Schweppes’ ‘Signs’ video is cited in this article as an example of longer form video that became successful.
However, it is worthy to note that the longer-form videos that are making it — and they are in the minority — have these characteristics in common
1. They’re not overtly commercial. I have seen the “Schweppes” video several times, and never realized it was an advert.
2. They tell a story. Like a movie. Only shorter. These aren’t how-to videos, or subject matter expertise videos. You’d better still keep those short to keep your audience’s attention
3. The production value of longer videos must be Hollywood-level high. No lesser standard would be accepted. Which means more creative up front costs and more production and post production expenses. Longer form videos are not for the small business owner.
4. The user stats out there still show that people like short video, and that they overwhelmingly prefer humorous, short video.
5. Annoyingly, you often have to watch commercials to access online longer-form video content. Which is a lot like – yuck – TV.
Now read what MarketingVox has to say about longer-form video, and decide (excerpted article below)…
The popularity of slapstick amateur YouTube videos is increasingly being supplanted by production-rich oeuvres of 10 and 20 minutes, with scripts and even story arcs written specifically for the ‘net, reports The New York Times.
One example of this new wave is Schweppes’ “Signs,” a 12-minute piece from its Short Film Festival campaign. The wordless video, put together by Publicis Mojo and director Patrick Hughes, springboarded onto YouTube’s Viral Video Chart Top 10 in March.
These more elaborate online productions have the benefit of being unrestricted by network schedules, as well as the benefit of being disseminated by users if they build in popularity. Many brands are specifically launching shows this month, knowing networks will be airing reruns and reality shows over summertime.
Presently, 150 million online users in the US watch about 14.5 billion videos per month, comScore writes. That’s an average of 97 videos per viewer. comScore also says average video durations have risen slowly but measurably in the past year â averaging 3.4 minutes in March.
And while, granted, most popular streaming videos are still on the shorter side, video hosting sites are preparing for a slow change in the tide. This year YouTube created separate sections for both shows and full-length films. And Hulu is doing so well that the company is contemplating a subscription model for some of its long-form content.
Online video is expected to become a $1 billion business in 2011, according to eMarketer. Meanwhile, online video today is witnessing a turning point, according to VP-Media Analytics Jon Gibs of Nielsen.
“Historically it has been very much a clip-based experience online,” he stated.
“We believe we are moving into a transition period where more of that viewership is going toward long-form video.”
Longer-Form Content Makes Slow Invasion of Online Video – MarketingVOX
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Filed under: Online Video Tips | Tagged: YouTube
