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Corporate videos don’t just happen. Corporate videos arise when there is a need that must be fulfilled. The more clearly the need is identified the more clearly it can be addressed by the video. A not uncommon challenge for established corporations, one that is frequently met with a corporate video, is the need to inform shareholders and the public that the corporation is responding properly to a drastic change in the market the company sells in. When the market change is extreme, the video has to be extreme in reassuring the public that the company is readjusting. The Kodak Winds of Change Video is an example of a video that addresses this very situation.
Few corporations could be faced with a more drastic market change than when Kodak, a household name in regular photography, was faced with the digital photography revolution. Kodak made a video responding to this revolution in photography, and it was as extreme in format, as the market change was great. After seeing it, no can say that Kodak sat back and did nothing to address fears among their shareholders that Kodak would be severely affected by this great technological change in their field.
The Kodak “Winds of Change Video,” in a powerfully unique way tells the shareholders and public that Kodak is making a strong response to digital photography and is already creating imaginative and ingenious technology, which represents significant contributions by Kodak to digital photography. The video underscores this point by presenting the old and new Kodak in the video.
The video begins with a scene one might expect from an established company with a history of excellence. A dignified spokesman addresses the audience in an ornate classical theater setting. He describes the illustrious 100 year history of Kodak. Classic examples of Kodak pictures of children and family gatherings flash in the background, while pleasant elevator music, conducive to the scene, plays in the video sound track.
Suddenly as viewers begin to shift nervously in their chair, thinking that Kodak is living on their laurels, the mood changes. “Yep,” says the narrator, “they shoveled on the smaltz pretty thick.” “But,” he adds. “that kind of crap doesn’t work any more.” Then in a very worldly wise fashion the spokesman begins to talk about the digital photography revolution. He informs us that “Kodak is back and is “taking this digital thing to a level unheard of.”
The video continues, and as it does the narrator addresses each and every question or concern the public might have about Kodak’s response to digital photography. The spokesman admits that there was an initial hesitation on Kodak’s part. However, once it became clear that digital was the wave of the future Kodak jumped in feet first. The narrator then lists some of the new digital features that Kodak is developing in their laboratories; photography that meets “meta-knowledge.”
The narrator describes ways in which digital programming will allow home photographers to create unheard of sophisticated shows and displays of their photos, intertwined with background music and video sequencing. Then he describes how the old well loved look of Kodak, the shots of babies families and grandmas will come back in a new form within the digital media.
When the video is over, we are convinced, albeit in an unconventional way, that Kodak is not just a bunch of stuffed shirt faddy daddies, but that they have managed to mobilize their corporate resources to become part of the world of computerized photography.
The take home lesson from this video is to name and identify the challenge and task of the corporate video and meet it fully .
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Choosing background music for a company video is a personal choice. However, my own examination of the background music for a series of short plumbing videos, revealed the fact that there are at least three approaches to selecting background music, and the owner of a company, in conjunction with a video production team can initially simplify their decision by deciding which of the three roads they wish to travel along.
The videos I listened to revealed that musical selections for background music can be divided into music which sounds like, or symbolizes the sounds of the service activity being offered, music which resembles or imitates the sounds of the problem that needs fixing and music which promotes a general positive mood related to successful resolution of the problem, and the successful ongoing flow of life, both before the problem and after its resolution.
I believe that in general optimists in life outnumber pessimists. Most people put life’s daily struggles in perspective, and see them as problems to be dealt with and overcome, so that they can get on to the “rollicking good times.” In this light, consider what happens when something goes wrong, e.g., a plumbing leak, and a service company is called? At first, something is not working right, the order of daily life is a bit disturbed and the service company, such as a plumbing company, steps and restores order, and the good times march on.
