Content Creation & Production Company. We create unique, modern visual content for ambitious luxury brands. Still 📸, Moving 📽️ and 3D, for both print and screen.
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White Light Berlin

we produce high-end, visual content for ambitious brands - BOTH still, moving, and 3d

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We deliver results and get things done for brave brands that are determined to define & transcend.

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white light berlin focus on concepts, strategy & content creation

We plan, Produce and deliver brand-defining visual content - for both screen and print.


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We’re not looking for “clients” -

we work with partners.

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Content creation studio WhiteLight Berlin have a long-time relationship with Scentury - Perfume stories - a digital platform TO discover scents in a new way.

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Content Creation in 2024


 

Can you define or explain your brand in ten words or less?  (And we don’t mean something like “Delivering Excellence through bla bla bla.)

can you tell us what your brand really stands for?

?


Well, we thought so…

 

While most stakeholders claim to know what their brand is all about, when you actually pin them down and ask them, point blank, brand managers sometimes seem like deer caught in the headlights of an oncoming car. Bewildered, confused and in search for words.

It’s one thing to carry with you in your head a feeling about what you think your brand is all about and a completely other thing to have it clearly visualized or in text form, on your website or in your social feed. The act of putting pen to paper has an amazing effect since you are forced to articulate and organize your sometimes quite fuzzy feelings and thoughts.

Here at White Light Berlin, we feel that this is the biggest obstacle facing brands today: Most brands don’t know who they are. Most brands don’t know why they do what they do.

We can help you with that.

At White Light Berlin, we are visual artists committed to helping each client tell their brand story. Our job is to distill what the visual core, or DNA of the brand is and to determine what resonates with your brand’s various audiences.

 
 
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OUR Be-liefs


These are our 7 core beliefs that we apply to our EVERYDAY work. We’ll expect you to do the same.

 
 

Be Curious

Even if we do have a tremendous respect for data and even if we routinely are consulting our Search Console and Tag Manager we still believe that a good dose of serendipity, solid storytelling and real connections on a human and individual level makes for better and more effective work. Looking too closely at your competitors only makes sense if you just want to be part of a flock of sheep. Instead, ambitious brands need to learn from everything else around them. What can a fashion brand learn from a blacksmith? What can hotels learn from japanese soy farmers ? What can insurance companies learn from long distance runners?

So, having said that, If you don’t know about the beef between @LilMiquela, and @BermudaIsBae we seriously need to have a talk. Just sayin’

Be Media

Brands spend most of their marketing budgets on buying ad space and media. However, in times like these when people are increasingly frustrated with data grabbing, notification overload and privacy violations your brand needs to adapt a new mindset.  Stop piggybacking off other brands' stories, instead craft your own narrative. Be Media instead of Buying Media

Be Real!

People are very good at sniffing out fake or constructed brand narratives. A real story is not clever copy, written by a hired gun, or created in that super expensive workshop, but rather slowly and organically layered upon other layers, through everyday actions that your brand is taking.  Authentic customer experiences with real impact require deep insights from real situations. That’s why you as a brand need to be real. An example - When you screw up you apologize - but it has to be a real apology, not that sort of half assed “We at … are constantly striving for excellence in ...  We’re sorry that we didn’t meet your expectations …

That is just corporate bull***t and people recognize it right away.

Be a Wide Eyed Child

Stagnation = Death! Just look at Kodak who actually invented the digital camera but because of fear of cannibalizing their thriving film market never acted on this new emerging technology. Kodak was once synonymous with photography - but now they are simply gone! Maybe you can also draw some parallels to Facebook and how they are slowly making themselves irrelevant to a lot of people.

Even if we’re a bit tired of hearing the term “Startup” thrown around a bit too liberally in the wrong context there is a one specific mindset in startup culture that is really valuable. Startups often challenge their own beliefs and boldly experiment with new solutions to old problems. Your Brand need to do that!

Be Your “Why?”

One of the most popular TED talks is Simon Sinek’s famous 2009 talk “How Great Leaders Inspire Action” where he very effectively explains how certain individuals or organizations are constantly able to defy expectations and effectively get their message across. Sinek explains that this is because they start and lead with their “Why?”

Your own “Why?” is why you actually get up in the morning to do what you do. It’s a seemingly easy question to answer but until you have actually wrestled with it for a while there is no need to contact us. Period.

