First of all, video in and of itself is a great branding tool and should definitely be part of your marketing strategy. But within a video, how can you reinforce your brand? Sure, you want to talk about what makes your business unique and what you stand for. However, this blog is not so much about content. Instead, it’s about the branding elements found in a video that can keep the viewer thinking about your company every second they’re watching. Let’s talk about some of the branding elements we use in video production.
Colour Me Branded
Branding is about building an association with a company, business, or person and a colour scheme is something that sticks in a person’s mind. Have you ever seen a particular colour combination and been reminded of something? Do yellow and red make you think about McDonald’s? Or does a particular shade of green bring TD Bank to mind? That’s branding at work and it can be used to your advantage in video production. We can shoot testimonials in front of a wall that’s your signature colour or ask you to dress in the business colour scheme. We’ll also use lower-thirds built from the colours of your company. More subtle video effects can have that special hue, too. Colour can be a subtle way to remind viewers of your business while they watch.
Typeface & Fonts
A font or typeface is another defining feature of a brand. Businesses will sometimes use a familiar font to trigger an association with another known product. For example, a new coffee shop could use the font from Central Perk sign in the hopes that a customer would immediately draw a line between the two. As the well-loved hangout in the Friends tv show, simply seeing that font could make someone think of a fun, cozy place to get coffee.
The words “typeface” and “font” are often used interchangeably. Technically, typeface is a complete set of characters with a common design and a font refers to the different styles and sizes of those characters within a typeface.
In video, we use company fonts to keep that familiar feeling going. Most large businesses have a proprietary font that’s used in most, if not all, marketing. Once again, our editors can use that font for thing like lower thirds, graphics, and text to keep the visual continuity strong. And if you’ve paid for a custom font, we’ll be sure to use it!
Spokesperson or Mascot
Does your company or business have a mascot or spokesperson? Then let’s get them in the video! The character Flo from the Progressive Corporation ads will always make us think of car insurance. Just like Toucan Sam will always make us think of Froot Loops. Each is closely tied to their brand and immediately make viewers think of the related companies.
Uniforms
Much like a spokesperson or mascot refer to a specific business, uniforms are also an easy way for people to quickly identify with the video they’re watching. If your employees regularly wear uniforms, it’s good branding to show them wearing those clothes in a video. There are several reasons this works well. For customers already familiar with your store, they will recognize the uniform and think of your business. For new customers, walking into a store will feel familiar when they see the uniforms from the video. And uniforms are especially important in training videos. Not only do they work for branding, but it also lets new employees know what they’re expected to wear.
Signage & Logos
Signs and logos are like a company’s signature. They are specific to a business and an important part of branding. A sign, often incorporating a logo, can act as a salesperson, inspire loyalty, and keep your business in the mind of consumers. Corporate videos often start and end with a company logo to set the tone off the top and then remind viewers at the end where they want to go for the products and services they just learned about. Logos can also be incorporated into a lower-third.
Video Branding & URLs
Every promotional video ends with a call to action. The goal of a promotional video is to inspire the audience to act, so you want to tell the viewer what to do next. Often, that directive is some form of “get in touch” or “find out more” and is almost always paired with website information. Websites have become an integral part of branding—did you know that 88% of consumers research a product online before they buy? That means almost all of our clients want a URL included in their video.
Standard Intro & Extro
When we work with a client on a series of videos, we’re often asked to create a standard intro and extro. This could be a short animation paired with music or a tagline that unites all the videos. This segment is likely to incorporate several of the branding aspects we’ve already discussed such as company colours, a specific font, and a logo. Think of it as a mini video branding hit. Once again, it’s a way to remind the viewer who or what the video is about while making the associated branding familiar.
Seamless Integration
All of these techniques are used for branding in corporate video and the ultimate effect is that any video can fit into your already-existent marketing plan. Integrating a company’s logo, colours, signage, uniforms, and more into a video make it fit seamlessly into your website, social media channels, and emails. Just like any new campaign refers to an established brand, video can be tailored to look like the marketing materials that are already promoting your product or service. That’s why we always ask clients for branding assets as part of our initial meetings. Then when our editors get to work on your video, they can make sure it looks just like the rest of your branding.