Applying this analysis of a service intervention we can divide the service intervention into three distinct phases: the breakdown, the intervention to fix the breakdown and the restoration of order. As we will see, these three phases of a service intervention correspond to three different types of background music that are used in service videos. Consider examples taken from videos which I examined when writing this report.
http://video.yahoo.com/watch/4770485/12735726 This video presents music imitating the sound of a dripping pipe, along with a video of the drip and a narrator encouraging the viewer to get help. This is background music imitating the sound of the breakdown.
http://espanol.video.yahoo.com/watch/4466979/11977280 This video presents driving music with a rapid almost industrial beat which imitates the on screen display of a plumber making repairs to a sink. This is background music imitating the sound of the repair process.
http://www.graspr.com/videos/Richmond-BC-Plumbing-Company-1 , http://www.in.com/videos/watchvideo-plumbing-company-in-valencia-7960332.html These videos present feel good background music. The type of music which suggest the ongoing flow of the good times of life, which existed before the plumbing problem, and which will be restored as soon as this small disorder is repaired. The background music in these videos present music associated with the restoration of order and the ongoing good times.
The question which a company owner and his videography company must address is which of these three types of background music will make his video most effective in winning customers. All three types of music have advantages and disadvantages, a search on the web, however, will show that most people choose positive mood music for their background.
Background music that imitates the sound of the problem, might have some appeal because the problem is uppermost in the minds of people searching for a service company on the web. This type of sound seeks to win trust by giving the viewer the feeling that the company understands his predicament. One problem with this approach is that it can only portray one type of problem. A video portraying the sound of a leaky faucet may not appeal to a surfer looking for a company to fix his blocked sewer.
Music which imitates the sound of repair, seeks to win the trust of surfers by presenting a vision of the repair process, which is after all what they seek. It does carry a message of hope. On the other hand, how many people like to stand over the shoulder of a plumber as he solders pipes together or drains filthy water from a toilet. Most people prefer to wait in another room until the plumber finished everything, including the cleanup. Consequently, most people may not be that interested in a video that musically portrays the repair process.
Music which conveys an upbeat mood reminiscent of the good times brings a message of hope and assurance that the company will succeed in fixing the problem and restoring order and the ongoing good times. This type of music wins viewer trust, because that, in essence is what surfers seek when they go online, a means for restoration of their former order.
While all three types of background music have positive qualities, it is clearly the third type which has the most human appeal. Because while humans stoop, in their daily labor to various mechanical tasks to solve various ongoing challenges and problems, it is the restoration of humanity and the good life, at the end of the day, which keeps most people going, and which is most important. Therefore use of background music that appeals to this fundamental human goal is most likely to net results.
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Sometimes a parody about something gives us important perspective on that thing. The Corporate Video 1, which is a parody on corporate videos, in general, provides insights into elements that actually make up a real corporate video.
In the opening scene the video flashes the title of the video, “Convincing Sarah and the Comedy Team to Launch Blackstar.” This is an unusual title, however, it points out an important point, every corporate video should have a clearly defined reason for being created.
we see a bright blue background, with words sequentially flashing on the screen. We see the words “compelling,” “daring.” cutting edge.”
The video than flashes two words that would not be found in corporate videos. “Telekinetic,” and “blessed,” are clearly words that rarely appear in corporate videos. Telekinesis implies a supernatural process, and corporate videos are committed to showing the successes achieved by companies through hard natural effort. Blessed is another word, which rarely if ever appearing in a corporate video. Again the emphasis in corporate videos is on results obtained by hard work, and success that results from wise corporate leadership, and proper application.
After flashing the five words, the screen explodes, to effect a transition. This is a common motion graphic employed in corporate videos. The video continues. The narrator says, here at Blackstar we are committed to producing a product that produces results. This redundancy in this line, meant as a parody, nevertheless points out the important focus on the product produced by the corporation sponsoring the video.
Next one of the narrators says, ” We integrate dynamic e-business, we cross platform web readiness, We recontextualize customized channels,” These are three borderline nonsense, jargon phrases, nevertheless they point out the importance of mastery and use of the technical terms appurtenant to the industry being touted in the video.
