What is a brand video and what should it include?
January to March is planning season for many UK SMEs and marketing managers. Campaigns are being scoped, budgets set and priorities agreed. If a brand video is on your Q1 roadmap, this guide will help you define what it is, where it fits in your funnel and what to include so it actually moves the numbers.
We will also share a simple checklist and a mini-brief template you can take straight into your next planning meeting. Expect practical advice, not buzzwords. Strategy first, creative that connects, and outputs that fit every platform you care about.
Tomorrow’s Creative produces strategy-led brand films with multi-format deliverables and social cut-downs. We blend human storytelling with AI-assisted efficiencies to help you launch faster and measure what matters.
Brand video, corporate video and promo, what is the difference?
- Brand video: A top-of-funnel film that tells your story and articulates your purpose, personality and promise. It builds awareness, affinity and trust. Think emotional connection and clear positioning, not product feature lists. On site navigation, About pages, paid awareness and campaign launches are common homes for it. Our dedicated page on branded content explains how a hero brand video can anchor a campaign while spawning multiple versions for social.
- Corporate video: Typically mid-funnel and utilitarian, such as internal communications, training, recruitment or investor relations. It is informative, procedural and brand-safe, usually with a narrower audience. If you are exploring this route, our corporate video production overview covers scope and delivery options.
- Promo video: A short, time-bound asset built to drive a specific action like a seasonal sale, event registration or product drop. It is performance-focused and often tailored for paid social. Promos can be cut from your brand film footage if planned upfront.
These formats often work together. A strong brand film elevates every corporate and promo asset that follows, because the core narrative and visual language are already defined.
Where a brand video sits in the funnel
A brand video operates at the top of the funnel and early consideration. Its job is to:
- Make your audience care, fast.
- Clarify what you stand for and why you are different.
- Create enough trust to justify a click, follow or site visit.
Common objectives include awareness, trust and consideration. KPIs typically include:
- Reach and impressions across priority platforms.
- View-through rate and average watch time.
- Lift in branded search, direct traffic and homepage engagement.
- Soft conversions such as newsletter sign-ups, resource downloads or discovery call enquiries.
For attribution, pair campaign tagging with platform analytics and site behaviour. Look for view-through assisted conversions and post-view actions, not only last-click sales.
What a brand video should include
Your film should be simple, intentional and structured to hold attention. Essentials:
- Hook in the first 3 to 7 seconds: Lead with a strong visual or a line that names the problem you solve for your audience. The so-called 7 second rule on YouTube is a practical reminder that you must earn attention immediately. If the opening does not reward a skim, viewers will scroll past.
- A clear narrative arc: Problem, promise, proof, payoff. Keep the story human, anchored to one or two relatable characters or scenarios.
- Proof points: Show, do not tell. Real customers, team members, behind-the-scenes moments, on-screen stats or awards. Motion graphics can add clarity without breaking the story.
- Brand codes: Logos, colour, typography, sonic cues and taglines used consistently but lightly. This is not an ident; it is a story with identity.
- Accessibility: Burned-in or toggle captions, accurate subtitles, clear contrast and legible on-screen type. Many views happen with sound off.
- CTA and next step: End with a confident, low-friction action such as Book a discovery call, Explore the range or Watch customer stories. Use on-screen and in-description links.
Length guidance: aim for 45 to 120 seconds for the hero edit. Shorter can work on channels like TikTok and Reels. Longer cuts are fine on your site if the story warrants it. Plan modular scenes so you can create 6 to 15 second and 20 to 30 second social cut-downs without losing coherence.
Planning for ROI, from storyboard to KPI framework
Start with the outcome you want. Awareness, consideration or trust are not the same thing. Translate your goal into a simple KPI stack:
- Awareness goal: Reach, unique viewers, 3-second views, completion rate, lift in branded search.
- Consideration goal: 50 percent watch rate, clicks to product or service pages, session duration after video view.
- Trust goal: Micro-conversions like downloads, event registrations or demo requests within 7 to 14 days of exposure.
Storyboard against the metrics. If your KPI is average watch time, build in moments that reward continued viewing every 5 to 8 seconds. If your KPI is clicks, ensure the CTA appears early and again at the end, supported by on-screen prompts and end-cards.
AI-assisted tools can help here. Use automatic metadata tagging to log scenes and talking points, then check drop-off graphs to identify where attention dips. Generate first-pass captions with AI, but have a human review for tone, accuracy and brand language. Efficiency matters; voice, nuance and ethics matter more.
