We live in an older house with lots of wood floors so when we needed a new vacuum cleaner I assumed I’d be fine with a light handheld to spot-clean the rugs.  Okay, and I’ll admit it.  I was swayed by the fact it was bright colored and everyone in the commercials looked very happy dancing with it.  Unfortunately, our cordless stick vac didn’t bring us much joy; rather it brought enough complaining that we finally decided to break down and buy another vacuum.  This time though I wasn’t going to make the same mistake – I wanted hard evidence that our new vacuum was going to work.

So, I turned to one of the best-known brands in the testing business, Consumer Reports. Known initially for their magazine, ConsumerReports.org features product testing and ratings on everything from the best house paints to GPS systems.  Online videos show testers actually testing the products so consumers can see how Consumer Reports arrived at their ratings.  In one Web video, an easy-to-assemble bathroom vanity is assembled on-screen in less than two minutes.  In another, viewers tour the “Dishwasher Lab” where testers paint plates with egg yolks before loading up dozens of dishwashers.  Other videos target specific consumer problems, such as why white wine is a worse spill than red wine and questions to ask when buying a new TV.

In each case, Consumer Reports’ online videos provide useful, interesting information that consistently brings viewers back.  What sets them apart though from the traditional how-to and what-to-buy Web videos is they also use Internet video to show the depth and breadth of their research and findings.   Consumers can see that their confidence in Consumer Reports is justified, while Consumer Reports further solidifies their brand as the go-to experts in the product-testing field.

It’s not necessary though to have expensive labs, or even lab coats for that matter, to strengthen your branding.  Part of the beauty of Web video is that businesses can show, rather than simply tell, what they do well.  Kicks4all.com, a family-friendly Martial Arts studio, uses Internet video to show a full range of students, from young kids to adults, confidently performing martial arts in groups and alone.  The Broadmoor Hotel, a five-star luxury hotel, takes potential guests on a tour of their amenities, highlighting newly expanded spa treatment rooms and renovated gardens.  And Oakwood Homes, a home building company, offers a taste of the design options available to potential buyers.  In each case, online video reinforces the businesses’ brand by simply showing the business doing what they say they will do.  And honestly, what is more powerful than that?

Which is why when it came down to it, we ended up buying a boring black vacuum cleaner that actually vacuums up dirt and crumbs.  After I watched it perform in an online video, of course.

Have an example of a company using online video to strengthen their brand?  We’d love to hear about it!  Tell us about it in the comments section…