video (n): A super-awesome way to get an audience to shut up and pay attention.

What they don't talk about, however, is the sheer diversity of uses that video can be put to. As a service to the community, we've compiled a list of handy thought-starters that you can wave in front of your boss when she's feeling generous with the budget.

(If you're thinking "you're so keen on video, why isn't this a video?" then I … listen, I have a social media schedule to keep to.)

Explainers

Videos that take a complicated/boring/unfamiliar concept and condense it into an exciting, digestible 90s aperitif. Popular with web startups with bizarre names, though by no means limited to them.

Here at Ketchup Towers we've had the pleasure of working on Explainers for Hostplus and Sydney Water, amongst others.

Need more inspiration? The undisputed geniuses at Sandwich Video have more examples than ever you'll need – plus they have a tasty name.

Education

It won't surprise you to learn that people are lazy. If they can find a way to avoid reading, they will. Enter moving pictures with sound, the non-thinking person's guide to enlightenment. You can achieve so much with the right script married to the right soundtrack.

Showreels

We get it – you have a lot of great work. But making a potential client sit there while you flip through 257 slides, that's just mean. A showreel can give a concise, beautiful overview of your

Storytelling

It's not just Hollywood – everyone has a story to tell. From garage projects, to non-profits, to mighty conglomerates, the world's appetite for a well-told story is insatiable. Use this appetite to communicate your brand, what makes your outfit tick. Take a risk, reveal something interesting (but, er, keep your clothes on, yeah?).

One of our biggest projects to date involved telling the stories of individuals at Qantas, Australia's iconic airline. Letting employees open up in their own words provided a wealth of material – everyone has a story to tell.

Events

If a tree falls in a forest, does it make a sound? One may well ask: if you have a glamorous event in a fashionable restaurant and no social media influencers show up, did it really happen?

Events are a lot of work to organise. Don't let them vanish like so many expensive croissants – document them, let them live forever. We've been recording events as diverse as launches, reunions, and panel discussions, even creating art.

Market Research

The best way to understand a market is to get amongst it. Talk to people in their environment, ask them what they're thinking, let them reply in their own words. Investors, stakeholders, and audiences are immersed. Supplement your findings with statistics, facts, motion graphics. There is no faster way to communicate complex ideas (at least until we can stick USBs into our brains, but I figure that's weeks away).

Ketchup has bounced all around Australia interviewing people in their homes to put together compelling market research. We met some nice dogs, too.

Retail

Screens are eye-catching, hypnotic, impossible to ignore. They're in malls, at bus stops, and in-store everywhere. Whether it's full-on make-the-logo-bigger retail with starbursts, or achingly hip textures that evoke the brand essence, you can put them to work.

Pitches

You've shown your potential client all your ideas, but they're not giving anything away. You dim the lights, hit "play" on the laptop and the music starts to swell. By the time the video has finished there's not a dry eye in the house and the client is literally throwing money at you.

We've travelled the world putting together pitch videos. Nothing beats having a carefully curated message, powerful imagery, and emotive music for packing a persuasive wallop.

Sadly we can't show you any of the exciting pitch videos we've produced here. But in a way that just shows how much we respect our clients' confidentiality … so … result!

Brand guidelines

When you've carefully crafted a brand system to be rolled out to international markets, the first time you see your logo skewed with a drop shadow can really sting. By letting designers and art directors know what the underlying principles are, you can inspire them to actually use your guidelines.

Alternatively you might be creating guidelines for how your brand lives in motion. From logo reveals, to colour, to sound design – the only way to ensure creatives understand what you intend is to show them. Don't let your brand be a victim of an indifferent, under-caffeinated creative.

Internal communications

How to get your jaded, cynical workmates excited about HR's new safety programme? That's right, you're catching on now: video.

Capturing and holding the attention of a vast organisation is always going to be a challenge. By condensing your message and wrapping in an attractive – maybe even humorous – container, you can ensure everyone has the overview. Link to the remaining details at the end of the video, for people who want to drill down and get more info.

We once produced a video that effectively told people that a whole bunch of them were being, uh, laid off. Not your usual brief, but who are we to judge?

Promotions

Use video as part of your communication strategy when launching a new service, idea, festival, season. Use footage from previous promotions, or go behind-the-scenes at a photoshoot to generate new vision.

Example: the 2017 Season promotion for the Australian Chamber Orchestra.

Recruitment

Maybe everyone at your company is miserable, but potential employees don't have to know that. A video can describe your philosophy, perks and benefits, and give a flavour of what new recruits can expect from day one. Either capture the corporate culture as it exists, or how you'd like it to exist.

Call for investment

A combination of computer imagery, stock footage, and talking heads can add up to a compelling argument. By crafting the content and message, potential investors get a cogent glimpse into what their money will buy. Present your investment opportunity in the best possible light, designed and refined to persuade.

Advertising

This almost doesn't need mentioning, such is the ubiquity of the mighty Television Commercial. However, everyone has a screen in their pocket these days. YouTube pre-rolls, done right, can capture eyeballs and plant your brand into a consumer's cerebral cortex, Inception-style. And the cost of production has plummeted over the years – these days, you don't need a Hollywood budget to roll out a campaign.

Prototypes, design exploration

Entertainment

Other ideas

You know, we've really just scratched the surface.

• screens at trade shows, ATMs, in-flight entertainment
• instructional videos for equipment, safety
• promoting apps, games

Some people even use video to produce television commercials. I know, right?