FULL VERSION: Online Video: Superpowered Ideas for Marketers

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video for websites and beyond

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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

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

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For starters, we almost canceled the project. After we watched America’s first YouTube presidential
all, YouTube and the mega-research firms were election unfold, we were floored by the number of
cranking out daily news releases with data that online video clips that were appearing in television
proved online video was important. That it was big. news broadcasts.
That you could not escape it’s influence. Sigh.
The “Crowd” (some of us included) apparently
It was on election day, November 4, 2008, that we produced more content than the campaigns and
decided to move forward with this study. As news organizations combined. Suddenly, Americans
had a user-generated alternative to mass media
political coverage.

We were faster. We were more entertaining. We 76.8 percent of the total U.S. Internet
audience viewed online video (January
were honest. We were undeniable. 2009).
The average online video viewer
No, we did not need any more proof that online watched 356 minutes of video
(approximately 6 hours), up 15 percent
video was important. But what remained versus December.
unanswered was critical to our future as an online 100.9 million viewers watched 6.3
billion videos on YouTube.com (62.6
video content agency. If the Collective Content videos per viewer).
Generation is viewing and uploading millions of 54.1 million viewers watched 473
million videos on MySpace.com (8.7
video clips everyday on just about every subject videos per viewer).
under the sun, how should marketers respond? The duration of the average online
video was 3.5 minutes, up from 3.2
minutes per video in December.
Thus, we decided to ask marketers to forecast The duration of the average online
video viewed at Megavideo was 24.9
ways in which online video could be used to reach minutes, higher than any other video
and influence the 150 million people who watch an property in the top ten.
average of 96 online videos every month .

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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.

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“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

There are many reasons why online way to increase productivity, it can be
video is popular: bandwidth and understood in terms of facilitating
t e c h n o l o g y d r i v e r s a s i d e , i t ’s social interactions. From this frame of
informative, entertaining and easily reference, humans (not consumers) are
accessible at home, work and on the exploring new forms of self expression
road. We have created buzzwords like and new forms of community.
“video snacking” to describe its place
in the ad-avoiding, time-shifting, All of this of course, has immediate
screen-shifting, on-demand, user- implications – which brings us to the
centric digital ecosystem. All certainly heart of this research: people are
valid when analyzing human behavior demanding content that is contextual,
through the lens of technology. mobile and entertaining enough to be
shared with friends and co-workers in
Perhaps of greater use to marketers is any one of the multiple social
understanding how online video ﬁts networking spaces they visit, create
into today’s social context. This and/or maintain.
requires a different perspective.
Instead of viewing the internet as a

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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.

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The message has been flattened and is no longer Popular web videos are today’s new Superbowl
static. commercials - except they happen every day in the
form of short, entertaining video clips.
The New York Times is no longer 'the' mass media
authority on news, politics, culture and The players - the Superbrands who reach great
entertainment. Brands are no longer the single conversation heights online and offline - have
mass media source of information about its procured the talent and resources necessary to
products and services. generate branded video content that people talk
about, share and recall favorably.
Today, consumers exert significant influence over
the publishing and distribution of content once Superbrands have evolved to provide on demand
dominated by media giants, content kings and service in an ultra-mobile economy where the
advertisers. divisions between home, work and play time has
condensed or permanently altered.
The Age of Wikipedia has arrived and the
Collective Content Generation has seized control of Superbrand marketers understand that consumers
the content, the message and the opinions in a don't have a short attention span; they have a
manner so disruptive as to only be described as short attention span for the perfectly crafted, dull,
the democratization of media. self-centered sales-pitch.
People want less advertising and more service; Superbrands fully comprehend the reach and
self-serving ad spots devoid of infotainment will impact that one short, catchy video clip can have if
fall short of potential marketing objectives. it catches the attention of an active member of an
online social network.
In a flat world, people want something relatable
not aspirational, something to talk about by
reaching out and connecting on common ground.

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It’s not a television; it’s a
52-inch digital display.
– Washington DC

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.

