How About Producing Corporate Videos People Actually Want to See?

It was 11 am when John received a LinkedIn notification from his N+1 inviting him to like and share the company's latest corporate video. With a sense of dread, he clicked open the icon showing the sweaty face of an ill at ease exec, a thought flashing in his mind: "This is going to end badly, I'm thinking zombies."

He sat in front his computer, forced himself to endure the three and half minutes of bullet point torture as he knew that he was bound to be asked about it later in the day, most probably in the new pantry area. Unconvinced, he shared the video. A lingering feeling of time robbed stayed with him long after. "I am sure we can do better," he thought.

If you have ever been a "John" and are planning to commission a series of corporate films, please read on.

It's all over the web, there has never been more demand for videos. We, as a species, have evolved into creatures feeding our minds with film and video stories to the point that CISCO estimates that by 2022, video will account for over 80 % of all internet traffic. And the epidemics of Zoom calls fostered by our social distanced life only amplified this. The battle for people's attention has never been so intense. Corporations employees, partners and stakeholders are, well... people. They constitute an audience. And people seek entertainment, education and emotions. People are not zombies, they want stories.

While many B2C brands understand that their messaging is in competition with Netflixes, TikToks and YouTubes, leading them to seek creative agencies and producers that produce remarkable ads and films to feed their ever increasing-number of channels, it seems this logic does not necessarily apply to the vast world of corporate and B2B videos. Let's face it, a very large portion of corporate videos are boring and fail to engage at the basic level.

Even MNC's corporate videos which could hope for large captive salaried audiences often generate confidential views. Whether they have spent a million dollars on the piece or a mere thousand, engagement can be minimal. And when sometimes, such videos generate a large audience the jury is out there: did they achieve the intended goals or not? Not sure what to make of Jack Ma's appearance as a Michael Jackson lookalike.

The argument for a better video strategy

The boss had this great idea: "We really should make a film about our company!" Does this ring a bell? Has the team ever grinned and put their thumbs up in with a "God I wish I was not there" kind of look in their eyes? Diving a little into the why of the phenomenon of dollar, sanity and audience attention waste that is a corporate video gone bad, it appears that video projects can sometimes be the result of decisions that are not part of an integrated video channel strategy.

If there are many good reasons why it is a good idea to create a film that showcases a company's history, values or purpose, there are also reasons why it is not. Chasing cool and appealing to the boss's creative producer's instinct "just because" fall into the latter category. So does suddenly sinking money into an ill conceived project to ensure line renewal for next year's budget.

A better approach to video marketing strategy is one that centres on the audience first and does not F$%%^ with people's time and attention. Life is short, people are busy and there has never been so much personalised choice vying for the viewers brain space. In the always-on age of social media and individualised algorithmic feeds, a deep respect for people's interests and wants is a must.

This is even more true in the business world: people are busy! That's why taking a broadcast angle on corporate video communication and having a team of creative producers on board is a step in the right direction. If every brand is a publisher, why not invest in truly engaging content with a planned series roll out and activation of programs, not simply"videos", that are TV or cinema like? Yes, it is about programming which is a vast encompassing concept that can get overwhelming at first but says it all.

Could it be that the best format for your company's business communication is animation? If so why go the simplistic, overseen whiteboard animes way? Why not take a page from the beautiful and inspiring "Brazen" ("Culottées"en Français) which highlights strong female characters, famous or not, who have left a mark in world history.

Or could it be that the best approach is a documentary mixed with fictional recreation such as this series for HSBC, an adaptation of a famous British TV show? There is so much inspiration to be taken from the media landscape: reality TV, CBS's 60 Minutes like interviews, investigative docs, game shows, features, short program series. Again HSBC sets an example with its well-designed, curated YouTube Channel with a clear editorial line based on the company's values and pillars.

A solid video marketing strategy is one that seeks to stand out, to be remarkable and offer the type of value to the audience that will build up over time. Just like it makes sense to develop written content with a journalistic approach, chances are a corporate message will stick and engage if it is rooted in the soil of TV formats and film storytelling. Only a few production company understand this. Only a few corporations get this new paradigm.

