Sojern's Brand Video Strategy

Overview

Sojern had almost no current brand video content. A handful of animated videos existed from roughly a decade earlier, but the messaging, value propositions, and visual identity were outdated. I pushed for a renewed investment in video as a more engaging way to explain Sojern’s platform, products, and value, starting with our first modern live-action brand production and then evolving the approach into a scalable animated video production.

Challenge

The challenge was twofold: build a modern video presence from essentially a blank slate, and create a production model that could scale. The first live-action shoot proved we could create high-quality brand storytelling, but it also made clear that repeated studio production would be too expensive and resource-heavy to sustain regularly.

Strategy

Build a modern video style that felt unmistakably Sojern, not like another forgettable B2B explainer. I pushed for a tone that was fun, cheeky, and memorable while still credible enough for enterprise travel marketers, then carried that approach through scripting, visual direction, casting, voice, music, and motion.

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Key Decisions

Make B2B videos feel human and worth watching
Avoided the overly polished, jargon-heavy style common in enterprise video. Instead, I defined a voice that was playful, self-aware, and informative, using humor, visual metaphors, and conversational scripts to make complex products easier to understand without undermining trust or professionalism.

Move from live action to a more scalable format
Used the first studio production as a learning point, then shifted toward animation to reduce production complexity and make ongoing video creation more practical without lowering the creative bar.

Design every production for reuse
Structured scripts and negotiated deliverables to support full-length stories, short social cutdowns, and localized versions, increasing the usefulness of every production across channels and markets.

Outcomes

• Grew YouTube channel engagement 400% YoY following the launch of the new video strategy
• Short-form video ads achieved a 72% video completion rate
• Secured ongoing Marketing investment year over year, expanding the animated video program across additional Sojern products and solutions
• Extended the visual system beyond video, with Vanz Media expanding into social content to create greater consistency across Sojern’s video and social presence
• Localized videos into French, Italian, German, LATAM Spanish, and Spain Spanish, extending the program across more global customer markets

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Role & Contributions

Led the creative strategy and direction for Sojern’s brand video production from concept through final production. I defined the visual style, tone, casting and voice direction, music, scripting approach, humor level, pacing, and edit feedback, while making sure each production stayed approachable and entertaining without losing credibility with a B2B audience.

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Thank you to Gorilla Creative for helping us produce the initial live action video and Vanz Media for being a fantastic partner to collaborate with on the animated videos.