Here’s our selection of the latest in video communications from raising awareness on 'petfishing' to Spotify's enhanced album versions. For more from #CommunicateLens, follow @Communicatemag.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) worked with creative agency 23red to create a mini documentary, ‘Petfished’, aimed at enabling the public to spot the signs of deceitful pet suppliers. The five-minute video, made to highlight the issue of sellers profiting from the sale of puppies, kittens, dogs and cats with minimal regard for their welfare, follows journalist Leah Green as she interviews people involved in two cases of ‘petfishing’. By providing people who give insight on the horrors of petfishing and showcasing different puppies and kittens, the mini documentary is not only informative and but also serves to evoke pathos in the viewers, who might then be more prone to take action. In fact the objective is to raise awareness on the importance of conducting research on the sellers and looking out for ‘red flags’ before buying a pet. “The campaign encourages everyone to read our tips on how to spot warning signs that an animal has been raised in low welfare conditions by searching ‘Get your pet safely,’” says Charlotte Armitage, deputy head of campaigns at Defra. To amplify the campaign through social media 23red is inviting pet-loving celebrities and influencers to share creative petfish content.

Legal & General

 UK’s leading life insurance company Legal & General created a one-minute video to summarise its annual results, focusing on how it invested in projects that had a wider benefit to society. The video uses a mix of  high-res clips of people and general aerial shots to show the company helped ‘transform Britain while generating attractive, sustainable returns,’ which makes it more relatable and tangible for the viewers. Instead of having a written report of what the company achieved during a year, the video makes it so that viewers can understand its progress in just more than a minute. By including animations when listing Legal & General areas of focus, such as to explain their different areas of focus, from ageing demographics to welfare reforms, the video becomes an explainer simplifying topics that can sometimes be complicated jargon. The video ends on a positive note as a way of showing that Legal & General has an even better looking year ahead.

See the video here

PRCA

To mark its launch of the School Outreach Programme the Public Relations and Communications Association (PRCA) has created a two short videos to inspire school students from all backgrounds to consider a career in PR. The video series include a two-minute explainer of PR and a series of informal interviews with PR professionals sharing their experience and tips. By featuring BAME PR professionals in the video interviews, the PRCA aims to make PR more relatable to students who are often excluded from these types of careers. Francis Ingham, director general of PRCA says, “The moral and business case for embracing diversity is undeniable. Broadening the talent pool is not a virtuous ambition – it is a business imperative. The success and sustainability of our industry is dependent on our workforce reflecting the society it seeks to engage.” The interviews are complemented by the explainer, which through the graphics, photos and short sentences is clear and to the point, answering any question about PR that a young person would want to know about and highlighting the multiple aspects of the industry.

Spotify

Creative production studio And/Or created two short videos for Spotify’s an enhanced version of best-selling pop musicians Halsey’s new album, Manic. For the release of the album, Spotify wanted to create videos that showcased the different sides of the artists and used her real words to create a sense of connection with fans. The music streaming service wanted to bridge the universal experience of the album with the exclusivity and insider benefits of being a Spotify listener. Although Manic can be listened to on Youtube or Apple Music, it won’t be the same as the full experience that Spotify can provide. And/Or sought the help of Halsey, who wrote the script and provided visuals, and the result is a video that clearly reflects the content of Manic. ‘Halsey,’ inspired by the artist’s public persona, uses bright colours, modern collage elements and distorted images of the singer, giving off a psychedelic feel. The other, ‘Ashley,’ inspired by her real name and representing her inner persona, is more muted, featuring illustrations, no colours and a hand drawn type.