We’re celebrating video launch week here at Libris by PhotoShelter! We hope you enjoy this backstage look at how Rockit Ranch powers its communications with video.
A Word About Visual Storytelling
“It’s hard to describe a dish or a party with just words,” says Kevin Hartmann, Multimedia Coordinator for Rockit Ranch.
To demonstrate, I’m going to attempt to sum up one of the Chicago restaurant and nightclub development and management company’s dishes in a few words.
A burger with macaroni and cheese as the bun!
You might be intrigued, but I bet your mouth didn’t start watering until you saw the picture below…
That’s why visual storytelling is so important to Kevin and his team at Rockit Ranch.
As they promote their restaurants, nightclubs, events and parties, they want you to feel like you’re a part of the action – or, show you why you’re missing out and convince you to come join the fun. And the best way to do that is through multimedia content.
Kevin says his position highlights the company’s focus on visuals – having an in-house photographer who knows the brand’s eye shows Rockit Ranch is committed to compelling visual content.
Plus, each of Rockit Ranch’s 6 venues has its own social media accounts. They constantly post interesting photos and videos that are unique to their own brand.
Their feeds are a combination of professional images and photos taken by chefs and other venue managers. The result is a behind-the-scenes feel that shows off the brands’ best imagery and creates an authentic connection between the venues and their customers.
They give you a look inside the kitchen…
How do you spend your Saturday’s? We’ve had the smoker going all morning! #picsfromtheline #brisket pic.twitter.com/BSZaQEQQty
— Bottlefork (@Bottlefork) October 24, 2015
They show you what you could be eating for brunch right now (note the real-time caption – this photo was posted at 11:45am on Sunday)…
Looking for an amazing #brunch option? Our #chef special today is our Chicken Sisig Benedict. pic.twitter.com/X4yneaxKXM
— SUNDA (@Sunda) October 25, 2015
They give you a feel for the venue…
Come check out our sexy dining room while enjoying a huge selection of craft cocktails and 23 beers on draft! pic.twitter.com/2t7iDzi0fh
— Rockit Bar & Grill (@Rockit) October 28, 2015
But how do you capture the energy of a nightclub?
“As much as we can’t get across parties in words, even a photo sometimes isn’t enough,” says Kevin.
That’s why Rockit Ranch incorporates video into their visual content strategy. Let’s take a closer look.
3 Ways Rockit Ranch Powers Its Communications with Video
1. To promote events.
Video has unmatched ability to capture the music, dancing and energy of a party. Check out the videos the Rockit Ranch team produced for The Underground nightclub’s Style Series – a month of parties celebrating fashion.
To promote Style Series, the team produced in-depth videos about each of the artists and stylists who would be featured. The interviews highlight the stylists’ design philosophies and inspiration, and give their audience a backstage look at what’s coming up.
Then, they strung the profiles together into a fast-paced, engaging promo for the Style Series.
The night of the Style Series launch, Kevin shot high-quality video of the party, and turned it around quickly to draw people to the nightclub for the rest of the series.
2. To give customers a behind-the-scenes perspective.
This documentary-style video shares the story of a collaboration between the Rockit Ranch restaurant Bottlefork and Chicago’s Bergyle Brewing. It introduces you to its staff, and engages you with a behind-the-bottle storyline.
3. To highlight its company culture.
This relaunch video for the venue that gave Rockit Ranch its start, Rockit Bar & Grill, shares the venue’s brand values. It shows they are pioneers of art, culture and creativity – values that are core to the brand’s identity.
“Being creative is part of our mission,” says Kevin. “If it’s not creative, it’s not exciting.”
How Rockit Ranch Manages Its Photos & Videos
Kevin uses Libris, PhotoShelter’s visual asset management solution for organizations, to manage Rockit Ranch’s photo and video library. Now that Libris has video, he can store all of his photos and videos in one place.
Before switching to Libris, all of Rockit Ranch’s visual assets were housed on an internal server. It was difficult to tag assets across platforms to make them searchable. Folders were messy, and files were difficult to locate.
Now, Kevin is saving man-hours because Libris makes searching and sharing easy and fast. Rockit’s social media team has more power to be creative, because they can easily browse their media library, or search based on keywords to find exactly what they need.
“It’s helpful both in terms of speed and better using the content we have because it’s more readily available,” Kevin explains.
Libris makes Rockit Ranch’s photo and video library more functional for the whole team. It will allow the team to better organize their photos and videos (both the professional shots and the ones taken by venue staff members). Then, Kevin can share photos not just with his own teammates (at the corporate level and at each venue), but also with external partners, like the company’s PR agency.
“Libris is going to be key to helping us deliver content across the board,” says Kevin.
To learn more about how leading food and beverage brands engage followers, boost ROI and share visuals instantly with Libris, check out more information here.
