Once a year, I ask our creative team to think about an educational video for our sales team to share with clients. In past years, we’ve created an animated series on Goldie the goldfish.
The focus of the Goldie videos was to stress to communicators that they have mere seconds to catch their audience’s attention. Back then, finding stats about the role online video plays in communications was still relatively nascent. We had to dig.
Today, the data is everywhere. Curating is the hard part. That leaves the bulk of the work to creative expression. The MultiVu team, led by producer Jillian Breslin, settled on a safari concept, with its potential for the unknown, the tension-building audio possibilities, and the variety of characters that might occupy a canopied setting.
The video takes the viewer on a journey where they’re confronted by five essential video types every marketer should be considering as they compete for attention in a crowded marketplace.
The viewer is confronted by animals large and small, seen from an open 4×4 safari vehicle and narrated by an expert, though occasionally unctuous guide.
- We’re first exposed to the Social Video. It’s represented by the meerkat, which is short in stature and has an equally short attention span. The supporting stat: 65 percent of people who watch a social video for at least 3 seconds are likely to watch for another 10 seconds, and 45 percent of them will stick around for a full 30 seconds.
- Next, we are confronted by a narcissistic lion in the Live Streaming Video. The live streaming video can be utilized effectively at a conference, a large event or demonstration—because everyone likes to watch. On average, people spend 3 times longer watching live streaming videos than non-live videos. Live videos have been shown to increase brand favorability by as much as 63 percent.
- As our guide rounds the corner, we happen upon a happy elephant in the Animated Video. At MultiVu Creative, we’re big fans of animation, and that’s because humans process pictures much faster than text. A well-executed animation can evoke nostalgia… not a bad extra when trying to move your audience to action.
- Almost at the end of our safari, and with grandma looking a little worse for wear, we arrive at a tearful giraffe. This is the Emotional Video. In this scene, the giraffe is inexplicably taken by two adorable bunnies. Our safari passengers are reminded that most consumers evaluate a brand based on emotion, rather than information.
- Finally, we approach the Product Video. Here a dowager ostrich nimbly displays her ability to add items to her shopping cart. Our guide reminds us that 4 out of 5 millennials consider video content when making their purchasing decisions. Keep in mind though, that 81 percent of millennials expect companies to tout their corporate responsibility too.
The Video Content Jungle leaves us with the reminder that you don’t just want to survive in today’s competitive content jungle: you want to be king.
