Corporate video has changed more in the last three years than in the decade before it. Some of that is technology, some of it is audience behaviour, and some of it is a shift in what businesses actually expect from their video content.
Here is what we are seeing in the work coming through at the moment — the approaches that are working, and a couple that are not.
Authenticity over polish
This one has been building for a while and it is now firmly established. The highly produced, everything-in-its-place corporate video is losing ground to content that feels more real — actual people, actual environments, less scripting, more genuine conversation.
That does not mean low production values. It means that audiences have developed a good radar for when something has been over-managed. A company overview that looks genuine and specific almost always outperforms one that looks expensive but feels like it could belong to any company in any sector.
The practical implication: do not script everything. Let contributors talk. Use the real environment rather than building a clean version of it. The texture is part of what makes it work.
Short-form is supplementing long-form, not replacing it
There is a tendency to assume that because social media favours short videos, all corporate video should be short. That is not quite right. What is happening is that the two formats serve different purposes and different stages of the buyer journey.
Short-form content — thirty to ninety seconds — is for awareness and reach. It stops someone scrolling, introduces them to your business, and gives them a reason to look further. Longer content — two to five minutes — is for the people who are already interested and want to understand more before making a decision.
Businesses getting this right are shooting once and editing twice — producing a full-length version and a short cut from the same footage, structured so both versions work on their own terms.
Drone footage is no longer a luxury
Five years ago, aerial footage felt like a premium addition. Now it is standard on most location-based productions, largely because the technology has become more accessible and audiences have come to expect it.
For construction, property, events and any business where geography matters, drone footage is often the most efficient way to establish context and scale. A two-minute fly-through tells a story that would take ten minutes to explain any other way.
The quality bar has also risen. Shaky, badly graded drone footage stands out for the wrong reasons now that good aerial cinematography is the norm. If you are adding drone to a project, the rest of the production needs to be at the same level.
Vertical video for social is non-negotiable
Most video is still shot in landscape — 16:9 is the standard for television, web and presentation. But if your content is going to LinkedIn, Instagram Stories, TikTok or YouTube Shorts, you need vertical versions. A landscape video cropped to vertical rarely works well. The framing is wrong, important elements get cut out, and it looks like an afterthought.
If social distribution is part of your plan from the start, brief for it. A production team that knows the footage is going vertical platforms will frame and shoot accordingly — capturing content that works in both formats rather than trying to adapt it after the fact.
Client testimonials are having a resurgence
Somewhat quietly, testimonial video has re-emerged as one of the highest-performing formats for B2B businesses. If you are thinking through which type of corporate video is right for your brief, testimonials are often the most impactful starting point for companies that already have a solid overview film. Written reviews and case studies have become so common that they have lost some impact. A real person on camera, talking openly about a problem they had and how it was solved, cuts through in a way that text rarely does.
The format that works best is not the heavily scripted, “I would highly recommend this company” variety. It is the unscripted version — a genuine conversation with a client, edited down to the most honest and specific moments. That version requires more production care but produces significantly better results.
What is not working as well as it used to
Generic stock footage in corporate video. Audiences recognise it immediately and it undermines the credibility of everything around it. If you cannot film the real thing, it is usually better to shoot something simple but genuine than to paper over the gap with footage of someone else’s team in someone else’s office.
Also: videos that try to do too much. A three-minute video that covers your history, your services, your team, your values, your clients and your awards is a video that does not do any of those things well. Focus is not a limitation — it is what makes a video useful.
The through-line
Most of what is working in corporate video right now comes down to the same thing: specificity. Real people, real stories, real environments, a clear objective and content that respects the audience’s time. The technology and formats change. That part does not. If you are in the early stages of planning, here is a practical guide to choosing a video production company that will actually deliver on it.
Talk to the team about what would work for your business right now