Humour? In a corporate video? Whaaatt? You are a serious company. A legit company. You have a professional image to uphold.
Yes, yes and yes. We know. Hear us out.
First of all, corporate videos. What are they? And more importantly, what are they for?
Corporate videos is an umbrella term for videos that are generally non-commercial. So, #NotAnAd (loose definition by yours truly). They can be anything from product explainers to customer testimonials, training videos and more. The goal of these videos, and any video, really, is to communicate and connect with your target audience. They can be your existing buyers, your potential customers, your staff.
Using humour in your corporate video doesn’t mean you don’t take your brand seriously. We understand that companies shy away from comedy because they are hesitant to come off as jokers, or worse, charlatans.
But comedy is a wide spectrum. From light-hearted to laugh-till-you-cry, there are countless ways to create and execute a comedy concept in just the right way so it fits and elevates your brand like a tailor-made suit.
Why comedy?
As for: why comedy? Simple. Comedy because everyone likes to be entertained. Everyone. Even your accountant. With the glut of videos these days, the way to get your audience’s attention is to entertain, rather than just inform.
So your audience feels they are getting something i.e. entertainment, rather than just another company trying to push their own message and sell them something.
When your audience is entertained, they are more likely to share it, which means higher engagement. Higher engagement = effective messaging = better results!
Done right, your brand comes across as clever, professional and you get effective cut through to your target audience. Here are a few examples of different tones and styles to give you some ideas:
- Apple: The Underdogs
With close to 4 million views to date for what is essentially a 3-minute long corporate video (Arguable. Some call it an ad, some say comedy brand film. Doesn’t matter in this case), this goes to show that if it’s good entertainment, people will watch it. This is a comedic narrative about an underdog team that gets a rare chance to pitch their concept to the big boss. It works because it’s funny and people relate to and root for underdogs. - Slack
This customer testimonial video is clever in the way it’s scripted to look like it isn’t scripted. The editing and choice of soundtrack adds to its entertainment value, and the graphics show the product off in a seamless way. - Dollar Shave Club
And of course the classic explainer video by Dollar Shave Club, which arguably sparked off a new wave of explainer videos. It’s a great script, packed with gags, delivered by the founder who has comedy experience. With over 26 million views to date, this style obviously works.
That said, we know comedy can be hard to get right. You’d need to work with creatives with the right instincts, skills and experience, who have honed sharp comedic sensibilities (you know where this is going)… like us!
Why us?
We’ve made heaps of comedy content from commercial and corporate videos, to original short films. Here are 3 examples of our past work:
Corporate
Dan directed this piece, “The Flying Dead”, about zombies on airplanes for Scoot’s YouTube channel.
Commercial
Dan directed this piece, “Grab, Don’t Flag”, about the dangers of flagging for a ride-sharing app.
Original short film
Check out our comedy short film, Home Brew, about Aussie mateship and magical beer.
So there you have it! Hope this has given you some inspiration for your next video campaign. As always, if you want to discuss ideas, give us a holler!