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Perspectives | Video

3 Things the Experts Taught Us About Online Video in 2014

While television still dominates video viewing, Americans ages 18 to 64 have doubled their digital video viewing in recent years to nearly 27 minutes a day with almost two-thirds of U.S. adults watching videos online. Given that educated, affluent, and younger Americans are the largest consumers of digital video, it isn’t a big surprise that ad dollars are following these attractive eyeballs. Digital video advertising is growing at a rate of 43.5% year over year. And, by 2017, it is predicted that digital video advertising will make up 15% of the digital advertising market.

There are audiences to be found and revenue to be generated in online video and brands of all types are upping their video offerings. Here are some insights from industry experts to guide the way:

Video is Everywhere (or Should Be).

It’s our responsibility to know our audience, provide engaging solutions across devices, and then optimize delivery based on the real behavior impact each is having.
— Greg Jackson, Chief Data Officer, Everyday Health
@everydayhealth

Millennial women want to consume information…on whatever device suits them – tablet, mobile and, increasingly, Connected TV.
—Laura Rowley, Vice President, Video Production and Product for the Meredith National Media Group
@LauraRowleyNY  @MeredithCorp

While the functionality might change based on screen size and capability, the interactions and design should be familiar and cohesive. We conceive of products and experiences as capable of being multiscreen and part of a larger product portfolio / offering.
—Ryan Spoon, SVP Digital Product, ESPN
@ryanspoon  @ESPN

We have the ability to be with our audience all day, every day, everywhere. We are literally in the reader’s pocket. It is incredible. We used to think in terms of one deep experience a day. Now we think about delivering a core reader that deep experience plus making ten other touch points a day. We are holding their hand in line at the grocery store and keeping them company on a long subway ride.
— Kate Lewis, VP, Hearst Magazines Digital Media
@kcwl  @HearstCorp

There is a shift away from TV to online, set top boxes and mobile. Sooner or later, it will hit a point of no return, where video is not just the domain of what is happening on TV.
—Andrew Lipsman, Vice President of Marketing & Insights, comScore
@comScore

All of the experiences, from one screen to the next, need to act in concert with one another, resulting in an overall experience that is greater than the sum of the individual parts.
— Rob Hayes, EVP Digital Media, NBCUniversal
@NBCUniversal

Be Creative with Creation.

Taking it across four typical distribution paths – TV, OTT, Web, Mobile – will yield a different approach to how the content is developed and produced. Within each of those distribution paths there’s also an additional layer of UX that will inevitably dictate how audiences interact with that content; the key is to be as far upstream and as aware of your goals as possible.
—Gabriel Lewis, EVP Development & Strategy Maker Studios
@TheGabrielLewis  @MakerStudios

When it comes to reaching your audience on a medium like YouTube, you have to be more creative and work with the existing talent.
—Claire Tavernier, Managing Director, Channel Flip Media
@CTav  @channelflip

It is still early days for this play in digital video and we are eager to learn from our audiences what they want and what works. That’s the great value digital brings: We get immediate feedback and we can continue to learn and experiment.
—Molly Baldwin, Director of Editorial Operations for GolfDigest.com
@GolfDigest

Hire a video team with TV and analytics experience to collaborate with magazine editors instead of just telling the magazine staff to “do video.”
—Laura Rowley, Vice President, Video Production and Product for the Meredith National Media Group
@LauraRowleyNY  @MeredithCorp

The entire BI team is involved in creating video now. Find universal, evergreen topics that will appeal to your audience and make videos people want to share.
—Justin Maiman Executive Producer of Video, Business Insider
@JMAIMAN @businessinsider

Video is a Millennial Must.

