Selfies into Marketing Strategy: How Life on Film developed their disposable cameras into more than just a product

What’s the third best thing about vacation? Behind the new experiences and great food, for most, it’s probably taking photos. Who doesn’t love capturing that perfect shot atop a beautiful view  or that Instagram-worthy portrait for your new profile pic? Here’s how one company used this universal love for snapping, shooting, and selfieing into a viral social media marketing strategy.  

How would you go about marketing a disposable camera? Maybe you’d focus on the product specifications like how many photos it could take in one roll, how far the lens could zoom, or how high the resolution could go. Or, maybe you’d take a competitor-focused approach and talk about how much cheaper your camera is, how much sturdier it is, or how much more high-quality the photos are. Instead of these elementary approaches, a new company called Life on Film decided to embrace the human aspect behind a camera: how it can capture memories. 

Each video starts with the creator approaching a stranger at an airport or outside a major tourist location, offering them one of their disposable cameras. These strangers are prompted to use the camera and then send the photos back to the creators. Then comes the photo montage, backed by a trending hip-hop or pop audio, showing everyone the special moments of the strangers’ trips. 

This strategy is genius for a couple of reasons. First, it demonstrates the possession utility that the camera provides. Without any outright copy, Life on Film displays how their cameras are useful to the consumer because they can use it to record key memories of their vacations that they’ll cherish forever. 

Second, this content seems much more organic and therefore trustworthy. The photos that we see aren’t coming from the business themselves: they’re coming from real strangers, people just like you and I. This essentially serves as social proof for their brand. Because Life on Film is essentially being endorsed by hundreds of these regular consumers, other consumers like them will find their products to be more appealing. 

As a lesson to all marketers: instead of blabbering about the great features your product has, show consumers the value it will bring to them. Whether that be making a delectable smoothie with your brand’s blender, or spending a peaceful night on your brand’s mattress, or even giving random tourists your camera to take photos on, actively show consumers why they should buy your products. Practical application over boring information. Show, don’t tell.