Having been in the explainer video business since it’s creation has given us the unique opportunity to watch it grow into what it is today. We are also lucky enough to be in the few companies that remain.
During the last 2-3 years many other companies have popped up offering explainer videos for 5-10% of the cost established companies are charging. A quick Google search will show you (via AdWords).
The reason is a little long winded but I’m going to keep this post as short and as simple as possible. Explainer Video Templates and Explainer Video Software.
Templates allows companies to churn out generic animations without any design ability. Which admittedly, for some companies putting out their MVP could be beneficial. With that being said, you do need some animation expertise to manipulate the templates. Unlike generic explainer software which allows companies with no design or animation skills to create videos.
As I said previously, there is a place within the market for these types of videos.
What prompted me to create this post was three new companies that I saw online that use template and generic explainer creation software.
One was a direct copy of DemoDuck.com. They bought a similar domain, copied the real Demo Duck’s branding and went about creating explainers saying they were based in Ontario and London but are actually an Indian based company.
The other two examples were both claiming to have been around for 10+ years or so and having over 15,000 successful videos created. After some research it looks as if they were both under 12 months old and on launch of their website, they were also claiming the same numbers.
So, when looking online for an explainer video company look beyond just the portfolio. Look at the company as a whole. Are they really an established company? Can they back up their big claims? A company from my example above had a list of big company logos on their homepage. Surely this means they have created videos for these big companies? Nope. They are just companies that have used explainers in the past.
I started an online chat with the explainer company mentioned and they simply couldn’t find the video they had made. Technically, they don’t say they have created explainers for them but it’s certainly implied. This is dishonesty at worst and deliberately misleading the customer at best.
Eventually, this kind of business will do damage to the name of the explainer video provider. Hopefully this post helps you decide which company is honest and which is not.
Had any similar experiences? We’d love to hear from you.