April 20, 2026
Why Your Brand Video Isn’t Working - And How to Fix It
Table of Contents
Abbie
Founder + Director
Video Marketing: Not Just “We Need a Video”
Video is everywhere. TV ads, TikToks, Reels, product pages, behind-the-scenes clips, podcasts, paid ads, brand films… you name it, someone somewhere is asking for a video version of it.
But does more video always mean better video?
In this episode of Marketing vs The World, Abbie sits down with Adam Milbank, co-founder of Blanket™, to chat about the reality of video marketing in 2026.
From TV ads and social-first content to budgets, strategy, AI, creative decision-making and why “we need a video” is not a brief, Adam shares loads of brilliant insight into what makes video actually work.
Listen to the full episode below or keep reading for the highlights.
Meet Adam Milbank
“We incorporated Jones Millbank as a commercial production company with the intention of ridding the world of boring, unwatched videos.”
Lovely mission, really.
Adam co-founded Jones Millbank and Nine Tree Studios with Russell Jones after the pair met at film school and graduated in 2008, straight into the financial crash.
Fast forward to now, and they’ve merged Jones Millbank into a commercial production company called Blanket™ creating TV ads, brand films and social content for a wide range of clients.
They also run Nine Tree Studios, a 15,000 square foot film studio in Bristol, which, according to Abbie, is “the most awesome place ever.”
So yes, he knows a thing or two about video.
The Video Landscape in 2026
“Brands are producing more video than ever. The challenge is effectiveness.”
Adam explains that brands are absolutely investing in video, but the way they’re investing has changed.
There’s more demand, more platforms, more assets and more pressure to create constantly. But there’s also often less budget per asset and, sometimes, less strategy behind it all.
Brands are being told they need video for YouTube, TikTok, paid ads, websites, product pages, social media, brand campaigns and pretty much every other touchpoint in the customer journey.
But creating more content isn’t the same as creating better content.
And with AI making it even easier to churn out endless assets, the real challenge is cutting through the noise.
As Adam puts it, the answer often comes back to two simple things:
Audience and purpose: Who is this for? And what is it actually meant to do?
Sounds obvious. Often isn’t.
Video Now Supports the Whole Funnel
“Video seems to be the thing now that should drive the entire funnel.”
This was one of the biggest points from the episode. Video isn’t just for big glossy TV ads anymore. It has a role at every stage of the customer journey…
At the top of the funnel, it can build awareness, emotion, lifestyle and brand storytelling.
In the middle, it can provide education, social proof, product information and reassurance.
At the bottom, it can support conversions through demos, paid ads and product-led content.
So the question isn’t really, “Should we make a video?”
The question is, “Where does video help the customer understand, trust or choose us?”
Because someone seeing your brand for the first time doesn’t need the same video as someone comparing you against a competitor. A bit like a salesperson, video needs to behave differently depending on where someone is in the buying journey.
Stop Making One Video Do Everything
“Single purpose. Single audience.”
There it is. The golden rule.
Adam explains that one of the biggest challenges in video marketing is when brands try to make one asset answer too many problems.
One TV ad that also needs to work as a Reel, a TikTok, a website header, a product demo, a paid ad, an awareness piece and, while we’re at it, maybe a Christmas campaign.
No pressure then.
The problem is that clarity gets lost.
Instead, Adam recommends thinking about the full ecosystem from the start. Yes, you might have one hero asset, but you should also plan for how the concept will show up across different channels.
That means thinking about social content, cut-downs, behind-the-scenes footage, interviews, B-roll, website assets and platform-specific formats before the shoot happens.
Not afterwards when someone says, “Can you just crop that for TikTok?”
Because (spoiler) that doesn’t always work.
Why Behind-the-Scenes Content Matters
“Behind the scenes content is the unpolished proof that you’re not AI.”
Love this.
Adam talks about a recent TV campaign for a kitchen company, where the main asset was the big polished advert. But some of the most valuable content came from everything happening around it.
