Blog

I’ve watched two videos this week that made me smile.  Not just an “Oh that’s cute” kind of smile, but a reaction that only comes from being engaged in watching great content.  The beauty of these videos, beyond the content, is the fact that the premise for each is simple.  There’s no elaborate set up or high dollar shoot, but instead a quest to find coolness in simplicity.

By now, many of you may have seen the Mister Rogers Remix video.  When I first saw a link, it proudly proclaimed that the kids television legend had been auto-tuned.  I wasn’t interested.  But as the video became more viral, I gave in.  And what resulted was a mix of nostalgia and a sense that the message coming from cardigan wearing host can still be relevant to a new generation today.  While I was amazed by the new message made out of old clips, I was even more shocked that the video was commissioned by PBS itself.  Take a look.

There’s a practical lesson from this video.  Things you have done in the past can be remixed to create something new now.  Not everything has to start from scratch.  You can build on your past and use your creativity to surprise people in a meaningful way.

The second video comes from Jimmy Fallon, the fun-loving late night talk show host.  Fallon gathered the show’s house band, The Roots, and musical guest, Carly Rae Jepsen, to shoot a YouTube video.  The idea was simple: fill a room with musicians and cover Jepsen’s “Call Me Maybe” using only classroom toy instruments.  Here’s what happened.

At its heart, this video is just fun.  You can’t help but smile.  I have a devastatingly handsome friend (a proofreader for this blog) who’s watched this video multiple times just to see all the different facial expressions and actions of the different people involved.  The beauty of this video is the fact that it’s simply people having a good time.  There are mistakes.  There is no fancy production or editing.  Instead it’s talented people put into a situation where you’re not used to seeing them.  It’s engaging thanks to its simplicity and fun factor.

See, there are practical takeaways from this video, too.

How about you?  What’s your reaction to these videos?  Any others you’ve seen lately that are simple but have a big impact?