The days of quality video content being the preserve of large corporate businesses and those with budgets big enough for TV campaigns are well and truly over. The technologies and platforms created under the digital revolution mean video content is easier to produce than ever before and, just as importantly, easier to access.
As Michael Litt, founder of video delivery platform Vidyard, blogged recently: “Video production is no longer intimidating, everybody’s got a 1080p recording device in their pocket – so we’re going to see better videos from marketers, and more of them.” And you no longer need to be in Wi-Fi or spend an age downloading that content to view it.
As a result, video content looks sets to surge throughout 2014 and beyond. According to a recent report from Adap.tv and Digiday, 86% of brands say they will increase their video ad spend in the next year alone. More than 60% of young executives will rely more heavily on business-class video in the next 5-10 years, and by 2017 online video will make up nearly 70% of consumer internet traffic. Those are staggering numbers.
Ian Irving, formerly of marketing agency RPM, is now a freelance video producer working for major global brands, and is witnessing first-hand the rise in demand for “quality” video content. He says it is being fuelled by marketers’ budgets shifting across to branded content – which they recognise is often most effectively delivered through video.
“The exposure of the smart phone and tablet markets has made video so much more powerful than it ever was, and the blurring of the lines between advertising and entertainment means branded content is the focus of brand budget pools right now,” he says.
Indeed, a recent Custom Content Council survey showed that 73% of respondents believe branded content is better than magazine ads. More than 60% said branded content was superior to TV advertising, while 62% favoured branded content to direct mail and 59% said it trumps PR activity.
Changing formats
With video playing an increasing role in multi-platform strategies and a key delivery platform for branded content, Irving says long-form video is now firmly back in vogue – and that businesses must look beyond the “slap it up and see” approach of channels such as YouTube.
“We are certainly seeing a return to long-form content,” he says. “Whether it be through ‘make-it’ videos that show me how a product is made, the factory where it is made and the man who actually made it; whether it’s case studies; or whether it’s mini feature films, it’s all about long-form. Audiences understand the value of it.”
Mike Burgess, director at creative solutions ad agency Beattie McGuinness Bungay (BMB) agrees: “Long-form content is the predominant form of content now,” he told us recently. “That’s an interesting shift for content agencies. Digital doesn’t mean shorter and more concise anymore. The popular and effective video isn’t YouTube, it’s full-length episodes of Breaking Bad.”
Irving adds that the renewed engagement with long-form video content is leading to some innovative distribution approaches.
He cites the Christmas ad created by UK retailer John Lewis at the end of 2013 as a prime example. The £7m Disney-style two-minute piece was “not just a Christmas TV ad”, he says.
“That was a multi-channel piece of branded content. It did not just appear on the TV – it was a full digital campaign,” he adds. “The video was shared in massive numbers across digital platforms. It saw audiences making and uploading their own versions of the ad, which were shared across the web but also gathered by the production company and laid over the top of the original for a Christmas Day broadcast. That shows the power and value of video. It’s no longer an added engagement tool – it is the engagement tool.”
Another 2013 long-form video was car manufacturer Jaguar’s 12-minute film Desire, promoting the new Jaguar XF. That video starred Damian Lewis and after being launched at the Sundance Film Festival was released on YouTube. Meanwhile, one-third of the production cost of Hollywood blockbuster Skyfall was recouped through brand-content partnerships with brands looking to place their products in the movie – and then use the snippets containing their products across the digital space.
But long-form is not just for those with multi-million pound budgets.
For one client, Irving is creating an online soap opera which equates to around two minutes of online video content being released each week and pushed out through social media. The content will be a story in its own right – it’s just that the characters will be wearing the clothes of the fashion brand paying for the content.
Fast forward
John Clint is head of business development at Kulu Valley, a video hosting platform for businesses. He says video’s growth has turned the conversation with clients to quality not quantity.
“The conversation has moved on from ‘can I use video?’ to ‘show me how to use video to support my business goals’,” he says. “We're seeing that our clients are gaining a greater appreciation of the difference between inspiration and information, and using that to target content more intelligently.”
Irving adds that amidst the rapid growth of video, however, those who achieve their aims will be those who think “audience-first” – as with all content.
“The common mistake for companies is the ‘build it and they will come’ approach. If you make video and just put out there, they will not come. Like any content and any platform, you must think about your audience, how to engage them and how to reach them,” he says.
It’s certainly not unusual for us to push back to clients and say ‘why Facebook’ or ‘why Twitter’, because many of them still begin their journey by saying ‘let’s make a video’. Many clients still fall into the trap of looking at what their rivals are doing – how many ‘likes’ they are getting – and thinking they must do the same. The other frustrating thing we hear from clients is that they want to create a viral video. You don’t decide that. The audience does.
“There are 700 YouTube videos shared every minute on Twitter. You have to think more cleverly than trying to compete with that.”
Clint agrees: “Talk to your audience, understand their behaviour, understand their needs, and incorporate that knowledge into your video,” he says. ‘It’s a very crowded space now.”
Top ten video predictions for 2014
SEO-PR is a US agency providing several strategic Internet marketing services, including online public relations, online video marketing, social media marketing, and search engine optimization. It’s co-founder and owner, Greg Jarboe, Owner, recently offered his top 10 predictions for video in 2014. Read his blog in full here.
Video at the Digital Innovators' Summit in Berlin
Video will play a prominent part in a number of sessions at the 2014 Digital Innovators’ Summit from 24-25 March in Berlin.
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