Social video looks set to be the booming marketing trend of 2012 – but advertisers need to understand its strengths and weaknesses to make the most of it.
There’s nothing particularly complicated about the concept of social video: it’s simply the age-old idea of word of mouth, but working at internet speed. Where once people would tell their friends, family and colleagues about a witty or engaging TV ad and the best they could do is keep an eye out for it, today people can instantly share links to videos of adverts and curious friends can see the ad immediately.
Even wildly successful social ads usually get far fewer viewers than those on prime time TV, but that’s somewhat missing the point. While a TV ad is often on in the background, with “viewers” making a cuppa for example, people who’ve followed a link tend to give the ad — and it’s promotional message — their full attention. They are also predisposed to view it with a positive mindset thanks to the recommendation of a friend.
So what’s the outlook for 2012? Well, by far the biggest trend will be an increasing proportion of users watching clips on ultra-portable devices such as smartphones and tablets rather than desktop computers or laptops. That’s partly fuelled by a very modern take on multitasking, with TV viewers using a portable device at the same time, for example using Facebook or Twitter to discuss the show they are watching. That’s great news for advertisers who can come up with creative clips, though it does mean finding the balance between whether its best to create punchy and witty content or more artistic work suitable for a 40″ flatscreen. From a technical perspective, it makes it all the more important to use systems such as HTML5 which allow the same ad to appear smoothly on computing devices of all types and sizes.
As far as platforms go, Facebook will remain the true giant, with Twitter also playing a big role; in the latter case, tweaks to the main site mean it’s easier than ever for users to link to videos. There are a couple of other outlets that are currently much smaller that are worth keeping an eye on. Social gaming, in which players share their online activity with one another and even co-operate in the game offers a great outlet for targeted advertising that’s likely to be shared among friends. Unlike traditional console gaming, social gaming is much more popular among older and female players. Meanwhile Google’s social network, Google+, has yet to make it into the mainstream but does offer an interesting feature called Hangouts which allows multiple users to watch the same clip at the same time and discuss it in real time.
Social Video is a major part of any company online video marketing strategy and our team have the skills to ensure your video is optimised for full exposure.
Finally there are several high-profile events coming up in 2012 that may lend themselves to widespread sharing of appropriately themed videos. Obvious examples include the Summer Olympics and the US Presidential election, with the supposed end of the world on December 21st also likely to attract online attention.
Give Studio8 a call on 01865 842525 or email us: info@studio-8.com for more information on how we can help you plan and film your next Social Video.
