online video: superpowered ideas for marketers (synopsis version)

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video for websites and beyond

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2COMMISSIONED BY VIDEASA.COM. ©2009 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

The guy in the office cubicle is coping with stress by seeking

out entertaining videos on YouTube and then sharing them with

his buddies on Facebook and Twitter – so the idea is to market

to that need. – Phillip Underhill

Executive Creative Director, Videasa

COMMISSIONED BY VIDEASA.COM. ©2009 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. 3

THE FOLLOWING CONTENT IS AVAILABLE UPON REQUEST: [email protected]

For starters, we almost canceled the project. After

all, YouTube and the mega-research firms were

cranking out daily news releases with data that

proved online video was important. That it was big.

That you could not escape it’s influence. Sigh.

It was on election day, November 4, 2008, that we

decided to move forward with this study. As

we watched America’s first YouTube presidential

election unfold, we were floored by the number of

online video clips that were appearing in television

news broadcasts.

The “Crowd” (some of us included) apparently

produced more content than the campaigns and

news organizations combined. Suddenly, Americans

had a user-generated alternative to mass media

political coverage.

We were faster. We were more entertaining. We

were honest. We were undeniable.

No, we did not need any more proof that online

video was important. But what remained

unanswered was critical to our future as an online

video content agency. If the Collective Content

Generation is viewing and uploading millions of

video clips everyday on just about every subject

under the sun, how should marketers respond?

Thus, we decided to ask marketers to forecast

ways in which online video could be used to reach

and influence the 150 million people who watch an

average of 96 online videos every month .

The response was tremendous. The insights were

ground-breaking. The business case lessons and

corresponding recommendations could save the

average marketer thousands of dollars and reduce

the learning curve by several years.


76.8 percent of the total U.S. Internet audience viewed online video (January 2009).The average online video viewer watched 356 minutes o f v ideo (approximately 6 hours), up 15 percent versus December.100.9 million viewers watched 6.3 billion videos on YouTube.com (62.6 videos per viewer).54.1 million viewers watched 473 million videos on MySpace.com (8.7 videos per viewer).The duration of the average online video was 3.5 minutes, up from 3.2 minutes per video in December.The duration of the average online video viewed at Megavideo was 24.9 minutes, higher than any other video property in the top ten.

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There are many reasons why online

video is popular: bandwidth and

techno log y d r i ve rs as ide , i t ’s

informative, entertaining and easily

accessible at home, work and on the

road. We have created buzzwords like

“video snacking” to describe its place

in the ad-avoiding, time-shifting,

screen-shifting, on-demand, user-

centric digital ecosystem. All certainly

valid when analyzing human behavior

through the lens of technology.

Perhaps of greater use to marketers is

understanding how online video fits

into today’s social context. This

requires a different perspective.

Instead of viewing the internet as a

way to increase productivity, it can be

understood in terms of facilitating

social interactions. From this frame of

reference, humans (not consumers) are

exploring new forms of self expression

and new forms of community.

All of this of course, has immediate

implications – which brings us to the

heart of this research: people are

demanding content that is contextual,

mobile and entertaining enough to be

shared with friends and co-workers in

any one of the multiple social

networking spaces they visit, create

and/or maintain.


“Web videos can help a brand slip into a consumer's buddy list kinda sideways by offering something in the way of entertainment or helpful information that does not smell like a sales pitch - and may hardly mention the product or service the brand sells.” –New York City

The economy is a key driver of content

consumption among today's on-demand digital

consumers.

Marketers overwhelmingly agree that audiences

are attracted to entertaining video clips that

provide an escape or resolve an immediate, vexing

need.

For audiences seeking an escape, video clips that

serve up humor and/or feature outrageous,

scandalous or tantalizing stories quickly achieve

conversation status in social networks.

For the person determined to solve a nagging

problem, video is the perfect on-demand remedy;

delivering the resolution with an entertaining or

unexpected twist can increase replay and word of

mouth propensity.


Popular web videos are today’s new Superbowl

commercials - except they happen every day in the

form of short, entertaining video clips.

The players - the Superbrands who reach great

conversation heights online and offline - have

procured the talent and resources necessary to

generate branded video content that people talk

about, share and recall favorably.

Superbrands have evolved to provide on demand

service in an ultra-mobile economy where the

divisions between home, work and play time has

condensed or permanently altered.

Superbrand marketers understand that consumers

don't have a short attention span; they have a

short attention span for the perfectly crafted, dull,

self-centered sales-pitch.

Superbrands fully comprehend the reach and

impact that one short, catchy video clip can have if

it catches the attention of an active member of an

online social network.

The message has been flattened and is no longer

static.

The New York Times is no longer 'the' mass media

authority on news, politics, culture and

entertainment. Brands are no longer the single

mass media source of information about its

products and services.

Today, consumers exert significant influence over

the publishing and distribution of content once

dominated by media giants, content kings and

advertisers.

The Age of Wikipedia has arrived and the

Collective Content Generation has seized control of

the content, the message and the opinions in a

manner so disruptive as to only be described as

the democratization of media.

