In an era where every brand wants to make a manifesto – a brand manifesto film to affirm its stature and value, the “similarity” in content, color, sound… is making many works fade away. How can your product be both inspiring and unique? These are 7 “vital” questions that any creative team should answer before filming.
What is a Manifesto Film?
A manifesto film, also known as a brand manifesto film, is a video format used to convey a brand’s vision, mission, core values and spirit in a concise, emotional way.
Instead of directly promoting a product or service, a manifesto film focuses on answering the question: “What do we exist for? What do we believe in?”
Features of manifesto film
- Content revolves around the “manifesto”
A strong affirmation of the brand’s reason for existence.
Long-term orientation, not dependent on a specific campaign or product. - Strong Emotional Language
Use expressive voice-overs, combined with rich, symbolic imagery.
The goal is to inspire and touch the viewer’s deepest emotions. - Cinematic Form
The way of filming, the colors, the music are taken care of to create the experience of “watching a movie” and not just “watching an advertisement”. - Long-term effects
Helps audiences understand and remember the “soul” of the brand.
Is a “milestone” in positioning the brand both internally and externally.
How is it different from regular advertising?
- Product/service advertising: selling features, benefits, promotions, driving immediate purchase behavior.
- Manifesto film: selling beliefs, ideals, identity – what makes customers want to stick with the brand for a long time.
For example:
- Nike – “You Can’t Stop Us”: not selling shoes, but conveying a message of resilience and athletic strength.
- Dove – “Real Beauty”: not selling shower gel, but talking about real beauty and confidence of women.
Why do we need this checklist?
Most of the current manifesto films choose the “always right” theme: environmental protection, green living, community, sharing… The problem is that when everyone chooses the right one, no one stands out.
Many marketers and agencies get stuck in their comfort zone, afraid to experiment, leading to manifesto films becoming “beautiful videos” but not “memorable”. This 7-question checklist helps the creative team check right from the idea stage to see if they are following a rut or are truly exploiting their own unique qualities.
7 Questions to Test the Difference for Manifesto Film
1. What is your brand truth and where does it come from?
If you take away the logo, will this story still stand? If everyone can tell this story, it is not your “truth”.
2. Is the insight you are touching sharp enough?
Weak insight = weak message. Don’t just rely on “everyone loves nature”, find an angle that no one has exploited.
3. Can the viewer summarize the film in one sentence?
If they have to say “Well… it’s kind of… about love”, then the film lacks focus.
4. Does the narrative structure surprise the viewer?
Can it be told backwards, told from the perspective of an object, or focused on just one moment instead of the whole scene.
5. Have the visuals and sounds really “marked” the brand?
Are the film’s colors, camera angles, opening sounds… recognizable after only 3 seconds?
6. Is there a single “hook” that every media version attaches to?
It could be a tagline, a character, a visual symbol. No hook = easy to slip.
7. If you don’t play it safe, what are you afraid of?
The answer to this question is often what makes you different. Fear of being criticized, fear of not being understood… but sometimes that factor is the “fingerprint” that the brand needs.
Expert Advice
- Don’t start with trends, start with the core of the brand.
- Dare to include 1–2 sentences, or 1–2 “unsafe” scenes — that’s how to break the uniform zone.
- Test the script with these 7 questions before approving. If 3 or more questions are not answered clearly → go back to the idea board.
Important to note:
A successful manifesto film is not just beautiful and correct — it must be memorable and immediately remind viewers of the brand. The 7 questions above are not a formula, but a mirror for the creative team to reflect on themselves, ensuring that each project has its own unique mark.
