Bullet work on a regular basis with a variety of marketing agencies, providing outsourced video production services, which enable the agencies to offer video as part of their portfolio of client services.
Why do marketing agencies outsource video production services?
Usually it’s down to time, budget and experience. Whilst agencies sometimes have an element of their own in-house video production skills, it’s often more cost effective to recruit an experienced production company, such as Bullet, to produce a video as part of a client marketing campaign. With access to all the latest technology, a wide team of filmmakers and expertise in areas such as motion graphics and visual effects, a video agency can offer a broad range of skills to complement their marketing needs.
The way Bullet work with agencies varies depending on the needs of the marketing agency. Some agencies like to keep the client under the impression that video production is part of their internal offering, and in these situations, the Bullet team are very happy to liaise with the account managers, taking briefs and amends from the agency itself. Communication and clarity is key to ensure all parties fully understand the brief to minimise any risk of ‘Chinese whispers’ when it comes to passing messages between Bullet, the agency and the end client.
In contrast, other agencies are very open with the fact they partner with Bullet for video production, and in these cases, they tend to trust Bullet to liaise directly with the end client. This is the situation with one of Bullet’s long-standing partners, bandv - an inbound marketing agency based in Southampton who work with clients such as Howler, Lead Forensics and Stannah. They develop an integrated marketing strategy for their clients, and when video is required within this plan, the Bullet team step in to produce the content. Once the initial brief is given, Bullet communicate freely with the end client to discuss the creative planning, filming and editing of the video to ensure it is delivered on time and on brief.
Matthew Willsher, director of Bullet recognises the importance of trust when working for an agency:
“It’s important to remember that when working with any agency, we are representing them as a member of their extended team. An agency needs to be able to rely on us to deliver their objectives - and it’s important for us, as a team, to earn that trust early on and have a clear understanding of what the end client is trying to achieve.
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In any situation, as an outsourced partner it is vital to provide a consistent level of service in terms of quality and delivery. This is what bandv particularly likes about working with Bullet, as director Ross Breckenridge highlighted:
“Matt and his team are first class. Their attention to planning and detail is extremely consistent and the end product is always excellent.”
Examples of the work Bullet have done with bandv include creating online video content for Howler - a fire alarm company, who have the regular challenge of making an everyday - yet essential product exciting and enticing. In this example, bandv and Howler came up with the concept; Bullet arranged the shoot, the actors, the make-up and special effects to bring their ideas to life.
