A colleague sent this video around to his network today, calling it a "brilliant use of video" explaining a relatively boring product -- Google Docs.


And I totally agree. Yet it's not "brilliant" because it's especially creative. It's brilliant because it introduces a very complex product and explains it very clearly, succinctly, and in a compelling manner.
Here's the video:

Here's why it's great:
* It's so simple a monkey could understand it. It clearly helps you see why you need to change your internet and work habits.
* It demonstrates the power of video. Can you imagine trying to read an article about how (and why) to use Google Docs? Hearing a podcast about it? Uh... no.
* It swats away the fear/concern: "We can't do video because we don't know how to do production." Notice the simple, low-tech production. Notice the offline visuals and manual (literally) manipulation of them. You don't need a studio, production team, or (in this case) anything besides a good idea, well-executed.
* It's a great model for how other companies with "boring" and hard-to-understand products can use video to explain it easily and simply, making their products more compelling. I'm thinking here of B2B marketers, especially. Or consultants. Or professional service marketers. Or... well, you get the idea.