEW JERSEY, UNITED STATES, March 17, 2022 /EINPresswire.com/ -- In a recent TV ad campaign, the Allstate Insurance character known as ‘Mayhem’ tries to distract a driver with the latest hashtag challenge, dancing and gyrating as he stands by the side of the road. “Everyone on social media is trying me,” he says with a sly grin. Needless to say, things don’t turn out too well for the hapless motorist who shifts his gaze at “Mayhem” and not on the garbage truck that’s stopped just a few feet down the road.

Vern Oakley can sympathize with the driver, for sure. In his 35 years as Founder and Creative Director of the corporate video company Tribe Pictures, he’s seen corporate, institutional and educational clients reach out with the desire for video communications, often grasping at the latest fads and trends they’re seeing in the media.

Oakley and his team understand their motivation, but are savvy, experienced and professional enough to peer behind the curtain to see what the real issues are that need to be addressed.

Indeed, in his latest interview with the authoritative CEO Magazine, Oakley was asked specifically about how corporations, institutions and other video users can cut through the din of social media messaging and resist the lure to chase the latest YouTube or TikTok craze. His common-sense answer has been honed by a career working with literally thousands of leaders across corporations, nonprofits and universities.

“We’re naturally attracted to watching video,” Oakley replies. “About 90 percent of the information our brains process is visual. That's powerful! And nowhere is the rise of video more obvious than on social media. Facebook reports a staggering eight billion video views per day. YouTube estimates 300 hours of video content are uploaded every minute, generating billions of views each day. Content like what you find on TikTok is designed to entertain and engage, keeping our eyeballs on the screen for as long as possible. But that’s not what business videos are for.”

Oakley contends that business videos serve a fundamentally different purpose. “They’re meant to create a connection, make people feel something about a company, a school, a brand or an association, and help the viewer on their journey, or build trust and familiarity,” he states. “Many clients tell us, ‘We want our business video to go viral and have millions of views,’ but it’s not about the number of views – it’s about the right people watching it. After so many years, we know exactly how to achieve that.”

Rather than a #gimmick, Oakley preaches that videos need authenticity more than anything, and often that’s got to be accomplished not by some insurance mascot in a dusty suit but by a CEO. An acknowledged expert on the subject, Oakley has addressed this in his book, Leadership in Focus: Bringing Out Your Best on Camera.

“Achieving authenticity has a personal component,” he notes, “conveyed via your body language and intonation. It's about how you come across on camera. The other aspect, of course, is the authentic nature of the actual words you're saying.”

While he understands that the ‘user generated’ vibe to many recent viral videos makes people feel as though they’re witnessing something spontaneous, he warns that corporate videos need to achieve business goals via new means of persuasion. “We're seeing people just not responding at all to ‘corporate speak,’” he observes. “They’re looking for a real message that’s empathetic, that’s forward-looking, that has a strong point of view and is driven by values.”

The inability of a CEO or business leader to convey this via an authentic presence on camera runs a bigger risk than having your TikTok video fall flat, Oakley tells CEO Magazine. “It can put a read dent in your brand. Leaders need to express themselves authentically on camera, because that's the way that the majority of people will actually meet them. They’ll either feel connected to them, or not connected to them. And the ability to convey that authentic, trustworthy persona on camera takes practice to get it just right. It’s carefully measured and strategically considered. Trust us when we tell you, it’s not a fad.”

To learn more about Tribe Pictures, visit them online at www.tribepictures.com. To learn more about Oakley and his approach to helping CEOs become stronger communicators, or to order copies of “Leadership in Focus,” visit his website at www.tribepictures.com.

About Tribe Pictures
Tribe Pictures (www.tribepictures.com) is an award-winning video production agency located in Chatham, New Jersey. It specializes in strategic video solutions for the Global 1000, private equity firms and leading colleges, universities and non-profits. For over three decades, Tribe has successfully produced purposeful films through an artful blend of strategic messaging, storytelling and a fine-craft perspective in filmmaking. With a mission of “humanizing the most successful companies in the world,” Tribe has created compelling content for companies like American Express, Colgate-Palmolive, KPMG, Merck, Quest Diagnostics, Stanley Black & Decker, NYU, Princeton University, Swarthmore College and others. Led by Founder and Creative Director Vern Oakley, Tribe’s work has received global recognition with over 500 awards, including a Gold Dolphin from the Cannes Corporate Media & TV Awards, a Gold Camera from the US International Film & Video Festival, multiple Golden Eagles from CINE (Council on International nontheatrical Events) and scores of Telly Awards, Aurora Awards and CASE Awards.

Anthony Vagnioni
Tribe Pictures
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