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Five Predictions For Online Video In 2012

12/30/2011 12:10:00

In 2011, the long-promised ubiquity of video—on-demand anytime, anywhere—started to become a reality, driven by mobile (smart phones, tablets). While this may seem obvious, remember, it was not so long ago (a couple years, really) that most doubted that consumers would ever watch anything other than short-form YouTube-like video clips on the small screen. Consumers are now beginning to watch premium long-form video (TV, motion picture content) on their most important screen on a massive scale, despite the frequent paucity of compelling content offered by service providers. Yet, we are still in the early innings of this video revolution—so, we truly haven’t seen anything yet. With this in mind, here are my predicted “big stories” for video in the coming year: (1) TV Re-imagined. I have always expected Apple to release an all-in-one flat screen TV—think of a large-screen beautiful iPad on your wall—that will be called “iTV” in order to distance itself from Apple’s current Apple TV “hobby.” Apple’s goal will be to re-think the living room experience to be, well, more of an “experience” (rather than simply a “dumb” TV). That means that, yes, it will be a beautiful and aesthetically appealing piece of hardware. But, it will be much more than that. It will aim to seamlessly marry that beautiful hardware with underlying services (including linear TV—more on that below), much as Apple was uniquely able to effectively do originally with the iPod/iTunes to transform the music business and the overall consumer music experience. Apple’s ultimate goal is to sell more hardware of course—using software and services as the Trojan Horse. And, Apple will be able to command higher prices—and significantly higher margins. There is no doubt on this one. If Apple builds it, the Apple faithful most certainly will come.

(2) Tablets on Fire. Not surprisingly, Apple’s iPad will continue to be the No. 1 tablet, but Amazon’s Kindle Fire will be closing in … fast, fast, fast (remember, it was recently reported that it already outsells the iPad at Best Buy). Sure, version 1.0 of the Kindle Fire has some performance issues, but Amazon will knock those down fast. And, “Amazon Prime” will begin to significantly challenge Netflix, as more and more of us are introduced to Prime via Amazon’s brilliant Kindle Fire maneuver. Amazon’s strategy is completely the reverse from Apple’s. Amazon will use its hardware (the Kindle Fire) as the Trojan Horse to sell more services (especially premium video)—and, of course (and most importantly) to enable mobile shopping. Anytime. Anywhere. That’s Amazon’s huge advantage over virtually every CE company—Amazon is willing to take a significant loss on its hardware sales, because it is gunning for long-term continuous purchases of goods and services (including digital media). Brilliant Amazon.

(3) Battle for Your Living Room & Cutting of the Cord. Not to be outdone, Google will continue its massive push—and billions of dollars in investment — into the premium video and “TV” world. It doesn’t matter whether Google’s initial experiments have worked so far (they haven’t); Google is patient and recognizes that we are still early in the video game. Google covets the living room experience—again for very different reasons than both Apple and Amazon. For Google, it’s all about advertising of course—and monetizing video via ads is Google’s next great frontier. That’s why Google will stop at nothing. Google will even begin to take on the cable and satellite providers head on by offering full live linear programming (like ESPN) over the Internet and on their pipes. Apple and other behemoths (Amazon?) will follow suit—and consumers will finally respond in real meaningful numbers to cut the cord from cable/satellite programming packages, thereby beginning to relegate cable companies to “dumb pipe” status. Of course, this isn’t all bad for the cable giants, because margins on broadband services are significantly higher than those for premium content services (due to the high licensing costs commanded by the content providers); and, more premium video means that more consumers will need faster broadband. This also is good—very good—for premium content providers like ESPN, because there will be more mega-customers vying to distribute their content; after all, content is still king). With these behemoths (Google, Apple, Amazon) battling for a seat on your living room couch, smaller players like Roku will be faced with tremendous pressure to be swallowed up (or simply risk being marginalized). Expect significant consolidation in 2012.

