As attention spans shrink and competition intensifies, brands are no longer asking if they should use video, but which kind of video will actually move the needle. Wista's video marketing report found that original series have the highest conversion rates, followed by webinars, sales, customer testimonials, and educational videos, respectively. All these videos typically fall under two main types: the polished corporate video and the emotionally resonant brand video.

While both of these video types serve a purpose, it's important to know the difference between them to understand how they impact sales.

In this guide, we explain how both types of video production influence perception and buying decisions. We further discuss the key elements of each type and when to use a corporate video vs brand video.

What Is Corporate Video?

Corporate video forms the foundation of a company's internal and external communication. It's designed to inform, educate, and align. Compared to brand videos, corporate videos are more functional than flashy.

Typically, they are produced to serve a specific organizational goal. For example, they may include training videos, investor presentations, recruitment clips, annual reports, and behind-the-scenes content. Chewy posts customer testimonial videos on its YouTube channel, which are a form of corporate video.

A corporate video mainly shows how a company sees itself. It's an articulation of purpose and process, with the tone often being professional and structured. The messaging may be tailored to stakeholders like employees, clients, partners, or board members.

Corporate videos are not meant to go viral or tug at heartstrings. Instead, they are engineered to communicate value in a grounded way. For example, a product demo video might walk prospects through your software's interface, while a company culture video could help HR attract candidates who align with your values.

The strategic layer in the creation of corporate videos lies in the fact that they are not just informational. When executed well, they can also reinforce leadership and help teams move faster in alignment with organizational priorities.

Key Elements of a Corporate Video

Corporate videos can vary in format and intent, but most of them share a few key characteristics. Here are some notable components of a corporate video. 

Purpose-Driven Messaging

A strong corporate video knows why it exists. It's not created just because someone asked for "a video." It serves a clear function, whether that's to introduce a new initiative, boost internal morale, or show business capabilities to stakeholders. The clarity of purpose drives every creative decision, from script to visuals.

For example, Marriott International created a video to show how its use of virtual reality (VR) will change the future of hospitality. The video shows the said VR in action, allowing users to walk through rooms.

Structured Narrative

Unlike more fluid brand storytelling, corporate videos tend to follow a logical structure. However, that doesn't mean they're boring. They're simply designed for comprehension.

The video may start with a compelling hook, but it then follows a clearly defined sequence of context, explanation, supporting visuals, and call to action. With this structure, viewers like time-strapped executives and enterprise buyers can quickly grasp the point.

Professional Tone and Visuals

Corporate videos usually reflect the aesthetics and values of the organization, so there's usually a polished visual style, professional voice-overs, and branded color palettes. There's less room for experimentation since everything needs to feel intentional and on-brand. Toshiba's corporate video is a good example of this style.

Data and Facts Over Emotion

Where brand videos might appeal to the heart, corporate videos appeal to the head. You'll often see charts, infographics, process walkthroughs, and testimonials grounded in metrics. They speak the language of logic, which includes return on investment, operational efficiency, and innovation milestones.

How Do Corporate Videos Drive Sales?

Corporate videos may not scream "sales engine" since they lack the glossy storytelling of a brand film or the viral potential of a social media clip. However, they are powerful tools in the sales ecosystem.

To start, they build credibility at every touchpoint. Be it a leadership message or a client testimonial grounded in performance data, a corporate video presents your organization as competent and reliable.

When your business looks put-together on video, it signals that you're put-together in practice. That builds confidence, especially in B2B sales, where trust is currency.

Corporate videos also clarify complex solutions, especially in the tech and finance spaces, where prospects often struggle to understand the value of a product or service. A well-structured explainer video or product walkthrough can break down intricate processes into digestible visual sequences. Prospects retain the information better, and sellers spend less time repeating the same explanations.

The result is shorter sales cycles and higher conversions.

More importantly, corporate videos align the sales team with a unified message. Sales teams often operate across regions and time zones.

However, when they have a corporate video that standardizes messaging, every rep has a polished asset to reinforce pitches, demos, and onboarding calls. The consistency scales trust and gives buyers a coherent experience from the first touch to the final contract.

At times, the product isn't the only selling point. Buyers also want to know they're partnering with a company that's capable of delivering on its promises. Corporate videos can exhibit everything from your innovation roadmap to sustainability initiatives and teams, all of which can compel enterprise buyers.

For example, Starbucks has created a video to show its 15-year journey toward 100% ethically sourced coffee. The video is meant to give people a reason other than taste to buy their coffee from Starbucks.

Since modern buyers are self-directed, they do their own research before engaging. So, a corporate video embedded on your website or featured on a product landing page can educate and convert while your sales team sleeps. 

That's what we do on our own website, too. We have a video showing top customer testimonials, which can be seen as social proof and convert visitors into buyers.