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This project was a two-phased websites. Questionnaire participants
research study, which included a were randomly selected from a
quantitative online questionnaire and nationwide database of 19,000
qualitative online interview. The study marketing professional and generated
surveyed a total of 409 respondents in a 1.2% response rate.
December 2008 and January 2009.
Interview participants (n = 181) were
For the online questionnaire, 19,000 US selected via an online recruitment
marketers were polled in December process targeting senior-level digital
2008 and January 2009 to gain insights marketers in Seattle, San Francisco,
on the drivers of video content Los Angeles, Houston, Chicago, Miami,
consumption from the brand Washington DC and the New York City
marketer’s perspective. Given the vicinity. Interview respondents were
current economic climate, we framed asked to formulate predictions on how
attitudinal and intent questions in web video would be used based on
terms of online video’s ability to (1) current trends in online video
attract prospects and (2) increase marketing and greater social and
revenue on corporate and third-party cultural trends.

SURVEY LANDSCAPE: DIGITAL MARKETING HOT-SPOTS

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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
Question 1 Question 2 Question 3 database of 19,000 marketing professional and generated a 1.2% response rate.

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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”

Strongly Disagree
Disagree
Don’t Know
Agree
Strongly Agree

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-
Question 4 Question 5 Question 6 Question 7 party websites. Questionnaire participants were randomly selected from a nationwide
database of 19,000 marketing professional and generated a 1.2% response rate.

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A MATTER OF FACT
. Service oriented marketing is rooted in the
law of reciprocity: providing a no-strings attached service prior to
77% of the total U.S.
purchase creates goodwill, demonstrates category expertise and often
internet audience viewed online
leads to a reciprocal transaction. video in January 2009.
. Consumers are more receptive to video content that strikes a
balance between practical, entertaining information and a sales pitch. The average online video viewer
. Creative, informative video content will inspire people to share watched 356 minutes of video
branded content via email, word-of-mouth or as links on social (approximately 6 hours), up 15
percent versus December 2008.
networking sites.
. Create video content that leaves prospective
and current customers longing for more information and/or the next
installment.

RECOMMENDATIONS
SURVEY QUOTABLES Provide consumers with
helpful pre-purchase and
post-purchase video
“Video allows consumers to learn more about the content.
company, product, or service.” California
Use video as a visual aid
to guide consumers
through setup and other
processes.
“Videos should focus on solving consumers’ problems
Provide video content that
Texas
rather than selling.” clearly addresses your
customers’ need to be
informed about your
category.
“Video is the new online currency. A few companies are starting to embrace the new paradigm. Home Depot has videos
showing do-it-yourself homeowners how to tile a bathroom. Leapfrog has videos teaching new parents about the learning Be valuable to your customers
path of developing children. Nike has applications and content helping people workout and train more effectively. There are and they will return the favor.
people developing businesses using marketing as a service. Gary Vaynerchuk (http://tv.winelibrary.com) has almost 500
videos reviewing wines. He's building a wine empire and is becoming a wine celebrity.” California

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. User-generated content blurs the line between a
real-life social experience and branded entertainment in a
way that’s both positive and authentic.
. UGC allows users to promote positive,
interesting discussions about the brand in casual settings.
. Social networks have turned the Internet
into a domain of hyper-inﬂuence. Some of its users are Super
Inﬂuencers who love your brand.
. Because online consumers object to
RECOMMENDATIONS
advertising by ignoring it or skipping past it, UGC is an
attractive alternative.
UGC requires an experienced social
media guide. Don’t make the mistake
of executing without well-heeled
social media explorers.
Tap your best customers and
employees first. Many are brand
Super Influencers.
For your corporate site, procure user
generated content, then do post-
“Web users generally prefer a raw authenticity first and
“UGC is the real deal -- and unless it’s blatantly branded, it
production work and set the final
foremost, but their expectations for what web video should
is far more persuasive than coming up with some viral
video in a creative overlay.
Florida
look like is evolving.”
video work the client loves but that nobody outside the
Outside of the corporate site,
company buys into because it was done in-house, by the
commission and encourage the
book, and is irrelevant.” California
production of UGC. Mine the results
for valuable insights.
“With UGC you can receive hundreds or thousands of ideas
without the high costs traditionally associated with video
Texas
production.”
“There is huge potential for video in the UGC space. Many
brands are leveraging open contests with or without agency
assistance for winning campaign videos, creative ideas, and “User-generated video shows consumers interacting with the
commercials, with a surprising number of submissions being brand from the consumer’s perspective, rather than from the
California
high quality productions.” ‘marketing voice.”
Pennsylvania