3D Film Factory Introduces New Handheld 3D Stereo Camera Rig

09/22/2011 12:33:00

Hollywood-based 3DFilmFactory recently released the 3D Bullet Rig – a cost-effective stereo 3D camera rig for handheld or steadicam filming, as well as studio productions. Priced at under $5,000, this compact beam-splitter rig is ideal for location, reality or action 3D filmmaking. “The 3D Bullet Rig is going to take 3D production to a whole new level. I love this rig. It’s incredibly light, rock steady and most of all, it’s really easy to shoot with from your shoulder or tripod. This rig is a 3D filmmakers dream, very versatile“, said the company’s veteran stereographer Keith Driver. “Most 3D rigs are bulky, expensive and worst of all, tripod bound. They require a crew to operate. We’ve shot 3D projects in Africa, the Middle East and Hollywood soundstages. You name it, we’ve done it in 3D. And we realized we needed a more mobile 3D rig. A 3D rig you could just pick up and shoot with. This is the 3D Bullet Rig.”The 3D Bullet Rig makes handheld 3D filming easier by transferring the weight to the operator’s waist and shoulder. Each 3D rig includes a spring-loaded suspension rod, a comfortable weight displacement belt and an adjustable, padded shoulder mount. In addition, the rig features detachable rubber hand grips for easy maneuvering and a standard tripod mounting plate.Weighing approx. 13 lbs. (5.8 kg) the 3D Bullet Rig accommodates the Canon DSLR 5D, 7D, 60D, XF105 XF305, XH-G1, Sony F3, EX3’s, HDCP1, X5U, Z1U, Panasonic AF100, HVX200, HC 1500, HC 1800 and many other professional HD cameras.The rig also features custom camera mounts that easily lock and load cameras into place using a standard quick-release plate fromBogen/Manfrotto. The horizontal camera mount offers IO (inter-ocular) adjustability from 0-3.5 inches (0-89 mm) and simple convergence movement from 0°-3°. Both functions are controlled using smooth, accurate finger knobs, with calibration markings. The vertical camera mount adjusts for stereoscopic picture alignment by elevating and performing full x-y-z rotation (yaw, roll, tilt).The light-weight, mirror box housing is constructed using space-age foam core plastic that’s durable, corrosion-free and cooler than a metal matte box. This ensures the beam-splitter glass, with its expensive coatings, will stay cool on hot days. The rig itself is hand-milled employing an aluminum alloy frame.Perfect for traveling light, the entire 3D Bullet Rig is designed to setup and break down in a matter of minutes, packing into a small, water-tight pelican case.As a bonus, the horizontal rail easily detaches, along with the camera mounts, transforming into a side-by-side rig 3D for wide and landscape stereography. The rig’s opti-prime, 50/50 beam-splitter glass is optimized to meet the demands of 3D filmmaking. Within the matte box, a simple adjustment tool allows stereographers to fine tune the glass angle from between 43° to 47°.It also offers a simple Lanc system enabling camera operators to synch start/stop, focus, alignment, lens shift and many other vital functions through both cameras or individually.The 3D Film Factory offers a complete line of 3D beam-splitter rigs intended for HD camcorders, as well as larger ENG and broadcast-style cameras.

