AI Video Tools for Marketing: When (Not) To Use Them

AI-generated video was supposed to revolutionise content marketing by now. Photorealistic clips from simple text prompts! Endless creative possibilities! But in reality, it's cool tech solving problems most B2B marketers don't actually have.

Illustration featuring a video camera, clapperboard, play controls, and media icons representing AI-powered video creation and editing.

The tools are genuinely impressive

First things first: the technology is remarkable. Sora creates 60-second photorealistic videos. Google Veo offers strong quality with enterprise features. HeyGen can translate videos into multiple languages with lip-sync. Runway, Kling AI and Synthesia all produce impressive results.

We've tried out most of these tools, and the quality has improved dramatically. The outputs can look genuinely professional. But for a small B2B marketing agency, we're not creating enough video content to justify the investment.

What we actually create (and why AI doesn't help)

The content we create most often just doesn't benefit from AI video generation tools. They solve different problems than we have. We mostly create:

  1. Video testimonials from real clients, but no AI could replace the authenticity of a real person sharing their genuine experience.
  2. Technical animations with architecture diagrams, data flows, and system interactions. Unfortunately, AI video tools aren't particularly good at precise technical visualisation. Traditional animation or motion graphics work better.
  3. Educational explainers that walk you through how something works. However, this needs specific information presented in a specific order. AI can help with assets, but not the core content.
Dark green quotation marks.

AI can generate a video, but it can't generate authenticity. And in B2B, authenticity is what creates trust and sells.

Where AI video actually makes sense

While it's not useful for our bread and butter, we have found specific use cases where AI video generation is genuinely valuable.

Creative, illustrative content: We used Google Veo for a board game project where we needed card artwork with small animations. For creative projects where "photorealistic" isn't the goal, it works brilliantly and saves budget.

  • Quick concept videos: If we need to visualise an idea fast for internal review, AI video can create a mock-up in minutes instead of hours.
  • Social post variants: If you need 20 variations of a short clip for testing, AI video generation makes sense. Traditional production would be way too expensive.
  • Budget-constrained scenarios: When traditional video production is too expensive, but you need something visual, AI tools can fill the gap.

In other words, AI video works when volume, speed, or cost make traditional production impractical.

Our take on AI video for marketing

AI video generation tools are definitely impressive. We use them when they make sense, but it's not transforming our day-to-day video work quite yet. Here's when we recommend (not) using these kinds of tools:

Use AI video when:

  • You need creative/illustrative content on a budget
  • Volume or speed makes traditional production impractical
  • You're testing concepts and need quick iterations

Stick with traditional when:

  • Authenticity matters (testimonials, interviews)
  • Technical precision is required (diagrams, explainers)
  • Brand trust is crucial (hero content, flagship pieces)
  • You need complete creative control

We're keeping an eye on things. In another year or two, the tools might be good and affordable enough that they make sense for more of our work. But right now, they're solving problems we don't have very often.

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