Neighborhood stories to promote sustainability: the case of El Rastro Electricity by Ford

Since March 2023, Ford Pro has been promoting the sustainable mobility initiative Rastro Electricity in the heart of Madrid, specifically in the iconic spaces of El Rastro and El Mercado de la Cebada.

Keys to audiovisual production

To generate these videos, which have been seen by thousands of people online (the main video has reached 174 thousand views on Instagram and Nuria's, 99 thousand), it was necessary to involve an expert and multidisciplinary team.

The challenge? The synthesis. Facing the tyranny of brevity on social networks, the team had to encapsulate the interviewee's story in little more than a minute and, in addition, showcase the Ford product and brand in a subtle way. All with limited resources of people and days.

To achieve this, all stages of the audiovisual process were developed: pre-production, production and editing.

During pre-production, the crew carried out the following activities:

1) Exploration of El Rastro through visits and interviews with potential participants, with the objective of identifying interesting people and real stories.

2) Development of creative concepts that would serve as the basis for the production.

3) Writing and revising scripts to ensure narrative coherence and content quality.

4) Management of permit requests necessary for filming, ensuring compliance with legal requirements.

5) Contacting suppliers for filming services, including hiring a drone operator to capture unique footage.

6) Creation of storyboards and definition of criteria for audiovisual language.

During the filming, a small team was assembled to carry out the task of recording testimonies and environmental resources in a span of a few days.

This professional team distinguished itself by its clear focus on the search for a coherent visual expression, making sure that all content shared the following characteristics:

1) They start with a hook phrase.

2) Employ split-screen for visual variety.

3) They include GoPro shots for highlights and drone shots for panoramic views.

4) Varied settings for statements.

5) They use agile transitions and simple cuts to generate dynamism.

6) They integrate text to highlight key concepts.

The final phase of the process involved several days of editing, where all the shots were joined together, the corresponding music was added and the videos were exported in adapted formats (vertical and horizontal) to each social media platform where they would be shared.

Sustainability, a standing item on the communication agenda

A study prepared by PwC and Uncommon in 2022 revealed that "seven out of ten Spaniards want to lead a sustainable lifestyle". It follows from this that companies must intensify their communication on sustainable initiatives and transformations to attract these increasingly environmentally conscious consumers.

The challenge lies, as mentioned above, in understanding and adapting to the prevailing digital codes to effectively connect with the audience.

At Código Media Estudio, we have a strong expertise in audiovisual production and video marketing. If you find this content on communicating sustainability through personal stories interesting and consider that your project could benefit from a similar creative approach, please do not hesitate to contact us.