Corporate vs. Commercial Video Production in Cincinnati: What’s the Difference?
When businesses search for video production in Cincinnati, there are many options to choose from. So which is the best? Choosing the best video production company in Cincinnati depends on project complexity, deliverables, budget, and goals. Let’s explore which type of video production company is the best fit for your budget, goals, and project requirements.
Commercial Video Production: High Budget, High Stakes, High ROI
Commercial video production in Cincinnati is typically reserved for larger advertising campaigns suited for large companies with advertising budgets in the millions. These projects often involve three main players: a creative agency, a commercial video production team, and the client. The agency manages the overall budget—often in the hundreds of thousands of dollars—and hires a commercial director and a producer, to execute a very specific vision. The agency, director and producer will then hire a crew and execute on the vision. This approach is expensive, but makes sense at scale. If you are planning on running a nationwide TV commercial or spending hundreds of thousands in advertising each month, this production might make sense.
Commercial shoots are usually filmed with industry-standard cameras like the ARRI Alexa 35. Even a small commercial set will have 6–10 people, with larger sets reaching 30–40 crew members.
Corporate Video Production: Strategic, Cost-Effective, and Goal-Oriented
In contrast, corporate video production in Cincinnati is designed for broader use cases—think training videos, company overviews, product explainers, or client testimonials. These projects are typically much smaller in scale. Generally, the client’s in-house marketing partners with a trusted local video production company like Cincinnati Social Media.
For a typical assignment a marketing director will give Cincinnati Social a specific brief (eg: capture 5 testimonial videos following our brand guide for our new website) and deliverable requirements. This will usually take place on a short call and over email. The “back and forth” is very brief. This approach reduces cost and logistical overhead.
Corporate videos have more focused budgets, usually ranging from $5,000 to $20,000, depending on complexity, location, and deliverables. Rather than hiring through an agency, our clients work directly with our team to execute on a deliverable.
Our Approach to Corporate Video: High-End yet Simple
Our approach is to use uses high-end cameras like the Sony FX6 or Canon C400/C80, premium audio (like Sound Devices Mix Pre and the MKH 416), and premium lighting (like Arri S60s and Aperture ) but keep crew size small and productions simple. This allows us to deliver quality results without the commercial budget and long shoot days. Typical crews are 2–4 people. Visuals are kept clean and simple.
Which Is Right for You?
If you're a Cincinnati business looking to increase brand awareness, engage customers, or communicate your story, corporate video production is often the most efficient and effective path.
At Cincinnati Social Media, we specialize in creating high-quality corporate videos (whether that's an interview, testimonial, event recap) that drive your brand forward—. We work with companies of all sizes to craft professional, compelling videos that fit your needs.
Because we don’t have the overhead of running a large commercial studio (payrolls, studio rental costs, super specialized equipment, staff benefits etc.) we are able to run a lean, effective operation and pass on the savings.
Social Media Production
More and more, social media is becoming a key pillar of corporate strategy for companies of all sizes. What goes into "social media production"?
Social Media production often goes hand-in-hand with a corporate video production. Let’s say the marketing director wants a product explainer video with 10 “cut downs” for social media. We will plan to shoot in a way that gives us the flexibility to produce both deliverables without needing to add another shooting day.
But sometimes, a strategy will call for a “social first” approach where video is produced with the sole intent of using it for social media. In these cases we might use an iphone or DJI Osmo Pocket 3, to create a more organic feeling social media post that still has the high-end polish.
Ready to create your next video? Reach out of you are looking for simple, high-end video production without the oversized commercial budget.
Contact us today for a free consultation or explore our corporate video production services.