Content Marketing & Film Resource

The Future of Episodic Television: A Working Producer’s Perspective

Ian Barrett January 14, 2016 Video, web series production, pilot production, television production Leave a Comment

Originally published on Production Hub.

Everything changes and television is no exception.

Online is the new episodic television. The amount of time people spent consuming only video each day jumped 23.3% in 2015 and is set to increase by a further 19.8% in 2016. Advances in technology only boosted this trend with increases in mobile video performance and storage capacities.

Our viewing habits have affected the way production is done today, too. Everyone has a mobile video production facility in their pocket.

This isn’t news. The shift from what we think of as traditional television – and traditional production – has been happening for well over a decade. I’ve been producing television through these evolutions and I’m still here to talk about it.

In 1996 I started a television show that ran through 2003. I was ahead of the DIY curve because I had to be! I jumped in with both feet and embraced any technology that could help me do my job quickly and affordably. I bought a Sony V5000 Hi8 camera and went non-linear for post-production with an AVID system. Over the years I went multi-cam with DV, DVCam, and HDV formats - affordable increases in production quality that my audience appreciated. At the time this was breaking all the rules of TV production, now no one gives it a second thought.

The series was a weekly, 30-minute music-based program that featured exclusive live performances and interviews all captured on location. I made 257 original episodes over the course of 8 seasons.

When I started the show, I only worked with small bands. But by the time the series had come to an end, I had shot some of the biggest bands in the world, including Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen.

In the meantime, some of those small bands I had worked with in the beginning grew up to become multi-platinum powerhouses like Kid Rock, Creed, 3 Doors Down, Matchbox 20 and Limp Bizkit. I wound up Directing and Producing videos and television shows for Godsmack, Sevendust, and Down.

I loved my show, and more importantly so did the fans. They would watch the show, buy CDs and go out to concerts. But the span of those years saw those days disappear. The music industry completely changed. The mp3 had killed their business model and distribution. Kids no longer wanted to pay for their music. This made record companies change the way they promoted their music. Suddenly, putting bands on TV for exposure seemed like a financial loss for them. As a result, we moved on and found a different focus.

In 2009, we started production on an 88-episode run of an entertainment and lifestyles show. We raised our own capital for the two-year series and made deals directly with television station (CBS affiliate) and our own sponsors. MediaBoss TV was in the studio business, creating our own programming and putting it on the air. It wasn’t an ideal business. It was labor and financially intensive with a low profit reward.

Even then MediaBoss integrated social media very effectively into our program, but it was becoming very clear to us that the tail was beginning to wag the dog and the web was becoming the place to air creative content. It was clear the climate had changed yet again - this time for broadcast television itself. Financially, the country was in the midst of an economic crisis and the market was correcting itself.

Here’s what we learned:

Television airtime was expensive and budgets were shrinking.
Sponsors were becoming increasingly concerned about how to leverage social media.
Production partners were still over charging for web site creation and online video integration.
Finally, 2009 marked the beginning of Millennials’ effect on broadcast media.

They watched their ‘television’ on their laptops using Netflix and Hulu, while downloading torrents of their favorite shows and movies.

Guess what happened? We learned how to make websites, started our own social media business and started generating our own content. We created a comedy pilot called ‘Broad Strokes’. Although it got to Comedy Central and Lionsgate, we were frustrated by the lack of results. Then, we created another series of pilots for a reality show called ‘Women Interrupted’ intended for WE. Which got canned when they ‘changed direction.’

Both experiences were very expensive and frustrating. And they were a clear demonstration of how the committee process of TV production has become its own albatross.

We changed gears again and decided to share our own original content on the web. Enter ‘Partners (2012)’ our very first web series. We co-created it with a talented actor/writer Matty Blake. We financed it ourselves and built a custom website.

We saw results almost immediately. It worked, and we could monitor its progress ourselves. Its success was based three simple observations:

Content needs to be cut into short, mobile-friendly episodes.
It needs to have an edge.
Viewers need to be able to share it easily.

Partners was all of these things and we shot it quickly (2 days), affordably and were able to share it quickly. Best of all, the entire team - including talent - could sit at a single conference table. Partners was something we made for ourselves and lots of people liked it - including producers, agents and cable outlets. Although we don’t have a deal for the show yet, every member of the Partners cast has done network programming in the last year.