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. 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.
RECOMMENDATIONS . 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.
Keep your video short - 30 to
90 seconds is ideal.
Do not make a commercial.
Include real people in your
videos; actors = commercial.
Let viewers vote and respond
back in multiple ways.
“Marketers can jump on the social networking video bandwagon by offering
Put a strategy in place before such things as creative backgrounds and graphics for the videos that are
distributing video content. relevant to the brand. This will help them connect with their audience and be
relevant.” – Washington D.C.
Insert special versions of your
videos, such as short clips, or
“micro content,” onto sites
such as MySpace, LinkedIn,
and Yammer.
Content should be versatile so
that it can move between “Unique short videos that are targeted to specific audiences get passed around
sites. The same material can very quickly on social networks without effecting their overall marketing direction.
be reformatted to be suitable A good concept would disseminate and translate quickly. Pass-around video can
f o r S l i d e S h a r e , F l i c k r, be more suggestive and stretch the boundaries.” – Florida
YouTube, and Facebook.

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: Watch the video.

YOUTUBE CELEBRITY LISA NOVA Publishing video on your website will lift your
organic search engine ranking and increase unique visits.
PROVOCATIVE THUMBNAILS DRIVE VIEWS
. Video search optimization requires
TBD
expertise, planning and resources. Refer to our “Recommendations”
list on the left.
TBD . When searching, most people
RECOMMENDATIONS judge a video’s thumbnail, title and description before deciding to
TBD
click-thru and watch.
Consider putting a transcript of the
. According to Hitwise, 2.6% of all Internet
video on the video page.
search queries in the United States are of the how-to nature.
Video files should be in multiple
formats, including FLVs, MOVs,
MPGS, MP4.
Produce video with natural
language searches in mind.
VIDEO’S IMPORTANCE IN MARKETING
Create a filename that contains
relevant keywords; completely avoid
keyword stuffing.
Use a mRSS feed. Create an
mRSS and submit it to the search
“YouTube has become a top search engine. The same
engines. Google does not accept
mRSS feeds, but they do have an SEO tricks that work on Google, MSN, and Yahoo can
XML Site map for Videos.
garner large audiences for video. To track, test, and
Remove noisy metadata with a
optimize key word rankings on YouTube would increase
cleaner.
traffic to your videos.” - California
Only place one video per page.
Surround video with relevant text. Darren Aftahi, vice president of Equity Research at
ThinkEquity Partners, says the Internet will become
Cross-link to videos using keywords the broadcast market of choice, and text search will
in anchor text. “Attractive and short videos are one of the most powerful
turn into video search.

‘’
SEO weapons these days because you can tag the
Grab real estate around the term
“video.”
video, related videos, and relevant keywords.”
People don't watch a video. They
Keep your content and search – New York
watch batches of videos. You want to
keywords current so that your brand
remains relevant. tap into that Related Videos section.
The more you tag and cross-link
your content on different sites the
-Greg Jarboe (SEO-PR)
higher you will rank in searches.

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A MATTER OF FACT
More than 100 million US
consumers - 42% of mobile
subscribers - have video-
capable cell phones.
65% of mobile video viewers
. The strong demand for how-to videos has
are under the age of 35 -
compared to 35% for total given rise to sites like Howcast, Expert Village and similar instructional web
mobile subscribers
portals that are dedicated to this genre of content.
. Marketers realize the importance of delivering on-
are between 25-34 years old
demand information and service in today’s wireless, ultra-mobile economy.
Over half of teens (54%)
Top brands are catering to consumer preference for short video content that
report watching video on
demonstrates how to compare, purchase, use, optimize and properly dispose
their cell phones in bed -
that’s 1.5x more likely than
of their products and/or services.
average viewers
. How-to videos reduce costs across all

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customer service and support channels. The reason is simple: video is a
superior demonstration vehicle compared to static text and graphics.