People want less advertising and more service;

self-serving ad spots devoid of infotainment will

fall short of potential marketing objectives.

In a flat world, people want something relatable

not aspirational, something to talk about by

reaching out and connecting on common ground.


Marketers are increasingly aware that consumers are

quickly accessing much of the same content on their

television, personal computer and mobile smartphone.

The most significant disruption that will occur in 2009-2010

is the realization by most consumers that their flat screen TV

is not a TV at all; it’s an LCD computer display that can

easily be connected to a small computer like the Mac Mini to

access huge amounts of entertaining content.

Marketers are largely unnerved by the pace at which

consumers are time-shifting, location-shifting, screen-

shifting and generally untethering content from the devices

and channels they were originally designed for.

Consumers are demanding content that is contextual, mobile

and entertaining enough to be shared with friends and co-

workers in any one of the multiple social networking spaces

they create and maintain.

Outgunned and outpaced, Superbrand marketers are

creating content in the form of infotainment that users can

access and re-distribute on-demand.


It’s not a television; it’s a

52-inch digital display.

– Washington DC

SURVEY LANDSCAPE: DIGITAL MARKETING HOT-SPOTS


This project was a two-phased

research study, which included a

quantitative online questionnaire and

qualitative online interview. The study

surveyed a total of 409 respondents in

December 2008 and January 2009.

For the online questionnaire, 19,000 US

marketers were polled in December

2008 and January 2009 to gain insights

on the drivers of video content

c o n s u m p t i o n f r o m t h e b r a n d

marketer’s perspective. Given the

current economic climate, we framed

attitudinal and intent questions in

terms of online video’s ability to (1)

attract prospects and (2) increase

revenue on corporate and third-party

websites. Questionnaire participants

were randomly selected from a

nationwide database of 19,000

marketing professional and generated

a 1.2% response rate.

Interview participants (n = 181) were

selected via an online recruitment

process targeting senior-level digital

marketers in Seattle, San Francisco,

Los Angeles, Houston, Chicago, Miami,

Washington DC and the New York City

vicinity. Interview respondents were

asked to formulate predictions on how

web video would be used based on

current trends in onl ine video

marketing and greater social and

cultural trends.


80%“Our brand can repurpose content

made by online users”

77%“Video clips on our website can

increase sales”

71%“With the right kind of video, we can

turn YouTube into an effective sales

channel”

84%“2009 is the year for online video”

19,000 US marketers were polled in December 2008 and January 2009 to gain insights on the drivers of video content consumption from the brand marketer’s perspective. Given the current economic climate, we framed attitudinal and intent questions in terms of online video’s ability to (1) attract prospects and (2) increase revenue on corporate and third-party websites. Questionnaire participants were randomly selected from a nationwide database of 19,000 marketing professional and generated a 1.2% response rate. Question 1 Question 2 Question 3


Question 4 Question 5 Question 6

Strongly DisagreeDisagreeDon’t KnowAgreeStrongly Agree

Question 7

80%“Our brand can repurpose content

made by online users”

77%“Video clips on our website can

increase sales”

71%“With the right kind of video, we can

turn YouTube into an effective sales

channel”

84%“2009 is the year for online video”

19,000 US marketers were polled in December 2008 and January 2009 to gain insights on the drivers of video content consumption from the brand marketer’s perspective. Given the current economic climate, we framed attitudinal and intent questions in terms of online video’s ability to (1) attract prospects and (2) increase revenue on corporate and third-party websites. Questionnaire participants were randomly selected from a nationwide database of 19,000 marketing professional and generated a 1.2% response rate.

Videasa is a digital video content agency that produces and

distributes viral videos, webisodes, mini documentaries and

infotainment for both blockbuster brands and savvy start-ups

looking to cut costs and increase revenue. By bringing together

viral marketers, studio professionals and experienced web

content producers, Videasa is able to offer marketers a

highly efficient set of resources and services for today’s evolving

media landscape. With expertise and focus that falls outside of

the competency of the traditional digital agency, Videasa is able

to offer businesses targeted video content solutions

by harnessing the power of user generated video content to

create brand value and gather consumer insights.

Delphine Amato

Communications Director

Office: 888-883-1301, ext. 710

Mobile: (516) 472-8857

[email protected]

tm




Videasa is a digital video content agency that produces and

distributes viral videos, webisodes, mini documentaries and

infotainment for both blockbuster brands and savvy start-ups

looking to cut costs and increase revenue.

By bringing together viral marketers, studio professionals and

experienced web content producers, Videasa is able to offer

marketers a highly efficient set of resources and services for

today’s evolving media landscape.

NEW YORK, NY LOS ANGELES, CA VIDEASA SALES VIDEASA STUDIO

1318 Madison Avenue New York, NY 10128

888-883-1301

350 Wilshire Blvd. Beverly Hills, CA 90211

323-908-2317

Terry Mullin [email protected]

888-883-1301 X701

Sue [email protected]

212-600-0743

tm


online video: superpowered ideas for marketers (synopsis version)

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