Here’s the long-form brand story video we did in 2016 for Exmark. The entire project included not just this video, but four other USP (unique selling proposition) videos, focusing on attributes such as comfort, durability, innovation and service. Exmark was eager to tell their story to a larger market (beyond commercial operators) and were building new models at more-attractive price points.

For each of the videos we produced a long-form and 30-second spot (and more recently have been updated with 15- and 6-second social media versions). We also created taggable 30s for dealers to use in local ad campaigns. The campaign was rolled out digitally, and the response really opened our eyes. We expected great things, and we were not disappointed.

My favorite thing about this production was seeing the emotional reactions from Exmark employees—we heard from everyone from boardroom execs to the rank-and-file, expressing how powerful the videos were, telling their stories in a way that was authentic, respectful and beautiful.

Actually, this post is about making commercial-grade zero-turn lawnmowers’ tires sexy. Exmark had spent years developing a tubeless tire system and continued their work while competitors and aftermarket brands were releasing theirs. As the market leader, and with a reputation for durable, innovative products, they waited until the Tractus tubeless tires were good enough for the Exmark name.

Thus, our challenge was to create a package of video-based deliverables, for distribution on all of Exmark’s platforms: Their own website, their Facebook, Instagram and Twitter feeds, their dealers’ own marketing programs and the feeds of their influencers. And it all needed to be done as quickly as possible. Two shoots (one in Florida) and all the post-production later, we delivered a long-form video (see above), two 30-second spots, and multiple 15- and 6-second iterations for social media posts. The first video was completed and delivered within 30 days.

Adventure Advertising came into being in large part when we landed Shimano’s Fishing Division as our client, in 2004. They weren’t happy with the big-city agencies, who knew very little about fishing, and they knew that we had an outdoor pedigree thanks to Hooked on the Outdoors Magazine, which we created and published.

The question was, what we would do differently with their creative? Shimano reels are beautiful, sculpted pieces, yet no one had highlighted this seemingly obvious trait. Their reputation for quality was well-known, so how do you ignite a visceral, “I gotta have one” feeling in your customer?

And so our relationship with Shimano was born, with the “Jewelry For Men” approach in their ads and catalogs. The reels (and rods too) were featured in dramatically lit settings, as if displayed on black felt in a jewelry store.

Eventually the competition began mirroring our look, and we pivoted to a new, yet analogous tactic. While maintaining the focus on the visceral qualities of fishing (while using Shimano products), we shifted to images and headlines emphasizing the experience, and the technical advantages of the product