Great Usage of Online Video: Century Group

I wish it was ours, but sadly, it isn’t. Still, you’ve got to pay respect where respect is due: Bravo to the Century Group, with whom PPG has been discussing new video solutions, for their clever use of online video on their home page here

Not only is the video nicely shot, it provides an opportunity for the viewer to see all 3 of their development divisions, within one ‘page’ – no need to click on anything. How can anyone visiting this site NOT stay for the entire video? Excellent job on the art direction: its all in the details – clever ways to visually represent the 3 different developments.

“The country” – rain boots, brown bag with freshly-picked vegetables, the stance of the farmer, given to a younger person wearing hiking shoes and shorts, greenery everywhere past the wooden fence. Old generation, new generation.

“ The city” – the apartment-sized dog, the urban professional’s clothing, the brick and the manicured lansdscaping. I love the way the red in her skirt and the black in her shoes is matched, in a nice reversal, in his red shoes, and black pants. The yin and the yang.

“ The town” – the older person with cane meets up with the family – the kid and the mom, her in relaxed Chinese slippers, both of their jeans cuffed. White picket fences. Community. Middle-class.

And when you click on any one of the buttons on the bottom left, the video that comes up doesn’t progress onto the next one, but shows the two people standing next to each other (presumably talking)…

Kudos to the Century Group for using online video, not only to cleverly encapsulate their offerings, but to really engage their audience!