We’re not a major ad agency, but as a creative video production company, we’ve been fortunate enough to have worked on several television commercials, including a Super Bowl spot in 2021. In all cases, we were hired directly by the brand to develop the concept and execute.
Why would a company hire a video production company to create a commercial?
One of the primary reasons is budget. It’s usually more cost effective to hire a video production company for one spot than a marketing agency as part of a broader campaign. That may not be a factor for larger corporations, but definitely a consideration for startups.
Of course, the video production company has to be more than just a production house. Many production companies have the team to shoot and edit, but not necessarily the creative to come up with original ideas. The company has to be full-service and be able to both conceptualize and produce.
Video bundles vs a marketing campaign
Another reason companies hired us is as part of a multi-video package. In such cases, our client didn’t need a full marketing campaign. They needed the creation of several video assets including a TV spot. Along with the commercial, we provided product demos, customer testimonials, and several short social cuts.
Below is an example of a video package we delivered for Physera, a health-tech startup that was eventually acquired by Omada Health. We produced two versions of a commercial (B2B and B2C), a testimonial and a series of demos for their social channels.
So, what’s the story with the Super Bowl spot?
And of course, the Super Bowl commercial we produced for Gong…. Almost all of the spots you see during the Big Game went through an agency. So how did we land that gig?
Gong was a long-time client – we began our partnership with them in 2017 starting with their explainer video, and transitioned into several other marketing assets. In 2021, they contacted us to do a Super Bowl spot for them. We came up with the concept, produced and delivered a very successful commercial that was seen in San Francisco, Seattle and New York right before half time. Read more about our Super Bowl experience here.
Marketing agencies usually have their own video team or partners, and so it makes sense to contract them for commercials if there’s already a fully-integrated campaign in place. But when brands need a spot or have a smaller budget to work with, creative video production companies are a great option.
Here are a couple of other examples of TV commercials that we produced over the years. Esignal was aired national on CNBC and The Inheritance company aired regionally in Florida.
To see if Picturelab can help with your commercials or any other video production needs, contact us at info@picturelab.com.
Picturelab is a full-service video production company with offices in Mountain View, CA, and Irvine, CA. We service clients all over the world, with a focus on the San Francisco Bay, Silicon Valley, Los Angeles, and Orange County areas.