The use of video in B2B perhaps isn’t as prolific as it could or should be (and this might be one of those irritating times when the world of B2C does just edge it). But don’t despair: there are some great things going on in B2B land – I’ve spoken to
Jonathan Sedger
from White Collar Videos and
Adam Penny
from Connected Pictures to find out which brands are really giving those pesky B2C-ers a run for their money.
Best videos for emotional engagement
Schneider Electric – Llama superstar
Schneider Electric’s ode to the facilities manager weaves together a compelling narrative that really pulls on the heartstrings. “This is emotional storytelling at its best,” says Jonathan. “It’s got humour, joy and empowerment all rolled into one.”
Honda the power of dreams failure – The secret to success
This corporate video example from Honda also deserves a mention. “This is a classic case of the human subject transcending the brand. The designers and engineers behind Honda talk about where things went wrong in their careers, which is an incredibly bold subject to tackle for a brand,” says Adam. “On top of that you have very intimate interviews and incredible visual storytelling to match. I don’t know whether they were using this for brand building, recruitment or something else. But it’s incredibly engaging either way.”
Best videos for customer centricity
Virgin Media Group & Hootsuite
Hootsuite’s offering is a great example of customer centricity in B2B; despite the fact that it’s promoting Hootsuite’s products, the clear focus is Virgin Media’s mission. “This video’s about the important role social media plays for them, subtly weaving in messages on the benefits Virgin sees from using Hootsuite,” explains Jonathan.
Travelport – We’re there
Travelport happens to be one of the biggest software companies you’ve probably never heard of, and Adam’s team at Connected was tasked with creating a film to show who they are. “By understanding the true benefit of the brand, not only to Travelport’s customers, but also to Travelport’s customer’s customer, we went about creating our film,” says Adam. “What makes us particularly proud of this film is no second is wasted. Every shot and every sentence of the voice over script directly relates to the benefit that Travelport brings in ways you didn’t even know.”
Best video for showing a solution to a problem
Slack – So yeah, we tried Slack…
The kings of office chat Slack demonstrate here how their product can be used to solve everyday workplace communication challenges. “With this video, they’ve managed to do it in a really humorous and humanising way,” says Jonathan. Some of the more subtle benefits of the tool – such as the way it gives a voice to new and younger team members – are emphasised, as well as its integration functionality.
Best video for humour
Workfront – Email in real life
The difference between how a B2B and B2C video make you feel shouldn’t diverge: just because your customer’s watching your video at their desk doesn’t mean they shouldn’t find it funny, for example. The team at Workfront have got this spot on with their video about email in real life; this is the kind of thing that gets sent around the office and resonates the most when people have one eye on their inbox.
Best videos for brand positioning
Adobe Marketing Cloud – Click, baby, click
Adobe Marketing Cloud’s videos are high budget, high octane and high impact. “They’ve consistently delivered global consumer brand level video ads, each one hilariously demonstrating the pitfalls of shot-in-the-dark marketing efforts,” says Jonathan. “Each poses the question: ‘Do you know what your marketing is doing?’, which demonstrates a real understanding of the challenges marketers face, and subtly suggests they’re the ones to help solve the challenges.”
Volvo Trucks – The epic split
According to Adam, no list of B2B videos would be complete without Jean-Claude Van Damme. One visit to
Volvo Trucks’ YouTube homepage
makes you realise you’re looking at a B2B brand that’s serious about it’s video content. “Epic Split is the pinnacle of what they have achieved,” says Adam. “You can enjoy it, marvel at it, wonder how they did it, be amazed by how they clocked up over 86 million views and countless interactions. But more important than all of that is that it
directly impacted the brand and sales
.”
