Repurposing Gems from the Archives

Case Study 2 min
When your footage is this good, you should use it more than once. Read on to see how the United States Marine Corps repurposed a Black Friday video into an incredibly successful social media post.

X post from USMC, Nov 23, 2018, promoting a video of Marine Black Friday #blackfriday Marine Corps style, sound on for full effect.
X post from USMC, Nov 23, 2018, promoting a video of Marine Black Friday #blackfriday Marine Corps style, sound on for full effect.
Photo by: DINFOS PAVILION
VIRIN: 241107-D-ZW071-1001

In this shortened video clip originally posted on X, we see how the U.S. Marines repurposed their own Black Friday (the day when recruits meet their drill instructors for the first time) to connect with a commonly recognized event. Instead of taking a more expected approach of just tweeting about Black Friday, the social media manager took this video and contextualized it by layering on some cheery, but slightly off key holiday music. It's equal parts hilarious and awe-inspiring.

Successes

The original video, posted on YouTube, was much longer, so slicing it down to just a snackable 30 seconds really works for the platform and for the audience. The shortened video features a familiar scene which brought back strong memories for the audience, so the engagement was strong. Retweets included Marines trying to identify if they were seeing younger versions of their comrades and seasoned Marines looking back on the experience with some pride. It gave a bit of old content new life and a new purpose in front of a new audience.

Missed Opportunity

A minor hit, but there is a missed opportunity to have shared the link for the full video as a response to those who commented. With so many audience members reacting positively, there was a cross-promotion opportunity left on the table.

Lessons Learned

With a little imagination and some creative use of musical overlay, it's possible to connect an easily recognized event, such as Black Friday, to your organization instead of arbitrarily posting about it. Contextualizing and personalizing repurposed content helps your audience to connect and engage.

It's okay to repost some content when applicable and reframed, so start digging in those archives.

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