Video marketing is growing significantly. With the growth, comes a wide variety of video types.
With so many options available, businesses often get confused about which one to choose for their current business needs.
Two of the most common video types are commercial and corporate videos. However, these terms are sometimes used interchangeably, leading to confusion. They are, in fact, completely distinct concepts.
So, it is important to understand the difference between the two to make the right decision and achieve maximum ROI.
Well, this blog is all you need to clear your confusion on corporate vs. commercial video and ensure the best results from video marketing. We will cover the basics of commercial and corporate video, the differences, and how to make the right decision. So, let’s get into it.
What Exactly Are Corporate Videos?
Corporate videos are designed to communicate effectively with employees, training staff, investors, etc. It can be used for various purposes such as promoting products, showcasing company values, training employees, or sharing success stories. The major purpose is to communicate information clearly and professionally to enhance corporate identity, promote company culture, and deliver essential information to employees, investors, and partners professionally and authentically.
Examples of Corporate Videos
- Training Videos: Designed to educate employees on job-specific skills, company policies, and operational procedures.
- Company Overview Videos: Presentations that highlight the company’s history, values, and key achievements for stakeholders.
- Internal Communication Videos: Sharing updates and announcements, keeping employees informed about company developments.
- Investor Relations Videos: Used to update shareholders and potential investors on the company’s financial performance, strategy, and future ambitions.
- Corporate Event Videos: Capturing key moments at yearly meetings, conferences, or workshops to share them with staff and clients.
What Are Commercial Videos?
Commercial videos are meant to draw in outside viewers. These are made especially to advertise goods or services to the masses. Their purpose is to impact viewer behavior by encouraging them to interact with a brand, product, or service to boost brand awareness and increase sales. Commercials are very visually appealing and are carefully crafted to draw viewers in and persuade them to act in a matter of seconds.
- Product demos: Demo videos show off a service or product’s features and advantages in action to convince viewers to buy it.
- Brand Awareness: These commercials and advertisements are designed to familiarize the viewer with the business by emphasizing its unique selling qualities and fundamental values.
- Customer testimonials: Testimonials give social evidence by displaying satisfied customers who share their positive experiences with the brand.
- Promotional Deals: Commercials informing viewers about limited-time specials or discounts to create urgency and increase sales.
- Social Media Ads: These are short, entertaining videos created for platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube.
Corporate vs Commercial Videos: Key Differences
1. Purpose and Audience
Businesses curate corporate videos for internal communication to inform, educate, and engage internal and external stakeholders. They communicate the overall business picture, sharing the mission, vision, values, financial situation, and business updates with the target market in an appealing, concise, convenient, and transparent manner.
The primary purpose of commercial videos is to promote products or services and drive customer action while enhancing overall brand appeal. With their appealing visuals, music, targeted tone, animations, and effects, these videos are designed to capture attention, generate interest, and persuade potential, which in turn helps increase brand awareness, boost sales, and create a strong market presence.
2. Content and Tone
Corporate videos often take on a professional and helpful tone, to provide clear and relevant information to internal audiences. The content provides insights into the organization’s culture, accomplishments, and future aspirations, emphasizing clarity, trust, and long-term participation. In corporate video, the content is simple and appropriate for a professional setting, where the primary purpose is to inform and align internal processes or values.
Commercial videos, on the other hand, frequently adopt a more dynamic and convincing approach. The content is focused on highlighting product features, benefits, and unique selling factors in a clear and visually appealing manner, encouraging visitors to take action. Content frequently employs storytelling or advertising language to generate excitement and prompt instant responses.
3. Length and Format
Generally speaking, corporate videos are lengthier than commercial videos, with durations varying from 3 to 10 minutes, depending on the type of video. It has a wealth of information to help communicate the key points regarding safety, product demonstrations, employee training, investor relations, corporate culture, etc. These videos cater to the B2B audience’s desire for in-depth understanding.
Commercial videos are usually between 30 seconds to 2 minutes long, which is shorter than corporate videos. They are perfect for advertisements and social media promotions because they are brief and made to grab the viewer’s attention and convey the message in a short period. In a world where people’s attention spans are short, their conciseness guarantees maximum impact.
