Research reveals the hidden truth of the Brand Film industry

Brand Film is a major sector of the UK screen industry but it is largely invisible. Absent from industry stats, it is hidden under the banner of “creative industries” which collectively contribute £100bn gross to the UK economy.

Brands have been increasingly using video as a way to achieve a business goal and it is said that video was instrumental in London winning the race to host the 2012 Olympic Games.  Brand film is at the forefront of corporate communications and has been hugely significant to businesses during the current Covid-19 pandemic.   

The sector has not been researched since 2005, however Dr Amir Homayounfard, Lecturer in Management and Marketing at Essex Business School has recently collaborated in a project with Moving Image on an ERDF-funded, business support project called KEEP+, which looks at the challenges of obtaining data on the sector and draws some clear conclusions about the scale of the brand video industry in the UK.  

 The research provides some valuable insights into the sector including: 

• the brand film industry has revenues in excess of £1bn
• the sector is a major exporter, with 82% of brand film production gaining a third of their revenue from overseas (mainly US and Europe)
• the vast majority of brand film producers (83%) are located in London and the South East
• social media is the most important channel for brand film
• brand film is at the forefront of corporate communications and drives innovation – the sector has had to reinvent itself over the years, particularly since 2005

The full findings of the research have been published in the Brand Industry Film report 2020, which is available to purchase from Moving Image.  Essex staff and students can view the full report for free here.