News Sharing: Online Video, A Promising Market (Part III)

Part III: What’s that buzz ? Some facts about online campaigns

If you look at the top ten of most watched videos on the web, music videos score very high, so do movie trailers, followed closely by user generated films – preferably kids making funny faces, and commercials ‘with an edge’.

So how does a video become viral ? Is there a secret formula ? Studies show that there is no fixed rule, it’s all quite unpredictable.

However, one thing is for sure, a video needs some vital (or rather viral) ingredients whether it is in its content or in the way it is brought to the audience’s attention. One such ingredient is its entertainment value. A viral video is by essence entertaining, it needs to catch the audience’s attention, make them laugh to tears, cry in sobs, astonish, question, want to watch further and ultimately share. Free distribution can be achieved only if the commercial is tailored to the viewer’s greed for entertainment. The reason is that unlike TVCs which ‘invade’ the viewer in the middle of a tv program and compel him to look, online commercials are watched by personal choice, very much consciously. More than just communicate, brands need to interact with the viewer. Furthermore, these are audiences that actively seek out the content, giving brands incredible engagement with consumers if the video hits the target.

The shorter, the better. However this is not always true, as some online campaigns are longer than traditional TVCs, ranging from 1 to 3min. Subject matters vary from old grannies nagging in an airport (our own Taanaeel’s “Teta Latifeh”) to teens doing stunts in the street (Levi’s), from babies on rollers (Evian) to colorful magic balls bouncing away in the streets of San Fransisco (Sony). Usually what works best are funny, silly or shocking subjects, unexpected endings, stunts, sex, spoofs, funny faces, a twist on current events, choreography, special effects… Whatever the subject might be, the brand needs to take the backseat and remain discrete so as not to invade the viewer but it should be visible enough so that the video accomplishes its role of advertising. The balance is very delicate and might determine whether the video goes viral or not.

Professionalism is another important factor in the equation. Though the amateur, do-it-yourself aesthetic works well on the net, for commercials this is only true if they are produced professionally with the intention of giving the video a home-made look. It doesn’t mean that the ad will need to be filmed in 35mm with state of the art lighting. One of the advantages of making an online commercial is precisely its cost as it is much more economical to produce than a traditional TVC. However, the production and direction of the video need to be in the hands of professionals, with the right equipment and a strong concept.

Once the commercial is shot and ready, it needs to reach the cyber viewer through the right channels. Posting your video on Youtube and waiting for the world to discover it – that is 1 in 20 videos posted every minute, is not going to work unless you give it the right push. It helps to have an online communication plan that takes into account referencing and tagging, paid placements (video banners on dedicated sites), organic seeding (on blogs, social media sites…). Then see how the buzz – in other words free distribution, starts to spread.

News Sharing: Online Video, A Promising Market (Part II)

PART II: Video - An essential element of a company’s communications mix

"The one big shift we're going to see in the next three to five years is going to be video advertising" - Google's president of global sales operations and business development, Nikesh Arora. (Source : Reuters – 4th December 2009)
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When Youtube was just a slice of imagination in the brain of its creators, video communication on the net would limit itself to a few institutional movies and tv adverts uploaded on company websites or sent as an attachment by email. We could call it Web 1.0 viralization. TV Commercials such as Budweiser’s ‘Whassup’ were very much appreciated and had already what it takes to be a viral video.

Today, not only are TVCs recycled on the net, but brands choose to communicate online by creating video content that is adapted to the medium and the audience. They understand the power of such a flexible tool that can be easily distributed to their target audience via the social media channels, email, video banners.

And, indeed social media revolution plays a crucial role in changing the essence of communications marketing and distribution strategy completely. Internal and external communications are more and more integrated, the line between above and below is slowly fading and corporate video communications (web tv, web channel, institutional movie…) are gaining ground. Moreover blogs, video sharing and social media sites maximize the influence and visibility of a company through higher search engine rankings. Finally, an e-campaign stays online for a long period of time and needs to be viewed as a long term brand building tool.

All this said, it is no wonder that in the years to come online video will be an essential part of a company’s communications mix as it allows for a large scale, dynamic and effective broadcast, bypassing traditional and more expansive media outlets.

News Sharing: Online Video, A Promising Market (Part I)

An article by the Origami team on online video.

PART I: Fast and furious development



1997. The first ever viral video appears on the web. The Internet is still at its very beginning and social media has not yet conquered cyberspace. As soon as it did or rather as soon as Youtube was launched in 2005 and made it possible to upload videos easily, that’s when online video started its furious ascension. Other technological factors sped up the process: broadband connection and the democratization of DV cameras. In fact, most of the early videos that exploded on our screens were amateur, home-made, candid films. And Youtube understood this very well, coming up with the tagline Broadcast Yourself. (By the way, the “do-it-yourself” aesthetic tendency is still apparent in some of the more professional productions today).

Internet users watched, commented and shared. 2.0 viralization was born. This of course caught the attention of the marketing and advertising world that started adopting this new media and adapting it to its clients’ needs. A superior quality of image was offered; content and formats started looking more professional, broadcasting yourself became synonymous with broadcasting your brand.