Additional Read:
Corporate Video vs. Brand Videos: Which One Does Your Business Really Need?
4. Call to Action (CTA)
Corporate videos are infused with the spirit of instructing and information, encouraging viewers to delve further. Corporate videos have professional calls to action that prioritize long-term partnerships above quick sales. It promotes additional research, discussion, or study, fostering a path to well-informed B2B decision-making.
Commercial video CTAs, on the other hand, are often short, convincing, and action-oriented, with a focus on delivering instant results. These calls to action (CTAs) encourage viewers to visit a website, sign up for a service, or make a purchase. CTAs use emotions to engage directly with viewers and emphasize urgency or incentives to increase conversions.
5. Personalization and Relatability
Corporate Video: These videos are personalized to the company’s values, culture, and internal audience. It speaks directly to employees, stakeholders, and potential investors in a formal and structured approach. While it may include real employee testimonials, behind-the-scenes footage, or CEO messages, the focus is on professionalism and clarity rather than emotional engagement.
Commercial Video: Commercial videos on the other hand are highly relatable by understanding the audience’s emotions, needs, and desires. It usually includes real-life scenarios, customer pain points, or aspirational storytelling to create an instant connection with viewers. Commercial videos are personalized to specific demographics, behaviors, and buying preferences to make the audience feel like the product or service was designed for them.
6. Distribution channels
Corporate video distribution strategies are frequently limited to internal networks or select stakeholders. Since they are mostly used for internal communication, they are distributed via closed networks, secure intranets, emails to partners, or presentations at meetings. This approach guarantees that private information stays private and is only available to individuals inside the company, which is in line with the internal emphasis of the videos and the requirement for security and privacy in business communications.
On the other hand, commercial videos are made with wide distribution in mind and are frequently shared on digital advertising networks, YouTube, corporate websites, social media, and television. A commercial video’s goal is to gain extensive attention to maximize reach and impact, attracting as large an audience as possible to generate interest, engagement, and consumer action.
7. Production Style
Corporate Videos: Their production style is simple and professional without any quirky animations, loud music, or a lot of transition as it focuses on delivering clear and authentic messages. They have simple visuals, structured narratives, and minimal effects, and an internal employee can convey the relevant information clearly & concisely, through interviews, office footage, and data presentations without any location shoots or professionals.
Commercial Videos: Commercial video production style is a more creative and visually dynamic approach to grab attention quickly. It will cover techniques like cinematic shots, animations, and vibrant graphics used to make the content more appealing and memorable, aligning to attract and persuade potential customers. They incorporate engaging visuals, storytelling, and high-energy pacing to evoke emotions and drive action.
8. Cost
Corporate Videos: Generally, corporate videos are more cost-effective as they focus on delivering information with minimal production elements. It includes professional scripting, filming within office spaces, and simple editing techniques – which leads to lower costs. All in all, as corporate videos prioritize authenticity and professionalism over high-end visual appeal, expenses are often lower compared to commercial videos.
Commercial Videos: Commercial videos on the other hand usually require a higher budget because of their creative nature and visual appeal. It includes professional actors, high-quality production equipment, advanced visual effects, and extensive post-production work which adds to the cost. Additionally, expenses may extend to marketing and distribution efforts to maximize reach and impact.
How to Choose the Right Video Type for Your Business Needs?
To sum it all up, corporate videos boost internal communication and team understanding. Whereas commercial videos engage and motivate customers to take action.
Choosing the right video type makes a world of difference. This guarantees that it gives value to your company and reaches the intended audience. You don’t have to make the choice all the time. You can create both videos at the same time as well – they just both have different purposes. They serve different audiences, have different content,t and have different results as well.
If you need engagement and conversions, go commercial. If you need trust, training, or internal communication, go corporate. Define your goal, consider your audience, and align your video strategy accordingly!
Conclusion
Here’s the wrap on the differences between commercial videos and corporate videos. Throughout the blog, we have covered the basics of both video types. It explains how they differ, and which one to choose for your business.
Both these videos have significant differences. Choosing the right type of video is quite important for your overall business marketing and getting the maximum ROI.
So, determine your target audience, purpose, resources available, and other relevant things to make the right decision.
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