Serious Bigtime x Artifact

The Brief

Artifact, a company that creates personalized podcasts to commemorate life events, tasked Serious Bigtime with creating a Valentine’s campaign for instream and social advertisements that could be repurposed for other holidays and brand usage. The goal was to evoke emotional connections, positioning Artifact’s personalized podcasts as the perfect Valentine's gift. 

The Concept

The campaign focused on an intimate, heartfelt retelling of a couple’s meeting. The hero video featured one partner recounting their love story, which is then presented to the other as a podcast—a keepsake to be cherished for years to come. The campaign’s emotional storytelling aimed to inspire viewers to commemorate their own stories through Artifact’s services.

Execution

Serious Bigtime managed the full production process—from writing and casting to shooting and post-production, including editorial, color, and sound mix. In a single day, the team ambitiously filmed three different couples’ stories, enabling the creation of multiple spots for A/B testing and future campaigns. 

To ensure flexibility for future repurposing, the team featured diverse couples and families, capturing moments full of emotion and visual appeal that didn’t rely on specific dialogue. Additionally, footage from a previous Artifact shoot was repurposed, optimizing costs and production efficiency.

‍

Logistical Challenges

The biggest challenge was balancing the intimacy of the campaign with budget constraints. The team selected a home that provided good natural light, reducing the need for expensive lighting, and offered enough variety to function as 3-4 different settings. This allowed for a believable variety of spaces while only requiring one company move to a light-independent studio later in the day. All these decisions served both the storytelling and budget.

Results

The campaign was completed on budget and delivered a beautiful, emotionally resonant video that perfectly communicated the romantic and nostalgic essence of gifting an Artifact podcast. Client feedback was overwhelmingly positive, with the campaign boosting engagement by 37%, solidifying Artifact’s presence in the hearts of its audience.