Today over 20h of video are posted every minute on Youtube (as well as Dailymotion, Veoh, Goodle video, Vimeo, Myspace…). You’ll find TV programs next to candid videos, music video clips (music related clips are one of the most popular video formats on the web, so much so that MTV had to stop broadcasting them. A new online channel, VEVO was even launched end 2009 for this purpose), trailers, online campaigns… all brought to you on the little screen free of charge.

News Sharing : Random statistics on online video

Worldwide
• Video Ads grew by 45% in 2009 and will follow a steady growth in 2010. (Source: eMarketer)

• Video Ads click through rate are 10 times higher than any other ad format. (Source: AdAge)

• 79,5% of Internet users have viewed online videos and appreciate them (source: ISOBAR)

• By 2012, 4 out of 5 U.S. Internet users will view video ads (source: eMarketer) -not surprising, since such ads will be ubiquitous by then.

• 65% of the people viewing videos online are between the ages of 35 and 64. And 67% of those earn a middle to high income. (Source: http://www.marketingzen.com/)

• Viral video campaigns are likely to produce desirable results. The majority of respondents (56%) reported being "pleased" with the results of a viral video campaign. Less than 3% say they have been displeased. (Viral Video Marketing Survey, conducted by Feed Co, 2008)



Lebanon
• 400,000 facebook users

• 27% Internet penetration

• Top 3 international websites visited: 1. facebook 2. Google 3. Live

• Top 3 local websites visited: 1. tayyar.org 2. elnashra.com 3. alfa.com.lb

• Main usages by order of importance: 1. social media 2. email 3. research

News Sharing: Lebanon ready for Web 2.0 before it turns to 3.0?

The first month of the year is already behind us. Another 11 to go till 2011. What are the tendencies that e-marketers are expecting for 2010? They have started talking about “Web 3.0” and Augmented Reality, however Lebanon is still miles behind when it comes to “Web 2.0”. The low broadband capacity and penetration is one culprit. The other is perhaps ignorance; and ignorance breeds fear. On the one hand, ‘private’ internet users are very much present and active on social media networks (400,000 on Facebook), blogs, microcasting sites (i.e. youtube, dailymotion etc.). On the other, ‘professional’ users, or rather companies, still shy away from the big bad online and stay in their offline comfort zone.

Having a website, an email campaign or a static banner on the internet does not mean that one is communicating online. That still is very much "Web 1.0" mentality. It is time to take that big step to the virtual world, without alienating the real one. A well thought out, balanced communication plan which encompasses both worlds is probably the key to success. Offline professionals are not always online experts. There are particular elements and parameters that apply in the virtual sphere; i.e. SEO, organic seeding, rich media, social media, interactivity. If these are well put to practice with the help of ‘online gurus’, the result can be as rewarding, or more, than a regular through-the-line campaign alone.

For instance, a website should be more than a business card on the web: it has to breathe, grow, interact, tell stories, invite people, include them in a community… It has to recommend ideas, ask for feedback, get users involved. Adding a blog and a video can work wonders. Creating a "web within the web" by linking the website to a facebook fan page, a youtube video channel, a special contest site are just some basic ideas that need to be developed into full online communication tools. All of this actually enhances “free” search engine optimization, thus exposure. And if one really wants to take it a step further, it can even broadcast a company web TV channel like Renault, Accenture or Cadbury do. Based on a company’s size, field, vision and target group, an online communication plan can easily be tailor-made. It is important to keep in mind that the name of the 'game' is to grab users attention, for attention has become the “Web 2.0” currency.

Do not underestimate the entertainment factor. Internet users are looking for content on the net to entertain them, i.e. online videos. Unlike TVCs, online videos are not intrusive and will not prompt the person who is watching them to go grab something from the kitchen during a commercial break. Furthermore, they are much more cost effective to produce and distribute than a traditional tvc. And, if the online video manages to touch the emotional, comical, wild or spectacular side of the person watching it, bingo! There are chances he/she will share it with online friends and the video will be on its way to becoming viral. Thus, watching an online commercial is not a passive but an active act. Attention turns into action. The internet user becomes a brand advocate. Word of mouse takes over.

Yes, online measuring tools are not optimal yet. Yes, the internet is still pretty much the Wild West and one has to let go of some control. But it is the way ahead. And if one wants to be ahead - of the competition that is, it will need to start thinking, if not “3.0”, then at least “2.0”!

Here is an example of how Lebanon can be “2.0”: http://www.iloubnan.info/. Follow the link to iloubnan.info’s video… and if you like it, share it.

News Sharing : SEO & Video Marketing

Since online videos are the most entertaining internet media, they are seen as effective tool to maximize web marketing opportunities of your business.

Search engine optimization are usually about building links for your site and making your site search engine friendly while also user-friendly to get higher ranking in the search engine results page. Since SEO industry is growing bigger and bigger today, SEO has become even more than what we used to think it covers. Video marketing is also covered as one of the SEO strategies. Its purpose is not just to build links for the site naturally but more importantly, to get voluminous traffic.