RECOMMENDATIONS
Provide videos made by
experts as well as videos
quot;Digital marketers should cater to the needs of visual learners by creating instructional
made by users. The former
guarantees reliability and the video clips for the web. This is not necessarily a platform to launch a product or service
latter ensures authenticity. but a means to show the consumer that it is really fun and easy to use. With video
explanations on how to use the product or service, consumers may be more inclined to
Make sure that you avoid
become a user if some of their concerns are addressed.”- New York
technical jargon and that you
are using ‘the language of the
consumer’ in your videos.
Infotainment: consumers will
gravitate towards videos that
present information in an
entertaining way.
“In the world of instant media, consumers today have little time and may be a bit lazy in
Creating support videos and the reading department. They want to 'get it' in 30 seconds. They'd much rather see
writing support manuals are how a product works, than have to read how to figure it out. And they're much more
very, very different jobs.
likely to purchase when they can see how cool the product is.” - Illinois

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Your best customers are already creating and distributing online
RECOMMENDATIONS
videos about your products and services: start participating in that conversation.
Keep testimonials brief - one to two
Though consumers may be aware of your brand, they often refrain
minutes in length is optimal.
from making a purchase until hearing from people who have owned and used a
Avoid “infomercial”-style testimonials
product successfully.
that are overwhelmingly and
Connecting a viewer with a real person who delivers an honest and unbelievably positive: Opt instead for
authentic reviews that seem balanced.
personal endorsement is a far more powerful way of ‘advertising’ customer
satisfaction. Provide viewers with multiple
testimonial problem/solution scenarios.
Prospects are more engaged when they “see” your product being
Increase the potential that a consumer
demonstrated by a real customer as opposed to reading about it.
will connect with your message by
creating multiple testimonials that
represent culturally diverse
perspectives.

“Consumer testimonials are an easy and effective way to establish credibility in trying to
sell anything! Short video clips of real consumers describing how they have had a positive
experience with a product or company are compelling. They could even be tied into a viral
marketing campaign.” – Illinois

“With a reward as incentive, invite consumers to create videos of how they would use or
improve the product/service. The company will learn how the consumer frames his/her
interaction with the product and gain valuable insights that can drive product innovation.”
– California

“Short tutorials can complement the product. Sales tutorials are not just testimonials, but
‘how-to’ testimonials!” – Washington

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Marketing campaigns
could be composed of a series of videos revolving around one product or
one essential idea.

. A story-line would encourage the viewer to
return each time to see what happens in the series.

. Younger consumers are tuning out traditional marketing
messages and show a strong preference for short-form web content
delivered in an authentic voice.

“Marketers can use video clips on the web to tell a story that has more than one
chapter.” – Washington D.C.

“Each video would be different but would share one main thesis. The episodes
RECOMMENDATIONS would be released at different times, giving viewers the opportunity to sign up for
notifications before subsequent episodes launch. By doing this, companies will be
Characters and story lines
able to gauge the success of their campaign in a whole new way.” – California
should be exciting enough to Leaving Bliss is an independent web series
sustain audiences over time that follows the sometimes sad but frequently
without becoming stale. funny travails of Patience Owen, a Pollyanna-
type who flees her sparsely populated
Heavy handed, over-the-top hometown in favor of Hollywood to pursue “Webisodes tied together under one theme – either in standalone format or
integration of brand messaging her dream of making it big on the “tinsel progressive story-line – can really work to the benefit of marketers when the concept
in a webisode runs the risk of screen.” Four to six-minute episodes are is right and has been created specifically to reinforce and extend the brand
being panned by audiences. released biweekly.
messaging.” – Texas

