Brand film, corporate video or TV commercial: which do you need?
Three formats, three jobs. What a brand film, a corporate video and a TV commercial are for, what each costs in Dubai and how to choose.
A corporate video explains a company, a brand film builds feeling around it, and a TV commercial sells one message to a mass audience in 30 to 60 seconds. At Steer Media a corporate film starts from AED 35,000 and a TV commercial from AED 100,000. Which you need depends on the audience, where the film will run and what you want people to do after watching.
The terms are used loosely, even by agencies, so this guide defines them, compares them side by side and gives a way to choose. Prices are our own starting figures. Every film is quoted per brief.
What is the difference between the three formats?
| Corporate video | Brand film | TV commercial | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Job | Explain: who you are, what you do, how it works | Persuade: build a feeling and a reputation | Sell: one message, one action |
| Audience | Clients, investors, staff, partners | Customers and the wider market | The mass market |
| Length | 2 to 7 minutes | 1 to 3 minutes | 15 to 60 seconds |
| Where it runs | Website, LinkedIn, sales meetings, events | Social, YouTube, cinema, the website | TV, connected TV and digital |
| Steer price | From AED 35,000 | From AED 35,000 | From AED 100,000 |
The lengths are common practice, not rules. The price follows crew, shoot days and post-production, not duration, so a sixty-second commercial can cost several times a five-minute corporate film.
When do you need a corporate video?
When a person who does not know you has to understand you quickly: a prospective client, an investor, a recruit or a government buyer. It is also the format for explaining a process or a product that a brochure handles badly. It works best when it features real people and real places, and when the argument is clear before the camera is switched on. Our LWK + PARTNERS documentary is an example: a seven-minute master, seven one-minute thematic cuts for social and events, and subtitles in English, Arabic and Chinese, all from one production block.
When do you need a brand film?
When the goal is how people feel about you, not what they know. A brand film tells a story about values, craft or place, and usually runs on social, YouTube and in cinema, not on broadcast. Fashion, fragrance, hospitality and property brands use them most, because the product is as much about mood as function. The risk is a beautiful film with no point of view, so the treatment has to say what the film is arguing before design starts.
Planning a film?
Tell us what you are making and when. We reply within one working day with a scoped quote.
When do you need a TV commercial?
When you have one message, a mass audience and a media budget to put it on air. A commercial is the most expensive of the three because the production standard is the highest, the talent and music are cleared for broadcast, and several cutdowns are delivered for different placements. If you are not buying airtime or connected TV, you may not need one, and a brand film that runs on social can do more for the money. For a view of how AI changes the cost of a commercial, see our guide to AI TV commercial production in Dubai.
How do you choose?
- 1Who must watch it?A handful of buyers points to a corporate video. A whole market points to a commercial.
- 2What should they do next?Book a meeting, remember you, or buy now. Each matches one format.
- 3Where will it run?A film built for a website and sales meetings does not need broadcast clearance. A film for television does.
- 4What is the budget, including media?A commercial with no airtime budget is an expensive social video.
- 5What else will you need from the shoot?One shoot day can produce a film, reels and photography, so plan the cutdowns before the camera rolls.
What if the budget is smaller?
Start with the smallest format that does the job. Reels start from AED 1,000 for the shoot alone and from AED 1,500 shot and edited. An AI-made ad film starts from AED 10,000, with the rules on national symbols and public figures covered in our National Day guide. The cost drivers behind every figure here are in how much video production costs in Dubai.
| Format | Starting price |
|---|---|
| Reel, shoot only / shot and edited | AED 1,000 / AED 1,500 |
| AI ad film | From AED 10,000 |
| Corporate or brand film | From AED 35,000 |
| TV commercial | From AED 100,000 |
What do you need to send us?
See the full process on our video production page. We reply within one working day with a scoped quote.
Planning a film?
Tell us what you are making and when. We reply within one working day with a scoped quote.
Video format questions: which one, what it costs.
What is the difference between a corporate video and a brand film?
A corporate video explains what a company does and who it serves, usually for clients, investors and staff. A brand film builds feeling and reputation through a story, and runs mostly on social, YouTube and in cinema.
How much does a corporate video cost in Dubai?
At Steer Media a corporate film starts from AED 35,000. The final price follows the number of shoot days, locations, crew and deliverables, not the length of the film.
How much does a TV commercial cost in Dubai?
At Steer Media a TV commercial starts from AED 100,000. It costs more than other formats because of the production standard, broadcast clearances for talent and music, and the cutdowns delivered for each placement.
Do I need a TV commercial or can I use a social video?
If you are not buying airtime or connected TV, a brand film or a series of reels may do more for the money. A commercial makes sense when you have one message, a mass audience and a media budget.
How long should a corporate video be?
Most run two to seven minutes. A master film with one-minute cutdowns for social and events gives you both depth and short pieces from one shoot.
Can one shoot give me a film, reels and photos?
Yes. Plan the cutdowns before the shoot and one production block produces the film, vertical reels and stills.
