Corporate videos have a reputation for being bland. It’s not always easy to make a corporation exciting.
Fortunately, talented storytellers have always found ways to make corporations exciting. The best videographers find ways to highlight a company’s best qualities in unique ways. They find a way to tell a brand’s story in a video that resonates with users.
We’re highlighting some of the best corporate videos that tell a company’s story in an engaging and entertaining way.
5) The “Unsung Hero” Video from Thai Life Insurance
How do you get people to care about a life insurance company in Thailand? One company solved that problem back in 2014 and attracted far more attention than it could have hoped for.
The “Unsung Hero” video from a company called Thai Life Insurance made headlines worldwide after it appeared online. The video generated over 6 million views in its first week. To date, it has been viewed 35 million times on YouTube alone.
The video sets out to dispel the stereotype that nice guys finish last. The heartwarming, 3 minute video shows an ordinary man doing various things to make the world a better place. He helps an old lady cross the street. He gives his last money to a homeless person. He feeds a dog scraps from the table. He does all of this without recognition, without fame, and without making money for himself. At the end of the video, he’s not wealthier or more famous than when he started: but he feels richer because he has made the world a better place.
The video concludes with the Thai Life Insurance slogan: “Believe in Good.”
4) Shopify’s Corporate Video Explains How Their Company Makes the World a Better Place
In 2017, Canadian e-commerce giant Shopify released a video titled, “UNITE: Mobilizing Entrepreneurship.” That video highlighted how Shopify is facilitating the dreams of entrepreneurs worldwide.
One of the most amazing parts about the video is that Shopify says little about their products or services. Shopify demonstrates value simply by showing the impact they have on the lives of three entrepreneurs: a teenager in Sri Lanka, a single mom from Cyprus, and a man from San Francisco with a big dream.
In fact, the only mention we get of “Shopify” is at the very end of the video, when the Shopify logo appears on screen.
Overall the corporate video shows how Shopify is positively impacting the world. It paints the company in a great light without feeling like a cheesy sales pitch. It tells Shopify’s story by highlighting the stories of three people who have witnessed their lives change because of Spotify’s products and services.
3) Dollar Shave Club’s Introductory Video
Dollar Shave Club showed the world how to market to millennials back in 2012 when it released its “Our Blades Are F***ing Great” video on YouTube. That video has since collected over 25 million views.
How do you convince someone on the internet to spend 2 minutes of their life watching a commercial about grooming products? You package it all into a fun and edgy clip that grabs everyone’s attention in the first three seconds.
Dollar Shave Club’s video blurs the line between a commercial video and a corporate storytelling video. The video explains how Dollar Shave Club works at a corporate level, including how they’re able to undercut the competition and offer better prices on razors. At the same time, viewers see the fun side of the company, including the Dollar Shave Club warehouse, its employees, and the company’s fun-loving attitude.
Some companies are scared to use humor in their storytelling videos. Many companies have tried and failed. Dollar Shave Club has showed us that it’s possible to get it right. The company’s videos not only tell you about the company’s products and services, but they also highlight what makes the company great.
2) Twitter’s Best/Worst Recruiting Video of All Time
As part of Twitter’s Hack Week back in 2012, they released a video highlighting the “best worst recruiting video of all time.” You can view the video here.
The video highlights the company’s culture without feeling like a tacky sales pitch. It uses humor effectively. It puts a fun face to an otherwise faceless corporation.
The entire video is a tongue-in-cheek parody of other workplace culture videos. It takes all of the tacky parts of a traditional corporate storytelling video, then packages all of those parts into a single three minute clip. Twitter pokes fun at the competition while still highlighting what makes the company great. By the end of the video, you’re ready to apply for a job at Twitter.
1) Google Interns’ First Week
Have you ever wondered what a first week as a Google intern would be like? Google internships are available to a select few individuals. Google peeled back the curtain on the intern experience in 2013 with its “Google interns’ first week” video.
In that video, we get a beautiful look at Google’s campus from the eyes of its newest employees. The video is guided by five recent summer interns who share their thoughts on working at Google. The interviews are interspersed by washed color grade shots of Google’s campus. We get slow-motion shots of employees in action. The videographers package everything into a neat and polished documentary.
The video makes working at Google look fun without going too over the top. The interviewed interns make it clear that working at Google is a challenge and that it isn’t for everyone: it’s for a select few individuals who believe they have what it takes.
By the end of the video, we feel like we know what it’s like to work at Google. We have a better understanding of the hard work employees put into Google.