GoPro Mini Documentaries

Anyone that has just a slight interest in video or video production will know about the brand GoPro.
For those reading this that aren't familiar with the brand, GoPro is a camera company that produces compact, sturdy and durable cameras are able to be strapped to poles, mounted on helmets and are able to be used underwater. I personally associate GoPro with extreme sports, high quality production and creative videos.

But... I have never seen a GoPro television advertisement.

Instead, their advertising is predominately done on YouTube, through the GoPro channel that currently has 2.9 million subscribers. The channel has videos ranging from 30 second clips to 20 minute mini documentaries. Their videos are high quality, showing off the power of the small camera. Every clip on the channel starts with a small logo animation, labelling it as a video that has been shot with a GoPro camera. The only thing that all the videos have in common is, is that they all have been shot on GoPro. The stories range from a clip under 2 minutes of a skateboarding cat to a 19 minute mini documentary titled "GoPro: Ocra Rescue", shot in 4K resolution.

Each clip is a direct advertisement to the viewer, as the viewer is seeing what the GoPro camera is capable of. It is a brilliant and effective way of advertising as the videos are engaging. The most popular clip on the channel, a 5 minute ad for the GoPro HERO3+, currently has 37.5 million views.

This video published on the 4th of June 2012, titled "GoPro: New York City... A Day In The Life - Starring Skate Legend Ryan Sheckler", has 4.3 million views. In the video, GoPro cameras are mounted onto ally way gates and are connected wirelessly to the skateboarders phone, where he can see the live video feed. He also has a GoPro stuck underneath his skateboard giving an interesting angle to the clip. He uses a remote to turn on the cameras whilst he is skating. It's both an engaging video and an effective advertisement, showing the different ways that GoPro users can use the cameras.  I highly recommend watching this video start to finish, especially if you have never seen a GoPro video before.

The most viewed advertising on TV (advertising screened in the annual Superbowl in the U.S), receives the attention of approximately 110 million pairs of eyes. A 30 second advertising spot in the 2015 Superbowl was a casual $4,000,000. $8,000,000 would buy you a 60 second spot. When you compare this amount of money with GoPro's small expense to upload a video, it's easy to conclude that GoPro wins.

Superbowl Commercial: $4,000,000, 30 seconds, 110 million viewers.
GoPro Video/Commercial: Free advertising, 5 minutes, 37.5 million viewers.
Even though the GoPro videos are not getting the viewership that the Superbowl advertisements get, they do not need to spend such large sums of money to get a decent amount of people viewing their content. Even though it may cost some money to produce the video, it doesn't cost anything to publish the video to YouTube. Saving money is always a win, especially when it comes to promoting something.