97M views; a 22-second masterpiece -- How it Worked
A tear-jerking 22-second masterpiece that did over 97M organic views. Beat 1 = A simple animation, connects with our reality "scrolling on the phone in the dark", hints that it's from the bee's perspective with "bee-like fingers", visual hierarchy of information leads us seamlessly down the page, the 2 years is highlight with three flashing red circles, very simple UX directing us to most important information Beat 2 = scrolled to next slide, same thing, easier this time to read as we know what to expect. We're lead to notice the discrepancy between 2 years and 30 days. We're immediately shown a difference. This information, in and of itself, because it's about Bees (which have a cultural association of "little heroes needing to be saved" is a tidbit of worthwhile information, a simply stated fact, but given to us in the context of an animated short, and inside an existing story. Why is the bee reading this? What will their reaction be? Beat 3 = Reaction. Reveals the queen bee reading the information, close-up, we see this personified bee expressing sadness and grief. The immediate connections become clear; she has read and is sad because of the discrepancy of life span. Using body language to clearly, simply, and effectively communicate this point. Worked well because we all clearly understood it. Visual images and character giving us a clear line of emotion. Beat 3.5 = Reveals "worker" bee, personified as the excited, happy, optimistic child. We immediately draw the associations of the struggling single mother, the hardworking parent, doing everything in their power to provide for their child (even though this doesn't EXACTLY line up with reality, it's the frame of the emotion being used for the purpose of the story). This jumpstarts our emotional associations and activates mirror neurons as our brains "connect the dots" of what this fictional bee mother is feeling/experiencing. The contrast of emotion, from sadness of the mother to happiness of the bee dramatizes the story. The stakes are time and death, readily recognized by all humans.