"It's not South, it's not Suffolk, it's not analogue….so it
must be…..North Norfolk Digital". With an unspoken 'Aha', it's
an announcement that heralded the return, in November 2010, of
comedy legend Alan Partridge, with a new online video show entitled
"Mid
Morning Matters" set around the fictional radio station.
His increasingly desperate pleas "to let me on the telly"
were finally answered, though probably not in the way he
expected. In true convergent style it wasn't the BBC
responsible for giving him a platform, or any other broadcaster for
that matter, but Fosters, the lager brand, who commissioned and
funded the web series for its You Tube channel. With around 4
million views, the show's huge popularity has even led to a
potential commission from Sky Atlantic for a 'proper' TV series.
Back of the net!
A Growing Audience
The audience for online video is huge, with 26.9 million people
in the UK watching video clips during April 2011, according to
analysis from
UKOM / Nielsen. Recent research by US firm
Cisco reveals that by 2014, 90% of all the worlds' internet
data will be video. With 3 billion videos viewed daily on YouTube
and its status as the 2nd largest search engine, it's
clear that video is a rapidly expanding area. Nowhere more so than
in online advertising, which has seen record growth over the past
couple of years. According to the I.A.B (Internet Advertising
Bureau) spend
increased by a massive 91% from £4million in 2008 to £54million
during 2010 and looks set to continue throughout 2012. As more
companies and brands dive into the video advertising pool, getting
their message across in a unique way will become increasingly
important.
Clever Advertising
Internet advertising certainly has the edge over TV in terms of
freedom. It's not yet bound by the same regulations and is able to
target its audience more specifically. It can also engage very
effectively through interactivity. Users can click through to
social media pages, brand websites and even influence the outcome
of a video, as demonstrated in the popular viral ad
for Tipp-Ex. In the ad a hunter stands in front of a bear as
the phrase "Hunter shoots a bear" hovers above in the title
position. Reaching out of frame for a giant Tipp-Ex located across
the page, he erases the word "shoots". We, as users are invited to
type a word in its place, press play and the film replays a new
scene to reflect the word entered. It's a fun way to encourage
repeat returns to the ad.
Targeting Groups
One message for the future development of online video
advertising suggests emulating TV broadcasters by producing content
aimed at specific demographics and to schedule accordingly. The
kind of content proving successful also resembles that which is
produced for TV, such as comedy or drama web series. Brands seek
engagement as well as loyalty and content that manages to entertain
and inform, can successfully garner attention. Using narrative
storytelling and engaging characters is a compelling way to draw
the viewer in and was used to great effect with "Mortal Kombat:
Legacy", a high-end web series based on the Mortal Kombat video
game. The first episode premiered on YouTube receiving over 5
million views in a week and helped drive sales of the latest game
to more than 3 million.
Loyalty Leads to Monetisation
As video advertising continues to diversify, attitudes will
shift and brands will need to view their customers as an audience
rather than plain consumers. Addressing its needs by offering
helpful content such as tips, demonstrations and 'how-tos,' which
in turn will increase brand's own value as the content is
evergreen. Video is considered prohibitively expensive by some, due
to the high cost involved in doing it well, but given that a web
page containing video is fifty times more likely to appear on a
front page Google search, its potential impact is clear. For
bigger more established brands, with the funds to match, setting up
an online TV platform is one way to encompass all these offerings
and make it pay long term. One company currently pulling this off
successfully is Marks & Spencer. M&STV
offers its customers more than just sales patter to shift products,
in the form of short videos with style tips and advice. Learning
how to dress up your jeggings and selecting the right Shapewear to
flatter the figure, combined with high-end production values gives
customers a reason to keep returning to the site. Adding in the
ability to click through and purchase products directly from the
video simplifies the process for the shopper and has resulted in a
25% overall uplift in sales for M&S.
Here Comes the Revolution!
With the arrival of connected TV, where traditional television
advertising will sit alongside online, it could be the start of a
whole new ball game. Will boundaries blur, merging the two to
create a new form of advertising? Will new technologies emerge
along the lines of Inskin, the display ad format that wraps around
and frames moving content? Then of course there are additional
platforms to consider such as tablets and mobile, perfect for
utilising location-based advertising whilst on the move.
With such a range of opportunity, increased competition
is likely to push the boundaries of innovation further resulting in
an industry heading towards an exciting revolution.