This reality is not lost on Netflix, Amazon, and Hulu. They’ve all signed talent directly from the web to create original programming for their paid internet/broadband subscription services. The cable networks jumped into the game quickly as well because the benefits became clear. They needed compelling content and they didn’t have the resources or time to develop it themselves. Web metrics and YouTube hits have become a clear statement of potential success vs the pilot/development model. Broad City is a great example of the power of the internet. It began as a simple YouTube series (2009-2011), written and created by two talented actresses, Ilanna Glazer and Abbi Jacobson. Over time it created its own audience and caught the eye of Amy Poehler who took it directly to Comedy Central.

I’m going to be honest, there is no way Comedy Central would have had the foresight or initiative to put two unknown twenty-something females as co-leads in a network comedy show. In February, Broad City will begin Season 3.

The game has changed and the web is still cranking out hits daily. The major networks are struggling to keep up, TV viewership is aging and appointment viewership is a dying model. It’s all about 'Netflix and Chill’ and ‘binging’.

And here we are now, heading into 2016, and the game is well established. It’s DIY, you don’t need to know somebody at the network anymore. You need to take the time, make the investment and create the content yourself. If the fans like it, you’ll get hits, if you get the hits, the networks will come looking for you.

I’m not over simplifying this: the Future of Episodic Television is on the web. Just get out there and make it. There has never been a better time to create content and there have never been more places to share it. My guess is, if you have read this far you already have an idea of what you want to make and you are ready to do it. I’ve been doing TV for a long time and this is what I’m doing now. MediaBoss’ new web series is in pre-production now and making its début on the web in the fall of 2016.

See you on the Internet.

Additional Resources:

Video web series production pilot production television production

3 Big Mistakes to Avoid in Explainer Videos

Erin Hayes January 05, 2016 Marketing, Animation, Strategy, Video Leave a Comment

When done right, an animated explainer video can help explain your product or service, drive engagement with viewers and increase conversion rates 20%.

But when done improperly, they can end up confusing your viewer and costing you money.

In this post we’ll walk you through the three most common mistakes we see people make with explainer videos. And we'll give you practical pointers to avoid making them.

no 1: focused on features instead of benefits

In 2015 the average attention span was 8.25 seconds. You have 8.25 seconds to grab your viewers' attention and compel them to watch the rest of your video. You won’t do that by talking about yourself. You need to talk about them.

We understand; you love your product and all of its shiny parts. You want to share it with the people whom you know could benefit from it’s amazing features. But instead of explaining the why, you get hung up on explaining the what.

You have between 150 and 300 words (roughly 1-2 minutes) to get your Why across. A good rule of thumb is for every 1 word you write about your product, write 3 about the benefit it delivers to customers (this is a good tip for interviews, too).

If your target video length is 2:00 then you should limit your What to 75 words and your Why to 225. And if the ratio is 50/250, that’s fine too. Just don’t let is skew lower than 1:4.

no. 2: No call to action

You’ve just invested in a video. Your team has worked diligently to boil your message down to 150-300 words; you worked with your production partner to get the video’s look just right. But have you clearly communicated the action you want your viewers to take after watching your amazing video?

If the answer is ’no' then you should stop everything right now and...

Ask yourself this question:

What is the one - and only one - action you want your viewer to take after watching your video?

If you’re not sure then reference the goal of producing this video. (If you hadn't documented a clear goal for you video, consider downloading our 5-Point Checklist at the end of this blog.)

Was it to increase awareness? Increase demo registrations? Webinar registrations?

Now, go back to the script and tell your viewers to take that action.

Don’t leave this to chance - even if you think that action is obvious (it’s a video about your webinar series. Of course you want them to sign up for it!). Include a link to a landing page where they can complete the action you want them to take.

The easier you make it for your viewers, the higher return on investment you’ll see for you video.

Step 3: too many topics in 1 video

What’s worse than not having a Call to Action? Having too many calls to action - for more than one buyer persona. That’s exactly what happens when you try to make one video do the work of two or three or four.

We’ve had clients tell us they want to get the most out their video and that’s why they’ve included all the information anyone could need about their product or service. But including all the information will have the exact opposite effect for these reasons:

The video will be too long (remember, you only have 8.25 seconds to get their attention!).
The video isn't target for a specific buyer persona.
You’ll confuse your viewer about next steps.

Each of these points will lower your conversion rate - and your ROI.

