Cut to the core

When it comes to advertising — especially with video — less is often more. There’s a famous story from the early days of Apple to illustrate this point. During the pitch for the now-legendary 1984 commercial, creative director Lee Clow was explaining his idea to Steve Jobs. As he considered it, Jobs began adding multiple selling points. Maybe he believed that more selling points meant more sales. Reasonable logic but mistaken as demonstrated by Clow’s response...

He crumpled up a piece of paper and tossed it over to Jobs, who caught it.

“That is a good ad.” Clow said. 

Then Clow crumpled up five pieces of paper and threw them all at once. Jobs caught none.

“That is a bad ad.” concluded Clow.

This story captures something we’ve seen time and time again in our work producing video content for STEM clients: multiple messages don’t persuade. In fact, the more complex your offering is, the more important simplicity becomes.

The Power of a Single Message

When high-tech companies come to us for advertising or promotional content they often bring long lists of features and benefits they want to include. And we get it. These are amazing innovations. It’s natural to want to showcase everything.

But in reality if your audience can’t catch the core message, they’ll catch nothing at all. Just like Jobs missing the handful of paper balls, they’ll be overwhelmed too. In video, attention is precious. You have seconds — not minutes — to hook a viewer and make an impression. That’s why one of the first questions we ask our clients is:

What’s the one thing you want your audience to remember?

When we define that early, everything else — scripting, visuals, pacing — aligns around it. The result? A focused, effective video with a memorable message.

STEM Doesn’t Have to Mean “Stun”

One of the challenges in Science, Technology, Engineering and Manufacturing industries is translating complex technologies into something understandable — and emotionally compelling — for buyers, investors, and the general public. That’s where video shines.

But success doesn’t come from dumping technical details into a script. It comes from telling a story that is important, clear and relevant to your prospects. That might mean: 

• Showing how your service benefits real customers 

• Using animation to show how a hidden system works

• Focusing not on features, but on the problem your product actually solves 

Working with companies across the aerospace, automotive and software industries, we have found the most effective videos often carry a single message.

Land Your Message

Lee Clow’s metaphor is as relevant today as it was in 1984. Whether you’re launching a product, raising investment, or building brand awareness, your audience can only absorb so much. 

So, if you're planning a new advertising campaign or video project, ask yourself:

• What’s the one message I want my audience to take away? 

• Am I making it easy for them to catch it?

• Is my content structured to support that message — or distract from it?

At Sound Motive, we help STEM brands cut through complexity to deliver content that lands — because when your audience gets the right message, everything else follows.

Ready to amplify your message?

To distil your complex technology into a clear, compelling video that resonates with your prospects contact us .