2023: the year corporate video got serious

The world of corporate video has undergone some remarkable transformations in recent years, propelled by creative innovation and major technological advancements. In this article, we take a deep dive into the fascinating evolution of corporate video content and the technology underpinning it.

We’ll explore major trends in corporate video, such as the rise in popularity of interactive video experiences and the integration of artificial intelligence (AI) tools to enhance video content and production. We’ll also acknowledge that, while these developments offer a fresh new feel to corporate video creation, they don’t overshadow the importance of back-to-basics corporate video production. From journalistic-style interviews to awe-inspiring drone footage, video content continues to be one of the most valuable tools for marketers aiming to captivate audiences, increase brand awareness and engagement, and boost their content marketing strategy. 

The rise of interactive video footage

As the viewing habits of modern audiences change, gone are the days of passive viewing. Consumer attention spans are shrinking, and online corporate video content is becoming ever more ubiquitous, whether it be via YouTube video, YouTube shorts, social media or video content on another channel. This has made it harder for businesses to stand out and engage audiences with their brand identity through video marketing. Marketers have tried everything from the basic marketing video to animation, promotional videos, the explainer video and the video ad.

Interactive video content has emerged as an effective solution and is beginning to redefine the way corporate stories are being told and presented through video marketing. By creating more immersive and participatory viewing experiences, marketers can keep audiences invested in the content they’re watching for longer, improving engagement and retention rates and, ultimately, creating customer conversions. We produce interactive video for companies such as Legal & General.

There are various types of interactive content that will allow viewers to take an active role in videos they’re watching. These include:

• Clickable hotspots, which allow viewers to click on certain parts of the video to access additional information such as text, images or links

• Choose-your-own-adventure-style videos, enabling viewers to choose certain ‘paths’ throughout the video to tailor their experience and determine the story’s outcome

• Quizzes, which can be added to a business video to test the viewer’s knowledge or help them learn more about a particular topic

• 360-degree video, allowing viewers to control the perspective of the video, seeing content from various angles, and providing a more immersive experience.

Any of these content types can be used to create an engaging interactive video. However, it’s important to understand which techniques will get your message across most effectively. The platform your video is being viewed on is also important to consider, since viewers tend to consume content differently across social media platforms, whether on a YouTube channel or YouTube premium, for example, or on Instagram reels or as an Instagram story.

For marketers, the key to creating effective interactive video (like with other types of content such as blog writing) is to know your audience. Creating an experience that will cut through to viewers in the right way requires a thoughtful approach, and often it’s best to keep things simple.

Adding as many exciting interactive elements into a video as possible might be tempting, but doing so is more likely to confuse viewers and distract from the video’s key messaging. Being selective and strategic about the interactive tools used is a more reliable way for marketers to transform corporate videos from passive viewing experiences into active ones, which audiences can engage with and learn from.

AI’s influence on corporate video production

From script writing to post-production, AI is having a transformative impact on every aspect of corporate video production. Until now, creating high-quality corporate video that truly engages audiences has been a time-consuming and expensive job. AI is promising to change that, with revolutionary new tools making the video production process faster, more effective and more affordable than ever. In this section we’ll explore some of the more exciting AI-powered tools and platforms, and their benefits for corporate video production.

1. Midjourney and Adobe Firefly
   Midjourney and Adobe Firefly are two AI tools making waves in the corporate video production space with text-to-image generation capabilities. The images they generate may not always be completely accurate, but these tools are becoming invaluable for video content ideation and planning. They enable producers to conceptualise and storyboard their corporate video ideas and to ensure that visual components of a video marketing campaign align with their vision. This is particularly useful when specific imagery is required that may not be readily available from stock photo libraries.
   
2. Eleven Labs
   Specialising in text-to-audio conversion, Eleven Labs gives video producers a ready-made AI-driven voiceover solution. The AI-generated voiceovers sometimes lack the nuance of human narrators, but they can serve as good reference points during the early stages of video marketing production. The voiceovers incorporate natural pauses and breathing, helping to streamline the video creation process, saving time and keeping costs to a minimum. This can be especially important when clients request script revisions. At the end of the process marketers can bring in a professional voiceover artist to replace the AI-generated audio, with minor adjustments.
   
3. Happy Scribe
   Happy Scribe provides transcription and translation services, powered by AI, and equipped with a built-in chat bot assistant. Alongside similar platforms like Otter.ai, Happy Scribe’s channel can significantly enhance the script editing process for marketers, making it more efficient. Its transcription capability allows marketers to quickly find specific content within a script or block of text, making it easier to create compelling narratives and increase engagement. Meanwhile, the translation service enables corporate videos to be created in multiple languages, simplifying the collaboration process with clients who may need to fine-tune their translations for a specific target audience. In addition, Happy Scribe’s chat bot assistant channel can assist in research tasks like finding quotes and summarising transcripts.
   
4. Runway
   Runway offers a suite of generative AI tools, including text-to-video generation. The quality of generated videos has room for improvement, but the Runway platform is brilliant at removing unwanted backgrounds and objects from scenes for marketers. These tasks are achievable with more traditional video editing software like Premiere Pro and DaVinci Resolve, but they often require more time and yield less satisfactory results. These major editing software platforms are also gradually integrating their own AI-powered tools with each new update.
   
5. Wonder Dynamics
   Wonder Dynamics introduces 3D avatar creation and manipulation capabilities into corporate video production, allowing video creators to replace individuals in footage with 3D models. Its motion graphics capability captures aspects like body and facial movements and lighting conditions to provide versatility. Wonder Dynamics significantly reduces the time-consuming and costly aspects of traditional methods of creating custom 3D animation models and rigging them. Moreover, the data captured can be reverse engineered for effective masking, reducing the need for green screens and minimising time in post-production.
   
6. Premiere Pro and DaVinci Resolve
   Leading video editing software like Premiere Pro and DaVinci Resolve are continually enhancing their platforms with AI-powered tools. Features like Content Aware Fill, Magic Mask and Text-Based Editing have become invaluable assets for corporate video production. Text-based editing automates the transcription process, enabling quick script edits directly in the video editing platform. It identifies pauses, removes sections and syncs changes with the video timeline, which accelerates the editing process as well as enhancing the overall narrative structure of the video.

Balancing innovation with creative fundamental

Amid technological advancements, storytelling remains at the heart of compelling and engaging corporate video creation. Interactive elements offer exciting new ways for a potential client or even an employee to engage in video, and AI tools can enhance many aspects of the video production process. Yet, it’s still traditional techniques, such as journalistic-style video interviewing and animations, that capture authentic stories and keep viewers engaged.

In-person interviews are often the cornerstone of corporate video storytelling, providing a human element to what might otherwise be unexciting subject matter. When done right, interviews add emotion, insight and structure into corporate videos, and a skilled videographer will be able to identify those points and moments in an interview that will captivate the target audience.

Drones also represent all-new creative toys for videographers to play with and have unlocked entirely new visual perspectives for any company video. Whether it’s flying through dramatic landscapes, winding through architectural structures, or capturing events from above, drones have emerged to offer a whole new creative outlet for corporate video creators.

The evolution of corporate video

The world of corporate video production is transforming. With the rise of interactive video experiences and integration of an increasing mix of advanced AI, a corporate video content creator now has more creative tools at their disposal than ever before to develop a powerful marketing strategy.

As a result, the corporate video landscape is evolving in exciting ways, and the future looks full of potential for striking visual experiences that capture and engage audiences in innovative ways. Expect to see interactive videos feature heavily in marketing awards in the coming months and years.