When you try to cram too many topics into one video you confuse your viewers. You're not being clear about whom the video targets.

Think about your buyer personas. Target one buyer persona and speak directly to them in your video. Only cover the points you and your team have identified as important to this persona.

Now, chose one action you'd like them to make after watching the video. Don't give choices.

"Sign up for a demo or register for this webinar or give our sales team a call!”

Choices lead to indecision and indecision leads inaction.

CONCLUSION:

We hope you found these three tips helpful. Animated explainer videos are a fun - and effective - way to educate and engage your audience when done properly.

In summary:

Explainer videos should focus on the benefits your target audience will reap from your product or service
It should have a clear Call to Action
It should clearly communicate just one topic for one buyer persona. Then, it should clearly communicate the one - and only one - action you want your targeted viewer to take after watching the video.

We hope you found these tips helpful! If you're looking for additional, practical help to plan an explainer video, then please download our 5-Point Animated Explainer Checklist:

This checklist will guide you through the 5 planning stages of producing an animated explainer.

It includes suggested questions to ask yourself and your team to ensure you produce the most effective video for your business or brand.

Additional Resources:

Ultimate Guide to Producing an Animated Video

4-Steps to Create an Animated Music Video

7 Stats About Video Marketing to Make You Look Smarter

Our Production Process

Marketing Animation Strategy Video

4 STEPS TO MAKING AN ANIMATED MUSIC VIDEO

Nick Clarke December 21, 2015 Animation, Strategy, Video, Tips & Tricks Leave a Comment

Johnny A.'s "Sleigh Ride"

Well it’s that time of year again, and Christmas is upon us once more!

Whenever the holiday season rolls around, I'm reminded of the year I created an animated music video.

In 2012 guitar virtuoso, Johnny A., asked MediaBoss to produce an animated music video for his rendition of “Sleigh Ride.” I was the animator on the project.

I was still a fresh face around MediaBoss and only had a few animations with them under my belt. It was my first long format animation and I was extremely excited to take a shot at animating the entire song.

In this post I'm going to share the 4 part process I used to create "Sleigh Ride" - and share the one part I’d change.

1) Reference & Research

The first step in the process is creating and finding reference footage. This allows you to see how the subjects you’re creating will look and move.

We took footage of Johnny A. playing the song in our studio so we knew the positioning of his hand and fingers on the neck of his guitar.

Throughout the song Johnny flies around the world - from city to city and country to country. I pulled reference photos of the different locations I wanted to show Johnny flying by.

2) Sketching

Before I create the characters digitally I sketch them out on paper. This lets me design the characters more freely and creatively than doing them straight to Photoshop or Illustrator.

I did this for Johnny’s character, Santa and Doug The Christmas Moose.

3) Digital Drawing

I took the sketches I’d created on paper and scanned them into my computer. Then, I brought those sketches into Illustrator to complete the line work. Once the line work was done, I brought them into Photoshop. Then I applied color, shading and texture.

When creating the backgrounds, I skipped the step of going into Illustrator. I drew the line work, color and shading all in Photoshop.

For this style of animation it’s important to separate the different body parts into individual layers. This way you can animate them independently.

4) Animation

The final, and most important step (duh,) is animating what I created. I set anchor points on all the individual body parts and parented them accordingly so his motion mimics that of a Real Life person.

It’s the, “Elbow’s connected to the… wrist bone” song. Or how I more commonly refer to it, "the paper puppet".

Remember when you were in Kindergarten and you made puppets? You cut out different parts of a body and stick pins through them so you can move them around on your paper person. Same principle.

Along with animating the characters, I placed a camera in the scene so I could go from a wide establishing shot to a close up of Johnny and Doug.

Finally, I composited clouds and snow and completed color grading and color correction. And there you have it - the animation is complete!

What I’d Change:

There are changes I’d make in all the animations I create. But, due to approaching deadlines and more projects coming in the door, you have to learn to let it go and let the project be finished.

If I could do it again (with more time), I would add more scenes on the ground. I'd love to show different people from all over the world celebrating Christmas with their own traditions. This would give the animation a great dynamic that would make it even more interesting and fun to watch.

But, due to the tight turnaround time of this animation these edits weren't able to make it to the final cut. But who knows, maybe we'll run into Johnny A. and Doug the Christmas Moose again soon!