Brand's purpose as a theme

Of course, the company values and brand messaging should infuse every film and video assets of the campaign. However, instead of making a bullet point video extension of the main talking points, the company's message may be better served by a higher level theme meant to inspire and initiate conversations. If corporate communication can benefit from advertising like creative it maybe even be better served by a genuine TV channel or magazine like editorial policy. Informative, interesting on-demand corporate television, yes! Death by PowerPoint broadcast, no!

A beautiful illustration of story based film and video production strategy is the one offered by online commerce portal Shopify which has set up its own production studios to forward the key theme of their brand's purpose: entrepreneurship. Shopify's mission is to “make commerce better for everyone, so businesses can focus on what they do best: building and selling their products."And so, Shopify Studios partner with established production companies with a broadcast record to produce interesting and relevant documentaries and that people want to watch. Their clear editorial line, or bible, is a guide for creatives and directors who then have carte-blanche to develop their films. As the work is commissioned, the question of final cut approval maybe a matter of negotiation.

However, the interesting take-away here is that when a corporation gets to attach its brand name to a major release because it is NOT a commercial "in your face", it's fair to say this is marketing jackpot. A great example is Own the Room, which follows the journey of young entrepreneurs and was just released on Disney+ and National Geographic. We are excited to share this as The Hong Kong Fixer productions team was a key production partner of the project for the Macao and Beijing segments. Please check out this article to know more and get behind the scene goodies.

The argument for an improved production agency sourcing process

Have you ever come across the "I know a guy" paradigm or performed a quick Google search to harvest benchmarks and price points? In the sourcing quest for a partner that delivers, this type of "vendor screening” may seem efficient, but may fall short. Rather, please look for solid references, a proven creative and production process, an approach based on intent, aesthetics, and a vision. A brand story is built overtime and a real conversation on the films and the development of a channel strategy is essential.

If your nephew owns a camcorder, great. Maybe he is really talented and he will create a great video asset that will enshrine the company's message. Maybe he is the next Christopher Nolan after all. Or maybe he has no idea that a shaky camera serves the film, only if this film is Jaws, the main character is a shark and not a respected exec sharing her industry insights. Yes, video production is commoditised, no doubt about this, but so are pens. Is your neighbour a Noble prize or Pulitzer winner?

"How much does it cost to make a film?" is commonly the first question that pops up. This is a similar one as the famous "What is bigger?” Bigger than what? As Einstein put it, everything is relative. How much ? Well, that depends on what level of quality is expected. Creative development, customer care and follow up, professionalism of the crew and equipment on set, camera facing talent level, and of course the final output are some of the factors to be considered in budget setting and planning. How much risk is the client able to shoulder? The nephew with a camcorder maybe cheap. He may also simply forget to press record, you know, usually, that is the big RED Rec button.

When looking for a film and video production partner, questions such as, "Can they really do it and what's their track record?", "Will they care?", "Will they listen to us and understand my campaign's goals?", "Will they fully dedicate themselves to this production?" seem more on point. An even more important question is the one of their broadcast, cinema, advertising and web cultural background and know-how. Do they have a solid education in the medium and do they keep abreast of media market trends? Will passion for visual storytelling infuse every step of the planned corporate channel development?

Toward branded B2B entertainment

It's 6.30 pm and the teams gather around John's screen. Someone says, "Can we put it up on the 65 inch monitor? It'll be so much better!" A sense of excitement can be felt in the room. Everyone wants to check episode 2 of the "A Great Company to Work At" series. The cliff hanger on episode 1 was so cool. And the people in it are so real, their business topics so relevant. Their stories rang so right.

John smiles as he watches the number of views in the bottom right corner of the player, a much higher number than the employee count of the company. Must have spread. As the new head of corporate communications, he had taken the bold step to truly consider his audience, had a devised a solid video marketing strategy, selected a professional storytelling partner and attempted to produce branded corporate entertainment to the company's employees and stakeholders. In the room, people watched the film. He relaxed in his chair, smiled. And clicked "Share".