What’s the Right Fit? The Case for a Corporate Video Specialist

There are so many types of companies that offer their clients video production services: branding firms, ad agencies, digital shops, P.R. agencies, design studios and of course video production companies themselves. The options for a client that’s looking to produce a video, whether it’s a brand video, a new employee video, an investor relations piece or a recognition video, can be dizzying. That said, it’s important to be selective when you hire a company to deliver your video project. After all, when you’re looking to make a salad, do you go to a butcher?

No, of course not. You go to your supermarket or a farmers’ market.

The same reasoning applies when you want to make a short-form video. You want to work with an expert corporate storyteller that has mastered distilling your messages into a short business film.

Sometimes large corporations are drawn to large agencies to handle all of their communication needs. Though your advertising or branding agency knows your business strategy, it may not be the right fit for every element of your total communications package. They should work in concert with specialized firms when needed. The internal video message or web content series you seek is not the flashy commercial your ad agency might prefer to focus on and it might also be outside their area of familiarity – so it may not be a high priority for the agency, and you won’t get the attention you need or deserve.

Taking the time
If you are working hard to get the job done right, then you deserve an attentive, highly accessible approach for your projects. Budgets shouldn’t impact the need for you, as a client, to get the level of attention your project needs. Whatever your budget, your project should be treated with care and thoroughness.

It’s also easy to fall into a comfort zone. We’ve heard clients say things like, “our agency knows our business, and we don’t have the time to bring a new vendor up to speed on what we do.” What’s important is that whomever you commission for your video project does its homework and does a deep dive on your business.

Here at Tribe, we research not only our client company but its competition as well. A lot of time is spent learning its business: its values, culture, business units, financials, etc. We pride ourselves on educating our client on trends we see that impact their industry or their sector and offering insights into how to best communicate business goals through video.

Bigger than you think
It’s wrong to think a smaller specialized company lacks the resources or creativity of a larger one. Speaking from our own experience, although Tribe isn’t a large global business, we still have a long reach and can scale to any project’s scope. Our alliance with IQ (International Quorum of Motion Picture Producers) gives us access to highly talented and well–vetted production professionals around the world. This spring alone we shot in Nigeria, Ukraine, Peru, India and Kuala Lumpur. There isn’t a place on earth we can’t access talent and capture video.

Built to specifications
Sometimes the best team is one that can be assembled specifically for your project. A smaller firm can be nimble and ready to go at a moment’s notice. With larger agencies, there are people on staff already being paid to do a job. Naturally, it is in the agency’s best interest to use the in-house people, whether they are right or wrong for a job. Specialized agencies often hire talent based on the needs of the client and have relationships with a large depth of well-qualified individuals.

Also, with smaller firms, the people you meet from the beginning are those who will service your account and produce your films – your day-to-day team that will be there for you. The creative director doesn’t just magically disappear. The team is kept up to speed on all aspects of your project, and offers input and direction throughout the production.