Big businesses rely a lot on corporate video services. And most of the time, the services are rendered by an outside agency. However, as corporate communication needs grow, eventually management decides to set up its own internal department.
It makes perfect sense to have corporate video services set up in this manner. For one, the company will have more control over the department to the last detail. And this includes who to hire, which people to pirate from other organizations, and what resources and technologies to acquire.
Communicating with its various stakeholders as well as stockholders is a gigantic task. Stakeholders consist of the various publics that a corporate entity must take care of. These are not just the company’s customers base.
In a sense, the stakeholders are the interest groups that can drive a monkey wrench in the company’s operations whether in the short term or the long term. These groups may or may not buy the firm’s product and services. However, they can exact pressure on the company in one way or another.
The local government is one good example, suppliers are another. The latter can become a choke point if not properly managed. The mass media is another powerful lobbying force in the life as well as the survival of a corporate entity.
Communication is the key to keeping stakeholders happy with the business. Secretive organizations often bear the brunt of ill will. On the other hand, an outfit that has an open communication system tends to be perceived as the good guy.
And this is where video communication comes in. Although it operates as a support mechanism of sorts for print media, the audiovisual presentation about the business entity tries to communicate in a more persuasive manner. It must support advertising, but its focus is more geared towards creating goodwill instead of selling something.
True, the audiovisual presentation must sell the company, but it must do so in a subtle yet dramatic manner. In the old days, special effects commonly known as flips and tumbles did the job. However, just like in the movies, computer graphics are seen as a smoke screen to obscure the real story.
Hence, a tremendous responsibility rests on the shoulders of the in-house audiovisual department. It must come up with a 15 or 20-minute video presentation that tells a good story as opposed to trying to impress with special effects. Only the audience reaction at the end of the presentation will determine if the department has accomplished its mission.