Be Signal - Not Noise

People are overwhelmed by the barrage of content hitting their feeds. Your job is to stand out and be different, surprising, informative and at the same time delight your audience.

People turn to technology to bypass or opt-out of anything that smells of “they are just trying to sell me something” You might have heard the term inbound marketing (as opposed to outbound marketing) Inbound marketing is a state of mind in your audience when they seek you out. They actually come to you for more! They can’t get enough because you have provided great value and your audience wants more of it.

Be an Action-taker

Nothing gets done without actually taking action. Action speaks louder than words. Strategy is easy - Execution is really hard. That’s it!

 
 
Rianna & Nina - Campaign 2019

Rianna & Nina - Campaign 2019


 

Understanding your customer


Why Luxury is the new normal

The new luxury is all about self expression and less with status signaling. Smart brands will recognize this shift and adapt to this new normal.

There are more successful luxury brands today than there have ever been in history which provides the opportunity for new brands to make headway into saturated markets or mature brands to solidify their foundations further. Of course, this also means that there is more competition for the luxury demographic than has ever been too-- though that demographic is no longer necessarily defined by its income.

This last bit is important because it highlights a couple of cultural changes that impact luxury brands and define how they should appeal to their audience. On one hand, people who may not be able to live a complete luxury lifestyle still make it a point to try and maintain some small element of luxury in their life, be it a handbag, designer clothes, or any other product.

On the other hand, those with the means to support a luxury lifestyle with every facet of their lives are turning away from extravagance and opulence in favor of a more minimal approach. Part of this second development relates to the stigma of conspicuous consumption in a culture deep in the throws of a sustainability crisis and reactionary politics against inequality.

That said, even the minimalists still hold onto luxury in ways that they identify as meaningful or necessary even if they no longer do so “to excess.” These dual realities create a schism in luxury markets where a large enough chunk of the audience does not have the means to sustain a luxury brand and another chunk of the audience no longer has the desire.

One of the most effective responses to this dichotomy is recognizing that despite the significant difference between these two lived experiences, you can tailor your messages to appeal to smaller and smaller slices of the audience. Rather than try to create a single message that appeals to everyone, generate multiple messages that are personalized for a given niche.

 
 
 
 
Editorial Content

Editorial Content


 

content is king

…but only if it’s relevant and authentic

 
 

 

Do you feel like you’re moving through a world that’s constantly changing? Well, that’s because it is!

The only constant these days is that everything is changing - at breakneck speed. Tools and platforms come and go. Strategies and Best-Practices follow suit. We would like to restructure our lives to better resemble our childhood, but that seems not to be possible in 2020. However, Harry and Meghan did it recently, electing to walk away from British royal life and carve their own niche. Being different takes courage, but it’s their choice.

While the tools and strategies might constantly shift and come and go, one thing is poised to always provide stability. That is good content!

Good content, be it in written or visual form, be it stills or video, podcasts or webinars will always engage and deliver value to your audience and subsequently cement your relationship with your customers who will crave to come back for more. By focusing on great and valuable content you can get an edge on your competitors.

But what does it really mean? Simply put, content is the driving force behind any successful marketing campaign or online presence. Without high-quality content, a brand or business will struggle to engage with its audience and ultimately fail to achieve its goals. However, while it's true that content is king, it's important to remember that not all content is created equal. In fact, relevance and authenticity are just as important as quality when it comes to creating effective content.

So, what exactly does it mean for content to be relevant? At its core, relevant content is content that speaks directly to the needs and interests of its intended audience. This means understanding your audience on a deep level and tailoring your content to their specific wants and needs. For example, if you're creating content for a fitness brand, it's important to understand the fitness goals and interests of your target audience in order to create content that speaks directly to them. If you're creating content that doesn't align with your audience's interests or needs, it's unlikely to resonate with them and will ultimately fall flat.

But relevance is just one piece of the puzzle. Authenticity is equally important when it comes to creating effective content. Authentic content is content that feels genuine and honest, rather than forced or inauthentic. This means being transparent about your intentions as a brand or creator and creating content that aligns with your brand values and messaging. In a world where consumers are increasingly skeptical of advertising and marketing, authenticity is key to building trust with your audience and creating content that resonates with them.