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Real, raw portraits of consumers using products and services offer an
alternative to testimonial videos which have the potential to appear, at times, stilted
and staged.
. Brands may also use this genre of video to offer a look behind
the scenes at their employees, their development process, or production techniques.
. For large, faceless corporations, mini documentaries have the
power to humanize the company and connect with audiences.
. Mini-documentaries capitalize on the “reality entertainment” zeitgeist
and are attractive to consumers who have become accustomed to watching this
type of programming on TV.
RECOMMENDATIONS
Shorter is better. Breaking up the
documentary into a series is the
best approach for stories occurring
over a long time period.
“Instead of big budget TV commercials extolling ‘the finest health care,
A mini-documentary is not a
best doctors’ blah, blah same ol' same ol', I am pitching a series of 2-3 Corporate Profile, nor should the
minute ‘cinema verité’ portraits of the doctors. Show don't tell.” - Virginia video feature executives or
personnel based on seniority.

Subjects for the mini-documentary
should be chosen on the strength
of their story and ability to come
“Show real consumers interacting with the brand – in a casual, non- across on camera. Charisma is
scripted way. This would be similar to a 'documentary' and would portray essential.
how and when the consumer uses the product/service, presented from the
consumer's perspective as opposed to the 'marketing voice'.“ - California

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A MATTER OF FACT
Apple’s affordable Mac Mini
easily connects to a LCD TV
screen and can access a
huge variety of content - from
iTunes to local news
broadcasts.
Netflix subscribers can now
buy a $99 set-top box from
Roku that streams video to
their TV sets.
Vudu also sells a $299 set-
top box, which allows users
to download TV shows for
$1.99 per episode and
movies for anywhere from 99
cents to $19.99.
Such devices could make it
easier for consumers to “cut
the cable cord.”

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A MATTER OF FACT . Emerging digital platforms - each a valid video
distribution channel - reach out to a potential consumer base in airports,
More than 80 percent of
on airplanes, shopping carts, parking garages, taxis, and beyond.
Americans now have a computer
in their homes, and of those,
. Retail environments outﬁtted with
almost 92 percent have internet
access
multiple LCD displays and point-of-purchase screens are ideal for
delivering catchy video clips.
Internet access is positively
correlated with the respondent’s
or Head of Household’s education . Video content that goes beyond
level as well the home’s combined
the three screens paradigm will reach consumers who put their guards up
annual income. As they increase,
in the traditional spaces.
so does the likelihood of internet
access. Homes with a lower
educated householder and lower
household incomes are least likely
to have internet access.

RECOMMENDATIONS
Only 3% of households with
incomes over $125K do not have
Apple TV
home internet access.
Create a cross-digital platform
content strategy.
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“Recently, I was stuck in an airport, watching the airport broadcast loop through for the zillionth
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Version content for unique
time. I thought, you know, my fellow flyers and I are basically a captive audience, why not put
digital audience consumption.
some branded entertainment vignettes out here? Consumers resent advertising when they feel
it’s being pushed at them and is interrupting something else they’re doing, but marketing that
Start experimenting now with
offers a little entertainment value along with information and new ideas is a godsend when
Taxi TV content for Apple TV and
they’re stuck waiting for time to pass.” – Washington D.C.
mobile smartphones.

Understand that consumers
are in the driver’s seat so
“Audiences continue to shift and find new ways to consume web video.” – California
content needs to have strong
entertainment value.

eReader
“As consumers become increasingly aware of advertising on the internet, web videos will need
to move beyond the computer screen. How about watching videos on your luggage cart while
waiting to check in your baggage for a flight or while waiting in line to pay for parking?” – Florida

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A MATTER OF FACT
More than 100 million US
consumers - 42% of mobile
subscribers - have video-
capable cell phones.
are under the age of 35 -
compared to 35% for total
. Mobile video allows short-form video content to be
mobile subscribers
delivered to users in real-time. 32% of mobile video viewers
are between 25-34 years old
Over half of teens (54%)
. Consumers can be engaged wherever they have their report watching video on
mobile device(s) – in essence, anywhere and everywhere. their cell phones in bed -
that’s 1.5x more likely than
average viewers
. Improved network speeds, cheaper, more
powerful devices and an assortment of content bode well for the

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future.

