Wednesday, January 23, 2008

Video is the future!!

Call me Nostradamus, a prophet...call me what you will (and I know I'm not the first to say this)... VIDEO (on the internet) IS THE FUTURE OF MARKETING!! So is social marketing. Add the two together and BLAMO! SUCCESS! (can you tell I'm excited? when is the last time you saw so many capitalized words and exclamation points?)

What brings me to this conclusion? A confluence of presentations by professional organizations like Spreenkler, BMA-Milwaukee (most recently Sarah Robbins from Mediasauce got B-to-B marketers really thinking about this very topic, the place was buzzing with energy about all the opportunities!), American Marketing Association and Madison Advertising Federation AND some recent (really cool) personal experiences with sites like Youtube, LinkedIn, Ning and Facebook.

Today Casey Payne (internet video genius) sent me the CLINCHER, a video/animation compilation of silly internet characters that have become part of pop culture. Check it out: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2pPCkhYMQgY

Now I ask you, oh wise blog reader: How do companies parlay all of this compelling content (that has quickly penetrated into our collective conscience) into marketing and sales efforts? I want to hear from you!

I also have some thoughts and resources that I'll be sharing over the next few weeks, because I believe that video is the future!

6 comments:

Unknown said...

How do companies parlay all of this compelling content into marketing and sales efforts?

Ha! Parlay. That's been my word of the month! Ask Robonutz, here's probably tired of hearing it...

I have MUCH to say on all of this... But I'll try to say as much as I can in as few words as possible. Here it goes... Cloverfield. (BAM!)

OK, that might need some explanation for some. Basically, I don't watch ANY TV. I MIGHT watch an hour a week from little snacks while watching TBS or something. But I found out about Cloverfield because one of my subscribers made a video review about it. Then I had to Google it. Then I found a cool trailer and I was intrigued. I think traditional media channels (TV, Radio, Magazines, etc.) Are quickly losing ground to the new kids on the block (Podcasts, Blogs, Social Media sites like Youtube and Livevideo.) And it's happening at BREAKNECK speeds in a certain demographic. The demographic that will be RUNNING THE SHOW in the not so distant future.

I could go on for pages and pages... Internet Buzz costs VERY little if done right for a HUGE payback (in terms of generated interest, views on a site, whatever it is your goal is.) A 16 year old boy... A 16 year old Soulja Boy figured this stuff out. There IS a code to all of this. What Soulja Boy accomplished it HUGE. Look into his background story and learn how it happened. If that doesn't excite you...

I better stop. I'm sure you'll here more from me in the future. :)

Intellagirl said...

I agree! Broadband has turned video from "Groan! Another big file I have to download" to "Wee! A cool video to watch!"
Here's the next hurdle, though. The increase in available media makes it tougher for marketers to get enough eyeballs to make their efforts worthwhile. A plain, boring, talking head video just won't cut it anymore. We have to compete with all of the engaging, creative work being done by the competition.
Here's an example of the kind of media we create at Media Sauce to catch attention: http://www.mediasauce.com/afa/default.htm

Anonymous said...

To all the people calling this the future, you are already too late. It's not the future it's the present. In case you haven't noticed, it's a large part of what got Crispin Porter (remember subserviantchicken.com). Or maybe you should stop by thinkaboutit.com, Hyundai's great site.

The internet is another tool for both information and marketing. It isn't replacing TV, print, outdoor, direct mail or any of the other mediums. It is joining the mix.

So the answer to how you use it, should be the same as you would use any other medium. With good, smart, original and appropriate CONCEPT and CONTENT. And it should be used because it reaches the right audience, not just to prove you are current on the latest technology and think it would be so cool to do something on the internet.

Remember, YouTube didn't just get big, it got big and bought out by mainstream corporate media. Same thing with MySpace.

So if you are finally getting on the bandwagon, good for you. Glad you finally decided to join us on the ride.

Alexander Lucas said...

I agree. Video is not just the future, it is the present. YouTube videos have sparked professional production careers. Internet campaigns have sparked product growth. Pay-per-view services are quickly turning into downloadable content on-demand services.

The issue is going to become not so much having video online, but being noticed online. You can watch hours and hours of the equivalent of "America's Funniest Home Videos" without being able to see what you are looking for. So marketing has a big job set out for it. How to stand out from the millions of hours of video already on the web.

It is going to be interesting to see how companies and corporations try to keep up with the changing fads of the newer internet generations. Just as networking sites like MySpace and Facebook, wax and wane in popularity, so will the video sites. Companies are always going to be a step behind the trendsetters - who tend to also be the most desirable advertising market.

Anonymous said...

Erica, thanks for inviting me into this conversation. You raise a very good question.

I respect all of the responses here. They are insightful and, most of all, honest. And they remind me once again of the challenges I face on a regular basis with some of the clients I work with. As Casey wrote about online (and I would add, mobile) video: "it's happening at breakneck speeds in certain demographics." That is true not only in terms of who is creating and viewing online videos, but in which companies are truly using it as part of their marketing strategy. There are few leading the way and many more watching to see how things turn out.

I say this because I work with marketers at billion dollar companies and online video is the furthest thing from their minds. Believe it or not, some of those people had not heard of YouTube before I mentioned it to them. And these are innovative organizations.

To get back to answering your question, yes, online video is the future (and current) of marketing. There’s no question sites like YouTube have impacted and changed marketing forever by making it simple, fast and cheap to potentially reach a huge audience. However, to be truly effective, I think use of online video will have to evolve to become more acceptable to mainstream marketers before they adopt. Evolution is needed in format, content, distribution and in how the target audience is willing to accept delivery.

And whatever happens in the future, as a marketer, it's one of several things related to new media that makes me glad I do what I do.

Anonymous said...

Erica,
I don't know what happened, but my response from January never made it to your post?! I submitted it, but it seems it didn't work.

My initial response agreed with everyone here, but I pointed out that very few companies are utilizing video. I work with billion dollar corporations and online video is not even on their radar.

I have a follow up. Check this article in the current issue of Fast Company. Robert Scoble offers up several ideas on how to use video to reinvent and grow your business.