The trust math: peers beat channels
Nielsen’s long-running research shows recommendations from people you know are trusted above other channels (88%). Edelman's Trust Barometer shows peers are trusted on par with scientists for truth about innovations (74%). Together, the message is clear: the channel is often less important than the human source. Especially in the age of AI content.
Video amplifies this “humanity” through:
- Voice and tone (and verbal quirks)
- Facial expression and spontaneity
- Specificity in language and recall
- Visible confidence (or honest uncertainty)
- Memorable sound bites
In the same way that, as Gartner found, 75% of B2B buyers don't want a sales rep involved in the procurement process, buyers want to hear from customers not marketers. Video is the perfect vehicle for voice-of-the-customer content.
Performance: platforms are rewarding video
LinkedIn is actively investing in video as a growth surface. Reuters reported video uploads up over 20% and video views growing 36% YoY, alongside an expanding video ad and creator ecosystem. LinkedIn’s own marketing guidance emphasizes video’s growing role and the platform’s shift toward meaningful engagement.
Vertical video - made for social - is now more performant than any other ad format on LinkedIn.
Engagement: substantive video holds attention
"Short video is all that works” is a myth. Wistia’s State of Video Report shows instructional videos can achieve substantially higher engagement than average videos in the same length band (e.g., instructional 3–5 minute videos showing significantly higher engagement than overall averages). The implication for case studies: “how we did it” and “what changed” sequences can hold attention when structured as practical learning, not brand narrative.
As for website performance, Wyzowl reports 82% of video marketers say video helps keep visitors on site longer (dwell time). While self-reported, it’s directionally consistent with what most analytics teams observe: embedded video can increase page depth, session duration, and multi-asset consumption.
What video does that text cannot
For case studies, video solves three problems at once:
- Authenticity: a real person speaking reduces suspicion
- Compression: a credible “why we chose them” can happen in 45 seconds
- Distribution: video is native to the channels where buying attention now lives
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