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RECOMMENDATIONS
Consider the audience:
mobile video content is
“Someone with GPS on their mobile device could find local listings typically consumed by
younger audiences and
via the device. But, rather than a static website, the consumer will
sports fans.
be able to access a video clip. This would be useful for
restaurants, museums, nightclubs, music venues, comedy clubs, Keep it short. Create
microvideo content for mobile
retail stores, etc. The video can be a walkthrough of the bustling
users
venue or a discussion of the daily specials or sales. What is key is
that the content pushed is unique and can be updated on a Sound test. Mobile
audiences use a wide variety
monthly, weekly, or even daily basis.” – Washington D.C.
of audio outputs - which
potentially means poor sound
quality.
Create downloadable content
“Many people are starting to use Google Maps or similar programs on their mobile
that users can save to their
phones. Location-based video ads will be a critical tool to get you more foot-traffic than
phone and reference again
local competitors. I expect that in 2 years over 80% of local stores will have their
while they are on-the-go.
promotional videos available on maps accessible through online and mobile. Location-
based video ads will be as important as outdoor logos.” – California

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. Currently, most “video mail” is really an embedded
link to an online video. An email can contain an image that appears to be a
video but is really hyperlinked to a video on a webpage.
. V-mail 2.0. Technological innovation is constantly
improving video quality and size. Video embedded emails will soon be a
widespread phenomenon.
. Baby Boomers and Matures are especially
drawn to emails that have informational or entertaining video content. Few
marketers today are really prepared to take advantage of the opportunity
because they lack the resources to produce appropriate video content.

RECOMMENDATIONS
First, locate an
“The user’s curiosity will drive them to click on the link-to-video in an email, experienced video mail
mostly because it’s a novelty. I think that the success of this type of marketing vendor.
might reach a fast peak then slowly settle into a more sustainable success rate,
Preferably send video mail
much like text-based email has done. This means that now is the time to jump
to services like Gmail,
into the space.” – California
MSN and AOL that work
with chosen vmail vendors.
It’s best to send
entertaining microvideo
“Video clips can be integrated into web e-cards that people can share.”
content as opposed to
– California
documentaries.
Contact Forrester about
video mail best practices
“As corporate IT departments have wised-up to employees who are watching and vendor ratings.
YouTube at work, many companies have blocked access to the site.
Consequently, more people are forwarding emails with video attachments or
emails with links to video hosted on alternative video sites.” – New York

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. Splitting up videos and distributing different portions of the
content at different distribution points can be a compelling tactic that, when
done well, has the ability to move traffic.

. A Hollywood standby reinvented for the internet: Users
watching video content in one location can be encouraged to click to
another site to view the conclusion.

. Another iteration of this tactic is to create one video as a
starting point and then multiple story-lines that let consumers “choose their
own adventure”

SMP Film’s “Choose Your Path” challenges
RECOMMENDATIONS
viewers to choose a path, watch a video and
locate his missing cat, Sparta. Each path
asks viewers to leave text comments.
Choose an emotional
“I urge brands to build out their YouTube transition point, or story arc to
channels by splitting their product/service create the split.
reviews into 60 second clips that at the end say
Offer viewers the option of
“For the Complete Review Click Here.” It’s an
choosing multiple “split paths”
easy bounce-back promotion that will boost web
to increase engagement and
traffic and return visitors to the site.” – Florida click-through participation.

