Educational videos about the benefits of the European Union filmed on a mobile phone

Educating young people about the benefits of the European Union

That was the brief for a one-off campaign to create educational videos.

A professional crew, a huge studio, big cameras. These might be the first things that come to mind when you hear about such a campaign.

But since this campaign was aimed at young people, we decided to take a different approach…

Crew, studio, and cameras? No. A phone is all you need.

For many years, filming videos for large campaigns was associated with big production teams, professional studios, and months of preparation. At ShortPRO, we handle projects like this for some clients and know the process well. But in this case, we decided to take a different approach.

Young people today value authenticity and content they can truly relate to. After all, this is exactly the kind of content TikTok grew on just a few years ago — and this format now completely dominates the online world.

But what exactly does mean "authenticity"?

On social media today, content is considered authentic if it’s clearly filmed on a mobile phone and not overly polished visually. In contrast, visual perfection is often key in traditional advertising spots. Viewers feel that mobile-shot videos aresomething they themselves “could easily make,” and that the people featured are “just like them.” As a result, they tend to trust this type of content more, since it doesn’t carry the “artificial” and “over-polished” feel that TV ads often have.

As part of the campaign, we wanted to connect with young people as much as possible, so the outcome was:

Filming 19 short vertical videos on a mobile phone in the form of sketches — short scenes featuring a dialogue between a consumer and the other side. The consumer presents a problem, the other side resists, but then the consumer pulls out European rules and wins.

Let’s take a look at one of the videos

Train delay video

In this video, we show viewers that if a train is delayed by more than 2 hours, the company must refund 50% of the ticket price. For delays of 1–2 hours, the company must refund 25% of the ticket price.

The video includes:

Green screen effect — the background image was added directly on the phone
We’re not afraid to show the “imperfections” of using a green screen
Subtitles in the video — viewers read what they hear
One actor playing two roles
Background music

Video results:

TIP 1 – Don’t be afraid of the green screen effect

You might remember working with green screen as a very complicated process where you had to key out the background in editing tools. Today, using a green screen is incredibly simple. On a mobile phone, it only takes two clicks to “add green screen effect,” and the app will automatically detect your figure and remove the background. You can instantly choose what should appear behind you — whether it’s an image or even a video. This is a widely used video style, and you shouldn’t be afraid to “admit” it’s a green screen — viewers don’t mind if your figure isn’t perfectly keyed out every time.

Who will act in the videos?

At the beginning of this article, we mentioned how important it is for young people to relate to the content. One of the highly effective concepts, widely popular on social media, is the sketch.

A sketch is like a “mini movie” that entertains viewers or introduces them to something new. Often, multiple characters appear in the video interacting with each other. However, it’s also very common for just one person to play multiple roles in a sketch. Viewers are used to this — there’s no need to cast a separate actor for every character.

If a brand tries this format, one of the following situations often occurs:

A perfect video that entertains viewers. The sketches are well-acted and feel authentic. The brand earns bonus points with the younger generation. It passes the test.
A flop. The brand tries to be funny, but the result is awkward and uninspired. It’s nice that you’re trying to “look young,” but not like this. Bonus points for the effort, minus points for not hiring someone who actually understands the format.

To avoid a flop in our case, it was essential to cast actors who could convincingly perform sketches that reflect situations young people might actually face. That’s why we decided to draw from within our own community and cast 4 actors/creators we knew had a strong understanding of TikTok and the ability to deliver authentic performances.

@svataba

@zuzkaaacz

@daveduc

@takovatavysoka

Videos work across platforms 🚀

A total of 19 recorded videos turned out to be a huge success. On Instagram (the campaign’s primary platform), the videos reached an incredible 4,514,000 views, and on TikTok, they climbed all the way to 12 million views.

Instagram Reels

views

check out the videos →

TikTok content on a long-term basis

views

check out the videos →

TIP 2 – Make full use of platforms

TikTok statistics show that in the Czech Republic alone, there are about 1,100,000 users under 24. But young people are also highly active on other social networks and platforms. Don’t hesitate to publish your content everywhere possible. TikTok, Instagram Reels, Facebook Reels, Pinterest, Snapchat, YouTube Shorts. The more platforms you test, the higher your chances of reaching the right audience and maximizing your impact.

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We'd be happy to help with TikTok
and short videos
for you too!

At ShortPRO, we offer a wide range of services designed to meet the needs of any customer looking to break into the world of social media and Generation Z.