In celebration of YouTube’s 7th birthday, I decided to take a moment to reflect on the changing landscape of video once again.
Due to the proliferation of video, which is largely due to YouTube’s astounding success and the affordability of videomaking tools, people have more options now than ever before to create videos and to control the videos they are watching. Many good things come from this. We can share video. like never before. There are apps to share so that you can easily record and share video on mobile devices, you can immediately upload video to Facebook or YouTube seconds after it is recorded, people stream video online and no longer have to wade through the many channels of unwanted television. Consumers control content, content is everywhere, this is a tune we all know and the song is only getting stronger.
When it comes to companies, however, it is important to take a step back. Just because a company can whip up a video on a flip phone and blast it out in an hour doesn’t necessarily mean they should. Where cost used to be a deterrant that kept marketing videos strategic and well-planned, the barrier now is more about effort.
Accessibility has changed the game, yet one thing that has not changed is the value of creating quality content. More than ever it is important that videos connect with the target audience, with messaging that drives action and quality that reflects the value of a company. The quality of video becomes more important as companies grow and want the perceived value of their brand reflected in the videos consumers are watching. A recent survey shows that “Sixty-eight percent of executives at large companies with more than 25,000 workers say that video’s content quality” is the most important factor affecting a purchase decision.
Why, then, are some many companies producing poor quality video without strategy behind their story, audience and visuals? Partially in thanks to the catchy tune that YouTube started, the fear of being left behind without a YouTube channel, the desire to produce video because anyone can do it now, so anyone does.
I’m not asking companies to halt all production and only pay high fees for high quality video. What I am suggesting is that we need to remember that a video that represents your brand. So a company must weigh the importance and value of the quality of their image and message as heavily as the accessibility of the tools to create it. It won’t matter how cheaply and quickly you produce video if it doesn’t resonate with your target audience, or worse, turns them off.
You are reading Atomic80, the nickname for the element Mercury and the blog for Mercury Labs, a company focused on the science of cinema and communications. Contact us to learn more about how Mercury Labs can help transform your raw ideas into compelling video and/or PR programs.