Add bonafide filmmaker to Vizio Inc.’s credits.
The Irvine-based market leader in soundbars and smart TVs produced a short documentary that held a world premiere on March 15 at the South by Southwest Music Conference and Festival in Austin, Texas.
“Growth” was filmed from a bird’s-eye view using Irvine-based Red Digital Cinema Camera Co.’s 6K cameras and drone-mounted Ultra HD cameras.
The documentary, created in collaboration with Everdream digital studio in Culver City, features 75 “unique individuals as they journey through various chapters in life,” such as couples getting married, children on the playground, or babies learning to crawl.
The film is void of Vizio products and branding after the title is shown on screen.
The artistic approach and soft sell mark a shift in the company’s marketing strategy, which up to now has relied heavily on paid media, such as its product-centered TV ads.
Workers, Sales
Vizio employs 450, with about 200 in Irvine.
It sold more than 11 million flat-screen TVs and accessories from 2012 to 2014 and about 1.4 million soundbars last year on its way to $3.5 billion in annual sales.
The company competes closely with South Korea-based Samsung Group for the top spot in the North American market.
Other Orange County brands—including footwear and apparel brands Vans Inc. in Cypress and Costa Mesa-based Volcom Inc.—have been publishing original content for some time. Vans’ OfftheWall.tv site is home to numerous original documentary series and films featuring topics of interest to its young consumers. Volcom has released a series of full-feature films, including “True to This,” “Veeco” and “Mr. Plant.”
The idea is to create content that entertains or inspires consumers, so that they would want to share it on social media, which in turn cultivates word-of-mouth advertising.
Vizio’s vice president of product marketing, Lily Knowles, said in an earlier interview that the company was aware of the trend and considering creating original content that would “work well” with its brand and products.
The 14-minute documentary seems to accomplish that—it doesn’t show smart TVs or other Vizio products but was crafted in a way that will highlight the company’s technology.
“ ‘Growth’ is a truly beautiful and authentic cinematic story that exemplified the vibrancy, drama and immersive qualities 4K offers to highlight Vizio’s P-Series Ultra HD Smart TV collection,” Knowles said in an emailed response to the Business Journal’s inquiries about the documentary. “We believe this new breed of original content exudes the Vizio brand personality traits in a beautifully simple manner.”
“Growth” “illustrates the perfect marriage of art and commerce,” said Everdream Chief Executive James Khabushani, who also is listed as co-executive producer, along with Jerad Anderson. Mishka Kornai, whose recent work includes John Legend’s “You and I” music video, is director and cinematographer.
“The film speaks to what original content can be—engaging and emotional—but also completely in line with the Vizio brand,” Khabushani said. “By setting forth this model of collaboration, Vizio has set the standard for mutual authenticity between brands and filmmakers.”
Not Made for SXSW
Knowles said the film was not created with South by Southwest submission in mind—Everdream approached Vizio with the idea.
“When we set out to create the documentary, the film festival circuit wasn’t on our radar, but Everdream did such a wonderful job with the narrative and beautiful, vibrant details that when they brought up the idea to submit, it really made sense,” she said.
It’s nonetheless one of the contenders in the Short Documentary category at SXSW.
The winner will be announced this weekend.
Win or lose, “Growth” is just a start for Vizio when it comes to novel ways of communicating with consumers.
“We believe strongly in the importance of seeking unique methods to tell our story of innovation,” Knowles said. “The collaboration with Everdream on ‘Growth’ really helped bring our vision to life in terms of what branded content can look like. We’re excited about the possibility of creating more narrative-driven, visually appealing stories.”
