This post I want to mention something we don't consider too much when thinking of the growing online video space: too much video stimulation.
Thinking about this recently, and then coming across this article from Dorian Sweet on Clickz, motivated me to think a little more about the stimulation factor of online video and how it can impact our marketing campaigns.
The major thing to consider in the over-stimulation area, is the response of the viewer. Video has it's strengths and weaknesses. Simply putting up a video with no purpose other than to be watched, from a marketing perspective won't hack it in the new internet video world.
Don't think in terms of watching your favorite TV show on or from the Internet here, that's different subject. I'm talking about marketing campaigns and the inclusion of video on our web sites for the purpose of keeping people around and driving sales.
Part of the problem of over-stimulation is the user-generated video world, which for the most part isn't too interesting, but provides just enough occasional good video to keep people searching for the hidden gem. What that does though is provide a video experience online that is too stimulating; too charged.
By that I mean people get a rush from the search and discovery in a way that can make the video they watch blurred and blended in their consciousness, which interferes with those marketing through video, as the stimulation makes the video a commodity. Many people, other than in their TV shows or movies, don't make a lot of distinction between professional and amateur video - at least not yet.
The bottom line is there's already far too much video online, and it's going to continue to grow into the distant future unabated.
When I say, far too much video online, I mean in the sense of clouding the picture, of making it difficult to differentiate or even be found.
For marketing purposes, online video must have a compelling feature of some sort included with the production. There must be the interactive element in most cases, to offer viewers a chance to do something with it. Depending on what we're selling and to who, a touch of humor is also a big factor in keeping viewers interested in the video, even if it's an ad.
The nature of video is that it provides a passive environment, from years of TV socializing us into being video spectators. The Internet is starting to change all that, and we must go along with that and break through the passivity of visitors to get them involved in the video ad and process.
I'm not only talking about the obvious idea of differentiation here, that's already a given in whatever we do as marketers. I'm talking about breaking through a practice that's been around for decades, which will determine those who succeed the best with online video marketing and productions.
Breaking through video viewing passivity is one of the very real problems and challenges we face in online video marketing in the years ahead. Understanding that it is a problem is the first step in solving it.
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