The benefits of using video for branding — and the keys to success!

A branding video is created not for direct sales promotion, but to communicate a company’s uniqueness, purpose, and identity, while fostering trust and a sense of reassurance toward its services and products. Beyond increasing name recognition and awareness, branding videos can also improve familiarity, strengthen public perception, contribute to sales growth, and even help attract talented individuals.

The greatest advantage of branding videos is their ability to appeal to both sight and sound simultaneously. Traditional media such as magazines and newspapers can only communicate visually through still images.
Video, on the other hand, allows for movement and richer expression, making it possible to convey a wider range of messages. Adding sound further expands those expressive possibilities, enabling communication through both visual and auditory experiences.

Another major strength is the ability to communicate a large amount of information in a short period of time. Even a carefully crafted corporate philosophy can be difficult for a target audience to fully grasp through text alone. Concepts and added value that are hard to express in words become easier to communicate through sound, motion, and imagery, allowing the audience to absorb the message more intuitively.
The fact that viewers can receive a company’s message naturally and without stress is also a major appeal. With that in mind, let’s look at some examples alongside key points for creating successful branding videos.

Dove: Real Beauty Sketches | You Are More Beautiful Than You Think

Unilever brand Dove’s “Real Beauty Sketches,” released in 2013, became the most-viewed online video campaign of its time and is widely recognized as a successful viral movie. Its total views surpassed 134 million.
The video featured an experiment designed to help women recognize their own true beauty. The concluding message, “You are more beautiful than you think,” resonated deeply with audiences and gave the campaign remarkable emotional power.
What makes the video so compelling is the way it leaves viewers with a positive realization that lingers long after watching.

“1 Million Views Make it a Reality!” Beppu City Spamusement Park Project!

This promotional video became a standout success among local government campaigns, generating more than 4.5 million total views.
The reason for its massive popularity lay in the project concept itself: “If this video reaches one million views, we will actually build an amusement park combined with hot springs.”
Rather than promoting what already existed, the campaign promoted a vision of what the city hoped to create in the future. By naturally involving viewers in the process of achieving that goal, the project inspired widespread sharing and engagement.

“I Hate My Mother” Edition — Nomucom “Thank You, My Home” Campaign CM

Instead of focusing on the house itself, this campaign spotlighted the “family” living within it.
The company invited users to submit stories related to “home and family,” and produced commercial videos based on selected entries.
By presenting emotionally relatable stories from real user perspectives—experiences that many people could personally connect with—the campaign succeeded in drawing strong emotional responses from viewers.

[Seibu & Sogo] University of Tokyo Students Take on a Surprisingly Difficult Test!?

In this video, actual University of Tokyo students were challenged with questions such as “How old is your mother?” and “What is the happiest thing she has ever said to you?”
Unable to answer many of the questions, the students eventually sought out the answers directly from their mothers themselves.
Presented in a documentary style, the video effectively taps into hidden emotional insights, such as “Maybe I don’t know my mother as well as I thought,” or “I haven’t had a meaningful conversation with her lately.”

In branding videos, the most important factor is how effectively they can move viewers emotionally and inspire empathy or emotional resonance.
To achieve this, it is essential to have a clear understanding of the value your products or services provide, and to establish a strong concept from the beginning.
A branding video needs a clear central message: what do you ultimately want viewers to feel or understand?
Once that core concept is defined, ideas for the story, visuals, and supporting elements naturally become much easier to develop.