How to Make a Commercial that Doesn’t Feel Like an Ad
- Aug 13
- 3 min read
The Top 3 Elements that Make a Corporate Video not Feel like a Commercial
While commercials can provide a significant boost in brand awareness and sales, brands need to remember to keep their corporate videos engaging and authentic. Think of Apple's iconic 1984 commercial--it feels much more like a 60-second film than an advertisement. With a simple message, compelling visuals, and a strong representation of your brand, commercials can be far more than ads. Even more, thanks to social media, they're able to reach viewers without them ever needing to turn on the TV. Keep reading for our top tips on how to make your corporate commercials stand out in all the right ways.
1) One Clear Message
The average person is not interested in sitting through ads. When diving into your commercial planning, you must bear in mind that people are likely about to press mute, press skip, or keep scrolling. Your commercial needs to tell its story quickly and clearly to grab viewers and leave a lasting impression. We recommend keeping your video ads at 30 seconds or less with a laser focus. Regardless of all the unique components that make your brand as incredible as it is, you simply don't have time to explore them all in an effective commercial. Each corporate video should feature just ONE reason your brand is exactly what your viewers are looking for. Once you've determined your focus, use it as a basis to craft your commercial's narrative. For example, there are myriad reasons people choose their preferred computer. Rather than listing the dozens of ways Apple is different from Windows, their iconic commercial attaches to one clear message: "Think Different," which was the brand's original tagline.
2) One Memorable Moment
Now that you've determined one clear message, it's time to craft it into a story with one memorable moment. Without a standout element, your commercial becomes just another boring ad that falls flat with viewers. Be sure, however, that the unforgettable components of your video are relevant and clever. Relying on pure shock value or themes that do not reflect your brand make the commercial memorable for all the wrong reasons. While the clear message is the basis of your video's narrative, it should culminate into a memorable moment that represents the narrative's thesis. Apple's commercial needed a way to demonstrate the idea of enabling individuals to be and think differently. To do so, the company combined literature with current events to paint the dystopian society of George Orwell's 1984. Apple's imagery of the woman throwing the sledgehammer at the screen is not just memorable, but also represents and solidifies the point of the ad: Our product enables you to liberate yourself to be different.
3) One Consistent Brand
Above all else, your commercial needs to be on brand. From the narrative, to the message, and all the details in between, the video needs to be representative of your company and its values. Consistent branding tells viewers not only what to expect when working with you, but also what type of clients fit best with your brand. For example, it would be weird for a punk DIY brand to create a traditional corporate video with bubbly music or for a law firm to feature outlaw country with a casual tone in theirs. While it may seem like the right idea to hop on social media bandwagons, be careful not to go for something just because it's trending. All elements of your corporate video, even the little things, need to be true to your brand. In Apple's case, the company wanted to make a name for itself as the creative computer. While the aesthetics are different from later campaigns with a minimalistic design (the “I’m a Mac” ads), it still holds onto the idea that Apple users don’t fit into the conformity box that went along with using spreadsheets and office jobs.
Angela Wolf Video offers corporate video production services near Philadelphia, PA.
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