Since March 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic has transformed all of our working lives in unexpected ways, leaving no business untouched. The Blueprint Film team is incredibly grateful that we have been able to continue to offer our full range of video production services throughout this period. From this gratitude, we were inspired to begin a new article series called 'Lockdown Lessons'. This series of case studies is dedicated to the lessons we have learnt from our clients and their experiences during lockdown.
Kicking off the series, we reflect on our work with long-time client, Chesneys, as they changed approach in response to pandemic-related challenges.
Chesneys is a British family–run business, founded back in 1983. Today, Chesneys is one of the UK’s leading designers and suppliers of luxury fireplaces, stoves and outdoor living products. For a few years, they have been using our video production services to increase brand awareness and promote their products.
Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, Chesneys had two large London showrooms. These were located in Battersea and Haverstock Hill.
When the pandemic hit, it caused a sharp drop in footfall in Chesneys’ existing showrooms. At the same time, a relatively buoyant market for online orders remained - particularly for their outdoor BBQ heaters. How did Chesneys respond to the sudden change in circumstances?
Chesneys soon settled on the decision to pivot their brick-and-mortar retail offerings into a smaller, more bespoke service. With this shift, they intended to showcase even more products than their existing large showrooms. But it would be within a smaller ‘design studio’ setting that they planned to open in the Chelsea design district.
As their long-standing video content provider, Chesneys felt confident in approaching us to help them through this.
So how did we help Chesneys to make this shift? Before we began production, we held discussions with their team to better understand their goals and develop a strategy. Then the first stage of production saw us film the full range of fireplaces on display at their London showrooms. This took place over a series of days ahead of the retail space being reduced.
After filming finished, we edited these films into short promotional videos. These videos showed the products in situ while also providing detailed shots of their materials and carving.
https://vimeo.com/501769885/ee8beb3e68
But that was not all Chesneys wanted to use our films for. The films then became incorporated into an interactive display in the consultation area of the new Chelsea design studio. They also became new additions to Chesneys' existing website. By taking the same content online, they were able to reach an even larger audience.
Overall, embracing the value of video content allowed Chesneys to adapt quickly and seamlessly to an overnight seismic change to the retail environment. It also set them up for both further expansion into online retail and opening up a more bespoke service, which appeals to the high-end interior design market in which they operate.
Producing these films for Chesneys and assisting them to adapt to the new set of circumstances was an insightful process for the Blueprint Film team. The project illustrated how experiencing constraints can encourage creative solutions that can boost your business or organisation even further.
How does the case of Chesneys relate to your own experiences of work during lockdown? Did you learn anything from their lessons? If you are interested in how video content can boost your business/organisation in lockdown and beyond, chat to us!
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