Online video ads growing rapidly

08/26/2011 11:00:00

Online video advertising is proliferating at a fast clip. Online video ad spending in the U.S. is expected to grow to $3.0 billion in 2012, up from $1.9 billion this year, according to eMarketer. Such spending will increase to almost $6 billion in 2015, eMarketer said.But as online video advertising grows, so, too, do the number of ad networks designed to distribute online video ads. Video embeds are fast becoming the norm among b2b media companies' online venues as well.Distributors offer media vehicles for both video display ads of the garden variety and online video advertising that is increasingly being categorized as “content” which could be defined as an ad package that runs throughout a TV show streamed via Hulu or other online video networks. From an ROI standpoint, it's problematic for marketers to get the total picture on how their online-video advertising is performing.Take InteractiveMedia: The online advertising network owned by Deutsche Telekom counts more 1,000 advertisers, such as Procter & Gamble Co. and Unilever, in its inventory.“Our most important problem was that we had to work with video ads and display ads separately,” said Guido Sachs, managing director-finance, IT and operations at InteractiveMedia. “We would have an integrated video and display campaign, but our campaign management had to handle it like it was separate campaigns.”The process led to delays in launching online video campaigns and incurring additional costs because InteractiveMedia would sometimes have to send the “creative” back to advertising agencies to tweak campaigns to ensure the technology aligned, Sachs said.However, InteractiveMedia has been able to jettison those problems since the company started using Adtech's online video product.In early September, Adtech debuted an expanded version of its online ad-serving platform that combines video and display units, reports and marketing campaigns. Rather than use an outside vendor, marketers can use the service to book their video campaigns within one interface and receive one measurement report, whereas previously separate display and video reports had to be combined subsequently.The new system is also VAST-compliant (Video Ad Serving Template) and has been designed to adapt to changes in market standards and guidelines.“It's been a much easier process,” Sach said, adding that in the last six months, online video advertising revenue has increased between 10% and 15%. “When you have a standard, it gives you more freedom to think about what makes [the online video ad] unique, because you don't have to worry about getting it to all of the different publishers.”Adtech served more than 4.5 billion video ads in February, up from 2 billion in September, according to Dirk Freytag, president of Adtech and head of AOL Advertising Technologies.Freytag said the recent changes in the ad platform enable marketers to view digital campaigns holistically. “Today, a lot of customers on the b2b side have three or four systems for doing digital marketing,” he said. “We want the campaign to have one destination, so the marketer has the overview of every interactive campaign—regardless of whether it's mobile or display.”(A few weeks after Adtech rolled out the changes in its ad platform, parent company AOL Inc. announced that it had acquired 5min Media, the Web's largest video syndication platform, for an undisclosed price.)Adtech's new ad platform provides consolidated reporting and includes more granular metrics, such as: How long was the user interacting with the video advertisement? Was there a mouse-over the video for that period of time? How long before the user clicked on the video? Did the user reopen the video?Adtech's upgrades “shows that one of the largest [ad] platforms is taking online video very seriously,” said Andres Palmiter, online video sales specialist at market research company comScore. He added that the platform now features “all the good things that online video brings to advertising—brand awareness, sight, sound and motion—combined with the display world.”Palmiter said that service will also relieve some of the pain for marketers that distribute online video ads via multiple ad networks. “Imagine five networks are selling inventory on the same platform,” he said. “Three are selling display and two are selling video; you don't want any conflicts of interest there. And when you unify an ad platform, you're taking that out of the equation.”In July, comScore upgraded its video measurement system to enable marketers to filter video-viewing activity between ads (including pre-, post- and mid-roll) and advertising content.“Online video is the red-headed stepchild of online advertising,” Palmiter said. “We're trying to pull money from TV dollars, and we're trying to pull money from display dollars. So any tool that helps marketers and planners, as well as big publishers, look at their display inventory and video inventory and treat them as one thing that they can funnel money into is really important.”

http://www.btobonline.com/article/20110214/ADVERTISING0402/302149993/online-video-ads-growing-rapidly

Gross Rating Point Metrics Will Be Good for Online Advertising

08/13/2011 13:14:00

GRPs -- gross rating points -- are coming to online advertising, and I think it's a good thing. TV ad measurement giant Nielsen recently announced a new online campaign ratings product for Web ads that will include GRP measurements, broken down by basic demographics, much like what the company offers the TV industry.The notion of bringing GRPs to Web advertising is not a neutral topic. Many in the online ad industry have openly resisted and fought against the importation of "old" measurement metrics into the online world, fearing that linear media metrics would "understate" what makes online different and better than other media channels. Fellow Spinner Jason Heller wrote a very good column on the topic earlier this week, but I believe this the issue is so important I want to address it in my column today as well.Here's why GRPs will be good for online ads:Improve brand-friendliness of online ads. The online world is great when it comes to providing advertisers with direct marketing metrics. We have click rates, mouse-over rates, open rates, cost per action and any number of other direct measures. For brand advertisers and those focused on "mass awareness" we don't have much more to offer than measurements of impressions, unique users and average frequency, and the last two are highly suspect and skewed given growing cookie deletion rates. (Although there are services like Vizu that survey user awareness and attitudes for traditional brand metrics.) Understanding how much of the total online audience is being reached, and how the impressions were distributed by age and sex of users, are metrics brand advertisers know and value. Speaking their language can only help online attract more of their dollars.More comparability. Whether we like it or not, the majority of all ad spending in the U.S. goes to television. TV ads are measured with GRPs. The more that online media can do to be measured in a comparable way to the rest of the ad budgets, the better it can be valued -- and, by extension, the more likely it will get its full share of spend relative to the audiences it can deliver.Enables complementary Web and TV programs. Not only will GRPs make online ads more comparable to TV, but it will make it easier for media owners to create, price and sell complementary packages of online and TV media. For example, with GRP metrics, it will be much easier for TV networks to sell bundles of TV and online ads and measure the package in total GRPs delivered.Puts audience front & center. Online has not necessarily helped itself by leading with the click, click rates, and cost per click. Unfortunately, way too much online advertising is bought, optimized and valued on click-based metrics. Adding metrics like gross rating points and relative demographic reach should help advertisers focus more on the audience reached and a bit less on whether they are members of that elite (and unusual) club, the Natural Born Clickers.Doesn't mean the Web will lose its unique metrics. Adding GRPs to the online ad measurement doesn't mean we will lose those metrics that are unique to online, and which make it special, such as interactivity, dynamic addressable messaging and impression and user-level direct measures. They are not mutually exclusive to audience metrics like gross rating points and target rating points.Will this be the final word on new online ad measurements? I certainly don't think so. We still need to address the relative impact of an impression in different media. As we all know, an impression on the Web is as different from an impression on radio as is an impression on TV. The industry has grappled with the notion of defining "engagement" for well over a decade with no success and little progress. I don't expect major advancements here for years, but I do hold hope that we will someday find a way to tackle this issue.What do you think? Will GRPs be good for online advertising?

