In 2013, Chris Malone and Susan Fiske wrote The Human Brand. The book main premise is this:
“Two perceptual dimensions, warmth and competence, are basic to our humanity. We use warmth and competence to assess not just people, but everything in our lives that acts of its own free will.”
As one of South Carolina’s only marketing agencies with fully integrated video production capabilities at that time, we loved how each completed project seemed to just naturally reveal the the subject’s enjoyment of a particular topic, as well as his/her expertise. As we got deeper and deeper into The Human Brand, we understood the subtle power of capturing warmth and competence in these 60-second videos.
As Malone and Fiske wrote: “A person who demonstrates both warmth and competence inspires feelings of trust and admiration within us, motivating us to seek a continuing relationship with that person.”
This simple idea guided us to build company videos around real people in their own words, instead of scripted voiceover versions. People are more believable.
Maybe the best example of warm and competence was created more than ten years ago, with our first visit to the Master Power Transmission plant in Columbus, IN. Somewhat long by today’s standards at 2+ minutes, it is so compelling to hear the Michael Cinquemani talk about how he’s turning his company around.
Here’s an example of the power of a short interview-based video for Stevens Aerospace. In less than 60 seconds, it blends the specialist’s talent and experience with her warmth and commitment to delighting the customer.