Video Ads: How to Decide What to Communicate Before Producing Them

You have a service that works, an offer you want to communicate or something new that deserves attention. The idea of creating a video comes up, but so does a reasonable question: what should it show so that it does not become an attractive piece with no clear purpose?

Video ads make sense when seeing the product, process or outcome helps people understand an offer and take the next step. Before filming, it is worth clarifying the action you want, the message the audience needs to receive and how you will check whether the asset fulfils its purpose. By the end of this article, you will be able to decide what to request and what to define before producing an ad.

Hypothetical starting point: a company wants “a video to advertise itself”

Imagine a business-to-business services company that has updated part of its offering. The team wants to communicate this through a video for use in campaigns and on its website. The initial request seems simple: “we need a short video that explains what we do”.

However, that sentence brings together several different decisions. It does not specify whether the video should generate contact enquiries, explain a service that already receives visits, introduce something new or regain the attention of people who already know the company. It also does not clarify which part of the offering raises the most questions or what someone should do after watching it.

The first decision would not be choosing music, duration or visual style. It would be turning a general intention into an observable objective: for example, ensuring that a person understands a specific problem, identifies the solution offered and can continue to a defined page or contact channel.

Observable problem: the message is trying to say too much

In this hypothetical case, the available material includes a corporate presentation, several service features, internal views on what differentiates the company and a limited-time promotion. Everything seems relevant. Taken together, it can make it harder for the viewer to retain one main idea.

An ad does not have to explain the entire company. If it tries to do so, it may lose focus before reaching the action that matters. The viewer needs to quickly recognise whether the message relates to their need.

There is also a consistency issue. If the ad presents one promise and the next destination—a page, form or conversation—talks about something else, the journey breaks down. The audiovisual asset and the next step need to answer the same question.

Objective analysis: deciding who the asset is for and why it is being created

To structure the brief, the hypothetical company separates three layers:

This separation prevents the team from starting with a fixed solution, such as “let’s make a video with testimonials” or “we need an animation”. These resources may fit, but only after understanding the job the asset needs to do.

In the example, the chosen objective is to help prospective clients who do not know the service understand a common problem and recognise that the company offers a specific way to address it. This is not framed as a sales guarantee. It is framed as a communication task that can be reviewed.

From there, three questions are useful:

• Who are you speaking to? Describe a recognisable situation, not just an industry or job title. Someone comparing options needs different information from someone who has not yet identified the problem.
• What idea should remain? Choose an understandable promise and avoid stacking unrelated benefits.
• What should they do next? This could be visiting a specific page, requesting information or learning more about the service. The action must be possible and connected to the ad’s content.

Proposed scope: one main asset and the decisions that support it

With the objective defined, the scope of the hypothetical ad is reduced to what is needed to communicate it clearly. The main asset presents a situation, directly shows how the service relates to that need and ends with an invitation consistent with the next step.

There is no need to solve everything with voice-over, effects or a list of features. If the service is difficult to understand, it may be more useful to show a specific sequence: the initial problem, the action that makes it possible to resolve it and the operational outcome that the person can expect to understand. If filming that process is not possible, a visual explanation or a prepared demonstration may be alternatives. The choice depends on what needs to be explained, the available resources and the required permissions.

The scope should also clarify:

• the central message and the secondary messages that are excluded;
• the elements that must appear on screen and those that can be explained through text or voice;
• the intended formats and placements, because a composition designed for one environment may not transfer in the same way to another;
• the people responsible for providing information, reviewing the script and approving the final version;
• the destination the asset leads to and the relationship between the call to action and that destination.

It is useful here to distinguish between essential content and future content. An additional adaptation, new versions or materials for other campaigns may add value, but they should not be considered included unless they belong to the initial requirement.

Solution and review: validating that the video communicates what is intended

In the application of the case, the team prepares a short script before production. It does not focus only on the words: it indicates what needs to be shown, which information needs to appear on screen and when the call to action is presented.

It is then reviewed against straightforward criteria. After watching it, someone who was not involved in its preparation should be able to answer three questions: what problem does it present, what does the company offer and what is the next step? If the answers are unclear or differ from one another, the message needs adjustment.

It is also useful to check practical aspects before publishing:

• that essential text can be understood even when audio is not played;
• that the opening establishes the topic without waiting for a lengthy explanation;
• that relevant visual elements are clearly visible in the intended format;
• that the call to action leads to a destination that expands on exactly the message in the ad;
• that claims about the service can be reviewed and approved by the company.

Reviewing does not remove the need for human judgement. An asset may be technically correct and still use an imprecise message, show sensitive information or target a poorly defined audience. These decisions require review by someone who knows the business, the offer and its limitations.

Transferable lessons for your video ads

The case leaves one practical idea: format does not replace the commercial decision. Before investing time in producing video ads, define what the audience needs to understand, what action they can take and what content the next step needs in order to sustain interest.

A short asset may be enough if it addresses a specific need. By contrast, a more elaborate video will not solve a lack of focus, an ambiguous promise or a destination that does not continue the conversation.

If you are clear about the need but still have doubts about the message, scope or assets you need, you can review AVSISTEC’s approach to advertising content for businesses and explain your project to assess how to structure it.