Animoto Survey Says: Consumers Want More Video Marketing on Web, Social and Email [Infographic]

According to a new survey released today by Animoto, the leading cloud-based online video creation service, consumers are hungry for video and four times as many of them would rather watch a product video than read about it. In fact, of the 1,051 U.S. consumers surveyed, 1 in 4 actually lose interest in a company if it doesn’t have product video. The company issued a press release and infographic detailing the findings of its 2015 Video Marketing Cheat Sheet.

eMarketer estimates that US video advertising will climb to $7.8 billion this year and social media platforms like YouTube, Facebook and Twitter continue to attract and build content partnerships. Animoto CEO Brad Jefferson sees video as a huge opportunity for businesses to engage with consumers:

"The growth of online video marketing in recent years has been tremendous," said Jefferson. "Today, there are more than 7 billion videos watched every day on Facebook and YouTube. Historically, in order to create and distribute high-quality video to your customers it was cost-prohibitive for all but the largest brands. However, today's tools and platforms ensure that small and medium businesses can reach their audiences where they hang out online. This represents one of the biggest marketing opportunities for small businesses in a long time."

Three key themes emerged from the study, data presented below is directly from the press release:

1. Video Marketing Resonates With Consumers (Video drives brand lift)

• 63 percent of consumers say companies that use video know how to reach their customers
• One quarter of consumers lose interest in a company if it doesn't use video
• 56 percent of consumers believe that if a company has a website, it should have video

2. Video Boosts Email Marketing and Social Media Engagement (Connect with consumers)

• 84 percent of all consumers said that they have liked a company video that has appeared in their newsfeed
• 43 percent of consumers are more likely to read email newsletters that include links to video
• 56 percent of consumers have watched a company video that came through email
• Nearly half of all consumers have shared a company video on their own social media profile

3. Video Boosts Email Marketing and Social Media Engagement (Tell your story)

• 80 percent of consumers say a video showing how a product or service works is important when learning about the company
• 56 percent of consumers says customer testimonials are helpful when purchasing a product/service
• About half of customers say that 'about the company' videos are the most helpful when purchasing a product/service

About Animoto: Animoto makes it easy for businesses to create effective, professional videos within minutes with no video editing experience. Businesses use Animoto to enhance and promote their brands, drive website traffic, increase sales, and create dynamic email, social and online marketing campaigns.Founded in 2006, Animoto is based in New York City with an office in San Francisco.  For more information go to: http://animoto.com/business.

Ooyala's 2012 Global Video Index is Great News for Online Video Publishers

According to Ooyala's Global Video Index, "2012 was another historic year in online television," and by 2016, 1.5 billion people will watch online video. Ooyala released its 2012 Q4 video index report last week, which measures the monthly viewing habits of nearly 200 million unique viewers in 130 countries. The report found several key trends of its video publishers reflects the overall state of online video, such as live video matters, premium content matters on all screens, larger the screen = higher engagement, branded video viewing and conversion rates surged during the holiday season, mobile and tablet share doubles, and iPhone users watch twice as much video than Android users.


via Ooyala

Ooyala CEO Jay Fulcher says that three key themes stood out in the report.

 "First, live streaming is the new norm. Online viewers tuned in to the Tour de France, Wimbledon and the U.S. Presidential debates right as they happened, and the data shows viewers watch live video longer on all devices. Second, Tablet TV is surging. The share of tablet video viewing more than doubled last year, as mobile, social and video converged on a single device. And Smart TVs and Gaming Consoles continue to change the way people watch TV. New findings in this Video Index show how viewing patterns change seasonally."

The Lines are Officially Blurred

"One of the most important takeaway of 2012, is that the lines between traditional media and streaming media are really starting to blur," says Ooyala Co-Founder and President of Products Bismarck Lepe. 

It's not just about media being consumed across all devices, Lepe emphasizes, business models are also starting to blur. For example, Netflix is now going direct to consumers with original streaming content, and also going the traditional route by licensing its content to television companies in markets where it doesn't have a streaming business.

