TL;DR — The most common mistake in corporate video is choosing a format before defining an objective. Brand films, testimonial and case study videos, explainers, recruitment videos, and impact films all serve different purposes — and the wrong format for your situation will underperform no matter how well it's produced. This article helps you work backwards from your business problem to the right type of video.

When businesses start exploring corporate video, one of the first questions they ask is: what kind of video do we need?

It's a reasonable question. But it's the second question, not the first.

The first question is: what are you actually trying to achieve? What's the specific problem you need video to solve — and for whom?

The format follows from the answer to that. Not the other way around. A business that starts by deciding it needs a brand film, then tries to retrofit a purpose onto it, will get a very different result from a business that starts with a clear objective and works out which format will best serve it.

That distinction — objective first, format second — is the difference between a video that does a job and one that simply exists.

Start Here: What Problem Are You Trying to Solve?

Before looking at specific video formats, it helps to locate your situation in one of five broad categories. Most corporate video objectives fall into these.

You're not well enough understood

Prospects arrive at conversations without a clear sense of who you are, what makes you different, or why your approach matters. You're good at what you do but the market doesn't see it yet — or doesn't see it clearly enough to act on it. This is the most common situation we encounter, and it's what we think of as the Translation Gap: the space between how good a business is and how well that's understood externally. For a full introduction to how strategic corporate video production in Aberdeen closes that gap, start here.

You're not believed

You can articulate your value, but prospects are sceptical. They've heard similar claims from your competitors. They need proof — not more description. The question they're silently asking is: has this worked for someone like me?

You're not understood quickly enough

Your services are complex, technical, or hard to explain without a long conversation. By the time you've finished explaining what you do, you've lost half your audience. The video needs to compress understanding — to do in 90 seconds what currently takes a 45-minute meeting.

You're not attracting the right people

Whether that's clients, employees, donors, or partners — the right people aren't finding you, or aren't self-selecting in when they do. The video needs to communicate who you're for as clearly as it communicates what you do.

You need to demonstrate impact

Stakeholders, investors, boards, or donors need to see evidence of what you've achieved. The video needs to be accountability-focused rather than promotional — showing outcomes rather than selling a proposition.

The format follows the objective. Always.

The Right Format for Each Objective

If you're not well enough understood: Brand Story Film or Founder Story

A brand story film goes deeper than a company overview. It answers the questions that differentiate a business at the level of values and purpose: why you exist, what you believe, what problem you're genuinely here to solve. When structured well, it makes the right prospects feel immediately that they've found the right partner — and helps the wrong ones quietly move on.

A founder story serves a similar purpose in businesses where the person behind the company is central to its credibility — professional services, consultancy, owner-led SMEs, specialist practices. When a founder's personal journey is genuinely connected to the business they've built, that story is often the most powerful trust-building asset available.

Both formats work as homepage anchors, sales introductions, and long-term positioning assets. They're the foundation most businesses should build from.

If you're not believed: Testimonial Video or Case Study Film

Proof is the only reliable answer to scepticism. And the most credible proof isn't a written case study or a list of client names — it's a real person, on camera, talking honestly about the challenge they had, how you approached it, and what changed as a result.

A well-produced testimonial or case study video lets prospects see themselves in someone else's experience. It answers the "has this worked for someone like me?" question before it's asked. It removes the hesitation that description can never fully address — because the person speaking isn't you, and audiences know it.

These films are most effective when the client's challenge is specific and recognisable, and when the outcome is concrete rather than vague. "They were really professional" is a weak testimonial. "We reduced our sales cycle by half because prospects arrived already convinced" is a case study. Structure and specificity are what separate the two.

If you're not understood quickly enough: Explainer or Process Film

For businesses with complex, technical, or multi-stage offerings, the problem isn't credibility — it's comprehension. Prospects need to understand what you do before they can assess whether it's right for them. And if that understanding requires a long conversation every time, you're spending expensive time on education before you've started selling.

An explainer film compresses that understanding. It breaks down a process, visualises an abstract service, or walks through a methodology in a way that a webpage of text can't replicate. Done well, it doesn't just inform — it pre-qualifies. Prospects who've watched it arrive at conversations already understanding the basics, which means the conversation can start at a more valuable point.

A related format is the FAQ video library — a collection of short, focused films each answering a single question your prospects consistently ask. This is particularly effective for businesses whose sales teams spend significant time in repetitive explanation, and for businesses that want to stay visible across AI-powered search tools, which heavily favour clear, question-and-answer content.

If you're not attracting the right people: Recruitment and Culture Film

The most effective recruitment videos don't try to appeal to everyone. They show, as honestly as possible, what working in the business is actually like — the environment, the team, the values, the day-to-day reality. The goal isn't to generate maximum applications. It's to attract the right candidates and quietly filter out the wrong ones before they apply.

