Video marketing is on the rise. Many marketers called 2015 the year of video. Case studies like Red Bull’s Super Sonic Fall show just how vital videos are becoming for brands. Does this mean static images and text are on their way out? Not at all.
The internet has showcased many successful video case studies, but what about the less successful ones that aren’t on marketers’ radar? There are plenty of them. While today’s consumers are mostly on mobile and watching more video content, if we take a moment to look at this from a more basic view of the human mind, we will see that videos activate a different set of brain functions compared to still images and text.
For marketers and brands, the simple translation is: videos work for some purpose and quickly loses value if used for the wrong purpose. It doesn’t mean videos are any less powerful. It means the impact can differ significantly.
Cognitive Processing
If there were a shortcut, would you take it? If there was an easier way to remember formulas, would you try it? It is human nature to select whatever is easier, hassle-free and takes less effort. Coming back to videos, the brain processes video content 60,000 times faster than reading text. Of course, this would then mean, if there was a choice between reading a book and watching the movie, many would select to watch. It’s the cognitive strain that comes with reading that makes it more discouraging.
Apparently, reading and watching engages two very different brain processes. Reading requires ‘active’ attention while watching is more ‘passive’. When you are watching a video, your brain is hand-held and lead through the scenes, which is more or less an automatic process. On the other hand, when you are reading, your brain is more actively processing each bit of information; deducing, analyzing, debating and predicting as you go through the text.
Think vs Feel
While text content encourages us to ‘think’, video content prompts us to ‘feel’. Let’s take a walk down memory lane a bit here. Was there a time you felt emotional about a video content? Cried or felt anger and sad along with the characters on screen? What about text content? You probably remember the plot, the story and message as information and it ends there (except a well-written novel perhaps).
Reason being, when we are watching a video, mirror neurons in our brains are triggered. These neurons basically mirror what we see so that we feel as though we are part of the scene and empathize with the characters, which in turn trigger the respective emotions.
Creatures of Routine
If video content so effectively and seamlessly penetrates the human mind, then why is it not the best for all industries and audiences? The simple answer is: we humans are creatures of ‘routine’. As much as we like to say how much we hate routine. Fact is, there needs to be some form of routine and order for us to feel comfortable with our daily lives. Even as young children, we are quick to grasp the concept of role-play which quickly takes form into real-life ‘routine’, for example: “Hello, How are you?”
Hence, if reading just happens to be part of your self-developed routine, then regardless of how many videos there are out there, you will end up looking for text information rather than video. Ever find yourself more comfortable reading the text that has been transcribed than to see the full video?
Then again, there is the simple concept of preference and choice. Do you have a favorite food? Color? Drink? As such you might prefer to watch more than to read and vice versa.
The Big Question
As brand owners and marketers, before deciding which type of content to invest in, first ask yourself who your audience is. More specifically, what exactly is your product? Does the buying decision require them to think or to feel more. For example, if you are representing a university, more thinking would probably be involved to build up the rationale whether to enroll or not, which course to take and why students should choose your curriculum. If you are representing a tourism destination, videos would then probably make more sense.
In the end, it’s never about one or the other but which to invest more on. Having multiple content options as part of your content marketing strategy is always better to ensure that you satisfy audiences who just happen to come by as well as audiences who are out for the buy.