Friday, July 18, 2008

The Importance (and Unimportance) of Online Video

There's a perception that reaching people online translates into a quantifiable offline response.

Right now, that's just a perception and not a reality. Creating a strong online community doesn't necessarily translate into sales as the folks who marketed the movie Snakes on a Plane found out. But that doesn't mean you can ignore what happens online. It just means we're not quite finished putting all the pieces of the puzzle together.

For instance, Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama completely dominated the world of online video in terms of content produced, vides and messaging; however, that didn't necessarily translate into an overwhelming victory at the polls.

Now you could easily argue that his messaging was a big part of the reason he could generate so much continued interest -- particularly when his campaign was lagging at the beginning. And that may be true.

What researchers at the Pew Internet & American Life Project have found is that most people used political websites not for the viral videos produced by campaigns, but to watch -- and find out -- where there candidates stand on issues.

Does that translate to other sectors? I don't know, but my guess is that it does. We use the Web as an information collection source.

In other words, a smart marketing person will tell you they won't make viral video for your product because we're finding that while people enjoy the entertainment factor, what they are really looking for is a smart, informative answer to some question they have.

Posted By Brad King at 09:58 AM
Permanent Link: The Importance (and Unimportance) of Online Video | Comments (2)

(2) Comments on The Importance (and Unimportance) of Online Video

Web video marketing can be an effective way to engage an audience. The ability to combine relevant audiovisual content with interactive messaging affords the ability for marketers to present information that their audience is interested in. While a viral component can extend the marketer's relationship to secondary audiences, a good web video marketing effort should be designed to target and engage the primary audience.

Comments by Jenn O'Meara : Friday, July 18, 2008 at 12:11 PM

Hey Jenn:

Thanks for reading :)

I think the idea of video marketing is a good one for many reasons, although I tend to agree with some marketers that making a "viral video" is impossible.

You never know what will stick. And you never know what will stick for the right reasons.

So I think I agree with you that video is but one component of all of this. Which hopefully people realize :)

Comments by Brad King : Monday, July 21, 2008 at 11:36 AM

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