OP-ED COLUMN
By Rex
I have a question for you. How many YouTube videos have you watched in the past two months? OK. Now, compare that number to how many you watched two years ago. If the answer to the first half of that equation is “none”, I don’t believe you are reading this and that you actually exist. I don’t mean to be arrogant, but let’s take another look at what exactly is going on here.
In the past two years, video has become more accessible online than ever before. The emergence of YouTube and many other video sharing services is a testament to that fact. According to comScore, consumers watched 10 billion videos online in December 2007. What makes this trend even more flammable is the fact that broadband-based Internet use in the U.S. is constantly growing and is predicted to reach 90% this year, according to Nielsen Online.
With the numbers growing at that pace, television may face a blow on par with the blow dealt to newspapers by blogs. Well, maybe not to quite to that extreme, but while at the present moment it seems that just a small portion of the population are using online video, I am willing to bet that in a few years we will all be broadcasting on behalf of our clients, organizations and ourselves.
So why not start doing it now?
Video is a powerful medium that is now so much more accessible than before. Video production costs have generally decreased and the new video editing software makes post-production work that several years ago cost thousands of dollars, available to almost anyone. This is indeed an exciting time.
Google is adding videos to its highly successful AdWords program in anticipation of small businesses jumping on the opportunity at the rate that they did with text ads. The other media companies aren’t sleeping either. As discussed in a previous issue of YNT, the 2008 Presidential candidates toss the words “YouTube” out rather matter-of-factly during debates, and their campaign strategists treat their online video presence as seriously as they do major TV networks. Clearly, the landscape is changing.
What are the implications?
Here’s one clue: A good friend of mine was recently hired by the interactive practice of a major PR firm, due largely in part for her video editing skills – clearly, a sign of the times. Online videos cut through a lot of the other noise on the Internet, whether it’s long-winded Web sites, or overwhelming e-mail communications. Video provides an opportunity to convey a message in a compelling and concise format. Before we know it, few organizations will be able to resist the temptation to jump on the video production bandwagon. This means that we, the PR professionals, have to nail down the basics of online video production right now. For whatever client, project or cause that is out there. It is a core capability that will be as essential tomorrow as your “traditional” Web tactics are today.