Video is a natural communication medium for anyone under the age of 25.
—Jim Louderback, GM of Discovery Digital Networks
@jlouderb  @DiscoveryDN

We’d be crazy not to do a deep dive into digital video. We know that it is how millennial women want to consume information.
—Laura Rowley, Vice President, Video Production and Product, Meredith National Media Group
@LauraRowleyNY  @MeredithCorp

Millennials want a seamless, any-screen, digital-first experience with analytics-driven personalization—all priced significantly lower than pay TV.
—Todd Beilis, Managing director for the Media & Entertainment, Accenture
@Accenture

For younger and international audiences, mobile video has been an opportunity for us. We do see that our video skews younger so it introduces new audiences into NYT premium journalism.
—Sara Poorsattar, The New York Times’ Director of Video Products
@saraparveen @nytimes

Industry-Research

Hub Research: TV Advertising in an OTT World report

A research outlet Hub Research asked 1,200 US consumers, who watch at least 5 hours of TV per month and use at least one online ad-supported online video service, to rate quality, quantity and relevance of advertising they see on ad-supported online video sites, such as TV Everywhere services, Hulu and YouTube. The researchers concluded that viewer tolerance for ads drops off sharply after 5 ads per half hour of viewing.

Click here for Hub Research site.

Click here for Media Post coverage.

MEC GroupM Header
Perspectives

Q&A: Catherine Salazar, Managing Partner, Practice Lead MEC, on Targeting Millennials

Q: How are you shaping advertising messages to get and hold attention of Millennials?Catherine Salazaar Headshot

A: We’re taking a two-fold approach of using insights and media execution to shape the messages that will ideally get a hold of Millennials.

By partnering with our clients and creative partners we’ve been able to craft the right media mix from insights gathered in the pre-planning phases.

Secondly, in our media execution we’ve started “storytelling,” essentially using video sequencing.  We have an arsenal of assets and short-form content that the creative agency has provided in the voice of Millennials, and the goal is to go back to our former days of storyboarding where we take Millennials on a journey.  The journey begins with content that is subtle and leads with a mix of spots and short form content to strike the right balance of how we want consumers to experience the brand and campaign.

Q: How are you leveraging social media to communicate with Millennials and to provide CRM?

A:  CRM is no longer about sending a customer emails to keep them engaged with the brand.  Millennial CRM is about delivering engagement and giving them what they want, when they want it.  The most relevant way for brands to do this is through platforms like Tumblr, Instagram and Twitter in visually compelling ways to carry a conversation in short or long form where preference is up to the user and not the brand.  Moreover, we are using social media to be transparent.  For a campaign like AT&T’s “It Can Wait,” we recognized the need to move away from scare tactics for this audience, and instead focused on engaging in authentic and honest dialogue on Tumblr. This enabled the brand to connect with Milliennials on an emotional level and makethem feel good about their decision not to text and drive.

For Millenials, a key aspect is trust. We are building trust by delivering programs like AT&T’s @SummerBreak which was a first of its kind entertainment experience; a mobile optimized, real-time, interactive reality show, connecting viewers to the teenage cast members across various social platforms.  We supported this program via paid platforms and it spoke to the insight that non-linear content was becoming a key component of the media behavior of the target and that mobile was the primary platform for digital media usage.

Q: What is the number one takeaway to keep in mind when targeting Millennials?

A:  Millennials are consuming media in all shapes and forms, but mobile and tablets have drastically changed the way they consume media.  In the 80s and 90s the Gen X’ers had posters of their favorite brands on their walls, in 2014 the question becomes, how does a brand become that digital poster to a Millennial?

Catherine Salazar is Managing Partner and Digital Practice Lead at MEC on the AT&T business. With over 14 years of marketing, advertising, management and leadership experience, Catherine is currently focused on all digital media investment across display, video, mobile, search and social for AT&T’s General Market, Youth, International, Multicultural, LGBT and Sponsorship efforts.

Prior to MEC, Catherine worked and helped launch Microsoft’s Search platform in the U.S. and Canada. Catherine also worked in the display advertising space with Focint.com, Agency.com and JPMorgan Chase Credit Cards from 1999 through 2004 providing media strategy for Bookspan, British Airways, Brown & Co. and Chase Credit Cards. Catherine is a graduate of New York University.