Offer viewers feedback
mechanisms such as text
posts or live chat.
“Cory Williams, created this really great series of Fortune Teller videos on YouTube where audiences watching
Consider following the initial
one video could click on the screen and be taken to a custom “fortune.” I’ve also seen it done with videos of episode with a “live” content
magic tricks that ask the viewer to guess the answer and clicking on a certain portion of the screen leads to split as a test.
another video. Audiences love the element of interactivity and usually end up watching the video multiple times
and clicking back and forth to see more than one ending. Marketers could use the same technique to drive
audiences to from an online video destination directly to their microsite or homepage.” – New York
Mr. Safety
youtube.com/smpfilms

30

A MATTER OF FACT
The social network and blogging
audience is becoming more
diverse in terms of age: the
biggest increase in visitors
. Revolutionary forms of advertising pique consumer during 2008 to “Member
curiosity and interest. Unexpected content is addictive and promotes dialogue. Community” Web sites globally
came from the 35-49 year old
. Most effective when integrated as part of a social media campaign,
age group (+11.3 million).
the efﬁciency of guerilla video is reliant on the strength of creative concept
underpinning the video and a timely execution and distribution.

ink
bl
we
. Originally characterized by low-budget, quick-response videos,
the category has been stretched to include big-budget agency-produced look-a-
likes. Often, this genre of video is described as “viral.”
. Some of the best executions are Parodies, Caught on Video and
Faux clips.
RECOMMENDATIONS
GM DEALERSHIP FIGHT Create a faux video clip that
appears to capture an
argument between employees
and vendors with a hidden
camera brought in by an
employee.
“Create an experience where the viewer isn’t sure if they are supposed to, or allowed
to, see what they are seeing. This can be presented as an incidental recording that Parodies and self-depreciating
some paparazzi-type posted anonymously. Entice the user to take action. This will humor tend to go over well with
promote viral distribution.” – New York audiences because they show
that you don’t take yourself too
seriously.
EHARMONY PARODY
Producing Guerilla videos in-
house has led to some notable
“The ‘Forgetting Sarah Marshall’ campaign did an excellent job of guerilla marketing,
disasters: Know your limits.
creating billboards, blogs, videos, and sites that initially didn’t indicate that they were
Hiring an outside agency to
created for a film. A lot of people talked about it because it seemed like it could be a produce guerilla video adds a
real guy going through a breakup. For ‘True Blood,’ HBO posted ads for a synthetic layer of insulation and security
blood drink. This was confusing and exciting to people and was discussed extensively between the brand and the
on the internet.” – California campaign.

COMMISSIONED BY VIDEASA.COM. ©2009 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. 31

They are small applications or toolbars that embed
A MATTER OF FACT
video and other content on web pages, blogs, mobile-phone screens and
desktops. Almost anyone can create a video widget and spread it virally
across social networks. A wide variety of widgets can be found at http:// 75% of the total U.S.
widgets.yahoo.com. internet population watch online
video
. The video content in video widgets can be
updated frequently and the programs can also have interactive features such
as polls, trivia, surveys, etc. The widgets can have diverse functionality and

ink
bl
can be repackaged for various clients.

we
. This tactic allows for
the natural integration of various related goods and services.

RECOMMENDATIONS
Continually refreshing
Put a widget on Once clicked it expands to
content is an important facet
your website reveal video content
of the internet as a medium
but it is especially important
“Attracting consumers to our website and encouraging them to sign up for long-form content webcast
when it comes to video
subscriptions proved to be a challenge. We wasted a lot of time trying to circulate short-form
widgets. Content distributed
“highlight reels” of our content on video sharing sites, blogs, etc. After creating a video widget that
via widget can look stale
people could download to their social networking page, desktop, or mobile, we found consumers to
after only a week.
be far more responsive and likely to share with their friends.quot; – New York

Create a widget designed
for current fans of your
brand that brings them
exclusive offers or value.
“The end game is this: create a series of video widgets that end up being resident on a potential
customer’s social networking profile or desktop. For example, say I really like rock group Coldplay. Create an incentive program
Widgetbox serves millions of widgets per day and helps
So I go to their fan site and download a widget that alerts me every time there is a band update (tour to reward customers for
widget owners reach tens of millions of people per
locations, concert ticket sales, CD releases, etc.). The widget also offers on-demand video of hosting your widget on their
month. Widgets help you reach new users, drive traffic
Coldplay’s latest performances as a bonus. For this feature consumers might actually consider social media page(s).
back to your site, and extend the reach of your content
paying some sort of micro-trans fee (e.g. $.99 per new concert).” – California and services on sites all across the web.

32

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