Monday, November 11, 2013

Video Marketing: A Short Explanation


by Ryan Stone


In this article we'll be looking to explore what is meant by video marketing, as a starter for ten we'll be working to a definition that video marketing is the production of branded video content that is designed to inform, sell or persuade, but before it can do that, it has to be seen. That's just a basic definition so let's have a short history lesson and a glimpse in to the future of online video marketing.

YouTube, the giant that is now synonymous with online video was launched back in 2006. I'd like to say to great fanfare but alas, that's not true. Instead YouTube was seen as a bit of a trouble maker when it first launched - not due to the intent of its creators but instead it's user base. YouTube became home to amateur, low quality content and pirated material which immediately positioned it as anti-business. However as time wore on, YouTube smartened itself up, put on a tie and started enticing businesses with someone they craved - audiences. While it took many years for YouTube to become a household name in marketing, there were risk takers who wanted to use the platform to reach the young, tech-savvy audiences that frequented this innovative platform. One such company, was Samsung.

Samsung created 'It's Flicky' a parody music video to promote its latest mobile device, the X380. Based on the tune, 'It's Tricky' by Run DMC, the video put the phone front and centre and promoted its novelty feature - a screen that flicks up. A simple concept, but expertly executed. It was not slick, the production values were terrible and with a seemingly cavalier attitude to the song's copyright - the young YouTube audience lapped it up. The video received positive comments, as well as many that expressed a strong intention to buy and more importantly, it also secured a sort of viral status - even before brands understood what that meant.

It's Flicky by Samsung is, to my mind, one of the earliest and still one of the most creative forms of video marketing out there. In order to blend in as part of the user-generated landscape, the video itself was rough, amateurish and instead revolved around a single creative and humorous concept. The product was Samsung's X830 mobile phone, characterised by its screen that flicked up - a novelty if ever there was one. So, the phone and its flicky screen starred in a parody of Run DMC's 'It's Tricky' that put the feature front and centre. Lauded as a creative amateur production by 'one of their own' the video was well received by the young audience base and even attained viral status before it became 'a thing'. The comments were hugely positive and many spoke openly about their desire to buy the phone from the video alone. Pure stealth marketing.

Whole campaigns are launched via video and because of the shareability of great productions, it has become one of the most desirable forms of content creation for many brands.

So going forward, where is video marketing heading? Attention spans continue to get shorter, but creative brands are still winning with great ideas and new avenues for delivery - such as mobile, smart TVs and targeted ads. Entertainment videos are not the only types of video marketing either, and business websites, new products and major news are all expected to offer some sort of serious video content to benefit the audience or most importantly - the customer.

The online audience is changing in so many ways, not only in demographic terms but also in how people online consume content and react to entertainment and adverts - and especially a hybrid of the two.




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