"We're probably going to see that 2013 and 2014 are going to be the tipping point period for this industry," says Lepe. "As technology improves and business models catch up to where consumers are obviously headed."

Video Consumption Trends Shift

Lepe says that for online video, we're in the middle of phase one and phase two. Distribution platforms like iTunes, Amazon and Hulu Plus have expanded their selection and made it easier to find and view premium content, replacing Torrent sites and the need for DVDs and physical media. The majority of streaming content is still consumed on smaller screens, but as more connected TVs make it into the home, people will move into the third phase of wanting to see streaming content on bigger screens, which is more of the traditional living room lean-back experience. 

Ooyala sees a spike in mobile video in places where public transportation is more prevalent, for instance, in Japan video consumption on mobile and tablets is more than double of that of the U.S. Viewers are watching video on the screens that are most convenient to them based on the availability of content and quality of service. 

Lepe also predicts that the smartphones war, between iOS and Android will shift over the next year to favor Android platform by 50%.

There's Still Work to Do

"There’s still a lot of work to do," Lepe says. "The industry has yet to agree on standards for online video ad measurement, making it difficult to demonstrate the efficacy of paid streaming content. Network speeds and data-caps also create institutional barriers between viewers and videos. In order for “online video” to fully transition to “online television,” media and technology companies must work together to find common ground in this new media landscape." 

Lepe's view of the online video industry, and specifically, the online video platform market, is that we'll continue to see the cookie-cutter, templated video platforms trying to compete with YouTube for free.

"We're very focused on the top end of the market," says Lepe, "where half a trillion dollars changes hands every year, either with episodic television content or theatrical content – and these companies have historically worked with large systems integrators and consultants to build the spoke systems. But the problem with the spoke systems is that they solve the immediate problem, because there isn't a roadmap that supports the long-term trajectory of a particular industry."

Lepe says Ooyala remains committed to its primary mission, to provide value to its customers with video analytics and monetization tools to help them personalize the video viewing experience across all screens, maximize audience engagement and increase revenue.

Key findings from Ooyala’s 2012 Global Video Index

Live Matters

• In Q4 2012, viewers watched live video 18X longer than VOD on desktops, 5X longer on tablets and 4X longer on mobile. 

Premium Matters on All Screens

• About one third of the total time spent watching tablet video last quarter was with premium, long form content running more than 60 minutes. 
• The percentage of time spent watching long-form video (over 10 minutes) on tablets increased 37% from Q1 to Q4 in 2012. 
• Publishers are fueling the growth trend by making more premium long form content available to consumers

Branded Video Consumption Surges Between Black Friday and Christmas Day

• Conversion rates for branded videos jumped 91% from the start of the quarter to their peak in mid-December. 
• There’s a huge opportunity for retailers, e-tailers and consumer brands to connect with online audiences between Black Friday and Christmas Day. 

Mobile and Tablet Share Doubles

• Measured together, the share of all hours spent watching streaming video on tablets and mobile hones increased 100% in 2012. 

 Home (and Online) For the Holidays

• Short-form video* viewing spikes on Black Friday and Christmas, presumably because people are unpacking and tinkering with new connected devices.
•  The amount of time people spent watching short-form video on Connected TVs & Gaming Consoles increased 500% in the two days following Christmas. 
• The share of time spent watching online video on tablets jumped 73% on Christmas

Phone Wars: iOS vs. Android

• Although Android phones are outselling iPhones globally, last year Apple users watched twice as much online video on their mobile phones.

Download the Global Video Index: 2012 Year in Review here.

Creating Branded Video Experiences Using the Kyte Platform - Curt Van Inwegen, LEVEL

I caught up with Curt Van Inwegen, VP of Client Services at LEVEL Studios at last year's Online Video Platform Summit where he was part of a panel on the topic of how to choose the right online video platform for your business. Van Inwegen offered his insights on what you should consider for selecting the appropriate OVP for your business. LEVEL Studios is an independent digital agency based in San Luis Obispo, California with additional offices in San Jose and El Segundo, California that provides user experience, digital media, and application development solutions.