The narrator then asks “And what does that leave you with?” Something that people can trust.” This line is meant to be funny; when uttered in the context of the nonsensical phrases preceding it, however, it is very true that corporate videos appropriately using industrial language will be more likely to win the viewer’s trust.
The word “trust,” then appears in a title caption. Words like trust, and the above mentioned words, “daring, “compelling,” “and “cutting edge,” often appear in corporate video narration and captions.. If they tend to be overused, it is because they are effective words. Corporate scriptwriters are challenged to find new words like these, which are not yet overused.
“Putting Blackstar in your company line-up is like… The” putting, (us) , “in your company line-up,” is not often literally spoken out, however, it is an important question implicitly addressed in most corporate videos.
Then the on screen narrator says, “Today we are here to tell you why Blackstar is right for you. This is another central question, which all corporate videos address either directly or implicitly.” The narrator then adds in a jesting fashion, But don’t take it from me, read this title card.” And the title card says “Blackstar is right for you.” While meant as a joke, in fact every producer of a corporate video has to consider when to present words of the narrator as a caption. A message presented to two senses instead of one is more effective. The next title card reads “Brand building,” And the narrator adds, “With our innovative marketing team, Blackstar will be a household name within days.” This is a line which is clearly out of place in a corporate video, because corporate videos present solid realities of corporate success, and descriptions of solid corporate products for the future, but not empty predictions of success. “Innovative marketing team,” is a frequently used term, yet still well accepted in corporate videos, assuming it accurately describes the marketing team.”
Then the narrator says “If you don’t believe me,” just take a look at these other great brands, pogo ball, pog, blood sack,” [sipn]This is a spoof segment. Nevertheless, many corporate videos do introduce models of other company’s success, to boost the presentation of their own product. |This is a spoof line , but it points out a practice which some videos resort to , namely touting their company by association with some other great company. [/spin]This technique can sometimes work, but it is also a dangerous practice when employed in a corporate video, as it will end up subtracting from the company’s efforts to create its own corporate identity.
The screen than shows the made up word “Profabilitations.” The narrator asks “How is your company going to benefit from Blackstar?” [sipn]A simplified line graph, illustrates how the viewer’s company profit will rist in time, once he begins employing the Blackstar product. |The screen shows a line graph which rises. [/spin] While meant as a parody, still, a central question every viewer of a corporate video asks himself, is “What will this company do for my company’s profit margin?”
Next the screen flashes the caption “Community Involvement.” The video notes that Blackstar was a proud sponsor of the Balloon Race 2007. We then see a strange little contraption with two small balloons attached to it racing in a bathtub. While this is meant as a parody, nevertheless, ancillary facts about a corporation such as community involvement are common additions to a corporate video. As the parody points out these ancillary facts, should be significant additions and not trivial facts thrown in to bolster the video.
Then the video asks if robots can grow hair. We see a robot with hair on its head. The narrator answers “No,” and the hair blows away. This ridiculous segment is actually interesting, because it is novel, and because it begins with a question. Novel material, included in a corporate video, can sometimes be effective in stimulating viewer interest.
In the last scene, the narrator asks “Convinced yet? If not, watch this.” Then we see a seal doing sit ups in a weight room. This humorous scene reminds us that frequently, corporate videos will throw in something totally unrelated to their company, just to attract attention, and relate back to the company by association. As seen in the parody, this technique can go too far, as overreliance on this technique would suggest the corporation doesn’t believe in itself and has to bolster its reputation via association.