CONCLUSION:

Like many parts of production, the process we use to produced animated video depends on the project. The step that doesn't change is the high quality end result we deliver to our clients.

Additional Resources:

Animation Strategy Video Tips & Tricks

Our 6 Must-See Holiday Movies

Erin Hayes December 17, 2015 Fun, Video Leave a Comment

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas at MediaBoss so Nick Clarke and I sat down to discuss our favorite holiday movies.

Originally, we agreed to list just the top two flicks that put us in the holiday spirit. But there's something you should know about Nick and me: We are the perpetual children of the studio and picking just two was too difficult.

(Full disclosure: The two of us commandeered the studio sound system the day after Thanksgiving and have been forcing Ian, Paul & Monica to listen to Christmas music 27/4.)

In this video we each share our top 3 holiday movies. I'll be honest: I thought I was a shoe-in for cheesiest-taste-in-movies until I heard Nick's No. 1. It's unlikely he'll ever live his pick down.

Amused by our picks? You might enjoy:

Our Top Favorite Halloween Movies of All Time

Fun Video

3 Easy Ways to Transcribe Video

Erin Hayes December 08, 2015 Strategy, Video, Tips & Tricks Leave a Comment

Why should you transcribe video?

Before we discuss how, let me answer the why

You just spent all this time producing a video, can’t you just post it and move on the next project on your To Do list?

Well, technically, yes. You can.

But if your goal was finish a race, would you stop just short of the ribbon? Why not carry through all the way?

The bottom line is that transcribing your video opens your content up for a wider audience.

When you transcribe video you make your video viewable in noise sensitive environments. If a potential viewer is on a noise bus, they can now understand your video. If your viewer is in waiting room or at work, they can now understand your video.

Hearing impaired viewers can watch your video and get your message. Transcribing also helps English Language Learners follow along with your content (not to mention, now you can translate your video’s transcription!).

And, transcribing video helps your SEO.

Google crawlers index text. This is why your meta description, title and tags are all so important. But when you transcribe video, you open all of that content up for Google to index.

Amazing, right?

According to Cambridge-based transcription company, 3PlayMedia, their clients This American Life and Discovery Digital Networks saw a significant increase in views on captioned videos.

For example, TAL saw organic search results increase 6.68%. Their inbound links directly attributable to transcript pages increased 3.89%. [Download 3PlayMedia's white paper here for more in depth analysis]

Convinced transcribing is a good idea? Good. Here are three simple ways to get it done:

Do It Yourself

You could always do it yourself. All this involves is your time and your attention.

However, this is our least recommended route.

Transcribing is more time consuming than you may think. Especially if you are not accustomed to the process. It could take you ten times the length of the video for you to accurately transcribe it. If you have many videos to transcribe you could be looking at entire days taken up by this tedium.

Have YouTube Do It

YouTube has a transcribe option in their video editor. Using it as simple as using YouTube.

Now, word from the wise: YouTube is hardly accurate. You will need to scrub through these transcripts and make edits. It’s not quite as time consuming as doing it yourself, but it’s not as hands off as hiring someone else to do it.

Here are a few screen grabs from our experience transcribing our web series, Partners:

Where to Find YouTube Caption Tool

YouTube Gets Captions Wrong

How To Fix YouTube Captions

And that leads me to No. 3...

Hire Someone To Do It

Google “Transcribe Video” and you’ll get pages of results pointing you to different services that would be happy to have you hire them to transcribe you video for you.

This option is particularly great for off-the-cuff presentations, ensemble pieces or conference videos. Transcribing video can be time consuming and many of these services make it affordable to have it done by a third party.

We offer to transcribe the videos we produce for our clients as part of the package. We take pride in our videos and want to enable our customers to be as successful with their premium content as possible.

Curious about our production process?

Additional Resources:

Strategy Video Tips & Tricks

Scott Weiland / STP "Atlanta"

Ian Barrett December 04, 2015 Video Leave a Comment

I had the opportunity to record Scott Weiland and Dean DeLeo performing "Atlanta" in 1999 - right after Scott completed rehab the first time.

The song is about the end of his relationship with his ex-wife.

We are devastated by the loss of Scott and our hearts go out to his friends and family.

Video

In Post We Trust: Our Approach to Editing Video

Monica Duque December 01, 2015 Production, Video, Tips & Tricks Leave a Comment

Back in the day when I was producing weekly shows in Colombia, I remember putting all my faith in “Alvarito”, my editor.

