When pitching for a video project, do you ever use other people's work as an example?

T

TopazFilms

Good morning, from sunny Manchester.

I've pitched a lot of video projects in the last six months, with varying degrees of success.

In most cases I can gather enough information and enough sneaky reccy footage to put together a thorough presentation for the client. However...

Sometimes I'm very tempted to takes samples of other people's videos to show as an example of what I'm going to achieve for the client. For example, I'm currently pitching to quite a successful local artist and sculptor for a video vignette/profile to help raise awareness of his work and sell his ethos along with his work. I've never pitched anything like that before. So I want to take along some examples of similar artist profiles from Vimeo.

In your experience, do you think this is a useful tactic? Is the reaction likely to be, "Interesting. We're on the same page now. Let's talk." Or is it more likely going to be, "Yeah, that's great, but what are you going to do for me?"

Or both?
 
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In my experience no client I have pitched to would appreciate me showing
someone else's work and telling them I can do work like that but I haven't
yet. So the answer very much depends on who your clients are. I suspect
very few would be impressed that you can find clips on Vimeo to show them.

But it might work. I'll state the obvious; make sure they know that what
you are showing isn't your work but clips you found.

Will you ask the owner of the clips for permission to use their work in your
presentation?
 
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Sorry guys, perhaps I wasn't very clear.

@directorik: I'm not saying I go in there to use someone else's work to promote myself, or to say, "Hey, I haven't done anything like this yet, but if they can do it, I can."

It's simply to communicate to them what others in the market are doing to promote their products. I'm not in a particularly up-to-date area, so sometimes I have to chat about how the market is changing elsewhere online, in case they'd like to follow suit. I don't mean for that to sound patronizing, but if you're not YouTube savvy, I imagine you wouldn't have a clue how online content might help your business.

I'm not trying to impress them by showing them Vimeo clips; I'm trying to show them what it is doing for other people, and ultimately what I can do for them.

So with that in mind, do you think it could be helpful?

@Morris: That's a fair point, but I'm not suggesting I rip-off exactly what I show them. My pitches and scripts are tailored specifically around the client, and I only pursue clients that I think I can help with an original idea. I just want to give the client some examples of the format that we're working in.
 
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So with that in mind, do you think it could be helpful?
Click to expand...

Yes it can help. It can also cause it to go pear shaped depending on the beliefs of your potential clients. More often than not, I think it'll hinder.

It can be very strong if you're using it to compare yourself with your competitors, though more often than not, it can backfire. Most business people don't appreciate this style (even if it's done to perfection). The main time I see where it's most suitable when you're the underdog with a fairer way to conduct business than dealing with the monopoly.

While I don't do it myself, I see other people doing it. Sometimes it comes off well, most of the time, it falls down in a pile of steaming crap.

Perhaps I'm not understanding the context in which you're asking the question.

Good luck.
 
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Sorry, posted accidentally...

That said, you need to back up "this is what they're doing" - if you are in fact doing a Show-&-Tell with the Vimeo stuff - you need to also hit them with real facts and figures.

This is all really pitch and marketing. You know your client, you have an idea that you think will help them and put a few ducats in your pocket, a chance to do some work with a bit more budget(?), a bit more control(?) and will enhance your reputation. This is the "What I Can Do" portion - "With $X,XXX.XX I can make it look and sound as good or better" with all of the usual clauses and stipulations; you don't want to be left hanging if things don't work out.

And make sure that your research is thorough; what else was going on with those companies that have successful YouTube presences? Some are the big because they were first, not because they are any better, but impinging on a small market can be a tough row to hoe.
 
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@Sweetie: Thanks, Sweetie. Yes, I really appreciate what you guys are saying now; I'll be cautious with how I go about showing them other work. I'll reserve this tactic for when the client requires a bit more context than they're already aware of.

@Alcove Audio: Yeah, that's the sort of approach I had in mind. Not to try and demonstrate what I can achieve using a montage of others' work, but to set us - meaning the client and me - apart from the competition. To give them context to my pitch.

And yes, that's a great consideration. When I first started out I'd approach anyone and everyone, but now I reserve myself for the companies I really think could benefit from online content.

Thanks, everyone.
 
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If you are showing "this is what other brands have done" for examples, then yes. But never show a "this is what I can do, or better" because your basically putting other people's work on your resume; if you haven't done it you can't say you can do better - you must show it!
 
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TopazFilms said:
Sometimes I'm very tempted to takes samples of other people's videos to show as an example of what I'm going to achieve for the client.
Click to expand...
Eye of the beholder. Semantics.

If you were to takes samples of other people's videos to show as an
example of what you're going to achieve for me I would think you are
showing me work you have never done but could do. I would want to
hire the person who did the videos - not the person showing me samples
of other people's videos as an example of what they are going to achieve.

To me showing someones else's work and saying "This is what I can do"
is no different than saying, "I've never done this before but if you pay
me I can do it."

I wouldn't do it.
 
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