I’ve been in the corporate video and written content business since 2013. During that time, I’ve seen the industry evolve from brand storytelling into an exercise in search algorithms and platform optimization.
We no longer create videos that speak purely for the brand. Modern content is often built around search terms and social media audiences that may—or may not—give it a few seconds of attention.
That said, the companies I’ve worked with since leaving Visa in 2022 have shown me something interesting. Most organizations are well-staffed with very capable communication and marketing teams, yet many have no real idea what they want from their content (video) strategy.
They know they need a key performance indicator (KPI). They know they need a certain audience size to declare success. However, what the video is actually supposed to achieve is often unclear.
Here are five observations about content production today and the mistakes many companies continue to make.
1. It Needs More Story
Many corporations want to communicate a new product, a thought leadership position, or a new idea. However, the final video often fails to take the viewer on any meaningful journey.
The interviews are done. The editing is strong. Yet the finished product lacks a beginning, middle, and end. It lacks a cohesive narrative.
Instead, the video becomes a collection of interviews rather than a story. Viewers may learn something, but they rarely feel compelled to keep watching.
2. Production Quality Suffers Due to an Obsession with KPIs
This often comes down to the need for marketing and communication teams to justify their existence.
Between meetings, legal reviews, production schedules, and endless approval rounds, content creation can become an exercise in bureaucracy rather than creativity.
As a result, teams focus on metrics instead of audience engagement. They optimize for views, clicks, and impressions while losing sight of what makes content memorable in the first place.
3. AI Can’t Fix a Weak Content Strategy
Artificial intelligence is now being woven into almost every aspect of content production.
AI can write scripts, create images, generate voiceovers, and even edit video. However, it cannot determine whether a brand’s message is meaningful or whether a story is worth telling.
In my experience, AI helps with execution. Strategy and storytelling remain a human responsibility.
After all, AI can tell you how to create content. However, it can’t tell you why anyone should care about it.
4. It’s Rarely ‘Authentic’
Authenticity has become one of the most overused words in content marketing.
There is a view that authenticity is the key to good content. Yet the moment the camera is turned on, personality is often replaced by carefully managed messaging crafted by communication teams and public relations professionals.
The result is content that talks about authenticity without ever feeling authentic.
Often, the most engaging content comes from spontaneous observations, honest conversations, and moments that weren’t part of the script. These moments feel human because they are human.
5. The Best Content Resembles Journalism
After more than a decade producing content for corporations, banks, technology companies, and NGO-funded projects, I’ve come to a simple conclusion: the best corporate content rarely talks about the company.
Instead, it focuses on people, explores a problem, an idea, a challenge, a cool new product, or an experience that the audience actually cares about. And it tugs on the audience’s emotions.
Corporate video content isn’t about a well-tested marketing message and working backwards. It starts with a story and how the brand is part of that story. The less it feels like pure marketing, the more the video will hold an audience.
Algorithms will evolve, audience viewing metrics will change, platforms will come and go, AI will be more influential. But in the end, it’s all about a good story, respecting your audience’s time and, in the end, giving them a reason to care about what the brand is saying.
