Back in 2020, Melissa Buscher (Vice President, Chief Communications and Marketing Officer) and her team at SPX Flow were facing a huge problem. Investor Day was coming up. Normally, as the and her team would use this live event to showcase SPX Flow’s capabilities, culture, and technology for current and potential investors through creating personal connections. But this was 2020.
Investor Day, in-person, was simply not possible due to Covid-19. For Melissa and her team, a boring, talking-heads video substitute to the event was also simply not an option. SPX Flow is a complex industrial company. Diverse. Spread across the globe. And explaining their wide-ranging value while connecting personally with investors was critical. Furthermore, they needed to demonstrate that SPX Flow was performing safely at a high level even during the pandemic. The company was responsible for keeping thousands of workers employed and producing essential goods. And yet, travel access was restricted. Facilities were tightening down. The whole world was closed. The SPX Flow team needed modern, engaging videos – and a new way of creating them.
Melissa explains her decision to work with Manley Films as a sense of connection. And connection quickly became a theme throughout the pre-production and production process.
When we learned about Melissa and her team’s needs, we quickly realized this engagement was going to be an intense undertaking. Not only would we produce an “About Us” video, but three additional product videos based on technical processes and a full presentation video to capture the live element of Investor Day. Staying connected to SPX Flow, their culture, and their vision for this project was the key to connecting to investors.
Our team dove into SPX Flow’s current marketing material, website, background – everything we could get our hands on. And we asked some – okay, a LOT – of questions. A clear picture of the SPX Flow brand and how we could tell their story effectively for Investor Day began to take shape. And with it, a vision for a set of videos that would encompass three different continents. We filmed in various facilities in the US, China, and Europe. Because of Covid-19 restrictions, our team remotely directed international, boots-on-the-ground production crews. We created extensive production packages for each crew so each video was visually consistent. Weekly meetings between Melissa’s team and the Manley Films team helped us both stay on track through every curveball. Health screenings, late-night calls, and backups to the backups – we prepared for everything. And through this collaboration the story of SPX Flow began to emerge.
When Melissa first described her vision for the videos, she told her team she didn’t want them to look like anything they’d created before.
Fast-paced, dynamic shots, immersive sound design that would take viewers right into the locations, and the personality and individuals that make up SPX Flow – this project had to deliver on a lot of fronts. Lead editor Zack Bender describes the post-production process as an exercise in time management. His team raced forward, organizing clips, adding voice overs, creating graphics, and fine tuning the color grading. Investor Day was right around the corner.
The SPX Flow team waited to see what the response would be. Would viewers drop off the videos? Would this virtual substitute be able to create an emotional connection with investors? The response was powerful. Not only did viewers stay engaged with the videos all the way through, but Melissa’s team had many people ask how they could get the same thing for their business. Their audience loved it! Melissa and her team have expressed how proud this project makes them feel to be part of SPX Flow and Manley Creative was honored to partner with them.
Continents
World-wide pandemic
Video deliverables