After separating the humor from the serious content, what ingredients are suggested by this video as being essential components of a corporate video? A serious corporate video should include, but not necessarily be limited to: a clearly delineated reason for being created, dynamic titles including catch word phrases, appropriate use of motion graphics, emphasis on the company’s product, efficient mastery and use of technical words related to the company’s industry, good sense of when the narrator’s statements should be emphasized by captions, avoiding empty promises of future success, which are not tied to concrete company projects being initiated or planned for the future, caution when touting the company by reference to other unrelated products or companies, occasional creative and careful use of an interesting novel segment related to the company, which can enhance viewer interest, very cautious use of totally unrelated phenomena, such as a seal doing sit ups, to capture the audience’s attention. Finally, a corporate video should provide serious answers to the following questions, “Why should a viewer employ the product?” Why is the corporate product or service right for the viewer?” “In dollars and cents, how is the viewer’s company going to benefit from the company product or service?”
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The University of Kibangsaan Malaysia produced their latest corporate video, which is published on You Tube. Presumably, the video targets people such as Malaysians living in the West, whom the university would like to contribute money to their endowment, and or send their children back to Malaysia for their education.
Based on the video content, the University apparently decided to feature important discoveries and breakthroughs made at the University, which have lead to social, technological and economical advances for humanity. The approach is certainly meritorious, and as the corporate video describes the list of advances, one can appreciate that many of these contributions are exciting cutting edge scientific developments. The discoveries presented include computerized monitoring of the eye movements of a driver to look for evidence he is too tired to drive and a computerized robot with the capability of detecting even minute smells.
Having plotted out the content of the corporate video the university and videographers next had to decide how they wanted to organize their material. They chose a format not unlike the dialogue in the famous John Lennon song, Imagine. In Imagine, the late John Lennon presented his ideas as a series of parallel sentences each starting with the word imagine. The song was set to softe melodious music composed by Lennon.
This video presents its material about academic discoveries in form of a parallel series of captioned questions and responses. Each question is followed by a response and the whole interplay is set to soft background music. For example, the first caption starts with a question, “What if a computer could see what your eyes cannot?” Another caption responds: “Driver drowsiness detection system developed by the faculty of engineering.” Question: “What if we could invent a machine with a sense of smell? Response: “The optical e-nose detects smells up to a millionth of a micron.”
The entire 9 minute video consists of additional segments organized just like these, up until the very end. In the background we watch imagery related to the discovery begin touted, and or the people who developed it. In the final segment, the video poses a series of questions without answers. Who is driving the nation forward with a strong sense of national identity?” “Who has the will to advance humanity? Finally, “What if it is a National University? Then the video flashes the name University of Kibangsaan Malaysia.
While the video is long and repetitive, I think it would be a mistake to call it boring. The question response format calls attention to the amazing breakthrough each discovery has brought to ongoing human progress. However, with respect to the visual presentation I do believe the video missed presenting enough clips of the discoveries in action and therefore may not have reached to the level of excitement it could have.
To illustrate my point, the video starts by posing the question “What if a computer created by man could see things your human eye can’t see?” The question makes you think and then the next caption introduces the driver drowsiness detection system. The question and response arouses interest. However, the video fails to show a depiction of the produc being used in real life. A visual presentation of a driver driving down the road at night and almost falling asleep and being aroused by the computer and then pulling over, would have, in my opinion, added more excitement. This type of vidual segment would have been comparable to contemporary videos of androids, which feature the androids performing a variety of feats on screen and talking to people. The question and answer format wins for consistency, yet by the end everyone knows what to expect, and so it loses some effectiveness. Furthermore, after a while viewers probably would like to know the name of the university presenting this research. While this might make some of the watchers stay to the end, it could also cause some of them to lose focus on each individual discovery. Finally, the one short appearance of the name of the University, which is the subject of the video is probably not enough to create powerful image branding. I would recommend that the name should have come out at the beginning, so viewers can associate all the advancements with the University.
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A corporate video is defined as a video that is made for a company to be used by the company. Within the encompassment of that definition, there are many sub-types of corporate videos. An investor relations video is one type. As the name suggests, the task of this video is to report to the investors about progress in the corporation. Since every corporation wants investors, the obvious task is to convince investors that the company is strong, and thriving, and worth investing in.