What Is Brand Video?

A brand video is a visual representation of your identity that shows viewers who you are through a certain tone, style, story, and emotion. Brand videos create a lasting connection that often reaches beyond logic and taps directly into the heart.

While corporate videos are built for clarity and structure, their brand counterparts are designed for resonance. They carry a narrative weight with the objective of leaving a powerful impression that aligns with your brand's core values and message.

These videos are usually front and center on homepages, social media, in paid campaigns, and at the start of pitch meetings. They might show your mission, origin story, or company culture.

In some cases, they don't mention the product at all. Instead, they build desire and move the viewer emotionally closer to the brand. Fresco's brand launch video is an excellent example of this.

Key Elements of a Brand Video

A brand video that drives sales typically has the following elements.

Emotional Storytelling

The best brand stories have a story to them. They follow a narrative arc, often with a character facing a challenge, experiencing transformation, and then emerging stronger, with the brand subtly playing a role. The emotional lift forms the bridge between passive viewing and active engagement, which helps viewers connect to the brand on a deeper level.

Take this example of Shopify's brand video showing a seller making their first sale. The video shows the brand's role in helping the seller achieve their dream and captures the emotional journey of starting a business.

Clear Brand Identity

Brand video production is rooted in identity, with every frame expressing your brand. Everything from the visuals to the music and voice-over work together to communicate your values or personality. For example, Burger King's rebrand video is all about their new colors and tone.

Similarly, when you're creating a brand video, it should show the traits your company possesses. Consistency with your broader identity helps reinforce recognition.

Cinematic Video Production Quality

While corporate videos can lean on functionality, a brand video has to feel intentional and elevated. The lighting, composition, editing rhythm, and music need to support the story and stir emotion.

Also, brand videos usually don't end with a "Buy Now" button. Instead, they close with a call to belong, join, or learn more. The ask is softer but still intentional.

The cinematic aspect of video production usually comes with higher production value and more creative control. While these videos can be slightly expensive, you don't necessarily have to break the bank to create an impactful brand video.

How Do Brand Videos Drive Sales?

Brand videos don't always push products. Instead, they pull people in, and that's how they guide your audience toward action.

Nowadays, people are driven by emotion, so modern marketing psychology leans heavily on video to capture interest and lock it in. A well-crafted brand video tells a story that your audience sees themselves in. It resonates with their hopes, fears, identity, or ambition.

Once that emotional connection is made, the decision to purchase becomes less about comparison shopping and more about alignment. At the same time, these videos also make your brand memorable. They give viewers a mental anchor, such as a line or a scene, that they recall later when it's time to make a decision.

Brand videos also humanize your business, which is helpful in service-based and founder-led brands. Prospects then buy because they trust the people behind the organization.

Although brand videos don't hard-sell your business, they subtly lead viewers from awareness to curiosity to consideration. That soft guidance, when placed early in the sales funnel, reduces friction later. As a result, follow-ups convert faster, and decision-makers come to the table already leaning in.

Corporate Video vs Brand Video: Which Has a Higher Sales Potential?

Corporate and brand videos actually complement each other. You just have to know when to use which and how.

Corporate videos drive sales in B2B cycles with multiple decision-makers. Videos like software demos and executive explainers help internal champions sell your solution up the ladder. Similarly, when stakes are high, buyers need more confidence. In such situations, corporate videos show your infrastructure and case studies to reduce hesitation and build trust.

In contrast, brand videos live at the top of the funnel, where they set the emotional tone and build a foundation of trust that makes future sales easier. They drive sales in scenarios where you are:

• Launching a new product or company
• Entering a competitive or saturated market
• Repositioning or rebranding
• Attracting value-driven customers

Short and emotionally compelling brand videos also perform well in scroll-heavy environments, like social media and search engine ads. They can increase reach and recall, which drives sales.

In simple words, if you want to build an emotional connection and create awareness, start with a brand video. If your challenge is clarifying your offer and closing deals, opt for a corporate video. When you're scaling, use both.

Scale Sales-Driving Corporate Video vs Brand Video Production With INDIRAP

There's no universal winner between corporate and brand videos. The real impact lies in matching the video format to the buyer's mindset to create momentum that pulls viewers towards the sale.

For that, you need a video production agency by your side that can turn your story into tangible results. INDIRAP brings structure to creativity. Every project of ours follows a proven and streamlined framework that transforms your ideas into cinematic, results-driven video content. INDIRAP's team also executes a 360-degree content and distribution strategy to get your videos seen and acted on.

Most importantly, INDIRAP helps create conversion-focused content for every stage, whether it’s a corporate video vs brand video. From explainer videos and training content to case studies and product demos, INDIRAP covers the full funnel. Book a free, no obligation Discovery Call today to learn how our video production team can create a blend of brand and corporate videos for your business.

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