So there’s a real opportunity to be the supplier who clarifies things for a market and stakes a claim to be first port of call in any potential deal.

I’ve picked out a couple examples of extreme clarity to illustrate how even complex propositions can be made simple. Both examples make a virtue of simplicity – emphasising it not just in the content, but also in the presentation.

First, we have an explanation of cloud computing – a ‘hand-made’ presentation that belies the painstaking planning that must have gone into its creation:

And second, an overview of on-demand CRM – there’s something I find very compelling in this ‘no-gimmicks’ style of delivery:

Of course there’s a time and a place for complexity – talking to a well-educated buyer in the later stages of a bid, for example. But even this example isn’t black and white (the immediate audience for your proposal may be well educated, but what about the other influencers in the deal?).

Perhaps this is just making simplicity too complicated – there’s a quote from Jason Fried that our creative director is very fond of and which could probably stand instead of all the above:

“You don’t need to outdo the competition. It’s expensive and defensive. Underdo your competition. We need more simplicity and clarity.”

Clearly considerations around audience, message, objectives and brand will always play a role in deciding whether comedy might be the right route to take. And while we have had great success introducing it into campaigns over the last few years, it is arguable that comedy could be used more often than it is. If you are thinking about whether video could form part of your web 2.0 marketing strategy, and what story you might have for your audience, our planner (available here) may help to put it in context.

I’ve listed here a few videos that spring to mind as examples of organisations that have taken the first step, but please do suggest your own…

Perhaps the classic high-production-value video is the EDS Superbowl advert from 2000:

Which does have a less well-known twin (with a slightly more involved business message):

Then there are vendors who have a more specific axe to grind, as in the case of Lawson, making a case for ‘Simpler is Better’ when it comes to software…

And while Lawson’s first video from 2007 (above) has 65,000 views on YouTube, the latest installment (below) from April 2009 now has over 300,000. Clearly, lessons to be learnt around the determination to see through a new media campaign.

Outside of IT, there are some very imaginative examples like this one from a supplier making the point that the time has come for their product (I won’t say any more to avoid giving away the secret to a very clever, very rewarding watch):

But what video round-up would be complete without Mr T? Especially Mr T promoting virtualisation: “I pity the fool who doesn’t use Hitachi Data Systems virtualisation”…