Moving pictures can be dangerous. Witness video of me, circa 1988, clad in acid-washed jeans with a shock of hair resembling a dump truck in full tilt.
Same thing applies to a new generation of video and the media machine it feeds every second of the day. When it comes to branded video content—or even content used to supplement a story online or on your slick new app—if you have the wrong mission or focus, things can go south faster than a bender in Tijuana.
I’ve learned a lot during my first year as someone responsible for providing video content for a TV network. No, it’s not NBC or even cable. It’s an in-airport network seen by nearly 4 million passengers a month at Washington D.C.’s Dulles International and Reagan National airports. We have 50-inch, flat-screen monitors everywhere except the bathrooms. (Another goal for another day…)
Our screens roll 24/7, and our “program” is a 20-minute loop that changes weekly. Yes, a whole different set of viewing variables.
What have I learned?
First, I was wrong about almost everything. Thus the myths debunked.
1. No one really pays much attention to video except for the “S#%* People Say” meme on YouTube.
Don’t bet on it. Video content is everywhere and can fine-tune or absolutely define your message and brand.
We produce branded video content for airports, but video is, of course, most dominant online with no signs of slowing. In fact, digital tracking company comScore noted that 182 million U.S. Internet users watched online video content in December for an average of 23.2 hours per viewer.
That number will rise: A survey released this week by the Pew Internet and American Life Project showed that the number of Americans who own a tablet—the device of choice for watching new video content—has risen to 29 percent.
2. Tell a good story, and you’ll be fine—no matter what the length.
The writer in me wanted to believe this. But something interesting happened on my way to becoming Marty Scorcese: I learned that long narrative is best left to tablets, and even then only if you have something monumental to say that cannot be said in 60-90 seconds.
We began 2011 showcasing local artists, singers, chefs and even yours truly on the road in Portland doing a travelogue. The videography was strong. The stories were appealing. And the music soared in the right places.
The problem: The videos were too long, clocking in anywhere from three to six minutes. I visited the airports and watched the body language of viewers and witnessed initial interest fade to iPhone-checking and, sometimes, actual snoozing—which is usually a sign you’re not engaging your audience (nothing gets by me). We lost them.
3. Quick 1-minute, branded videos are infinitely more appealing and don’t even need a narrative.
There are no shortcuts. Videos, like good stories, need a beginning, middle and end, even if they’re 60 seconds long.
This is among the best one-minute videos I’ve seen in the past six months. It’s branded content for a student travel service in Australia. Scores of images flash across the screen in what looks impossibly gorgeous.
The middle? Yes, it’s the clap at the pigeons. The end? Looks like the Tetons, right? And then fade to white with the branded catchphrase. Brilliant. It’s so effective I’m more than a little jealous.
And, yes, an incredible story was told in less time it takes to send an email.
4. YouTube has democratized video production, so content doesn’t even have to look that good.
Sorry, but production values for branded content need to be just as strong as those for the written word in print or online. (Besides, YouTube even has plans to tame the Wild West as it redefines niche programming light years beyond cable.)
The good news is that HD cameras have made it easy for content creators, once wary of anything other than the almighty keyboard, to film interviews and tell stories in new and exciting ways.
And those content creators can take it a step further. The latest version of Final Cut, released last May (and lambasted in many video- and film-production circles for its “dumbed-down” feel) features a smooth user interface and infinite flexibility. It’s a winner.
Indeed, I’ve been producing my own stuff for the past several months.
I still don’t know the perfect path of video and its complementary role in the content we provide. But I do have a better sense of how to avoid paths that lead to dark ravines with scary things such as miniscule click-through or, even worse, a collective shrug from audiences.
Marty would be proud.
[Image: BrittneyBush]
Michael, great article.
Just because YouTube may have ‘dumbed-down’ video, dumb video doesn’t always work. Good thinking, organization, writing, planning, and professional delivery always carry the day.
As a former Mass Communication college professor, in class we would refer to such distractions as ‘noise in the channel.’ We are so overexposed to good production values, that even the slightest thing can turn us off and demean message credibility.