Tetra Films Video Trends of 2021: A Year in Review

From mid-December 2021 to mid-January 2022, Tetra Films reached out to 100 public relations and marketing companies across Canada and the United States. Our goal was to find trends in how PR and digital marketing companies have been using video in the last year and to understand how the video industry is evolving. To explore our queries, we asked all participants the following five questions:

1. Has the need for video ever come up in your projects or do you see the need for it?
2. How do you use video and do you see it used in the future?
3. Did you notice any trends or recurring themes this year?
4. What is missing from video or the process that you’d like to see?
5. What are some success stories from clients who’ve used video?

Trend: Video for Social Media & Engagement

In their responses, 55% of participants mentioned using video for social media. From this group, 80% of respondents specifically referenced using video for TikTok and/or Instagram Reels, which is explained by the “boom in popularity of TikTok and Instagram Reels” mentioned by Claire Henwood from Reformation. From this information, it can be seen that short-form, vertical video content is on the rise. In a time when people have increasingly shortened attention spans, companies are leaning into short, entertaining video content to promote their products and services. While not nearly as frequent, some other uses of video that respondents mentioned were additions to blog posts, lifestyle content, commercial content, ESG campaigns, and explainer videos.

Several respondents cited video as being essential for engagement. With the internet being oversaturated with content, video is “definitely more engaging” to audiences than “just still imagery” (Nick Leonard, Skyrocket Creative Director). In order for video to be engaging, responses were once again moving away from long-form content, with respondents quoted saying things such as “for videos to be engaged with and capture the attention of the viewer, they need to be shorter [and] more fun” (Claire Henwood, Reformation Account Director).

Moving forward, PR and marketing companies should continue to explore video for social media and think about what kind of video content they can create specifically for their platforms. If applicable to their clients, strategize how vertical video content can be used to work towards their goals as TikTok and Instagram Reels continue to rise in popularity.

Trend: “Organic” Video vs. “Overproduced” Video

A sentiment repeated several times by respondents was the need for videos that come across “organic,” “authentic,” and “genuine,” rather than overproduced. It was found that organic-seeming videos are what audiences responded best to.

Consider this trend concurrently with the trend of using video for social media and engagement. Platforms like TikTok and Instagram Reels rely heavily on user-generated content, which is often created with just a phone camera and the editing tools offered within the app. With this being the content audiences are responding positively to, it makes sense that this is what they would gravitate towards for branding.

The need for content that doesn't come across as overproduced means that clients might be more likely to try to create video content on their own. This can be okay to do, so long as the content is still high quality and representative of their brand. A strategy must remain in place, so the content still comes across as cohesive and professional, despite its more laid-back, casual nature. A second option would be to partner with a video production company that understands how to make videos that feel organic and can provide the quality and style of work a client is looking for.

Trend: Need for a Smoother Editing/Production Process

In response to being asked what’s missing from the video process, 27% of participants answered that they were looking for smoother editing and/or production process. Nick Leonard, the Creative Director at Skyrocket, found that producers can sometimes “leave a lot to be desired” and lack the sense of artistry that they desire for their videos. In a similar sentiment, Tyler Mullins, the founder of Omni Agency, mentioned that they are missing a “streamlined” process from producers, and Jordan Wolf from Atrium Digital echoed that editing is a pain.

Streamlining the production and editing of videos can help save a company both time and money. Consider partnering with a video production company that has proven pre-production, production, and post-production process. Doing so will help ensure that the video is created efficiently and has a clear message.

Other Interesting Trends/Responses:

The following is a collection of responses that did not provide enough information or support to be considered a trend, but are interesting takeaways nonetheless. Overall, approximately 27% of respondents had the same answer to any of the given questions. 36% of respondents mentioned that they used animation in some capacity in the last year. 18% reported that affordability has been a barrier to clients pursuing video content in the past. In terms of engagement, Sonam Ram, The Social Agency’s Account Manager, said that videos that feature people’s faces tend to do better than those that don’t. The consensus is that video for social media is going to continue to rise in popularity, and some companies, such as Popcorn, are beginning to partner with social media video specialists.

Through the research conducted by Tetra Films, we can conclude that there were a few key trends for how public relations and digital marketing companies used video in 2021. Video for social media and increased engagement is used brought up by several respondents. Further, audiences are wanting video content that feels authentic. Companies don’t need extremely produced, over-edited videos for their video marketing to succeed. There was also a consensus that having a streamlined editing and production process would be greatly beneficial. Public relations and marketing companies should take the time to consider these trends as they continue to map out their content strategies for the remainder of 2022.

Written by Elysha Blair, Digital Marketing Specialist at Tetra Films

About Tetra Films: Tetra Films is a full-service video production company based in Vancouver, BC. Founded in 2011 by Brice Benson Kelly and Will Lavendel, Tetra has created over 1000 videos for companies and organizations across North America, helping people leverage video to save time and money, and improve their branding.