This guy was a magician! Not only an efficient operator but an organized mind, capable of giving a nice finished touch to our projects. A guy who took our job seriously and always gave every edit his best.

At the time, I enjoyed the power of keeping things under control. It was a lot of responsibility but I loved it.

My agenda was always organized; is the driver on time? Is the gear checked? Is the crew ready? But even then there was always a risk of something going wrong.. Why? Ask Murphy. It’s the law of production.

Luckily, I had “Alvarito” to help me trough those tough moments. I’m not gonna lie, post-production was my lifesaver a few times.

A few years later I became an editor and as “Alvarito” I challenge myself with each project. I came to find editing very similar to puzzles. My job is getting the best pieces of raw footage and telling stories by putting these pieces together.

Video is the go-to visual content today for a large number of businesses – so editors, we have a lot in our shoulders!

Editing, like storytelling, is all about the small details which helps to design a product that will speak to your target audience. Full disclosure: I'm not one of those editors who takes the footage, logs and transcribes each shot into text. That takes forever and I find it limits my creativity.

Here is how I do what I do:

Take a deep breath and dive in.

Sometimes projects get confusing, especially if I wasn’t in the shoot. So, I take a deep breathe, set up my timeline and just get to work creating my wide cut.

At this point I don’t pay too much attention to shots, narration or sound bites. I just try to take my best shot at telling the story I want to tell.

Then, I watch it front to back; no matter how long it takes or how boring it sounds. This is the moment when I get the key pieces of my puzzle - when I establish the line I want to follow.
I mark all those moments I know I’ll need and everything starts to make sense. For sure my next cut will be more clear and tighter.

Focus on the design.

By the design I mean all those details that enhance my edit, like music, Color Correction, GFX, VO, FX and much more if needed.

Watch it again.

If the result gets me close to the goal, I put on my brave boots and call the director and/or producer for their approval. I’m glad to say that most of the time I just have to adjust a couple of shoots or frames, render and goodbye! - getting OFFLINE before 5 pm.

Being able to customize elements makes me valuable as an editor and having freedom to shape stories makes my job exciting. Yes, some projects ask to be treated by the script, but b-roll and design elements allow for plenty of creative freedom.

Here are some tips that help me on my day to day job:

Take some time from the edit.

After spending so much time in the same edit, it’s easy to become desensitized to the material. So it’s important to step away. Taking a break from an edit and returning with fresh eyes can help you to do a better job.

Avoid one camera angle.

If your material includes multiple cameras angles, take advantage of it and make sure you switch among them. That makes your product more dynamic and interesting.

Once your audience gets the idea of space, you can avoid wide shots and jump into medium and close ups. It’s engaging to watch body language and facial expressions.

Remember, you are taking your audience on a journey with your video. Make sure you are using the best shots to achieve your goal and reach the viewer's expectations. Don’t forget, what you may have is less than 30 seconds to grab people’s attention So get them as quickly as you can!.

Never stop learning.

As editors we need to stay fluid and learn new tools. Make sure you can create an experience for the viewer. Motion graphics, voice over, animation, color correction, matched footage from different sources – these will help you create a dynamic product. You have a lot to do more than just edit.

Become a storyteller.

Also, knowing what works for your edits is more important than operating the software. Your goal is to create video that people will enjoy watching. Storytelling is definitely more important.

Respect the job.

Behind every video there is more than a tired editor. There is a supporting team.

If you are not an expert, hire one. I respect this job, and editing is not just cutting and pasting. It takes years to get good at it and that’s why hiring a professional makes sense. You get the best product this way.

If you're looking for inspiration on what content you should include in your video marketing strategy, download our Guide to the 7 Must-Have Videos:

Additional Resources:

Production Video Tips & Tricks

Our Top 10 Favorite Halloween Movies

Erin Hayes October 29, 2015 Creativity, Fun, Video Leave a Comment

Welcome to our super spooky Halloween Episode of Beer & Gear!

What's your favorite Halloween movie? You've got to have at least one.

MediaBoss Animator/Graphic Designer, Nick Clarke and I share our top 5 favorite Halloween movies. And because there are two of us, you get 10 great flicks for the price of 5.

And if you're not a fan of scaring the sh** out of yourself for fun, don't worry. There's something on this list for you, too [full disclosure: Goosebumps still gives me nightmares].