That requires authenticity over performance. Real people, real environments, real stories about what the culture actually is — not what the business wishes it were. Candidates are increasingly sophisticated at detecting the difference, and a recruitment video that feels scripted or aspirational without substance will undermine credibility rather than build it.

In Aberdeen's current market — where talent competition is real across energy, engineering, professional services, and the third sector — a well-made culture film is a long-term recruitment asset that keeps working across hiring cycles without requiring repeated investment.

If you need to demonstrate impact: Stakeholder or Impact Film

For charities, mission-driven organisations, and businesses with significant investor or board relationships, the communication challenge is different from commercial marketing. The audience isn't being sold to — they're being held accountable to, or they're evaluating whether an organisation deserves continued trust and investment.

Impact films are evidence-led rather than promotional. They show outcomes, not just intentions. They give voice to the people affected by the work — beneficiaries, communities, clients — rather than the organisation itself. When done with honesty and structural care, they build the kind of deep trust that written reports and slide decks rarely achieve.

Quick Reference: Matching Objective to Format

If your problem is...The objective is...The right format is...People don't understand what we do or why we're differentEstablish positioning and build immediate trustBrand story film or founder storyProspects ask for examples before they'll move forwardProvide proof that removes hesitationTestimonial video or case study filmOur service is complex and hard to explain simplyReduce friction and speed up understandingExplainer or process walkthrough filmWe struggle to attract the right peopleShow culture authentically to filter for fitRecruitment and culture filmSales conversations are repetitive and slowAnswer objections before they ariseExplainer or FAQ video libraryStakeholders or donors need to see our impactDemonstrate outcomes with evidenceImpact or stakeholder filmWe're well-known but not well-understood as we growReframe perception for a new audience or marketBrand story or vision film

One Film or Several? How to Think About Building a Video Strategy

Most businesses start with one film — usually a brand story or company overview — and build from there. That's the right instinct. One clear, well-made film that establishes your positioning is more valuable than three films that each partially do a job.

But the most effective corporate video programmes treat individual films as part of a connected strategy. A brand film establishes who you are. A testimonial or case study video provides proof. An explainer removes friction. A recruitment film attracts the right people. Each one builds on the others, and together they answer the questions a prospect, candidate, or stakeholder has at every stage of their relationship with your business.

The key is that each film has a single, clear objective. The moment a video tries to do everything — establish positioning and provide proof and explain the service and recruit staff — it typically does none of those things well. Focus is what makes corporate video work.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I know which type of corporate video my business needs?

Start with the problem, not the format. What's the specific communication challenge you're trying to solve? Who needs to understand you better, and what do they currently misunderstand or doubt? The answer to those questions points directly to the right format. If you're unsure, a short discovery conversation with a strategy-led production partner will get you there quickly — that's exactly what a Clarity Call is designed to do.

Is a brand film the same as a company overview video?

Not quite. A company overview is primarily informational — it explains what you do, who you serve, and how to get in touch. A brand film goes deeper, addressing why you exist, what you believe, and what makes your approach genuinely different. Company overviews are useful. Brand films build trust. For businesses that struggle to differentiate, a brand film is usually the more valuable starting point.

Can one video serve multiple objectives?

It can try, but it rarely succeeds. A video built around a single, clear objective will almost always outperform one trying to serve several. That said, a single filming day can produce multiple focused assets — a brand film cut, a shorter social version, and a recruitment edit, for example — if the strategy is planned carefully before filming begins. The assets each have one job. The filming session serves all of them efficiently.

What's the difference between a testimonial video and a case study video?

A testimonial video is someone saying positive things about your business — reassuring, but rarely specific enough to be truly persuasive. A case study video is a structured narrative: the challenge the client faced, how you approached it, what you did, and what changed as a result. Testimonials provide reassurance. Case studies provide proof. For B2B businesses where trust and demonstrated outcomes matter, a properly structured case study video is significantly more persuasive.

How many corporate videos does a business typically need?

There's no universal answer, but most businesses find that one strong brand or positioning film, one or two testimonial or case study videos, and a small set of supporting assets — explainer, recruitment, or FAQ films depending on their specific challenges — covers the majority of their communication needs. The right number is determined by objectives, not by budget or ambition alone. Start with the most pressing problem and build from there.

The Bottom Line

Corporate video formats are tools. Like any tool, their value depends entirely on whether you're using the right one for the job at hand.

The businesses that get the best results from corporate video — shorter sales cycles, stronger positioning, better hires, clearer differentiation — are the ones that start with an honest assessment of their communication problem and work backwards to the format that will solve it. Not the other way around.

If you're not sure which type of video your business needs, that's not a problem — it's a starting point. The Clarity Call is a 30-minute conversation designed exactly for this: to define the real challenge and figure out whether strategic video storytelling is the right solution, and if so, what form it should take.