What’s really driving connection through video in 2025?

2025 has been a year of flux.

Business priorities have shifted, AI has exploded in every direction, and there’s been a clear swing from brand-building showmanship to performance-based salesmanship in marketing. Add ongoing geopolitical uncertainty, and it’s no wonder brands are questioning where to focus their efforts.

And yet, for many of our clients, the value of video has never been clearer.

Client bifurcation

Over the past 12 months, Casual has worked with over 100 clients worldwide. But we’ve seen a noticeable split: a bifurcation in how businesses approach video. Some are doubling down, investing as much as ever because they know it works. Others are holding back, cautious about cash leaving the business in uncertain times (regardless of multiple independent studies showing this is the best time to invest).

That divide - between those who see video as a strategic asset and those who treat it as a project expense - is exactly what’s driving our research work right now.

The Story, the Science, and the State of Video

To better understand what’s really going on, we’ve launched three connected initiatives exploring storytelling from different angles — the story, the science, and the state of video in 2025 and beyond.

The Science: The Audience Connection Podcast

Hosted by MDs, Lydia Chan and Olly Atkinson, this podcast series explores the neuroscience behind storytelling. How does a great story actually work on the brain? What makes people remember, care, and act? What are the best practices for effective global communications?

There have been some really fascinating episodes. I particularly liked the one on measuring emotive story with neuroscientist Paul J. Zak.

It’s not just theory; this work is feeding directly into how we approach creativity across all our projects. The findings are fascinating, and they’re already changing our production workflows to be better able to guarantee the effectiveness of our work.

The Story: Between the Lines Documentary Series

With Between the Lines, we’re asking a big question:

What if the most powerful force in human history isn’t fire, money, or technology — but story?

This documentary follows me as I explore how storytelling has shaped everything we are: from revolutions and religions to Hollywood and the algorithms that drive our attention today.

It’s a continuation of my book The New Fire, and the first films I’ve been directly involved in in nearly a decade! We’ve lined up some incredible contributors and can’t wait to share the series starting in the new year.

The State: The Become One Index

We’re also digging into the data. The Become One Index is a new global survey designed to quantify the state of video communications today.

We’re gathering insight from clients across every continent: looking at how video is being used internally and externally, how AI is being adopted, and what output volumes and timings actually drive business results.

It’s a big piece of work — and we’d love your input.

Complete the survey before 21 November for the chance to win either a $500 Visa Cash Card or a $500 donation to a registered charity of your choice.

Connection and trust

Across all of the research work we're doing, one theme keeps surfacing: leading brands are being very specific about using video to build connection and trust, rather than just a storytelling tool.

That’s what we’ll be digging into even further through our 2025 Video Storytelling Benchmark, a 10-minute survey exploring how video is driving measurable business results.

For those who take part, you’ll get early access to the findings — including:

• Key correlations between video quality and brand performance
• How employee storytelling drives engagement internally and externally
• Where AI adds real value, and where it doesn’t

... and a whole lot more.

This survey is meant for those working with video within brands of all sizes, anywhere in the world. If you're a production company and would like to share it with your clients, then please do, and we will happily share the findings with you and them.

We are keen for the information from this survey to be used to promote the value of our entire industry.

Interested in following the progress of this research work? Take a moment to subscribe to Beyond Casual. You can also like, comment or share this article with someone who might find it interesting.

Thanks, and see you next week!