So, how can brands create content that is both relevant and authentic?

  1. Know your audience. Understanding your audience is the first step to creating relevant content. Conduct market research, gather data on your audience's interests and behaviors, and use this information to tailor your content to their needs and preferences.

  2. Be authentic. Authenticity is about being true to your brand values and messaging. Don't try to be something you're not or pretend to be an expert in an area where you're not. Instead, be honest and transparent with your audience about who you are and what you stand for.

  3. Tell a story. People are more likely to engage with content that tells a compelling story. Whether it's a personal anecdote, a customer success story, or a brand origin story, storytelling can be a powerful way to create emotional connections with your audience.

  4. Use visuals. Visual content is often more engaging than text-based content, and can help to create a more immersive experience for your audience. Use high-quality images, videos, and graphics to bring your content to life and capture your audience's attention.

  5. Be consistent. Consistency is key to building trust with your audience and establishing yourself as a reliable source of information. Make sure your content is consistent in terms of tone, messaging, and quality, and create a content calendar to ensure you're consistently publishing content on a regular basis.

Ultimately, creating effective content is about more than just quality – it's about relevance and authenticity. By understanding your audience and creating content that speaks directly to their needs and interests, and by being authentic and transparent in your messaging, you can create content that resonates with your audience and helps you achieve your marketing goals. So, remember – content is king, but only if it's relevant and authentic.

 
 
Stephan Boya Men - Campaign 2020

Stephan Boya Men - Campaign 2020


What we do


 
 
 
Photography

Photography

Graphic Design

Graphic Design

Video, Film & moving Image

Video, Film & moving Image

3D

3D

 
 
Concept Creation

Concept Creation

Strategy

Strategy

web design and Publishing - Shopify & Squarespace

web design and Publishing - Shopify & Squarespace

eCommerce - Shopify

eCommerce - Shopify

 
 
 
 
 
 
Stephan Boya Women “Wear it Naked” Campaign 2020

Stephan Boya Women “Wear it Naked” Campaign 2020

 
 
 
 

We Help You Not to Be Boring


We are here to tell you that “normal” is boring.

Don’t Panic, We’LL sort these things out.

In our experience brands turn on “Safe Mode” if they do not have a good understanding of their customers and their journey or their own unique selling proposition - USP. Once a brand has spent some time establishing these things the rest is actually quite easy and things usually fall into place.

So why make boring work after all that effort?

Now you have a good understanding of your personas and you know how they move through the funnel, interacting with your brand at your various touchpoints, be it Instagram, your Shopify store, paid ads and yes - your well researched and engaging content. Now is the moment to personalize, and customize your content to deliver the solution to your customers problem. With flair!

At White Light Berlin, we will make your visual content look polished and chic - if that’s your thing - or edgy and street - if your audience leans that way.

In a world where consumers are constantly bombarded with advertisements and marketing messages, it's becoming increasingly difficult for brands to stand out. This is especially true in industries like fashion and beauty, where competition is fierce and trends are constantly changing. In order to cut through the noise and capture the attention of consumers, forward-looking brands need to dare to be different – they need to dare to not be boring.

So, what exactly does it mean for a brand to not be boring? Simply put, it means breaking the mold and doing something unexpected. This could mean taking risks with your marketing campaigns, experimenting with new product designs or features, or even creating a brand personality that's bold and unapologetic. By daring to not be boring, brands can create a sense of excitement and anticipation around their products and messaging, which can help to build brand loyalty and increase sales.

But why is it so important for brands to be daring in today's market? One reason is that consumers are becoming increasingly discerning about the brands they choose to support. With so many options available, consumers are looking for brands that offer something unique and authentic. By daring to not be boring, brands can demonstrate their creativity and innovation, and position themselves as leaders in their industry.

Another reason why it's important for brands to be daring is that it can help them to connect with younger, more diverse audiences. Younger consumers, in particular, are often drawn to brands that are willing to take risks and push boundaries. By creating content and products that are edgy and unconventional, brands can capture the attention of this demographic and build a following that's passionate and engaged.

  1. Experiment with new product designs or features. Whether it's incorporating sustainable materials or creating products that are multifunctional, there are plenty of ways to innovate in your product offerings.

