Interview
Corporate Video Production Ideas and Key Reminders
(Written by: Huang Yiru / Dynamic Designer, Process Pro Brand Taiwan)
Video is a great tool for digital touch points. Through the ease of communication and rendering power of audio and video, compared with print text and graphic messages, corporate video has a better chance to catch consumers' attention at the first time, helping to convey relevant messages later on, reinforcing customers' infinite imagination of the brand, and quickly entering the world of the brand.
In recent years, the impact of the COVID-19 epidemic has reduced the effectiveness of offline contact points such as paper books, exhibitions, and storefronts, and increased the importance of digital contact points. According to a survey conducted in the UK by wyzowl, a UK content creation company, the number of businesses using video as a marketing tool increased from 61% in 2016 to 86% in 2020, and marketers are more positively affirming the return on investment (ROI) of video, from only one-third of them stating that they had received a good ROI in 2015, to an increase to 88% (Note 1), so enterprises must continue to create and adjust according to consumer demand, and the video is a great tool in the digital touch points, through the easy dissemination of audio and video and rendering power, to strengthen the customer base of the brand's infinite imagination, and quickly into the world of the brand.
According to HubSpot's 2020 State of Marketing report, videos are beating out heavyweight competitors such as e-newsletters, blogs, and images to become the most commonly used type of marketing content (Note 2). Starting in 2020, the video landscape is evolving in favor of marketing, with consumers preferring to search for videos to learn about brands (Note 3). According to FB's data, it's also common knowledge that videos are the main source of FB reach. Compared to print text and images, corporate videos have a better chance of catching the consumer's eye in the first place and helping to communicate the message later.
Corporate videos are different from common advertising videos, most of which focus on a single message and have a short-term sales objective.
“Corporate videos, on the other hand, need to think about long-term business planning goals, mainly to convey the overall impression of the brand”
It conveys the company's vision and mission, corporate social responsibility and core competencies externally, and facilitates internal communication, unites employees' imagination of the brand, and creates a consistent brand performance both internally and externally.
What are the types of corporate videos?
Depending on the message, there are three types of branding videos that ProVision often assists companies to produce:
1. Brand image movie:
The brand story and brand essence are the main themes to convey the company's value proposition and show the unique characteristics of the brand. Through the context created by the video, with images, music, narration, etc., the viewer can understand the content of the brand and quickly create a brand impression. In the case of Rayprus, a subsidiary of the Hung Hai Technology Group, the corporate image video focuses on the brand's spirit and vision to convey the core values and mission of the brand to the viewers. The images and narration are all transformations of the brand's spirit, and combined with the characteristics of the industry that Sunshine is a member of, the brand's main objective is presented through the use of light and optical technology: Honor Your Vision. The brand's mission is to honor your vision of a brighter future, to work together with our partners and customers, and to realize the vision of a brighter future that people aspire to.
2. Product or service introduction video:
With the corporate image video mentioned in the previous paragraph as the base, the corporate product or service introduction video focuses on conveying the product technology and various solutions provided by the company or the brand, and explaining the brand's uniqueness or added value in the market, etc. In a questionnaire conducted by wyzowl for the video industry personnel, the marketing personnel of the 94% affirmed that this kind of video is effective in helping customers understand the product or service content in a more concrete way (Note 4). In wyzowl's questionnaire for video industry personnel, 94%'s marketing staff affirmed that this type of video is effective in helping customers understand the product or service content more concretely. In the case of CTC Spectrum Electronics, a video was planned and produced to demonstrate the high quality of Spectrum Electronics' products and services. The video opens with a curve that symbolizes electrical current, which is also a supporting graphic in the brand's visual specification, to bring out the characteristics of Spectrum's brand. Rich images and dynamic infographics illustrate application scenarios and related data, which not only help Spectrum's customers feel its differentiated advantages, but also deepen their brand impression of Spectrum through the consistent shaping of the brand's visual style. (Read more about the CTC Spectrum Electronics case study)
3. Client testimonial videos:
This type of video focuses on allowing customers who have actually used the product or service to share their own experience. Through third-party experience sharing or endorsement, it can increase potential customers' trust in the brand. For example, Airbus' testimonial video on the use of SAP Analytics Cloud analytics services emphasizes the benefits of the product and service for customers through the sharing of real-life examples of results. We will emphasize the benefits of our products and services to our customers by sharing real-life examples of their effectiveness.
(SAP Analytics Cloud, Source. SPA Youtube）
What should I pay special attention to when making a corporate video?
1. Keep the movie within 2 minutes:
According to a report by vidyard, if a video is less than a minute long, more than half of the viewers will watch it to the end (Note 5), and 132 seconds is the average length of the top 100 videos on Facebook in 2021 (Note 6). Therefore, it is recommended to limit the duration of the video to less than two minutes in order to increase the viewership rate.
(Average Engagement for Different Lengths of Video, Source:vidyard)
2. Focus on a single key message:
As mentioned above, the length of the video, in such a short period of time, communication must be focused in order to effectively convey the key messages, and to avoid overloading the viewers with too much information at the same time. For example, in Apple's film "Apple - Designed By Apple Intention", the key message of the film is to convey the spirit of the brand and its design ideas. The entire film, from the voice-over, to the narrative techniques, to the visual performance, all focus on the key message to convey Apple's spirit of minimalism and elegance.
(Apple - Intention, Source:Apple Inc）
3. Incorporate entrepreneurship into the movie:
In order to maintain the consistency of the brand's external communication and continue to accumulate brand equity, the film must incorporate the core spirit of the brand, utilize the brand identity system, and strive to maintain the brand's tone in terms of visual images, background music, and voice-over style.
4. Think about the needs of different platform readings:
Depending on the broadcasting venue or platform, there are different restrictions on the use and specifications of video materials, and adjustments need to be made to take into account consumers' usage conditions or needs. For example, if the audience of a video is mostly watching it on their cell phones while commuting to and from work, we need to think about adding word cards or subtitles to ensure that the video can effectively deliver the message even when the sound is muted.
With the increased importance of digital touchpoints, video is now no longer an optional tool, but a “necessary” and indispensable marketing tool.
However, the movie should not be done for the sake of doing, but need to think about how to help the brand to add points, increase the customer base to the enterprise's recognition and goodwill, so as not to waste this important promotional weapon.
Note for reference:
(Note 1) wyzowl, Video Marketing Statistics, 2021, source: https://www.wyzowl.com/video-marketing-statistics/#section2
(Note 2) HubSpot, HubSpot, 2020, Source: https://www.hubspot.com/state-of-marketing?_ga=2.61674796.1670602091.1630331297-559962346.1630331297
(Note 3) Pamela Bump, How Video Consumption is Changing in 2021, 2021, source: https://blog.hubspot.com/marketing/how-video-consumption-is-changing
(Note 4) wyzowl, Video Marketing Statistics, 2021, source: https://www.wyzowl.com/video-marketing-statistics/#section2
(Note 5) vidyard, Video Benchmark Report, 2021, source: https://www.vidyard.com/business-video-benchmarks/#comp-form
(Note 6) Jenn Chen, 20 Facebook stats to guide your 2021 Facebook strategy, 2021, source: https://sproutsocial.com/insights/facebook-stats-for- marketers/