Dry. Emotionless. Boring. These are qualities you might associate with corporate scriptwriting. But fighting that stigma is EXACTLY why this field exists! It’s extremely valuable for any corporation to communicate effectively with its employees. Quality scripts bring clarity, precision, and even humor to those efforts. And when you need a lot of people to pay attention, making them laugh can be a great place to start.
Corporations need to get their message across easily, universally, and quickly. Whether its new employee training, updates to best practices, instructional videos for new products, or even motivational videos, corporate scriptwriting has a myriad of applications. And none of them should be boring!
The importance of the script
In the case of corporate video, leadership (usually) has a clear idea of what they want. However, they aren’t always good at saying it. That’s why sticking the CEO in front of a camera and letting them philosophize for thirty-five minutes isn’t (usually) a great strategy. Sure, all the info is in that video, but who can concentrate on it? Employees are left confused and deflated.
Establishing brand identity and tone
So, if your employees don’t know what you stand for as a company, how will your clients? Brand identity is a key to success, but that means more than knowledge of specific products or procedures. It’s also about tone.
Employees need to know how to represent the corporation they work for. Internal videos are a great way for employees to immediately see how their employer represents themselves, and then they can act accordingly. But, before that video gets made, the corporation needs a great script!
The script sets the tone for any video.
If you’re not going to be funny, you need to be efficient; if you are going to be funny, you still need to be clear (also, actually funny). A professional scriptwriter knows how to balance those elements, and can help you deliver an informative video that strikes the perfect tone, too.
Who are corporate videos for?
Who’s the audience for a corporate video? As we’ve discussed, they can be used to great effect internally, but that doesn’t mean they never see the light of day. That’s another reason why brand identity is an important factor. You don’t just want your employees to know who you are, you want anyone who sees the finished product to know, as well.
Knowing your audience is one of the most important factors in scriptwriting.
Case study: HNTB Recruitment & iMeet Man
As we’ve discussed, nailing the tone is vital to the success of a corporate script. But as you’ll see here, there’s no right or wrong answer. As long as the video gets its message across clearly and accurately reflects company culture, you’re in good shape.
These videos we made for HNTB and PGi, respectively, are total counterpoints but both still work.
HNTB Recruitment Video
HNTB provides an earnest, informational look into their company in order to recruit new talent. They cover everything from location, to employee benefits, and even include some interviews with the leaders of the company. As a result, you get a clear sense of who HNTB is and what they’re trying to accomplish. But the video never gets feels slow either, which helps hold the viewer’s attention.
PGi iMeet Man
On the opposite end of the spectrum, this fake trailer we created for PGi is a light-hearted, tongue-in-cheek Bond spoof, focusing on “iMeet Man,” the superhero icon for PGi, now turned super spy. While there are plenty of jokes, the right amount of cheesiness, and that unforgettable score playing in the background, the spot never loses sight of PGi’s central themes: easy connectivity, communication, and collaboration. Anyone who sees this video knows that PGi is a company that likes to have fun. But more importantly, they also understand what PGi does. That’s crucial.
The scripts for both of these videos zeroed in on message, tone, and purpose. And that’s why both of them succeeded, even though their styles and goals were different.
Crafting the perfect script
The bigger a company is, the harder it gets to ensure that everyone is on the same page, both in terms of procedure and culture. No one likes to feel like they’re working for a soulless conglomerate; nor do they want to be ill-informed. Corporate videos can help address these concerns, and many more. It all starts with a great script.
ECG Productions has over a decade of experience writing, producing, and editing corporate videos. Whether it’s live action, animation, or a combination of the two, we have the know-how to take a corporate concept from script-to-screen and make it great. When it comes to channeling a company’s culture onto the page and then the screen, that experience is paramount. To learn more about corporate video and scriptwriting, contact ECG Productions today!