Innovation | Revenue

Q&A: Aaron Broder, CEO & Co-Founder Evolve Media, on Video Ad Innovation

Q: To drive success in video advertising, what is the most important thing to consider?

AaronBroderA: Distribution. Content will always remain king, but without a clear distribution strategy, you can spend weeks producing the perfect piece of video content that no one can find. You have to take the video straight to the most relevant audience by syndicating the content through editorials anchored on premium sites, written by key influencers and social platforms, and supported by custom in-banner executions. By taking this approach, your soon-to-be award-winning video will now stand a chance to reach viral success.

It is also essential to deliver the right ad in the right context. It is all about respecting the audience that is watching the video ad. By taking the video ad straight to the most relevant audience, the client will see a much higher general brand lift vs. a shotgun approach across thousands of random sites.

Q: Describe one of your recent video advertising campaigns that you think is particularly innovative:

A: Momtastic.com, a TotallyHer Media property, partnered with major automotive brand to launch ‘Talk Tech’. The custom section, promoting the brands new tech in-vehicle system, centered around a branded video series shot and produced by TotallyHer Media. The series featured a former TV Producer and Momtastic’s “tech mom,” Rita Mauceri, as she offered quick tips on how to improve daily routines by using the cars product. In addition to the custom section housing this content, these videos were distributed across the Momtastic network targeting mom blogs and content sites.

While most advertisers try to evoke an emotional response to drive virality, the TotallyHer Media team took a different approach with the auto brand. They produced content that is relevant, practical and informative, successfully positioning the brand in commonplace situations that moms face. In addition, the team focused on distribution, syndicating the content not only on Momtastic.com but also across relevant mom blogs. The result? Our audience was eager to not only watch the content, but to also share it within their social circles. That is ultimately the goal of every successful campaign.

Q: What do you think is working well in video advertising?

A: One of the most fascinating trends over the past year is the rise of online video. Agencies are starting to focus on developing video strategies, separate from their offline TV Spots, allowing brands to connect with a wider audience online. From Dove Real Beauty Sketches to Volvo Trucks “Live Test”, clients and agencies alike have really embraced this creative process resulting in advertising being organically consumed as content.

As a result of this shift, publishers play a larger role in producing the content for agencies/clients and launching social seeding. The key with any campaign is connecting with the right audience and this is what publishers bring to the table. While the web is moving towards an impersonal programmatic buying model, video-based advertising, especially long-form digital video, requires partnerships with publishers to ignite the conversation by placing the right content in front of their users, something no automated system can ever reproduce.

Aaron Broder is currently CEO of Evolve Media, LLC., which he co-founded with Brian Fitzgerald (originally as Gorilla Nation Media, LLC) in 2000. In 2004, Aaron and Brian developed a Web publishing business that specializes in vertical publishing for men and women with its two flagship publishers, CraveOnline Media and TotallyHer Media.

Note:  This interview is part of our “Three on Three” series in which we ask three executives the same three questions to uncover actionable insights.

Also in this series:

Q&A: Beth Lawrence, EVP Digital Sales, Scripps Networks Interactive, on Video Ad Innovation

 

Perspectives | Research

Research Reveals that Women Want Inspiring, Authentic and Useful Videos — From Media and Marketers

Women seek out and value lifestyle videos for two main reasons—to be entertained and to be inspired— according to new research undertaken by Scripps Networks Interactive’s ulive video network and POPSUGAR (conducted by conducted by Ipsos OTX.) Among the key findings of the study, which focused on U.S. women ages 18-49, was that a large majority of women prefer to view lifestyle video that entertains them (74%),helps them learn (71%), and inspires them to try something new (60%).

