The DNA Difference

See the interactive version on cisco.com

The ask:

For the launch of Cisco’s flagship DNA Center, we were asked to create a straightforward “day-in-the-life” comparison video highlighting the impact of the product (network management software) on its audience (network managers).

The challenge:

A: How do you tell a compelling comparison story about how using different software changes the day-to-day work of an IT guy?

B: Two days, one location, one primary character, zero dialogue.

The solution:

If we want to keep the viewer engaged, let’s literally give them a way to engage—and then reward them for it. So we created an interactive video in which two “alternate realities” occupy the same frame, divided by a slider the viewer can use to determine how much of each side of the story they see.

To make it work, we shot each scene twice with a tracking dolly, allowing subtle differences in action to emphasize day-in-the-life motif and encourage people to move the slider.

To make it work harder, we included a slew of nerdy Easter eggs for eagle-eyed-IT viewers to find.

And to make it fun, we played with small stuff like altering the music based on the good-to-bad-day ratio displayed on screen.