giffgaff gameplan video
Mobile network giffgaff launched gameplan to bring their honest and helpful approach to the world of personal finance.
In 2017 they set up the gameplan Founders' Club to bring members on board to help them develop their products and services.
Problem
A brand new personal finance platform that needed to provide products and services that their customer base would need, and use.
Brief
Create a fun and informative video to engage users to sign up for a new online community dedicated to personal finance.
Challenges
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One month turnaround time, and a limited budget
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A new brand with no clear direction for the identity
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Multiple messages to deliver in one short video
Involvement
Research
Scriptwriting
Production
The results
Project details
Decision #1
Establish a plan of action
With only one month to pitch and create this video, and a multitude of messages to try and include, the pressure was on.
The priority? Manage expectations with a clear plan. As the initial brief had little detail, the project needed a clear direction to get things moving.
My proposal was to focus on one key message in a 60-90 second animated video, highlighting to the client the need for clarity and simplicity.
Decision #2
Justify choices
To get the main stakeholders to agree on one message (instead of the four they'd asked for) would need explaining. And here's what got them on board...
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Delivering one single message would allow us to create a short and punchy video that engaged the audience.
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Multiple messages in a launch video would be confusing for the audience.
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Opting for animation over a filmed production would be cheaper and less resource-heavy to produce.
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With animation we can adapt to feedback on the go, without having to carry out reshoots for a film.
Decision #3
Write a strong script
The key to a successful video is starting with a strong script, which acts as the backbone for the whole production.
And to make this video accessible to the masses, it was important to use a friendly, conversational tone of voice with common vocabulary — but avoiding overuse of slang.
Decision #4
Build the storyboards
With an approved script, it was then crucial to have clear visual ideas approved by the stakeholders before we started animating — to avoid unnecessary back-and-forth down the line.
Working with our lead designer, the two of us worked closely on creating the visual storyboards to present our ideas.
Decision #5
Develop in an agile way
As time was tight and the stakeholders only approved a selection of the scenes from the initial storyboards, we needed to get agile.
While the animator started working on the approved scenes, I worked with our designer to revise the unapproved scenes until we had full approval.
This process continued with the approval of the animated scenes until we had a beautiful final edit that the client was happy with.