Here's the list written out. For our ridiculous commentary on why we like these movies, you'll have to watch the video!

Nick's #5: The Evil Dead

Erin's #5: Curious George's Boofest

Nick's #4: Beetlejuice

Erin's #4: Shaun of the Dead

Nick's #3: Night of the Living Dead

Erin's #3: Young Frankenstein

Nick's #2: Scream

Erin's #2: Witches of Eastwick

Nick's #1: A Nightmare on Elm Street

Erin's #1: Hocus Pocus

Let us know your favs in the comments!

Creativity Fun Video

MediaBoss Television Pilot Partners Wins People's Telly Award

Erin Hayes September 09, 2015 Production, Press, Video Leave a Comment

Original Press Release Published Here

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Framingham, MA September 9, 2015 - The Telly Awards has named MediaBoss Television as a winner in the 36th Annual People's Telly Awards for their dramedy television pilot titled Partners. In addition to recognition from the Silver Telly Council, the judging panel that selects the Telly Awards winners, the Internet community helps decide the People’s Telly Awards winners. With nearly 12,000 entries from all 50 states and numerous countries, winning the People’s Choice is truly an honor.

Partners follows the career of a female detective in an all-male police station. The pilot was written by Matty Blake and directed by MediaBoss Creative Director & Producer, Ian Barrett. Blake and Barrett are producing partners under their partnership company, Let the Boy Watch. The pair have worked together on several other comedic pilots and a variety of other productions.

Partners was co-produced and edited by MediaBoss Television. A scripted, ensemble concept, the pilot was captured in Framingham, MA in a single day and featured actors, Jimmy Dunn (The McCarthys), R.J. Kelly (Political Animals), Betsy Beutler (Legit, Scrubs), Dan Schachner (Animal Planet) and Matty Blake (Mystic River, Boardwalk Empire).

"Filming Partners with MediaBoss and this cast was a like a writer/actor version of going to Disney World: Pure joy and magic,” Blake says. “We had so much fun but we also worked our butts off. A group of professionals getting together and playing our trade on our terms. Laughs yes, but we cared, we toiled, we strove. It wasn’t frivolous, it was rewarding. It’s the best kind of fun. It’s why we do what we do. We love the process!"

"It was a very fast paced set. We had a ton of set-ups to get through because we only had our cast for one day,” Barrett says. "Everything came together like magic, in the end we had more material than we could use! I can't say enough about how amazing the experience was."

The Telly Awards was founded in 1979 and is the premier award honoring outstanding local, regional, and cable TV commercials and programs, the finest video and film productions, and online commercials, video and films. Winners represent the best work of the most respected advertising agencies, production companies, television stations, cable operators, and corporate video departments in the world.

“The Telly Awards has a mission to honor the very best in film and video,” said Linda Day, Executive Director of the Telly Awards. “MediaBoss' accomplishment illustrates their creativity, skill, and dedication to their craft and serves as a testament to great film and video production.”

To see check out more of MediaBoss’ productions check out their portfolio: http://www.mediabosstv.com/creative-video

About MediaBoss Television
MediaBoss Television is a full-service television and web video production company that produces compelling video content for broadcast, corporations and start-ups alike. MediaBoss Television is based out of an 8,000 square foot converted industrial studio in Framingham, MA.

Please contact Erin Hayes, MediaBoss Television, for inquiries: Erin@MediaBossTV.com or call 508-405-0323

-END-

Additional Resources:

Production Press Video

The Four Biggest Video Marketing Trends

Erin Hayes August 04, 2015 Marketing, Video Marketing, Video, Content Marketing Leave a Comment

2015 has a been a great year for video.

Everywhere we turn, the internet gives us another study reporting the adoption and effectiveness of video.

Hardly anyone questions the strength of video marketing. But what type of video should you use and how should you use it?

We have about a million great ideas to help answer that. So, to help inspire you, we'll start with sharing the four of the biggest video marketing trends we've seen this year.

Mobile Video

The number 1 spot on the Biggest Video Marketing Trends list has to go to mobile video.

Have you checked your analytics lately? How many views are you getting from mobile? I’d bet if you did a comparison from last year, you'd see an increase.

Well guess what? The mobile trend has hit video too.