There are many approaches to creation of a successful corporate investor relations video. One type is exemplified by the Tupperware Brand Investor Relations 2008, which can be seen at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LKvPHMtUJfY . This video features, Rick Goings the Tupperware CEO. The first part of the video builds on a trend, which has been increasingly popular in the corporate video genre. The first two segments are presented in a broadcasting style rather than video style. So the first two segments present clips from recent TV interviews of company CEO.
Segment one is a clip taken from an interview in the Swiss Alps, with Rick as he heads to a morning session of the World Economic Forum. He tells the audience that he feels good about 2008. He directly addresses concerns about unemployment. The company is “counter-cyclical.” If there is more unemployment there are more people to recruit from.
In the second segment, Rick is being interviewed by the host of the television show mad money. The commentator asks him if he is concerned about Fanny Mai, credit spreads, mortgages, and what Ben Bernanke is going to do. He responds that a bull is hidden in every situation. After four quarters of unemployment, recruitment of Tupperware sellers will rise, he notes.
The last two segments present televised anecdotes of stars that have some connection to Tupperware. Star Ice Tea testifies on screen that he loves Tupperware. And mega star Brooks Shields is filmed at the opening of Camp Confidence, a combined Tuperware and Brook Shields project to open quality girl’s clubs.
This video successfully awakens excitement about and confidence in the company, without the use of graphs, charts, piles of boring statistics.
At the very beginning, the video did address, what are likely to be major economic concerns by investors. How will the company fare in this economy? The CEO said, it will take advantage of the circumstances. They will find ways to take advantage of the weakness, and thus triumph.
After allaying investor concerns, the video presents positive reasons for being excited about Tupperware.
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By definition, a corporate video is a video used within the context of corporate activity. The term may refer to any one of the many formats a video can take, from VDV to web video, however, it is essential that the video is being paid for by a corporation, business, organization or company.
An important feature, in general, of corporate videos is that the target audience may range from small to enormous, depending on the purpose of the video. A sales or training video, for example, may be used for small individual or group encounters, whereas a branding video may be targeted to company clients or commissioned to be used for television commercials, and is thus targeting a large audience.
Other types of corporate videos may include company branding videos, company promotional videos, company anniversary or celebration videos, business report videos and general information videos.
In a small corporation the owner or associate may be in charge of producing the video. However, as the corporation grows in size, the task may be assigned to a department manager or a specific person who manages all the video production and or communication needs of the company.
In actual practice, the definition of a corporate video is somewhat blurred, because the same video might serve multiple purposes. For example, a company documentary video made to introduce the company to prospective clients, can be trimmed, compressed and otherwise edited and turned into a trade show video. A corporate branding video, made for television can be placed on the web site or even posted on You Tube, and so become a web video. Either a branding video or a trade show video can be used as an email invitation video.
Corporate videos can acheive greater popularity by being patterned after popular media broadcast programming. For example, a 25 minute corporate video can be made in the format of a 1/2 hour TV special with commercials. A corporate media presentation can be hosted by a celebrity, and create a style that appeals to the public.
With modern video technology, a corporate video can be made without the video production company ever setting foot in the business. If the company has their own video footage they can transfer it via FTP server directly to the production lab. Or if needed, a video production company can have a live cameraman take direct footage at the company’s location. In either case no shooting or production takes place until the video company and the corporation, reach an agreement about exactly what the purpose of the video is. Then the corporation provides whatever information the video company needs to create the script or storyline of the video. The company liaison and the video company decide on the length of the video, use of special effects, use of commercial actors and in general the video budget. Based on need and available resources, the video company will tailor the video to the specific needs and ability of the corporation to pay.
Turn-around time depends on the capability of the video production company plus the needs of the corporation.
Once all of the details are hashed out, a specific corporate video production schedule is worked out and the production begins. When the video is compiled, the production company will place the preliminary version on line, so the corporation can either approve or disapprove of the finsihed product. The video production company will then make the necessary changes until the company is happy with the look of their video.
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