(Co-Authored by: Daniel Kolossa)

Andrew Kirkby (Quirk Video Production Manager) and Daniel Kolossa (Video Engagement Specialist) take a look at some of the unique uses of online video for brands. From muscle-charged flame-throwing saxophones, to interactive fashion films, here are our top 5 uses of online video for 2012:

Old Spice:  Muscle Music (Andrew Kirkby)

Old Spice has done it again! Appealing to every man’s dream of being able to play electric guitar with just their pecs, and accordions with their glutes, all at the same time - Muscle Music knows how to sell antiperspirant.

Wieden + Kennedy, in collaboration with Vimeo, created the first interactive music kit powered by Terry Crews’s muscles, and your keyboard. Just finish watching the video, and then get the chance to make musical brilliance with your keyboard, a host of instruments and Terry Crews.

Check out the Muscle Map on how to play:

You can even create your own personal tune, save it to your Vimeo account and share it with your friends. Pretty cool, huh?

Go on, give it a try. You know you want to.

P.S. Did I mention there is a flame-throwing saxophone? Eat your heart out Ron Burgundy.

Savanna Cider: Dead Funny (Andrew Kirkby)

There’s nothing worse than a lame joke, right? Right! With this in mind, Quirk cooked up a digital campaign for Savanna Cider to help them spread awareness about the 2012 Comic’s Choice Awards, and get fans of funny to vote in the Audience Choice Awards. In the spirit of keeping funny alive in 2012, we decided to kill the comedian and bring to life the Dead Funny Campaign.

We kept this idea dead simple (pun intended) by enlisting four talented SA comedians and giving them the chance to win over the audience with a joke.

We put the comedian’s fate in the viewer’s hands. If the user liked the joke, they could click the “Like” button and vote for the comedian in the Comic’s Choice Awards. If the user thought the joke was ‘lame’, the comedian would be sentenced to a bizarrely macabre ending. Some of these included death by light-sabre, death by lion with a lazer gun, or death by vuvuzela.

Click here to decide their fate for yourself.

‘Snow White and the Huntsman’ Interactive Trailer (Daniel Kolossa)

Aside from being a cool flick to watch with your lady (this film is 100 times better than Mirror Mirror), Universal’s dark take on the Snow White fairytale had a great promotional component to punt the beautifully dark undertone that sets it apart from other iterations of such films. Everyone loves a good trailer and ‘Snow White’s’ is no different: shot in fantastic locations, featuring vividly realistic animation and showcasing some pretty decent acting (nod Charlize).

The film’s creator sought to enhance the trailer-experience, adding scene specific trivia, behind-the-scenes footage, real-time commentary and more. Did you know that, for instance, the main battle scene was shot in the Queen of England’s backyard?

I love the idea behind this as it embraces the digital playfield. Driving already engaged viewers to more destinations, as well as offering the option to find out where and when the movie is playing close to them, and even to purchase tickets – it’s simple and effective. Online video is not TV and simply serving people footage without utilising the ability to follow through is borderline foolish. 

Oh, and don’t be put off by the fact that this is a million dollar Hollywood flick – encouraging interaction and providing the means for people to do so can be done by anyone in any manner fitting, it just depends on scale.

Watch the trailer here:

Pepsi Max & Kyrie Irving Present: "Uncle Drew" (Daniel Kolossa)

Branding can be extremely intrusive when not done right. Not many will listen when you shout at them and often a whisper can be so much more effective. Take a cool concept, make it real – think about what you yourself would want to watch. This way you/your brand will not only garner much more respect, but you’ll look cool merely by association.

And that’s really what it’s all about – looking cool/glamorous/powerful/clever/witty, whatever it may be. Pepsi Max did it right, letting people build these associations themselves and not force-feeding them ideals the brand says it stands for.

(Personally, I enjoyed it a lot more than the five minute insurance pre-roll I had to endure to get to it).

Note that the above screen is the only time (excl. a mention in the title frame) that the product is even visible. Furthermore, the entire scene is shot in a low-cost documentary style, giving the spectacle even more credibility.

To date, since mid-May, the video has garnered over 14m views and Pepsi Max has their name plastered all over the net – nice one. These results prove that content is, and always will be, king. It’s not about the money, but the idea and the way in which it’s delivered.

Watch the video here:

Only: The Liberation (Andrew Kirkby + Daniel Kolossa)

How do you engage with one of the most fickle audiences on the planet: young females aged between 15 and 25? Make an interactive online film about some hipsters, that’s how.

Only, a global Danish fashion brand, were looking to promote and showcase their 2012 spring and summer collection. Ad Agency Uncle Grey responded with a short interactive film, allowing users to participate in the action by clicking on the video itself.

If you’ve ever thought of buying clothes online then you, like me, probably asked yourself “…how will I know that that’s even going to fit?” The female demographic will have taken this notion further, wondering: “…how will I look in this” or “…how will that top accentuate my figure?”

Enter, The Liberation.

The clichéd narrative tells the story of three models running around town in denim waistcoats and bowling hats, seizing the day and looking cool doing it.

Script aside, the film is beautifully shot and the product-placement is non-intrusive, allowing viewers to stop the video at any time by clicking on an item of clothing to view or purchase it. See a cool piece you like? Click it. A pop-up opens and you get all kinds of details relating to the product, along with price and a ‘buy’ link.

Usability is great. The site buffers fully before you get to engage with it, making the experience seamless.

It’s a perfect marriage of well-executed video production, technology and eCommerce. I’d love to see some sales figures from this campaign.

Watch the interactive film here