Format, platform and repurposing
Plan outputs before you shoot. Capture and frame for:
- 16:9 for web, YouTube and broadcast.
- 1:1 for grid posts.
- 9:16 for Stories, Reels and Shorts.
Design safe areas for on-screen text so captions and graphics survive every crop. Record clean plates for titles, gather extra B-roll and alternate lines, and capture room tone to smooth your edit. With this approach, one production day can comfortably produce a hero brand film plus a set of social cut-downs and thumbnails. If you are focusing on a wider social stack, our page on social media video production outlines how we build multi-format packages that launch quickly and iterate with data.
A simple brand video checklist
- One clear audience and one core message.
- Hook scripted and storyboarded for the first 3 to 7 seconds.
- Narrative arc mapped to problem, promise, proof and payoff.
- Proof points secured, with permissions and releases in place.
- Captions and subtitles planned, with contrast-checked on-screen type.
- Deliverables list finalised for 16:9, 1:1 and 9:16, plus 6 to 15 second and 20 to 30 second cut-downs.
Mini-brief template you can copy
- Objective: What business outcome should this video influence in Q1?
- Audience: Who are we speaking to, and what do they care about today?
- Core message: In one sentence, what do we want them to remember?
- Hook: What is the first shot or line that earns attention within 3 to 7 seconds?
- Proof: Which customers, stats or scenes will make this believable?
- CTA: What is the next step, and where will the viewer take it?
- Deliverables: Hero length, ratios (16:9, 1:1, 9:16), number of social cut-downs, captions, thumbnails.
- Measurement: Primary and secondary KPIs, campaign tags and reporting cadence.
- Timeline and constraints: Key dates, locations, approvals, any compliance needs.
How to create a video for your brand
If you are building in-house, keep it lean:
- Write the script as voiceover or interview beats, then shoot to cover lines with relevant visuals.
- Capture steady shots with clear audio, and prioritise natural light or consistent soft lighting.
- Edit for pace. Trim pauses, tighten answers, and add simple motion graphics for clarity.
- Caption everything. Consider bilingual subtitles if you have international audiences.
- Export variants for each platform and test thumbnails, first lines and CTAs.
If you prefer a partner, a full-service video production agency like Tomorrow’s Creative can take you from strategy and storyboard to delivery and reporting. Explore our brand video and wider branded content approach, or see how corporate video production differs when your goal is training, hiring or investor communications.
Quick FAQ
- What is a brand video? A brand video is a top-of-funnel film that expresses your purpose, personality and promise. It builds awareness, affinity and trust while nudging early consideration.
- What should a brand video include? A strong hook in the first 3 to 7 seconds, a simple narrative arc, credible proof points, consistent brand codes, accessibility features and a clear CTA.
- How do I create a video for my brand? Define your objective, script the hook, capture authentic footage and voices, edit for pace, add captions and export platform-specific versions. Partner with a team if you need strategy-led planning and multi-format outputs.
- What is the 7 second rule on YouTube? It is a practical guideline to earn attention within the first few seconds. Open with a compelling visual or line that signals value fast so viewers choose to keep watching.
- How long should a brand video be? Typically 45 to 120 seconds for a hero cut, with shorter 6 to 15 second and 20 to 30 second versions for social. Let the story and platform shape the final runtime.
Why work with Tomorrow’s Creative
We are a UK-based team delivering strategy-led production, multi-camera shoots, motion graphics, captions, translations and multi-format outputs in one package. We combine human-led storytelling with AI-assisted efficiencies like metadata tagging, caption generation and smart multi-version exports, so you launch faster and learn from real data. If you also need related deliverables, our photography services and product videos can be integrated into the same campaign shoot for consistent visuals across channels.
Summary and next step
A brand video is your story, told with clarity and intent, designed to win attention quickly and convert it into trust. Plan for the hook, build a simple arc, bake in proof, ship accessible versions in every ratio and measure what matters. If you would like a scoped brand video plus social cut-down package for your Q1 campaign, book a discovery call with Tomorrow’s Creative and let us help you plan, produce and launch with confidence.
Useful links to explore:
- Learn more about our brand video and wider branded content approach at Tomorrow’s Creative.
- See how our corporate video production differs when the goal is informational or internal communications.
- If social-first is your priority, explore our capabilities for social media video and content creation.