Chicago videographer companies that are venturing into new media are quickly realizing that there is no sure-fire method to advertising online or with video production. Brands are basically developing strategies as they go along. Naturally, some ideas work, others don’t, but some might seem like they’re working when they are in fact unreliable and inefficient. Video production and online advertising is a business of trial and error, frustrating and exciting at the same time. But one thing seems to hold true, video is steadily becoming the medium of choice for a lot of marketing campaigns.
Daisy Whitney, host of NewMediaMinute, spoke with Chris Williams, general manager of Take180, and Jim Louderback, CEO of Revision3. The two experts offered some brief advice, and a thorough look at their input is below the video.
William’s input is full of industry jargon, but he is essentially talking about the challenges of product placement. He admits that there is money to be made by integrating brands into content, but he takes a traditional approach and suggests seperating content from the brand. Or better yet, let the content adapt to the brand.
Although Wayne’s World probably received some payment for placing those products into the film, this technique is inefficient for advertisers who want to reach a certain audience. Unlike a traditional commercial, which devotes 30 seconds to selling a specific product to a specific audience, brands have no real control over their product’s treatment in the video. Likewise, this method creates a challenge when evaluating the value of the product’s placement. And it raises the question if ?people who see the scene will want to buy the products that are mentioned, or will they laugh with the film’s cast at the whole notion of brand integration, or both? These questions are hard to answer and harder to put a price tag on, making it impossible to measure how much they are worth for the advertised brand.
William’s offers two alternatives. One are pre-roll ads, the short commercials that appear before online videos. These are easy to measure and can target a specific audience (people who watch Buffy on Hulu, etc). He also talks about creating “pre-roll ads with talent from the show.”
Case in point, MacGruber’s Pepsi commercials. These types of advertisements achieve both brand integration and audience specific content. Pepsi banks on the popularity of MacGruber and reaches the character’s audience. Since they know how the product is being treated and who the commercial is being seen by, it is easier to monetize the video production.
Louderback, on the other hand, gives some straight forward advice for Chicago videographer brands and companies that are experimenting with online advertising methods. Simply put, Louderback thinks brands need to figure out their specific audience, try a variety of methods to reach that audience, and be prepared to abandon the techniques that don’t work.
For some good examples of marketing techniques that didn’t work, look no further than Sony’s PSP disaster. Apparently, graffiti, racism, and poorly made rap videos don’t sell portable video games…
For help using video production for your business, contact Chicago videographer Video One Productions today!
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