Internet Marketing Statistics

08/11/2011 00:18:00

Here is a great video that will help you understand the significance of Internet Video Marketing.

http://www.digitalbuzzblog.com/statistics-the-state-of-the-internet-video/

Online Video Marketing Statistics

07/29/2011 10:25:00

Adding video to small business profiles:

Increases number of business profile views more than 100%
Increases number of profile clicks more than 30%
Increases number of calls generated by more than 18%

Video drives a wide range of customer actions:

Increases number of visits to advertiser web site by 55%
Increases physical store visits by 30%
Increases incidence of purchase by 24%

The Online Video Market

According to Borrell & Associates, “Online video spending is forecasted to account for more than 1/3rd of all online advertising in 5 years.”
Over 40% of consumers watch online videos on at least a weekly basis; over 70% at least monthly

Local video ad revenues show robust growth through, to $1.5 billion at the end of 2012.
Small business video advertisers as a percentage of physical business locations will continue to increase.
Over 40% of consumers watch online videos on at least a weekly basis
U.S Online Video Advertising Spending, 2001-2011 (millions)

3D or not 3D…?

07/26/2011 13:28:00

According to the omni-knowing Wikipedia, “A 3-D (three-dimensional) film is a motion picture that enhances the illusion of depth perception”. The bigger question facing film-makers and the film industry is, “does it enhance the actual film or viewing experience?” It is being debated whether there are actually any worthy 3D movies out there… Has Hollywood got carried away with a gimmick?To 3DOne positive point put forward by Richard Gelfond of IMAX Corp., is that “visionaries like Tim Burton, James Cameron, Peter Jackson, Jeffrey Katzenberg, Steven Spielberg and Robert Zemeckis all have 3D projects under way. With that talent at the helm, it is certain to reset the benchmark for 3D film experiences“. You could even say that Cameron help push the technology forward in it’s current wave with his own-specification Reality Camera system, developed in 2003 in order to film ‘Ghosts of the Abyss’.With these creative minds realizing that the filming process should be use to enhance the storytelling, and not simply slapped on to try and pick up a current trend, there is promise for the quality of 3D films being made. In that regard, we are seeing some smart uses of 3D, also including a number of documentaries and nature adventures where 3D does add to the effect of some staggering scenes.Do moviegoers want 3D movies? The figures would suggest so: back when ‘The Polar Express’ was released as IMAX’s first full-length, animated 3-D feature, the 3-D version earned about 14 times as much per screen as the 2D version. This was a few years ago, and certainly encouraged a number of directors to experiment further with the medium; fast forward to last year and we saw some pretty epic releases in ‘Alice in Wonderland’ and ‘How to Train Your Dragon’. Figures may be dipping in 2011, in regards to the percentage of box office total that is received through the 3D version of the film, but that small dip is only after several years of decent increase, and partly due to the wider selection of 3D movies around.Not To 3DNot every movie works in 3D. Hollywood is treading a thin line this time around, and needs to avoid the similar recent record industry fad that ‘every song needs an auto-tuned T-Pain vocal’, which became so ridiculous it lost all credibility, and crashed and burned in a short time frame. Converting old classics to 3D just for the sake of it has hurt the reputation pretty badly of late (’Jaws 3D’, anyone?). Rather refreshingly, Tim Burton isn’t shooting ‘Dark Shadows’ in 3D, which is a great thing to hear. It can be argued that such movies need a crisp, darker tone to them, and there would be little artistic advantage to use it in those cases.The medium has been getting a lot of stick this year, from the quip of “Is there a way for Woody Allen to be neurotic in an added dimension?“, to the sudden decline of favor from Dreamworks CEO Jeffrey Katzenberg. Has Hollywood already overcooked it?2.5D?Ultimately, I think, and hope, there should be an equal balance of 3D and non-3D movies, and a distinction that you can like or dislike any of them for reasons other than the format. Studios don’t have to make everything in that medium, and reviewers don’t have to absolutely and automatically detest anything made in it. It is about using the technology as another tool in a wide arsenal, similar to the way that talented directors may use CGI and digital conversion on some projects. Using it to add to the overall cinematic experience is a way that the technology can survive and remain special for the movie-goer, rather than an all-out assault from the big studios and ultimate audience over-saturation.

hits and no contact

07/19/2011 16:52:00

Okay... So how is it that you get a lot of hits but no one contacts you for business?

