What Can Pixar Teach Us About Video for Corporate Business Communications

I enjoy film and I enjoy business. I especially enjoy understanding the “story behind the story” whether it be films that are based on actual events or the story behind how today’s global corporations got their start.  I watched a video from Pixar recently that satisfied this interest at so many levels.

This video is one of many produced by Pixar to share the backstory of producing films like “Toy Story.”  People involved during the production process narrate them and the videos are short, entertaining, and subtly educational.

While the backstory of “Toy Story” was fascinating, I thought about how this approach (short, entertaining, educational) would make a great template for corporate business communications.  If this video was used for corporate business purposes, the title of the video could easily have been one of these:

“Why system backups are important for business continuity” or

“Why remote employees can save the business money and reduce business risk”

What I took away from this video is a testament to how effective video can be for both storytelling and impact.  The messages are consumable, relatable, and memorable wrapped up in an entertaining package.

The growing producers of content for business purposes can learn a lot from Pixar.  Whether it is for training, selling, or any type of corporate business communications, the production of effective video should be the goal.  It also doesn’t have to be overly produced or complex.  If they are effective, the message and the story live on much longer than the length of the video.