The Journal: The Importance of Video

The emergence of more and more short, snappy, sexy and yet accessible videos onto our digital platforms is undoubtable and they’re working their way easily into our everyday lives. We are now so used to watching video that we respond to it and share it 1200% more than text and imagery combined. Forbes has called video marketing “The Future of Content Marketing” and it’s easy to see why. Our world is undoubtedly turning more and more visual, but with still imagery alone, you tend to lose some of the personality involved unless it’s supported by well-crafted copy that sticks to a consistent tone of voice. Video makes up for this beautifully, and it’s being used by more and more brands across the globe to convey their values and their ‘why’ to the world.

There is no better example that Nike’s recent viral video campaign, ‘Nothing Beats a Londoner’, that managed to cut through the corporate, billion dollar brand’s facelessness, and truly showcase some of it’s more deep rooted values through the voices of its customers, covering wide demographics but ultimately instilling a sense of pride, energy and belonging in all that watch it. Ending with a strong call to action (“Show you’re a LDNR”), the three minute video has been watched nearly 6 million times, has been shared around the world and has pushed Nike forward as not just a ‘sportswear brand’, but a personality that’s both humorous and relatable. An amazing piece of advertising by Wieden + Kennedy.

At designdough, our website was trucking along happily for years, but it was when we decided to add in a studio feature video that things really changed for us as a business and as a brand; all of a sudden, our work wasn’t the only important thing that was being showcased to prospective clients. Our team and our culture, the people behind designdough, came into the forefront, and it turns out our clients and prospects really responded well to getting more of an insight into the people that would be delivering the work, and what collaborating with them to ensure successful results would be like.

Fear of the unknown is real, especially when it comes to investing in services such as design; it’s very easy to imagine an intimidating studio environment with lots of pompous arty types spouting a lot of drivel that you don’t understand. Therefore, using something such as a video, that allows people to put faces to names, diminishes that initial anxiety and says to the world “hey look, we don’t bite!” (but obviously in a much more professional way). Even being able to visualise the environment that you’ll be soon stepping into helps in some way – plotting out a visual floor plan for yourself always seems to make stepping over the threshold less intimidating somehow.

Youtube demonstrates the power of video marketing beautifully, with its boom in ‘review’ and ‘try before you buy’ videos, cleverly blurring the lines between content and advertising. There are many brands that have turned from ‘cult’ to ‘mainstream’ due to Youtube videos and endorsements alone (see Blendtec®) and it’s because consumers now base their trust and urge to buy on whether they relate to and like the person showcasing it. Celebrity endorsements are no longer effective when just in print – consumers have become savvy to product placement, #ad and #spon (if you’re unsure what we mean by that, just type those hashtags into Instagram) and it now takes a lot more than a pretty face to boost sales; consumers want to hear and see what others REALLY think about a product, how it works and looks, and they’re getting really good at spotting the liars.

The key to marketing success over the next few years will undoubtedly focus on laying your cards on the table, cutting the bull and being real and relatable, and there is no better way than video to show this in a concise and attractive way.

Still not convinced, we’ve gathered together a few interesting statistics to persuade you:

1. By 2019, video will represent over 80% of all Internet traffic. (source: Cisco)

2. 50% of executives look for more information after seeing a product/service in a video. (source: Forbes)

3. If a person enjoys a video ad, they are 97% more likely to buy and 139% more likely to remember the brand associated (source: Unruly)

4. 59% of executives would rather watch a video than read text. (source: Forbes)

5. According to an Australian Retailer, real estate listings that include a video receive 403% more inquiries than those without.

6. After watching a video, 64% of users are more likely to buy a product online. (source: ComScore).

7. 65% of executives visit the marketer’s website, and 39% call a vendor after viewing a video. (source: Forbes).

8. Including video on a landing page can increase conversion by 80%.(source: unbounce)

9. Including video in an email leads to a whopping 200-300% increase in click-through rate. (source: Forrester)