Underscoring the value of such research, Lisa Choi Owens, chief operating officer of ulive said, “Understanding what our audience emotionally connects to helps us know what to create for them and how and where to program that content to maximize relevance.” And, not surprisingly, the research revealed that women have clearly defined views of what they’d like to see in the lifestyle video they consume. The study shows that 49% of women want to see more videos that provide “how-to instructions” on how to accomplish the task, cook the meal, get the look or learn the exercise. Women also want more personalization, including content that is based on their interests (46%), that is short and of high quality (30%).

“We’re learning how our current audience segments feel about our existing content categories, as well as the new ones we’re expanding into,” said Choi Owens. “That emotional connection is even further deepened by the quality and authenticity of our content.”

Authenticity is, in fact, among the qualities that female video consumers specifically value. Women strongly prefer high-quality video that is authentic, concise and positive in tone. Significantly, the most avid lifestyle video consumers seek video content that is fun to watch (59%), authentic and real (48%), and features hosts that are passionate about the topic (38%).

ulive ScreenRob McLoughlin, vice president of POPSUGAR Insights found respondents’ desire for positive content among the most interesting findings of the research. “With the large amount of negative and salacious commentary found on the web, women increasingly seek funny, profound and inspirational videos that are compelling and entertaining,” said McLoughlin.

The good news for media and other brands alike is that women are open to hearing from brands and take action when relevant brands are appropriately presented in their favorite lifestyle video content. In fact, 54% of women watch lifestyle videos to learn more about products and brands, and 50% of avid lifestyle video consumers (women who stream 240+ minutes of lifestyle content a month) have visited a site or brick and mortar store to purchase the product they saw advertised in a lifestyle video.

Innovation | Research

Discovery Digital Networks Growth Fueled by Staff Superfans

Discovery Digital Networks is feeling the love from its audience more than ever. The web-native portfolio, which is made up of four original video networks – Revision3, TestTube, Animalist and the DeFranco Network – has increased views and audience 400% since Revision3 joined the Discovery Communications family in May 2012. An increased focus on video has been a key factor in the growth. Today, fans across these four digital networks are consuming, on average, 160 million video views each month and, in social circles, the communities are stronger than ever – with 35 million followers and 14 million Facebook fans.

Discovery’s digital-native portfolio has driven its growth the ‘Discovery way,’ with highly curated, premium content. Content that Discovery owns. Great storytelling is at the heart of the programming, led by show hosts who are as authentic as the content itself. It’s the relationship between the show host and each community that drives engagement.

In fact, according to the latest Discovery Digital Networks’ Audience Survey, the most compelling driver of views and social interaction is the fact that Discovery hosts are, themselves “superfans of their brands, the network and its content,” according to Suzanne McDonnell, SVP of Sales Strategy & Client Solutions at Discovery Communications.

Discovery TestTube ScreenAccording to Discovery’s research, the authenticity of its hosts is at the core of why its content resonates with fans and advertisers alike. As McDonnell puts it, “our hosts are experts not actors. They are born of the communities that they represent.” This affinity between the shows’ fans and the equally engaged hosts has inspired the programming.

Comments from survey respondents made this sentiment clear: “The Rev3Games team comes across as honest professional[s] that actually play and enjoy games…You are critics, yes, but you also have a love for gaming.” Of Hak5, a respondent said “I think it is the personalities that make it top notch. They really seem to be enjoying themselves.” And one DNews viewer said “I feel just like I’m listening to a friend talk.”

Discovery Digital Networks found that 97% of viewers are very/somewhat satisfied with the host’s personality and 92% with the host’s expertise. This fact, says McDonnell, keeps the network focused on “a hosted-show model around which we build passionate communities.”

The power of highly curated, premium programing, led by authentic hosts, extends itself to advertisers as well. Discovery’s research found that 64% of respondents feel that brands featured within the network programs are usually a good fit with the show/channel, and 50% have more confidence in brands featured within the programming. “Viewers trust Discovery Digital Networks to feature brands that are relevant to them. Viewers’ highly favorable opinions of our content adds a halo effect to brands featured within the content,” says McDonnell. “That presents unparalleled opportunity for advertisers to join the conversation and become a member of these communities.”

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