Google’s algorithm change this spring gave mobile-friendly websites a leg up in mobile search. And according to a recent report by eMarketer, Mobile video viewing jumped 10% this year (this is while laptop and desktop viewing stalls for the first time).

56% of viewers watch video on their smartphones, compared to 46% last year.

If that jump isn't enough to convince you your customers are embracing mobile viewing, check out this stat:

69% of smartphone users say videos are a perfect solution for smartphone viewing because it gives them a quick way to understand a product overview.

It’s more important than ever to make sure your videos are mobile-ready. If you self-host, check in with your webmaster to see if they’ve optimized for mobile. If you need help, I’d recommend trying any of the following hosting services:

Video in Marketing Automation

Marketing Automation is another big video marketing trend.

Marketing Automation on it's own is just plain smart.

58% of top-perfoming companies (defined as those where marketing contributes more than half of the sales pipeline), have adopted marketing automation. (Forrester Research).

And...

B2C marketers who take advantage of automation have seen conversion rates as high as 50%! (eMarketer)

This year, we’ve seen a marked increase in the use of video with marketing automation. And the increase has been for good reason.

[tweet_dis]Just using the word ‘video’ in an email subject line increases open rates by 19%![/tweet_dis] It also increases click through rates by 65% and reduces unsubscribes by 26%. (Syndacast)

And while we're on the subject, did you know that 45% of the companies that use marketing automation, regularly repurpose content?

We particularly love this statistic. We are big proponents of repurposing content.

If you’d like a video, but want to get more than a single use out of it, contact us. We can help!

Less Gimmick, More Story

Remember the Old Spice Guy? How about A Dollar Shave Club? Both were great video campaigns that seem out of place in 2015, right?

We’ve noticed that, this year, video has come back to storytelling. And we’re relieved. Not that we didn't like the gimmicky video. We did. We just didn’t love it. We love storytelling.

The rise of content marketing adoption has helped bring marketers back to the Engage, Educate and Entertain model. Consumers want quality content that helps inform their decision making process. Of course entertainment is still a priority, but the priority is back where it belongs: In third place.

Overall, the popular videos we’ve seen take off have stayed away from the gimmick and stayed true to the story.

Take Puppyhood by Purina Puppy Chow for example. It engages people by telling a familiar story in an entertaining way.

We’re not saying that gimmicks are no longer a part of video marketing. They are. But this year more often the story is there first.

Personally, we’re relieved.

Here are two more commercials we really thought hit the mark:

#RealStrength: Dove, Men+Care

#DodgeWisdom - Official 2015 Dodge Super Bowl Commercial

Live Streaming

Thanks to Meerkat and Periscope, everyone can live stream! Social video has been on the rise for the better part of this decade, but platforms like these make it accessible to anyone.

Of course, that doesn’t mean every one is doing it well (how many fridge tours can one person take??). But there are plenty of brands out there that are killing it in this medium.

For example, do you follow "Central Intelligence" star Kevin Hart? Well you should. That man is smart. And his interactivity with his fans is inspired.

How about Netlfix? This Spring, Netflix used Periscope to stream a guinea pig wandering between zones on a floor. One was marked, “Study” and the other “Netflix”. They put this out around college finals season.

And General Electric used Periscope to live stream a behind-the-scenes interview with astrophysicist, Neil deGrasse Tyson and scientist Bill Nye.

We expect to see more brands adopt Periscope and Meerkat into their marketing strategy in 2016. The use cases are close to endless.

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We'd love to talk about you about how to integrate any of these trends into your video marketing strategy. Remember, 2016 is just around the corner.

Download our 7 Must Have Videos and get planning!

Marketing Video Marketing Video Content Marketing

Video (2)

Johnny A.'s "Sleigh Ride"

no 1: focused on features instead of benefits

no. 2: No call to action

Step 3: too many topics in 1 video

Johnny A.'s "Sleigh Ride"

1) Reference & Research

2) Sketching

3) Digital Drawing

4) Animation

What I’d Change:

Do It Yourself

Have YouTube Do It

Hire Someone To Do It

Here is how I do what I do:

Take a deep breath and dive in.

Focus on the design.

Watch it again.

Here are some tips that help me on my day to day job:

Take some time from the edit.

Avoid one camera angle.

Never stop learning.

Become a storyteller.

Respect the job.

Mobile Video

Video in Marketing Automation

Less Gimmick, More Story

Live Streaming

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