Van Inwegen suggests that when you're choosing an OVP you need to look at several things. You're not just looking at the technology, you're looking at the ability to gather data on who is looking at your content, what devices they are using, desktop or mobile and what type of mobile, iPhone, iPad, Android or Blackberry. The other piece of it is, looking at whether your content can actually play on those devices or can it be produced from those devices.



With everything going mobile, Van Inwegen, notes that the ability to ingest that content and view it on a variety of different platforms is really what's critical and an OVP will help you distribute your content to all those platforms and devices within the complex and fragmented video landscape. Those are but a few of the key factors he and his team at LEVEL look for in the solutions they provide to their clients.

Van Inwegen says:

"A lot of our clients aren't just looking to post their video up and generate a bunch of ad revenue, they're looking for what we call, branded experiences."

LEVEL's choosing of the Kyte platform was based on the idea that they can have complete control of customization of the video player. Everything that wraps around the video can represent the brand in way that he says isn't available in other platforms. This offers great flexibility in a white labeled solution for any viewing platform whether it's a TV, website or mobile device.

Van Inwegen spoke with Beet.TV last year about how on LEVEL has helped their client Monster Energy Drink create an interactive branded video experience for their loyal fans using the Kyte platform. He says that the flexibility of Kyte's 360° application is incredibly powerful for producing content, both professionally produced or user-generated, and distribution on platforms on mobile, desktop and the social web. Other key features that offer the brand more control and insight are with the moderation tools and analytics suite. Read more here: http://t.co/u3C9tS1

About Curt Van Inwegen

Curt Van Inwegen is the Vice President of Operations at LEVEL Studios, an independent digital agency headquartered in San Luis Obispo. With offices in San Luis Obispo, Los Angeles and San Jose, LEVEL has about 150 employees (more than 100 based in San Luis Obispo) and a client list that includes Apple, Disney, Cisco and Hewlett-Packard, among many others. Prior to joining LEVEL, Curt served as a member of the Orb Networks, Inc. executive team and managed strategic partnerships with companies such as Sprint, Intel, AMD, Hutchison 3 Group, Nokia, Vodafone and Virgin Digital. Curt earned his MBA degree from Loyola Marymount University and his Bachelor’s degree in Business and Accounting from the Loyola College, Maryland.

On a personal level, Curt, his wife Martha and daughter Cyprus live in Atascadero and enjoy all the region has to offer from outdoor activities to wine tasting to the various farmers markets. He’s an active cyclist and enjoys passing mountain bikers on 27-speed bikes uphill with his single speed. From a historical perspective, his Grandmother on his mother’s side was Melba Branch, of the long-standing Branch family in Arroyo Grande.

Follow Curt Van Inwegen (LEVEL_CS) on Twitter

About LEVEL Studios

LEVEL Studios is an independent digital agency that amplifies global brands by innovating across desktop, web and mobile environments. LEVEL provides user experience, digital media, and application development solutions. Its solutions include user experience design and research, brand promotion strategy, and marketing research and planning; enterprise application design, Web services development and integration, content management implementation, technology architecture consulting, and hosting and managed services; J2EE, .NET, PHP, and ColdFusion-based systems engineering; and intranet, extranet, and portal solutions. The company’s services also include brand and campaign development, social media, information design, and search engine marketing; and 3D design and development, Web and application interface design, video and post production, Web production, and database engineering. LEVEL Studios was formerly known as Web Associates, Inc. The company was founded in 1995 and is based in San Luis Obispo, California with additional offices in San Jose and El Segundo, California. As of September 20, 2010, LEVEL Studios operates as a subsidiary of Rosetta Marketing Strategies Group, Inc.

Related:

• Beet.TV: High-Octane Monster Drink Builds Video Destination for Fans
• Kyte: LEVEL uses Kyte to bring the “Monster Army” Alive Online
• LEVEL/Monster Kyte Video Platform Case Study [PDF]
• 84 Online Video Platforms, 1 Website, 1 Show. « Online Video and Video Providers - VidCompare
• Online Video Platform Summit 2 Videos « Online Video and Video Providers - VidCompare
• The Marketing Lifecycle as it Applies to Client Service - LEVEL [PDF]