A recent study found that less than 15% of big budget TV ads go viral on the Internet. So basically, for every Old Spice, “The Man Your Man Could Smell Like“ ad that is a hit on both TV and You Tube, there are 5 that do not make the transition. When it comes to advertising, television and the Internet are two fundamentally different mediums and what works on one doesn’t necessarily mean it will work on the other. If your web video strategy is to take your television commercial and put it on You Tube, then chances are you won’t get the results you’re looking for.
Television is a passive medium where people sit back and let the box talk to them. The Internet on the other hand, is an active medium where people seek out information. With television, the viewer is mostly limited to what’s on at any given time or what’s saved on a DVR or TiVo. The web on the other hand is all on-demand all the time. From a marketing standpoint, television is strictly limited to a 30 second commercial, unless you want to run an infomercial. Web videos have time limits as well, but it’s based entirely on how long the average viewer is willing to watch rather than a strict programming schedule. You will have much more luck with a 2 minute video explaining the benefits of your product then you will with one that’s 10 minutes.
There is no formula for what is going to go viral. Predicting what’s going to go viral is like predicting what random inanimate object is going to amuse my cat tonight. I should start uploading video of the things that amuse my cat because cat videos are huge! Just go to You Tube and search for “funny cats” if you don’t believe me. Most of the videos that come up have had well over 1 million views. And as far as viral video goes, I’m completely dumbfounded by the success of “Charlie bit my finger – again!” which is the most viewed video of all time on You Tube. Not all viral videos are home movies of people capturing random occurrences. Funny or Die, the comedy website founded by Will Ferrell, Adam McKay, and Judd Apatow has some great viral videos that are produced with some emphasis on production value (something that is frequently absent on You Tube). The Landlord is a classic which has received nearly 71 million views and I’m a big fan of “Between Two Ferns with Zach Galifianakis.”
This doesn’t mean that advertisers should dismiss web video and not utilize it. Keep in mind that You Tube is the second most used search engine behind Google. Not having a video on You Tube means you’re missing out on a 24/7 opportunity to market your business. As I’ve said many times on this blog, if you own a business, then you should have a video on You Tube and on your website that explains who you are and what you do. I would also highly recommend that you be in the video. This way the consumer can put a face with a name. If you sell products, then you should have videos on your website showing your products in action along with tutorials that explain the different features. You can also have fun with web video ads like what Hyatt Hotels is doing with a pair of ads produced in partnership with Funny or Die called, The Teppanyaki Chef and The Lounge.
Whatever your video marketing strategy ends up being, be sure to acknowledge that there are two distinct channels for distribution of video. Television remains the best way to reach a large audience, but it costs a lot of money and is limited by a strict time frame. The Internet is less expensive and much less restricted but much more cluttered (24 hours worth of video are uploaded to You Tube every minute). A large budget marketing strategy would include both TV and a distinct web video campaign. Smaller budget marketing campaigns, which used to exclude video due to cost, can benefit greatly from putting video on the web. With all things marketing, the most important thing is to have a plan. Don’t just put a video on You Tube because it’s free and your neighbor has a camera you can borrow. Video, like all other marketing and sales materials, is a direct reflection on the brand you have worked tirelessly to build. Make sure it’s a good one.
-Dan Phenicie
