THE KEY TO DOING VIDEO RIGHT
The key to doing video and doing it well is telling the truth and
being authentic – the key the example from above sorely lacked.
Film and video have been in existence for approximately 100 years,
with about 50 of those years garnering credits for video specific
to corporations. Despite its popularity and proven effectiveness,
companies large and small continue to either shy away from it en-tirely
or utilize it incorrectly with disastrous results.
Vern Oakley is the award-winning CEO and creative direc-tor
at Tribe Pictures in New York, a production firm dedicated
to creating corporate video for the likes of NASA, Princeton
University, KPMG, Pfizer, Nintendo, Tyco and countless others
since 1986. Oakley names corporate video as the secret weapon in
communications.
“Video is the thing that connects us most to our human expe-rience,
when it is well-told and in the hands of a master storyteller,”
said Oakley. “Whether it’s an internal branding campaign or tak-ing
the CEO’s vision and making sure employees understand it,
film is a way that we can learn information and connect to the peo-ple
delivering those messages in a very short and efficient amount
of time. It’s repeatable; it gives you the same message every time.”
Video used externally is an equally powerful tool, according to
Oakley.
“It’s sort of like sports: there are a few superstars, there are a lot
of great people and then there are a lot of talent that never made
the professionals,” he said. “What companies are really looking for
is to assemble that all-star team. To do that, you have to talk about
what your vision is, what the passion is for your company, your
‘why.’ When you put that out there, you start to attract the right
people to come and work at your company.”
But if it were that easy to attract and retain great talent, wouldn’t
everybody be doing it? Well, many are; they’re just not getting
noticed.
“What really stands out is something that’s authentic, that’s real,
that’s truthful – and that takes a little bit of courage,” said Oakley.
“You’re not always telling people why you’re great. One of the rea-sons
why video has become sort of cliché is because if someone
is telling you their company is perfect, they’re not giving you any
truth or insight into it. But if someone is courageous enough to
make the kind of video that connects and tells people the truth,
you’re going to stand out from the crowd because that’s a rare
commodity.”
SAY WHO YOU ARE – AND OWN IT
Oakley says that failing to take your messaging seriously is a mis-take,
that you cannot simply sell a narrative, whether your video is
for internal or external use.
“The most effective videos that we’ve done in this space make
you feel like you’ve got a friend on the inside who’s telling you the
truth: the good, the bad and maybe not the ugly but the not-so-good
– and actually acknowledging that,” he said.
While highlighting the less-than-perfect parts of your company
may seem counterproductive, it isn’t. Potential and current em-ployees
alike want to feel like they know the company they work
for – its values, what it stands for and its limitations. Remember:
video has incredible longevity. So, being honest about the things
you do well and the things you’re working to do better will help
cultivate longer, stronger relationships with the people who work
for you, now and years from now.
“Put yourself in their seat,” said Oakley. “If you’re always talking
about what makes you great, if it were a person, you’d say they’re
a narcissist. What I like to say is that if you can address individual
audiences or segments of audiences, then the message will reso-nate
more fully with those people.”
Using video to spread your company’s message creates an im-pression
– good or not – for people who may not ever meet you
otherwise (especially if you’re a large, multinational company).
The idea is that those appearing on camera are able to be relaxed,
focused and genuine. For many people, being in front of a camera
causes them to clam up and stress out; they think too much about
the persona they “should” portray instead of being who they are.
“What people want to perceive is a real human being. Being real
and authentic on camera sometimes has to do with bringing a bit
of vulnerability and empathy to the situation,” said Oakley. “You
have to understand that it’s a unique situation: it’s a bit awkward
and it’s going to take some getting used to. Don’t be hard on your-self
the first couple of times you’re doing it.”
When you decide to go the video route, it is critical that ev-eryone
involved prepares beforehand. Just like it’s a good idea to
take a few skiing lessons before heading up a mountain for the
first time, it’s important to practice things like tone of voice, pac-ing
and facial and body expression before sitting down in front of
the camera.
“I like to say that communication happens on film in three ways:
it’s the actual words that you say, it’s the actual vocal intonation
that you have and it’s your body language. If those three things are
not congruent, you’re not communicating,” said Oakley.
Oakley recommends going over key messaging and wording be-fore
shoot day but not to focus too much on how those messages
are brought forth.
“So much effort is spent on the words – and that’s important –
but not as much effort is spent on the other two aspects,” he said.
“We know through research that those other two aspects, into-nation
and body language, cumulatively, are more important than
the words.”
From creating a long-standing message for potential employees
to helping current staff get to know the company better, the ben-efits
of using corporate video are many. Focus less on creating a
persona and more on telling your company’s true story with au-thenticity,
honesty and openness. Do that and the right people will
come running – and stick around. n
technology
“ONE OF THE REASONS WHY VIDEO
HAS BECOME SORT OF CLICHÉ IS
BECAUSE IF SOMEONE IS TELLING
YOU THEIR COMPANY IS PERFECT,
THEY’RE NOT GIVING YOU ANY
TRUTH OR INSIGHT INTO IT.”
– VERN OAKLEY
32 ❚ SEPTEMBER 2017 ❚ HR PROFESSIONAL