Why to use a video?

07/12/2011 10:09:00

I just have a question and would love to know what you think. The first time you visit a site that talks about how to fix a bike or repair your AC and that nature, would you not be frustrated if they didn't have a video demonstrating exactly how it works?

We, at Phoenix Video Production understand what user friendly means and how that affects your ratings and traffic on your site. Contact us today for a free consultation.

Best Practices for Using Online Video for Generating Sales Leads

07/12/2011 09:51:00

(This article is Part 3 of a 3-part series from an interview conducted by Paul Ritter (News - Alert), contributor for the Business Video site on TMCnet with Wayne Wall, CEO of Flimp Media on June 16, 2011. Part 1 focused on using video for internal employee benefits communications and Part 2 focused on video for lead generation. Both articles can be viewed here. )

Ritter: Wayne, earlier we talked about different strategies used for branding and marketing versus applications for generating sales leads. What are some of the most important considerations or best practices that organizations should follow when they are producing videos, distributing them and ensuring their programs are effective?

Wall: When producing video for lead generation, there are a number of considerations:

First, you really need to keep the video under 2 minutes unless you are Victoria's Secret.

- You should make sure to capture the viewer attention in the first 10 seconds.

- Don't use a plain spokesperson without breaking it up with motion graphics and other content, or you will bore your audience.

- Show what you do that's relevant, don't just talk about it.

- Tell an interesting story about customer experiences and success stories.

- Frame your offer in terms of problem- solution - take action. Be sure to provide an effective call to action.

- Make sure the video can be viewed on all devices -- mobile phones, tablets and PC's.

Ritter: I think those are all really key factors for achieving success. Providing really compelling content to capture and keep your audience's attention, providing an effective call to action, and ensuring you can reach your target customers not just on their desktops, but on their mobile devices as well. Those are all very important things for every marketing effort or lead generation program.

So Wayne, where do you see the future of web video marketing and video lead generation going over the next few years?

Wall: I think we will see less and less website-centric use of video -- pulling people into a website to find and engage with your video. We are already seeing this with mobile and social media and sharing. In many ways inbound marketing is overrated, especially for lead generation. People who have lots of time to research and surf the web and ultimately end up on your website through social media, blogs generally aren't decision makers. Most are time wasters. For lead generation, best video practice will be to push video to target audiences packaged as microsites or video brochures with interactive multimedia and tracking that enables fast follow up by salespeople. This will be done on a more personalized, relevant one-to-one basis than with marketing "email blasts" that get ignored or simply aren't relevant to the viewer. Also, companies will begin to realize that crappy slideshow and PowerPoint videos made by an inexperienced employee aren't going to drive engagement. In general you have to pay professionals to create good content, using their talents and ideation. An Animoto video is cute for a small non profit or sole proprietorship, but serious companies need to invest in quality content in order to get the results they want.

Ritter: Before we end our interview, I would be remiss if I didn't give you a chance to provide a little more information about your company. What is Flimp Media?

Wall:Flimp Media is a hybrid video technology and creative services company. We develop cutting edge video marketing and communications technologies and we provide our clients with a range of creative and agency services to help ensure positive results. Our FLIMP (Flexible Interactive Marketing Platform) technology platform makes it easy to create, distribute and track interactive video brochures for lead generation and communications. Our Flimp Agency services include video production, creative design, SEO lead generation and video marketing campaign services. We have offices in Boston, Los Angeles, Manchester U.K. and Buenos Aires, Argentina. People can go to www.Flimp.net to see many customer case studies and other applications for our technology.

Ritter: Thanks Wayne. I appreciate your time today. Thanks for sharing your thoughts on some of the trends that are shaping the Business Video industry and providing your insights on best practices and strategies that companies can follow to achieve success with their own online video initiatives.

Wall: Thanks very much Paul. It was great speaking with you.

(The entire interview between Paul Ritter and Wayne Wall can be read in an upcoming issue of the Business Video eNewsletter. Click here to sign up to receive your copy.)

Paul Ritter is Vice President of Interactive Media Strategies (News - Alert). To read more of his articles, please visit please visit his columnist page.

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