The kitchen build. The care. The precision. The people. The process.
That behind-the-scenes content helped show the quality of the product in a much more human, educational way.
And that’s the thing brands often miss.
Behind-the-scenes content isn’t just filler. It can be proof. It can be trust-building. It can show craftsmanship, effort, values and expertise in a way a polished advert sometimes can’t.
Especially now, when audiences are becoming more aware of AI-generated content, the real stuff matters.
The people. The messy bits. The process. The “this actually happened” moments.
That’s where a lot of the magic is.
Let’s Talk Video Budgets
“The thing that matters is transparency around that investment.”
Ah yes. The big scary budget question.
How much does video cost? Annoyingly, the answer is: it depends.
But Adam explains that the actual number is less important than being transparent about what’s available.
A good production partner isn’t asking for your budget so they can rinse every penny out of you. They’re asking because the creative approach needs to fit the investment.
A £5,000 video and a £250,000 video can both work.
But they are not going to be made in the same way.
Adam shares an example of a creative idea that had been signed off before the production team were properly involved. It included around 50 extras, but the available budget wouldn’t even cover the buyout costs.
Awkward.
If the production team had been involved earlier, they could have created the same feeling of a busy room using tighter shots and fewer people.
Same objective. Smarter approach. Much more realistic budget.
That’s why budget conversations need to happen early. Not because anyone wants to be nosy. Because it saves everyone a headache later.
Is TV Advertising Still Out of Reach?
“Getting onto TV doesn’t need to be really expensive.”
There’s a common assumption that TV ads are only for massive brands with massive budgets.
Adam says that isn’t necessarily true. Blanket has worked on TV ads with budgets around £250,000, but they’ve also produced one for around £5,000 that went on to win awards.
So, again, it’s not just about the size of the budget. It’s about the idea, the objective and the creative approach.
Adam also points out that there are sometimes match-funding opportunities for brands new to TV, with broadcasters or platforms supporting campaigns.
And TV still has something many channels are fighting hard to keep hold of: trust.
TV ads have to go through a process. Claims are checked. There are standards. There’s scrutiny.
In a world of misinformation, dodgy social ads and AI-generated everything, that trust still carries weight.
Production vs Distribution
“It’s no good having the most incredible flyers if they just sit on your desk.”
Such a good analogy.
You can make the most beautiful video in the world, but if no one sees it, what’s the point?
Adam is clear that production and distribution need to be considered together.
If all the budget goes into making the asset and nothing is left to get it in front of the right people, the campaign is already on shaky ground.
That doesn’t mean every production company needs to do the media buying, analytics or performance strategy themselves.
In fact, Adam says Jones Millbank deliberately stays in its lane. They focus on creative and production, then work with partners who specialise in strategy, distribution, analytics and measurement.
Because video works best when the right specialists are involved at the right points.
Why Brand Videos Fail
“If we don’t start with a really clear objective, it’s going to fall down.”
Adam doesn’t mess about here. The biggest reason videos fail? No clear objective.
A brand says, “We need a video,” rather than, “We have this problem, this audience and this goal.” And that’s where things start to go wobbly.
Other common problems include:
Too many stakeholders
Too many messages
Not enough commitment from the client side
Timelines being squeezed
No clear distribution plan
Content not being adapted properly for the platform
Simple mistakes like poor title placement or misspellings
Basically, there are a lot of ways for a video project to go wrong.
But most of them come back to the same thing: lack of clarity.
Who is it for?
What does it need to do?
Where is it going?
Who needs to sign it off?
What does success look like?
If those questions aren’t answered early, don’t be surprised if the finished video feels a bit… meh.
Don’t Try to Be Funny If You’re Not a Funny Brand
“If you’re not a funny brand, don’t try and be funny.”
Can we get this printed on a mug?
Adam and Abbie talk about how some brands absolutely nail humour. Innocent, Surreal, Ryanair and Aldi all get a mention.
But humour only works when it fits the brand.
