Lessons in social media

We’ve just finished shooting a fabulous viral film at Bedford School which we’ll be launching through social media channels very soon.

The video forms a central component in a new campaign that Agency Inc have created to engage prospective parents with the message that Bedford School really does offer a wealth of opportunities and a diverse educational experience to boys aged 7 to 18.

It’s a public school that is well known and recognized for its sporting excellence and facilities, but prospective parents are less familiar with the school’s considerable strengths and achievements in music, the arts and academic subjects.

To address this perceptual barrier we’ve produced a series of eye-catching press adverts, posters, digital banners and the video to show a series of visual juxtapositions between some of the main sports played at the school and a variety of musical, cultural and academic pursuits – all happening at the same time.

Therefore, a schoolboy cricketer wielding a cello rather than a cricket bat, a rugby player reading a history book whilst his team mates wait for him to take a penalty kick, a golfer creating a Jackson Pollock style painting by swinging oversized paint brushes at the canvas, and a team of boys in class suddenly pulling on twin sets of oars and practising their rowing strokes at the teachers’ behest, have all been created and filmed at the school in preparation for the new campaign.

The boys themselves are the stars of each scene and every print ad, appearing as the main characters and the supporting players. Another group of year 8 boys from the prep school, all aged 12, have been shooting a ‘behind the scenes’ film, taking it upon themselves to interview the ‘actors’ and ask questions of the film crew and the advertising agency representatives.

The videos will be posted on the school’s website and YouTube channel in the coming weeks, as well as their Facebook and Twitter sites. An activation campaign will also prompt existing parents and pupils to use their own social media channels and connections to spread the awareness of the film, which will give the boys a further lesson in the effects of social media on advertising.