It is easy to get caught up in industry buzz words from blogs, video production magazines and tradeshows.  What does video in corporate America really look like at present?  We have taken a pulse of the corporate market and have broken it down by current styles, deliverables, types of communication, and messaging trends.

Style = More Depth, More Movement, More Direct, Less Bookshelves
No matter what descriptors are being requested: “film look”, “shallow depth of field”, “polished”, “fuzzy background”, more 35MM sensor cameras are being used with prime lenses for corporate shoots. Producers are getting creative with movement, even for the simplest testimonials, by using dollies, jibs, and camera sliders.  This subtle enhancement of motion keeps the ever shortening attention span locked onto the subject.  An increasing number of producers are having their subjects look directly into the camera to deliver their messages.  Mirroring the effect of radio, the first person address feels more like a one on one conversation instead of being a voyeur.  In addition, mimicking user generated content is still present to engage audiences online.  There has been a reemergence in green screen/ backdrop requests.  Whether  adding graphic heavy packages, inserting creative video, or just adding a plain white backdrop more producers are opting to cloak the office plants, artwork, and bookshelves for a more controlled look.

Deliverable = Files Everywhere
Files are by far the most predominant deliverable onsite which increases efficacy in post.  The end deliverable for corporate videos are being purposed and reposed onto a multitude of platforms that include intranet, web, tablets, and phones.  Google reports in 2013 more consumers access the internet from a phone than a computer.  And 78% of smart phone users access the internet in stores.  With the boost in where and how the videos are being watched we are seeing the maximization of enterprise video with services like Wistia.  This service hosts videos, provides analytics, and support tools.  Producers are using the data that they get back about past videos to make future video better.

Communication = Increase Business, In The Know, Beef Up Presentations
Corporate Departments are using more video, more often for more reasons.  Adding video is often like installing new appliances into your kitchen.  It may not be 100% necessary but it looks a lot better and the cook will be able to function more effectively.  Video is being appropriated by Sales forces to compliment their efforts at onsite client meetings.  Human Resources are using videos to explain employee benefits or to recognize team members with an “at-a-boy.”  Training video continue to be effective by letting employees see the information they need when they need to see it.  Product Support teams are using video to respond to user generated reviews and for damage control.  There is no big surprise that videos are appearing with greater frequency at regional meetings and in C level presentations.  Forbes reported in Video In The C-Suite,  “Three-quarters (75%) of executives surveyed said they watch work-related videos on business-related websites at least weekly; more than half (52%) watch work-related videos on YouTube at least weekly”.

Messaging = Brand Managers, User Generated, Loss of Message
For selected projects an increase number of Brand Managers are working directly with production companies instead of agencies.  This allows them to not only cut costs, but also streamlines the message by using the same talent, locations, look and feel in video and print campaigns.  Corporations are listening to consumers who use their products or services and tailoring their corporate messaging around their content.  “Many organizations rely on the distributed problem solving, tapping the brain power of consumers and experts from within and outside the company for breakthrough thinking”, says McKinsey & Company Ten IT-Enabled Business Trends for the Decade Ahead.   Managing Producers aren’t showing up on location and are sending regional company contacts who may not have a firm grasp on the project or message resulting in a compromised corporate message.

In our experience here at Crews Control, the lag time from innovation to adoption within corporate media departments on average is 5+ years.  By interviewing media departments and analyzing data from current shoots, we are able to get an accurate picture of styles, deliverables, types of communication, and messaging trends on the rise now.

Article Contributor: Andrea Keating, Owner/Founder & CEO at Crews Control Inc