If your brand personality doesn’t support it, jumping on a funny trend can feel forced, awkward or completely off.
And we’ve all seen those ads, haven’t we?
The ones where you can tell someone in a meeting said, “Can we make it a bit more viral?” Please no.
Adam explains that creative decisions shouldn’t be based on personal taste. It’s not about whether the boardroom likes it. It’s about whether the idea is right for the audience, the objective and the brand.
That’s a big difference.
Is Video Art?
“You’re presenting a validated creative decision.”
Abbie points out that video can feel like art because people respond to it differently. Some people like it, some people don’t. But Adam pushes back slightly.
Commercial video can be beautifully crafted, yes. It can be creative, emotional and powerful. But most of the time, it has a job to do.
It needs to move an audience towards a particular thought, feeling or action.
So when a creative idea is presented, the question shouldn’t be, “Do I personally like this?”
It should be, “Does this achieve what we need it to achieve for the people we’re trying to reach?”
That is such an important distinction. Because personal opinions can derail good creative very quickly.
The Future of Video Marketing
“Brands are becoming broadcasters.”
Adam sees video becoming even more important, but also more structured, data-driven and always-on.
Brands are already producing content daily, weekly and monthly. Some are testing huge volumes of social-first content, keeping what works and dropping what doesn’t.
There will be more “shoot once, create loads” thinking.
There will be more data-led decision-making.
There will be more platform-specific production.
But one of Adam’s biggest predictions is that brands will increasingly act like broadcasters.
Rather than relying only on traditional media channels, brands will build their own content ecosystems, create regular shows, tell ongoing stories and control their own narrative.
Which makes sense.
If your audience expects constant content, useful insight and personality from your brand, you need to think less like a campaign machine and more like a media channel.
No big deal then.
The Quick-Fire Round
We wrapped up the episode with the usual quick-fire round, and Adam’s answers were very much on theme: clarity, purpose and stop making pretty things with no plan.
Most overrated video trend? Trends themselves.
Most underrated opportunity for brands? Behind-the-scenes content.
Biggest waste of money in video production? Beautifully crafted work with no distribution plan or strategy behind it.
Best brand video he’s seen recently? A Cadbury’s piece centred around Alzheimer’s, full of human connection, purpose and cross-generational storytelling.
One piece of advice for marketing directors commissioning video? Clarity.
The Good Stuff, Summed Up
There was loads packed into this episode, but the big message was clear: video is only powerful when it has purpose.
Making more video won’t automatically make your marketing better. Making clearer, more strategic, better-planned video absolutely can.
From TV ads and TikTok content to behind-the-scenes footage and brand storytelling, Adam’s advice comes back to knowing your audience, understanding your objective and creating content that’s right for the platform it appears on.
Here are the biggest takeaways from the episode:
Brands are creating more video than ever, but not always with enough strategy.
Video now supports the whole funnel, from awareness to conversion.
One video should not be expected to do everything.
Audience, purpose and objective need to be clear from the start.
Behind-the-scenes content is hugely underrated.
Budget transparency helps production teams create the right idea for the investment.
TV advertising can be more accessible than many brands think.
Distribution matters just as much as production.
Videos often fail because they lack clarity, have too many stakeholders or try to say too much.
Humour only works if it fits the brand.
Brands are increasingly becoming broadcasters in their own right.
And perhaps Adam’s biggest reminder? Don’t start with “we need a video.”
Start with the problem, the audience and the purpose.
The video comes after that.
Before You Go…
If video has been sitting on your “we know we need to do more of this but we’re not sure where to start” list, this episode is definitely worth a listen.
Adam brings such a practical, honest perspective on what makes video work, where brands waste money and why clarity matters more than shiny ideas with no plan.
Listen on Apple | Listen on Spotify
And if you want more honest conversations about marketing, SEO, content, AI and the slightly chaotic world we’re all working in, make sure you follow Marketing vs The World and connect with Abbie and Monday Clicks on LinkedIn too.
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