Key storytelling themes for corporate videos
There are hundred of approaches you might try on your first, ot next corporate video. Here we’ll discuss the best of the best and explain why they work. (Particular favorites are bold-faced in the explanation.)
Traditional / historical.
If a company is taking its first stab at telling their story, it will often be in the for of a traditional historical approach. This is best summarized, as “past, present, and future”. Where did the company start? Famous Products? What are they doing today? What makes them different. How do they see their future?
Premise / proof
Here a company is selling a product. They offer a premise, like “don’t you hate when your product (x) fails? Our doesn’t Here’s proof.”
Interview documentary
Some executives like to be a part of the video, and often this takes the form of an interview. This is shot on camera, but can easily be used off camera describing his further thoughts while the videos display what he’s talking about– the workforce, the product, the manufacturing process.
The Greatest thing since Sliced Bread
A new product introduction, with features and benefits abounding.
Aren’t we great!
This will typically be used as a moral booster, selling the achievements of the company to an internal audience, such as company managers or sales staff, often at an annual meeting or company wide meeting.
We’ve changed before
If a company has a deep history but has hit a bump in the road, it will often introduce an “initiative” to get things back on track. The wise thing is to admit mistakes and then erase that memory with a fabulous new future, featuring new managers, new products, and much more opportunity.
Celebration
Well, those changes worked. Or it’s the company’s birthday. So celebrate, with the smiling faces of staff, executives, retailers, whatever is in your bag of employees. This is often mixed with the below-mentioned “music video” approach.
Analogy
Here, you make an analogy between a real slide of life, like kids at a lemonade stand, to customer service, or other interpersonal skill sets. See example below.
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Parody
A customer-facing use of a comic situation to take a look at real customer situations. To demonstrate how many steps on the floor employees at a target company had to take to fulfill orders A(without the use of the client’s computerized shelving system, we invented “The Shop Floor Olympics.”
Case histories
This can be dry, but it is still catnip to your customer trying to solve similar ptoblems. Interviews with current customers who have benefitted from your tools or methods (or whatever you’re selling) are dieing for this information.
Music video
WHEN IN DOUBT, music video. A professionally written lyric and upbeat song, lip-synced byy various people in the company, far and wide. It also boosts moral and cd’s or thumb drives of the song or video will get them to play it for their families as well.
Good manager / Bad manager
Typically funny but spot on role play. what does the bad manager do in your company? What is the right behavior? One actor plays both parts.