Three benefits of video marketing for your business: (a) inbound links, (b) web traffic, and (c) higher ranking in search engine results pages.

When you incorporate video marketing as another SEO strategy, expect that in few times to wait, you'll get more links, more traffic and higher ranking in the search engine results page happening all at once.

Source: WebmarketingExperts

News Sharing: Yahoo, Google see mobile, video ad growth

NEW YORK, Dec 3 (Reuters) - The advertising industry is still healing from the economic downturn, but Google Inc (GOOG.O) and Yahoo Inc (YHOO.O) see significant opportunities to reap ad dollars from nascent businesses like online video and mobile phones.

Senior executives from the two Web companies, speaking at the Reuters Global Media summit in New York on Thursday, said new forms of online advertising are set to grow into key components of their businesses in the next few years.

"The one big shift we're going to see in the next three to five years is going to be video advertising," said Google's president of global sales operations and business development, Nikesh Arora.
He cited what he said was a $200 billion television ad market moving to online video sites such as Google's YouTube.

"If you believe there's a big consumer shift going on, the advertising dollars will have to follow," Arora said of the increasing popularity of watching video on the Web. Google has made a big bet on online video with its 2006 acquisition of YouTube for $1.65 billion.

Google and Yahoo are both hunting for new sources of growth amid a challenging advertising environment. Google, the world's No. 1 search engine, increased its revenue 7 percent year-over-year to $5.94 billion in its most recently ended quarter, compared with the 40 percent-plus clip at which its revenue was growing as recently as the start of 2008.

News Sharing : La Web TV, outil de communication efficace

En parlant de vidéo en ligne, souvent on fait référence aux campagnes pub vidéo qui deviennent ou non virales. Mais les vidéos sur le web ne se limitent pas à des campagnes limitées à du B2C qu’on retrouve sur YouTube ou autres sites sociaux.

Dans ce cadre, la création et la mise en pratique de la Web tv semble intéresser de plus en plus les entreprises. Celle-ci peut se trouver sur le site de l’entreprise comme sur son intranet, s’adresser aux managers et employés mais aussi aux clients B2B ou B2C.

Jusqu’il y a peu, la Web tv s’est limitée à du stockage en ligne de vidéos. Mais, elle commencent à se professionnaliser et à attirer de plus en plus les entreprises. Elle doit allier : le Web (référencement, format…), la tv et la communication. Pour ce qui est du contenu : Contenus de reconnaissance (portraits, interviews, microtroittoires), contenus de partage (formation, …), contenus événementiels.

Des groupes comme Arcelor Mittal, Orange, Boeing ou encore Cadbury ou Accenture ont déjà lancé leur Web tv, qu’elle soit ponctuelle (le temps d’une campagne) ou permanente. Apparemment, dans les 4 années qui suivent, toutes les grandes marques auront créé leur Web tv.

Au Liban, la Web tv n’a pas encore réellement démarrée, or la tendance y est déjà. Par exemple, Annahar (presse écrite !) a créé son ‘web tv ’ qu’il diffuse via sa chaîne YouTube.

Extrait de l’article paru à ce sujet dans http://www.strategies.fr/:

« La Web TV n'est pas la télévision. Par sa matrice Internet, elle s'inscrit de plain-pied dans une logique de réseau. Elle actionne les techniques de captation d'audience et de création de trafic offertes par la toile : diffusion maximisée des contenus, exploitation des communautés virtuelles, présence sur les réseaux sociaux, etc. Une Web TV, c'est du rich media. Un mode de communication avec des codes et une puissance d'impact propres. Selon Brainsonic, le taux de mémorisation au bout de 48 heures est de 60 % pour le rich media, contre 40% pour l'audiovisuel et seulement 12% pour le texte.

Le rich média, c'est surtout un métier en soi, construit autour d'un bataillon d'expertises : industrialisation des processus de production, référencement vidéo, animation des communautés, production et organisation des contenus. »

Pour l’article complet, clicker ici !

News Sharing: Les attraits de l’e-communication

Extrait de l'article E-communication

Internet : un média de masse individualisé
Par Rana Hatem, Dir. Com. du portail iloubnan.info

Internet ne se positionne pas nécessairement comme l’adversaire des médias traditionnels, mais plutôt en complémentarité. Les raisons de se diriger vers les canaux interactifs sont multiples : les coûts, la réactivité, un meilleur ciblage, une plus grande créativité…

La communication sur Internet permet d’utiliser des formats variés et interactifs. Le temps et l’espace sont traités différemment. L’e-communication sort des repaires habituels que sont les 30 secondes d’un spot TV, les pages A4 des magazines… pour atteindre un public cible dans sa vie quotidienne.

Elle permet la souplesse (des formats, créativité…) et la polyvalence (variation des messages selon le même concept).

C’est une communication différente par nature, elle n’est pas statique, elle peut évoluer et se développer en réponse à l’interaction du consommateur. L’on passe d’un monologue à un dialogue. Il y a une notion d’échange de valeur. L’annonceur donne des informations, de la distraction, des services… en échange de quoi l’internaute va prêter attention au produit et à la marque.

Clicker ici pour l'article complet!

Check out full article here!