Video Boosts Brand Engagement, Study Reports

by Dave Sniadak

We've seen a dramatic shift since 2010 in how advertisers are using video campaigns - online, interactive, and through traditional media buys. Accordingly to an Adap.tv industry survey of 638 agencies, brands, publishers and ad networks, nearly three out of every four advertiser (73%) is setting out to build brand engagement with their video initiatives. This shouldn't come as a surprise to those of us who advise our clients how to utilize video in their marketing and advertising efforts. 

However, what is slightly surprising could be that in the past 24 months, the attitude towards online video has shifted so dramatically from brand awareness to brand engagement. How dramatic? In 2010, only 18% of advertisers saw value in brand engagement with video. In just two years, attitudes have spiked by 55% in favor of engagement. 

The cross-platform integration of video - thanks to the strong saturation of tablets, smart phones, and even smart TVs - allows companies to deliver their message simultaneously on a multitude of mediums. No longer are companies forced to simply buy a flight of cable spots that go out and fall flat. Now, for example, we can buy the cable time on ESPN, while coordinating buys on ESPN.com, and even ESPN's mobile app.

The ability to hammer home a message with video has never been greater than it is right now. However, do advertisers run the risk of over-delivering content to a video soaked consumer base? Fresh content is crucial to ensuring a successful campaign. Keep that in mind as you dial up your next media buy.

April showers...make for a great time to watch online videos!

by Nick Egner

How does this have over 5 million views?

With Youtube being as vast as it is, it can be hard to find good content. With social media being saturated with an overwhelming supply of content, how in the world are you going to find the good stuff? Lots of video sharing sites and social media channels are basically just user generated filters that allow people to update and share the videos they find most interesting. Are you yearning for more high quality, on-line video content? Well, I can’t promise you that, but here is a look at a few places on the net you might find yourself lost in a sea of cute cats, laughing babies, and Tupac’s ghost at Coachella.

Pinterest.com
I know Pinterest at first glance looks like every girl on Facebook’s place to pin their dream wedding dress, or those cute shoes she saw at Neiman's, oh and I know that purse Sally just pinned would look great with them too. Being a guy on Pinterest is like going to the department store with your girlfriend/wife every single time you log in. But there is hope. Pinterest has taken strides to be a player in the realm of video sharing. In fact they just added Vimeo to their pinning prowess. Pinterest has also added a hot link on their opening page to go directly to a page of recently pinned videos. With Pinterest becoming an on-line market place, is it gearing up for marketers to add more content? For now it is just a nice addition to an already addicting website. Take a look at a (very manly) video pinboard I created to get an idea: http://pinterest.com/nicholase/videos-to-show-you-are-cool/.

Chill.com
I was just introduced to this site. It has a very similar feel to Pinterest, but is strictly for videos. You are able to follow people (like Pinterest) whom you feel have similar tastes as you. Through creating “collections” of videos, users are able to group videos together. There is even a “chill” button you can add to your bookmark bar for easy sharing. Ok, no joke, this is Pinterest. It is exactly like Pinterest for video content. And really, that isn’t that bad of a thing. I could see falling into a time warp on this site. Nice big thumb nails on the home page, user comments are easy to access, and it seems to be quite a streamlined style even though there are a ton of little icons that I have no clue what they are for. I don’t know, I say give it a shot.

Reddit.com/r/videos
OH MAN! It’s the holy grail of time you will never get back! This is the Steven Hawking level of accelerated time. Honestly, if you haven’t heard of reddit, you might want to think twice about checking it out. The idea is that people post videos they like. The reddit community then up or down votes the content depending on if they like it or not. So all the best posts rise to the top while all the worst fall to the floor. Rebeca Black is hanging out in the basement of Reddit. This is a tried and true method of discovering really top notch content out there in the depths of the interwebs...and some cat videos.

With Youtube, Facebook, and Twitter being the crowned juggernauts of social media sharing, it is nice to step away and explore some alternatives. And when I say “step away” I mean sit in your chair and be as unproductive as possible! Enjoy your total waste of time!

Smart Marketing Move: IKEA "How To" YouTube Channel

by Ashley Haugen
@AshleyKaia

We've all been there. The pieces of what will eventually become a very practical and European looking bookshelf are laying on your living room floor. There is a bag of bolts or screws or whatever-you-call-'ems (washers?) somewhere in the box and a crumpled instruction sheet in your right hand. Just a few simple steps and you'll be rearranging your book collection before lunch, right? Wrong.

Despite our best intentions, sometimes IKEA's "assembly required" is synonymous with "just give up." Well the giant home products retailer has taken a new direction to help us with the assembly process. IKEA USA has started a new YouTube playlist called "How To Build." It is a welcome relief to the common complaint of confusing manuals and construction. The playlist includes a video with step-by-step instructions about putting together a piece of furniture from their store. It's short and sweet and a great visual representation of how to assemble an IKEA product. For now there is only one video in the playlist, but as such a great resource there is sure to be more.

Why is this such a smart marketing move? IKEA has gone where their customers are. With more people using smartphones and tablets, online video use is at an all-time high. Not only does this "How To Build" playlist provide visual instruction for frustrated viewers, it targets them in their element. This is important for any marketer to understand and keep track of. Where do your consumers hang out online? What sites do they turn to for help? How can your brand reach out to your customer and make life simpler for them? IKEA did a good job of listening to their customers and providing them with a relevant and helpful service.

Here is their video on how to build a "MALM" bed frame:

Video Post: Video Editing Keeps Its Head in the Clouds

With more and more video editing services moving to a cloud-based format, Axiom's own video expert Dave Sniadak examines the best and worst aspects of this evolving medium.

YouTube Channeling Efforts to Push for Premium

The growth of online video has been well-documented here on Daily Axioms. And the top dog in the video yard, YouTube, seems to be putting more and more of its efforts behind premium curated content.

Case in point: Yesterday's report that suggests YouTube is working on creating channels to curate videos, most of which will feature professionally-produced content. The $100 million dollar project will aim to better position YouTube as more and more people use the Internet in their homes to view online content. 

This move should definitely appeal to Boxee, Roku and Internet-connected TV owners who have easy access to YouTube but have relied on more polished services like Hulu and Netflix.

Couple this report with today's report about YouTube working with potential partners for more live streaming options, and it's obvious where the online video giant wants to go with its image and position.

We'll have to wait for these changes to actually take place before we can judge them, but it does seem like a step in the right direction, especially for companies like Axiom that pride themselves on their video production.

Video Post: A Fabulous February for Online Video

It's no secret that Axiom understands the importance of online video. That's why we wanted to share a recent ComScore report about how well online video did in last month. Steve and Dave crunch the numbers and share their insight in this week's Daily Axioms Video Post: