Why You Should Consider A Corporate Documentary
Why You Should Consider A Corporate Documentary
A corporate documentary? The idea can almost sound ludicrous. After all, who wants to see some shameless act of self-promotion?
Actually, a lot more people than you might think. A corporate video doesn’t necessarily have to screen for large audiences and if positioned correctly, it can be one of your business’ most effective marketing tools.
A corporate video can benefit a company in a lot of ways. It can help foster corporate culture by showcasing a thrilling piece of content that engages and delights the viewer, creating brand awareness and (hopefully) creating new customers. Believe it or not, a corporate documentary can deliver a powerful message about you and your business.
Here is how.
Corporate Culture And Legacies
Companies that have been in business for a long time create a legacy. Some businesses are around long enough to become institutions. For such a company, a corporate documentary – or even a short orientation video – can help communicate corporate culture to new hires or reinforce it with long-term employees.
Watch this video that we made for Ash Grove Cement to commemorate their 135th anniversary. They are proud of their heritage, and you can see it in the video. This is how their company shows pride in its corporate culture, its products, and so much more.
Viewers can also gain an appreciation for a company's role in their community, which can make for a powerful message.
Corporate legacies are built over decades and can be lost if not safeguarded. A corporate documentary can help preserve your legacy for viewers.
Documentaries Make For Great Marketing Tools
Corporate films can be a fantastic vehicle to bring your brand's message to a larger audience. A documentary film demonstrating your company's products, services, culture and so on can connect better with existing customers, with those unfamiliar with your brand, and even bring in new business today or in the future.
The carmaker Audi, for instance, made two documentaries about its car racing endeavors. Because of their racing success and the reach of the two documentaries, a larger audience is now more aware of Audi as a brand. They see the racing pedigree and performance and may one day think "gee, Audi makes great race cars; I bet their road cars are great too!" and head to a dealership when it's appropriate for them to buy a fun vehicle.
Or take the example of the Bank of Labor, a small regional bank in Maine that was the sole source of funding for a lobster fishing union that wanted to start a co-op to sell lobster at better prices than they could get individually. The Bank of Labor was willing to provide funding to stimulate the local economy, empowering workers and the entrepreneurial spirit when traditional banks weren't willing to. It's a moving story, and a powerful message that sets them apart from competitors.
Musicians make films about recording albums and touring, sports teams make documentaries about preparations for upcoming seasons. What are these but corporate documentaries? The viewer is made more aware of the brand, which helps stimulate interest. In turn, that leads to more records, concert tickets, tickets to sporting events and jerseys being sold.
If made well, a corporate documentary can be a powerful marketing tool.
Document Processes, Achievements And Progress
A corporate video can also be made as an archival function, documenting the progress of a particular project from start to finish. This may be product development or almost anything else that a company may want to have committed to film for future viewing.
For instance, watch sculptor Charles Jones construct a handcart from 19th century blueprints as part of the Order Number 11 exhibit at The Box Gallery in Kansas City.
By exhaustively documenting a particular period of time or project, the company being filmed is able to demonstrate anything and everything that took place and for a variety of purposes. Documentation is an important part of business activities; a corporate video takes it beyond the mere written word.
Your company can send just such a message. Contact Wide Awake Studios today and to talk about how a corporate documentary can help you!