If budget or time means you can only commission one thing this year, which comes first — the hero brand film, or a set of social reels? The honest answer depends on where your property is weakest, not on which is more impressive.
What a brand film is actually for
A brand film is a slow, considered piece built for your website, in-room screens and any context where someone has already arrived and is deciding whether to trust you. It’s not designed to stop a scroll — it’s designed to hold someone’s attention once they’ve chosen to give it. If your website currently has no video at all, or something outdated, start here.
What social reels are actually for
Reels do the opposite job — they’re built to work in the first second, muted, mid-scroll, competing with everything else on someone’s feed. Their goal isn’t to tell your whole story; it’s to earn a follow, a save, or a click through to somewhere that can tell the fuller story. If your social presence is quiet or you’re not appearing in discovery at all, this is the gap to close first.
How to actually decide
Ask where the current weak point is. No video on the website at all, or something years out of date and hurting credibility — a brand film first. Website’s fine but you’re invisible on Instagram and TikTok, with no organic reach — social & reels first. Both feel equally weak — a single shoot day can usually produce a scaled-down brand film alongside a handful of reels, which is often the more efficient route than two separate bookings.
The trap to avoid
Don’t commission a brand film hoping it’ll also work as social content, or cut a reel down and call it your hero film. They’re shot and paced differently on purpose, and forcing one to do the other’s job usually means it does neither well.
Not sure which fits your situation? Get in touch with what you currently have and don’t have, and we’ll tell you honestly where to start.