What is a Corporate Documentary?

Just like a person, every organization has a story to tell. One way of connecting your business to a potential client base is through the use of a corporate documentary.

A typical documentary is a nonfiction film intended to record some aspect of reality, often used for the purpose of instruction, education, or maintaining a historical record. A corporate documentary is a little more specific: its focus is an organisation or business. It can feature a number of things, including the products and services an organisation may offer, the community in which the company engages, or the people within the business.

A corporate documentary is typically commissioned by the organization that it features. It’s main objective is to ‘advertise without advertising’: a corporate documentary, while portraying the ‘reality’ of the organization, is intended to show the purpose, values, and people within the business.

For example, a corporate documentary may feature one (or a few) employee’s journey throughout their day: their commute to work, what they do, why they enjoy working for this company, what brought them there, and why they continue to work at that location. The objective is to connect the audience with the people it features and foster good relations towards the company.

Recap: What is it?

• Focuses on an organization or business
• Displays the people within and values of the company
• Advertises without advertising

 

How Can a Corporate Documentary Benefit Your Company?

A corporate documentary, like a documentary featuring an individual, can be very personal. Showing an audience this reality can humanise your business and help consumers connect with your products or services.

Benefits of a corporate documentary can be far-reaching. The process can be a positive experience for the organization it features: it can build the confidence of employees featured in the film. Utilizing staff instead of hiring professional actors will save time and money, and will help build a sense of fellowship with the company.

Corporate documentary reflects on the ethics of the company it features and thus can help with company identity: there is something beneficial to knowing the values of the company you work for. Viewers will also be more likely to engage with the business because they can identify with common ideals.

This method of advertising can also help identify strengths and weaknesses of the business it features, which gives opportunity to explore and rectify as needed. It may expose previously unknown deficiencies, which can then be improved going forward.

The viewer also gets to know the employees the piece features: this can develop networking and credibility. Any employee that goes on to speak at a conference or pitch a project will already be known by the audience. Displaying the how-tos and behind-the-scenes of a corporation is also a further step towards transparency, fostering trust with the consumer.

Recap: How can it Help?

• Builds employee camaraderie/confidence
• Self-reflection/Opportunity to improve
• Adds credibility

In summary, a corporate documentary is an excellent opportunity to build community, client, and consumer relations with your business. It builds company transparency and credibility and can improve employee relations. It is an efficient way to ‘advertise without advertising’ and self-reflect on company values and ethics.