The science behind the films that move people

The most powerful film is that which knows what it is trying to say, to whom and why.   

Behavioural science underpins why this is important. Clarity increases engagement by reducing cognitive load; emotional connection aids decision-making by creating shortcuts and genuinely helpful content adds value to relationships. 

To create powerful film, you need to commit to doing some work beforehand to think about these things – your clarity of purpose, your emotional connection with your audience and your desired contribution to their life.  

We undergo a rigorous discovery process when working with clients to help them create or sharpen their brand story. This can involve stakeholder and customer interviews; customer-facing employee workshops and competitor audits. These help us align what we want to say with what our audience want to hear and identify where we need to play if we want to stand out in the market. 

Coming to a single-minded proposition or brand platform is the key that unlocks the door when it comes to realising the full potential of film. Clarity of thought enables film to focus on what it does best – deepening the story – making it emotive, making it engaging. Bringing the human voice to our corporate world.  

This voice is often brought to life best with actual voices from both within and outside the business. C suite, employees, customers, clients, third party organisations. Employing a multitude of voices helps strengthen credibility. Behavioural science tells us this is important because it’s a significant driver of trust. And in a world increasingly filled with AI generated content, trust is in short supply. The real human voice adds authenticity and demonstrates a company’s willingness to be transparent. 

We’ve talked about the importance of clarity and credibility in creating powerful film, but our Brand360 benchmarking research also highlighted the importance of consistency. Consistency is important for a brand or business because it removes the risk of cognitive dissonance within their customer’s DMU (decision making unit) and supports brand recognition and recall.  

Film can help drive consistency by bringing the brand idea to life across multiple touchpoints. Whether you are talking about values, culture, careers, sustainability strategy or the offer itself; all should be imbued with brand purpose and/or proposition. This is much more than being aligned to the brand guidelines, which only deliver superficial consistency. This is ensuring your storytelling taps into similar themes to the brand so that every touchpoint helps build deeper brand understanding. 

In short, film is a powerful tool in corporate storytelling. In a world of almost limitless content and shortening attention spans, putting in the pre-work to focus your film efforts has never been so important. When shaped by behavioural insight and creative ambition, film evolves from simple communication into a catalyst for trust, emotion and meaningful  change across the brand experience.