In a world of mobile devices and instant media access, it’s no surprise that video marketing is the fastest growing platform on the web.
I seriously can’t remember the last time I read a newspaper advertisement. And quite frankly...as a millennial, I can’t remember the last time I actually held a physical newspaper in my hands.
Today, literally EVERYTHING IS DIGITAL. New technology and creative ways to develop digital content is advancing, and it’s changing what and how we see the world every single minute of every single day. New ways to market a product globally is limited only to our imagination when it comes to video.
But this also means we need to stay up to date on current trends in order for our message to really stand out and stick with your target demographic.
If you're using old video trends, you're in for a rude awakening.
Let's take a walk down memory lane for a moment. Some of you might recall this AT&T video Ad from 2005. It went a little something like this:
This fast-cutting Ad wasn’t bad for it’s time. Their imagery was edgy and fresh. But today, a smart consumer wouldn’t get halfway through this commercial. Why? Because it’s flat. The visuals are boring, it doesn’t tell a story, and it’s not engaging. So, what’s changed from 2005? Well…technology has. And as technology has evolved, so has our expectations.
“Today’s consumers expect content that’s live, on-demand, and hyper-relevant.” AdWeek [1]
The AdWeek article went on to explain that people have become more selective in the content they choose to view. For example, Millennials are only interested in engaging with content that has a great story or theme.
As this trend has evolved, our minds have been preconditioned. We expect to see “the next best thing” in technology and we naturally reject content that does not meet our standards.
But aren’t we constantly hearing that our attention spans are shrinking? A more recent research study claims that attention spans aren’t shrinking – but actually evolving to be more selective. [2]
This study claims that “instead of spending hours online surfing the web and social media, people are exploring the digital world in short bursts, from mobile devices.”
This means that to grab and keep our audience’s attention, we need to develop a compelling narrative, use effective visuals, and create a strong level of interaction. If we continue to use the same old practices of video, our audience will be bored and move on to something better.
Fortunately, AT&T's videos have evolved since 2005. A good example is their 2015 “It Can Wait” Campaign that advocates safe driving and discourages texting while driving, a movement that most people can get behind.
What really brought this campaign to life was their utilization of the most current video trends like 360-degree video and a Virtual Reality(VR) driving simulation that actually puts you in the seat of a distracted driver.
Yes, I know, 360-degree video and virtual reality are ALL the rage these days, but the “It Can Wait,” video truly demonstrates how blending new technology with compelling narrative can capture people’s attention and create an emotional experience that viewers will take with them long afterwards.
Since incorporating the newest video trends into their campaigns, AT&T’s annual revenue has gone up tremendously from 2005. See chart below from Macrotrends:
The proof is in the pudding.
As video marketing gets smarter, so does our audience, and the demand for smarter more engaging content gets higher. It's a never-ending cycle that will continue to evolve until the end of time.
While this may not have be Darwin's idea of evolution, but there is no denying that video evolution is a darn important one to us today.
