Celebrating Our 10th Year As Film Partner At FICO World

As a London-based film production company, it was a real feather in our cap when we were brought on board for the first time at FICO World in San Diego in 2014. Applying our skills at the world's largest gathering of data analytics and business decisioning experts offered us an opportunity to spread our wings in a host of new ways.

This year was the biggest FICO World yet for us. The event showcases speakers from more than 50 companies sharing their success stories and unparalleled industry insights and expertise on operationalising AI, digital transformation and hyper-personalised customer journeys.

All in, this year our team created a suite of 36 different pieces of content, each with their own specific function. Some of these, like the event opener, are meticulously planned with the client months in advance, while many others are produced during the event in our on-site edit suite.

From breakout sessions to capturing insights with thought leaders and on to executive interviews and beyond, our role as film partner at FICO World involves the co-ordination of capturing multiple daily assets that are used during and after the event.

This year, we went back to where it all began, in San Diego, which proudly marks our 10th year as film partner at FICO's annual flagship event!

Content Then & Now: How Times Have Changed

Back in 2014, with a new CMO, FICO were looking at new ways in which event content could be used to generate the best ROI - and at the time, this included daily summary films and testimonials. Having previously produced graduate EMEA recruitment content for them, our involvement in FICO World began that year when we were brought on board to assist them realise their aims of making the most of their annual gathering of data experts.

At the time, our team on the ground consisted of 7 people who were involved in the creation and editing of daily summary films and testimonials, which are core assets that we continue to deliver. Over time this has grown tenfold, into a host of additional assets that now play a key role in helping deliver messaging at, and beyond, each year's event.

As their insights have informed an expanding range of content, so our own role as the nominated film partner has grown - and we're proud that our input and advice has to some extent helped shape the nature of FICO World's film content. In line with this, the size of our team has grown to meet the requirements of this expanding scope of work, to a crew of 17 - fingers crossed we'll cross the 20 threshold next year!

Opening Your Event With A Bang: The Role of An Event Opener Film

Among the key assets delivered for FICO World 2024 is the event opening film that sets the theme, tone and spirit of the event. This year marks the conclusion of a three-year narrative arc for the opener, which frames attendees as financial empowerment heroes, whose work using the FICO Platform has the potential to revolutionise how business see their customers offering them products and services in a highly personalised and scalable way.

The uniting theme of the event opener has been of great benefit to the client, as it shines a light on the work their customers do whilst highlighting the innovation that drives FICO's decisioning software, and functions as a brand film beyond the event itself. The form of our narrative arc for this great project was to start it in 2022 by framing how important the development of tools has been in human evolution.

In 2023, we then put the spotlight on how the heroes - the people who used these tools - employed new technologies to significantly improve the lives of others. This year, we then resolved that setup by framing how the heroes of today's tech revolution are able to fulfil their customer's needs and desires through the use of digital tools.

Other significant content that has grown in scope over the years also includes the capture of Breakout Sessions. These are a mixture of presentations and panel discussions where FICO's thought leaders and customers explain the specifics of the latest tools, innovations, and best practices, helping attendees get an understanding of how advances in FICO's systems and tools can benefit their own businesses.

With a lot of work going into these to make them happen, it makes good business sense to capture these insightful presentations and share them with a wider audience externally, serving as a reminder why it's in their interest to attend.

An Appetite For Sharing And Insights

As the appetite for shareable content has increased, so our remit has expanded to take on the kinds of content that inform attendees of the latest innovations. In this area, product explainers have served FICO's interest very well. A case in point would be our 'Digital Jane' series, which unpacks the ways in which FICO's Platform works seamlessly behind the scenes, helping its customers through the use of AI-powered digital decisioning that leads to winning consumer experiences.

Using a combination of graphics, stock footage and actors, our team have crafted a body of work that has been a game-changer. By enabling FICO's Sales team to demonstrate how their software works in a way that's understandable to their target audience, this series has generated value over a long period as an effective sales tool. So much so, that Digital Jane has become a talking point, and is anticipated to continue being used as a vehicle to demonstrate more use-case stories at forthcoming events.

"This is the third year we have co-developed our Digital Jane videos with Cloud9. These videos have been a game changer for FICO. They are loved by our customers and employees alike and have succeeded in making our FICO Platform relatable in an easy to understand and consumable way."

- Helen Yang , Director of Portfolio Marketing, FICO

Another area of growth in content has been the development of customer insights, which are created through interviews with attendees at the event. FICO places a great deal of value in this type of content, as it provides a sense of what attendees think about the event, why they keep coming back each year, what they've learned, and how they apply that to their business.

Featuring real attendees speaking about their experience in content shared on social media adds a valuable boost in engagement and increases the reach of the content, as those interviewed go on to share the content with their wider professional networks. In the same way, interviews with FICO executives help to elevate the event's profile by creating a platform for the execs to speak on the subject of innovation, and also generate engagement by informing the audience of what to expect in advance of the event's activities.

Looking To The Future

During each year's event, one of the key pieces of content we create is a promo for the following year's event. Consisting of highlights of the current event that are edited on site, the promo showcases the variety and impact of FICO's technology sessions and seminars, and explains how it informs and benefits customers, clients and attendees.

The promo is created on the trot. Armed with multiple cameras and thought-provoking Q&As throughout the weeklong event, our team collate and piece together this film from existing historical footage, and footage captured during the current event. By highlighting the benefits of attendance and showcasing the ways in which FICO World can advance their customers' and partners' own business, the promo sets expectation and anticipation for the next year's event. It also functions as a useful tool to promote early bird registrations with a discount code that helps our client forecast attendee numbers for their next event.

All In A Week's Work

Driving our highly-qualified team's tasks of an exacting week's worth of event capture and editing was a logistical plan that involved a significant amount of co-ordination with the client in order to ensure that their needs were met, and all deliverables were in place and on time, when required.

Assisting us in the punctual delivery on a very detailed brief was a team of trusted local filmmakers whose skills are indispensable in achieving the quality and consistency required by FICO when it comes to their content. It's this world network of trusted film professionals, developed over 15 years, that enables us to deliver consistently high quality output, globally, for clients such as FICO.

This year's FICO World is now wrapped - but how do we help promote the next year's event? For that and other updates on further assets we create for FICO World, keep an eye on our page here on LinkedIn.

Many thanks go out to the FICO team - we're looking forward to being back at FICO World next year!

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