We are lucky to have an amazing group of companies within our portfolio.  Enterprise work management solution Workfront is just one of the companies doing amazing things — not just product-wise, but with their marketing, too.

Workfront recently teamed up with the comedy duo, Tripp and Tyler, to bring you the sequel to their conference call in real life video. “Email in Real Life” is a hilarious look at exactly what the title describes — what it would look like if we actually communicated in real life the way we do in email.

I love this video. Not just because it’s hilarious (which it is). But because it perfectly conveys Workfront’s unique brand and their underlying mission/message at the same time.

By going over the top and showing how ridiculous email communication looks when it’s applied in a different context, they make us think about how silly it is we try to use email for all sorts of things it wasn’t designed for and that it doesn’t do very well.

“Email was never meant to be your tool for status reports, project management, approval tracking, document storage, collaboration; the list goes on and on…”

And what was? You guessed it — Workfront.

5 Reasons “Email in Real Life” Delivered

As of today, the video boasts 1.6 million views, which is a huge brand win for the Workfront team. What makes this a great brand marketing piece? Here are five big reasons why I think it works.

1) Comedy Works in Content Marketing

It very much depends on your brand strategy, but (if done well) comedy can be highly successful as part of any content marketing campaign. Second City is just one place you can go to receive help in building comedic content that works wonders for engagement and brand marketing.

2) Known Personal Brands are Influential

You might read this and say… duh. It’s easy to say, but even harder to do. I’m convinced that influencer campaigns that actually work are one of the harder goals to accomplish.

3) Lifestyle Content Works Even Better

Everyone uses email and, yes, I mean everyone. Just like their “A Conference Calls in Real Life,” Workfront took aim at something everyone uses on a daily basis, and had a lot of fun with it.

4) Lead with the Best Line (Before the Title)

You should lead with the funniest or best line from a video right before the title slide. It has been found that most video engagement drops off exponentially after the first 10-15 seconds of an online video. Grab their attention first and then announce the segment.

5) Keep Segments Short

The comedy duo of Tripp and Tyler did an excellent job at editing this video for brevity, focusing on concise, funny segments to keep the audience’s attention.

Overall, this is an excellent strategy for Workfront. Have fun, spend money in the right way, and engage audiences beyond a demo video or talking head. This is memorable content and it tells an engaging, positive story for Workfront.

Photo by: Amnesty International UK