Short teasers for creating curiosity about history – Cartoonbase

The House of European History collects, exhibits and shares the foundations of Europe.

Challenge

The House of European History needed two short, 9-second teasers that would get people excited about the museum. They were to be shown on screens at the festival Brussel Les Bains, so they needed to catch people’s attention. But how do you explain something as nebulous as Europe in just 9 seconds?

Approach

Engaging: In just a few seconds time, we needed to get the audience hooked. So we gave viewers a few scenarios to spark some questions in their minds. For instance: ‘How did we go from drawing on walls to drawing on tablets?’. In just 7 short seconds, we got people wanting to know more about the history of Europe, without having to explain everything in just 9 seconds.

Pop-style: The videos used a combination of typography and collage to grab the attention of passers-by. This style of video popped thanks to the use of vibrant colours and frantic animation. This resulted in teasers that just couldn’t be ignored.

Short teasers for creating curiosity about history – Cartoonbase
Short teasers for creating curiosity about history – Cartoonbase
Short teasers for creating curiosity about history – Cartoonbase

Impact

The videos we made weren’t just a hit at the festival, but were even reused and displayed in the Eurostar