Why Video Matters (To Millennials and Generation Z)

People often make the assumption that corporate films are always stiff, dull, and monotone. I’ve spent much of my career shifting that style landscape toward personable and dynamic. The workforce is being taken over by Millennials and Generation Z (everyone born after 1981). And they demand more substance out of their corporations’ media than the puff pieces of yesteryear.

For Young People, Seeing in Believing

The visual component of user generated content (UGC) is top priority for these younger two generations. Their trust is built upon “seeing is believing.” Young people prefer photo-heavy Instagram and video giant Youtube over wordy Facebook. And they make informed purchases based on video and photo reviews. Which, of course, translates directly into corporate communication strategies.

Trust the Numbers

Employees are 75% more likely to watch a video than read an email or documents. Video consumption grew so immensely last year due to the coronavirus lockdowns that the average person consumes 100 minutes of video content a day. But young people won’t settle for an inauthentic story or muddled apology. They want to watch honest, real humans in front of the camera. My friend Ethan McCarthy warns, “Rather than concentrating on content-consumption numbers alone, steer your efforts to the behavioral changes and business outcomes you want to see.”

Capture Their Fleeting Attention

But if you want to connect with this demographic for even a minute, you’re going to need to capture their precious attention. Prove your company values through real employee testimonials; track project progress with visuals every step of the way; summarize your quarter or year with a video, rather than a Power Point deck.

Tribe was hired by chemicals company BASF to connect with its LGBTQ+ employees. This video video builds an emotional connection between these employees’ stories.

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“It’s one thing to understand the role of video in business communication, it’s another to know how to use video to solve actual business problems. Vern Oakley gets that.”

LEADERSHIP COMMUNICATIONS CONSULTANT

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