  2. Create a brand personality that's bold and unapologetic. Instead of trying to appeal to everyone, focus on creating a brand personality that's distinctive and memorable. This could mean adopting a quirky or irreverent tone of voice, or creating a brand aesthetic that's bold and eye-catching.

  3. Foster a culture of innovation and creativity. Finally, it's important for brands to foster a culture of innovation and creativity within their organization. Encourage employees to take risks and experiment with new ideas, and create an environment where creativity and innovation are valued and celebrated.

In order for brands to be daring and innovate, they need to have the budget and resources to experiment and take risks. This is why it's important for brands to devote at least 20% of their ad spend to experimentation and innovation. By setting aside a portion of their budget for experimentation, brands can test new ideas and strategies without risking their entire marketing budget.

Some high profile brands have already embraced this strategy and have seen great success as a result. One example is Google, which famously devotes 20% of its employees' time to working on projects outside of their regular job responsibilities. This has led to the development of products like Gmail and Google Maps, which have become essential tools for millions of users around the world.

Another example is Amazon, which has a dedicated team called "A9" that is responsible for experimenting with new search algorithms and product recommendations. By constantly testing and iterating on its algorithms, Amazon has been able to provide more personalized recommendations to its customers and increase sales as a result.

In the fashion industry, luxury brand Gucci has also been successful in its experimentation efforts. In recent years, the brand has taken a more daring approach to its marketing and product design, incorporating bold colors, unusual textures, and unconventional prints. This has helped the brand to capture the attention of younger, more diverse audiences and increase sales as a result.

But it's not just high profile brands that can benefit from experimentation – smaller brands and startups can also benefit from setting aside a portion of their budget for testing new ideas and strategies. In fact, for smaller brands with limited resources, experimentation can be even more important, as it can help them to find unique ways to stand out in a crowded market.

One example of a smaller brand that has successfully embraced experimentation is Dollar Shave Club. The company was founded with the goal of disrupting the traditional razor market, and has since expanded its product offerings to include grooming and personal care products. The company has a dedicated team that is responsible for testing new product ideas and marketing strategies, and has seen great success as a result.

Bloved - Campaign and Lookbook 2020

Bloved - Campaign and Lookbook 2020

 
 
 
 
Stephan Boya Women “Wear it Naked” Campaign 2020

Stephan Boya Women “Wear it Naked” Campaign 2020

 
 
 
 

how we get things done


You probably have come across other content creation studios websites where they talk about their respective “processes” or “Modus Operandi” or using other buzzwords

We simply call this “How we get things done”

First you need to realize that we will probably turn your first proposal down. We’re not saying this to seem cool or to project an image of unapproachability, (even though that is a well known marketing tactic.) We actually turn down offers all the time so don’t feel too bad.  Why do we do that? Well, if we don’t feel that there is enough ambition or guts in your offer we are not the right creative studio for you. 

 
 
LISTEN & ANALYZETogether we will challenge some assumptions, spread some tough love and establish your objectives. We have a well functioning way of getting this done and the insights gained here are usually an aha-moment for most brands. We wil…

LISTEN & ANALYZE

Together we will challenge some assumptions, spread some tough love and establish your objectives. We have a well functioning way of getting this done and the insights gained here are usually an aha-moment for most brands. We will set clearly defined goals and devise a strategy for the creation and publication of your visual content based on your goals.

CREATE & EXECUTEThis step is pretty straightforward. We will now take action and roll up our sleeves and get to work on the visual content for your brand.We will publish this content on your channels, based on your objectives and goals.

CREATE & EXECUTE

This step is pretty straightforward. We will now take action and roll up our sleeves and get to work on the visual content for your brand.

We will publish this content on your channels, based on your objectives and goals.

MEASUREThe next step is to measure the outcome of our efforts to see if we have been successful - or not.

MEASURE

The next step is to measure the outcome of our efforts to see if we have been successful - or not.

LEARN, ADJUST & SCALE UPDouble down on what worked and change what didn’t work. Rinse and repeat... (If you’re familiar with the Lean Startup Process then this will be something you’ll recognize.)

LEARN, ADJUST & SCALE UP

Double down on what worked and change what didn’t work. Rinse and repeat... (If you’re familiar with the Lean Startup Process then this will be something you’ll recognize.)