A Key Tip for Corporate Videos
I’m doing a writing project for a start-up in the renewable biofuels space, which has caused me to check out many dozens of competitors’ websites. Here’s one that bears comment; note the video, and how the company’s CEO starts with a diatribe on his company’s honesty and transparency.
Had I been directing this video, I would have strongly recommended against this, for a host of reasons:
• Don’t tell viewers something to which they respond, “Well, of course.” No one wants to be cheated, and thus no one would deliberately do business with a company with a dishonest CEO.
• Don’t promote the notion that most renewable biofuels companies are dishonest.
• Don’t get into the “me thinks thou dost protest too much” mode. Call me a cynic, but doesn’t such rhetoric naturally make you want to question this guy’s integrity?
• Does claiming that you’re honest actually differentiate you from liars? Do liars make videos that begin, “Look, what you’re about to see is total bs, but check this out anyway?”
Viewers want to see real value-add. They know our civilization’s dependence on fossil fuels is bad, and that it’s in the process of going away. They know government regulation plays a role in moving to higher standards for fuel emissions. They don’t want restatements of the problem, and they certainly don’t want glib assertions of a quality that they’d assumed you had until you started highlighting it.
Craig,
What on earth has happened ?
What’s motivated you to make this totally unhinged and barely coherent attack on Peter Vanacker, the Belgian born, German CEO of the Finnish oil Company Neste ?
Your rant seems to express outrage for the presentation style of Peter Vanacker and somehow this qualifies him to join conclude you your growing list of “evil lying enemies”.
Could it be that Neste’s CEO has hurt your feelings by casting doubts upon the claims of one of your Clients, friends or associates” ?
If so, shouldn’t you “honestly” and candidly declare your vested interest before defaming any person or organization?
Like you, I have in the past attacked Neste, and other bio-diesel additive manufacture for relying on the environmentally destructive cultivation of palm oil and the production of inferior product quality.
My objection was based on the very real evidence that large scale bio-diesel production, requires massive expansion of palm oil plantations which simply sift environmental problems from developed nations to undeveloped nations.
In recent years Neste has lead the move from unenvironmental production methods to the cultivation of far more acceptable;e feed-stocks.
For this significant investment, Peter Vanacker and Chairman Jorma Eloranta should be congratulated, not castigated !
Neste is 50.1% owned by the Finnish government. employes over five thousand people directly and revenue exceeds $15 billion,
With each paragraph you seem to become more confused, but what you don’t provide is any real substance for your defamation of Neste, and its advertising. As a result it’s difficult to understand why you would bother to get so upset ?
Oh, btw, it’s always a mistake to assume that because you want something, you can conclude everyone else feels the same! By doing so and claiming “Viewers want to see”, as if you were the oracle for all viewers, you may find yourself abruptly disabused !
In fact, my bet is most of the time you will will discover not only do you not know what “others want”, but you,and what you want, represents only a tiny (if self-important) minority! !