Create a Captivating Company Culture Video to Elevate Your Brand

Say “company culture videos” and there’s a collective groan heard around the world. You’ve probably sat through a bunch of different varieties yourself, and they share a lot of embarrassing traits:

· The scenarios are about as authentic as a Nigerian email.
· The talking points are completely unoriginal.
· The employees look less enthusiastic than kids at a salad bar.
· The “acting” is more wooden than a rainforest.
· The focus is almost always on the company, not the employees.

That last point is particularly important, because you cannot have any kind of culture without the people who are on staff. All the free snacks, dog policies, kombucha kegs, and ping pong tables are pointless without awesome people to talk about them. And these are the people you should be asking to tell your story. You cannot outsource this kind of video, it has to be done with your people. So if you have a company culture video planned, it’s time to rethink the production.

Leverage User-Directed Content (UDC) to empower your employees as the film crew. A remarkable example is Yoga Journal's "Live Be Yoga Tour" video series produced by Lumenati. With UDC, the yogis became both the subjects and creators of the video. Their footage was automatically uploaded to the cloud, allowing immediate editing and creative direction. By entrusting your team with the filming process, you achieve an authentic and engaging video that resonates with your audience.

“With Cinebody, the yogis became the film crew,” said Brad Conner, head of production for Lumenati. “Everything they filmed automatically uploaded to the cloud, where we could view it and start editing immediately. We could creatively direct them and even send push notifications to ensure we got everything needed to make a great piece of content.”

Just reach out to the people at the heart of your story and ask them to film what you need. Maybe it’s their typical walk to work, as shown in this Starbucks piece. Perhaps it’s the incredible atmosphere generated during the day, or it’s highlighting the “work hard, play hard” ethos.

Assign the shots, get the footage, and collect the results in real time. If you aren’t getting the exact shot you need, you can redirect your employee right then. And because it’s all captured on their own terms, it’s authentic, relaxed, and engaging.

Combine UDC with traditional footage for real polish

This is the “best of both worlds” approach to company culture videos. Yes, the raw footage captured by employees, for employees, will become the heart and soul of the piece. But you can top and tail that with footage from a professional production crew to add those branded pieces that highlight the company. And as you can see from this Boa piece, it’s hard to tell the difference between employee content and professional footage.

Overall, the takeaway is clear.

Yes, company culture videos can suck. But with UDC and your employees working hand-in-hand, you can create a stunning piece that feels authentic and tells a great story.