The dos and don’ts of festive corporate videos  

‘Tis the season and you want to share your business’ Christmas spirit with a festive themed video. Before you send your gift to your customers and audience, it’s important to check whether your holiday themed video places you on the nice or naughty list. 

 

DO 

Plan ahead:  

Plan well in advance. Allow time for idea generation with your team, scripting, filming and then editing, with extra time set aside for any revisions.  

Tell a story: 

Stories hook audiences in. John Lewis have made this a tradition with their festive adverts. Even though they are selling their products and their brand, people remember the story. Incorporate the spirit of Christmas by considering wholesome themes and inspiring messages.  

Showcase company culture: 

Showcase your company’s culture and values by featuring employees, celebrations, or charitable activities that reflect your organisation’s ethos around the festive period.  

Sort equipment: 

Depending on the video you want to produce, give some thought on filming equipment and what would suit that video. If you want a high quality video then think about using professional standard cameras plus lighting and sound equipment to make your video stand out. 

Make it musical: 

Everyone knows the Christmas classics! Use these iconic sounds and tunes to help evoke the Christmas spirit. A word of warning – only use non-copyrighted and loyalty free tracks so they won’t get copyrighted.  

Add a call to action: 

Include a subtle call to action at the end of the video to encourage viewers to help spread joy, support a cause or to engage with your business. 

Integrate your brand: 

Seamlessly integrate your brand into the video without overpowering the holiday theme. Use subtle branding elements such as logos or colours. 

Engage with your audience: 

Encourage audience engagement through comments, shares, or user-generated content related to the video. 

Optimise your video: 

As video can be consumed in so many ways, it’s best practice to optimise your video for different video platforms, social media, and emails.  

 

DON’T

Overpromote: 

Steer clear of making the video overly promotional. Focus on creating an emotional connection rather than pushing sales, which could put off casual viewers. 

Skip quality control: 

Do not compromise on video quality. Poor production can reflect negatively on your brand so it is important to check, double check and triple check your video before you share it. 

Feature offensive content: 

This almost goes without saying but do not include any offensive or controversial content in your video.  

Neglect copyright: 

Make sure all music, photos and video clips featured in the video are licensed. 

Ignore the length: 

Keep the video concise and engaging to maintain your audience’s attention.  

Forget accessibility: 

Don’t overlook accessibility considerations. Ensure accurate closed captions are available for those who may need them and check your colour contrasts for any text on screen. 

Ignore analytics: 

Monitor the video’s performance and gather insights to refine your content strategies for future festive videos. 

Rush at the last minute: 

Just like buying presents for loved ones, you don’t want to be rushing around trying to get this done in late December as it may impact the quality and creativity of the video and eat into the time allocated for editing. 

 

By following these dos and don’ts, you will be able to produce an effective Christmas themed video for your business. It’s important to remember this process is lighthearted and to help spread holiday cheer. So, have fun, be creative and happy holidays.