Digital video distribution keeps evolving and marketers predict an increase of budget for video advertising. What else should we expect?
Trusted Media Brands asked 300 media executives where they’d use their digital video advertising budget next year, in an attempt to shape the future video trends that we should consider.
The results were quite interesting.
Video budgets on the rise
Both agencies and marketers see that video budget is going to increase during the next year, with agencies being way more interested in it.
65% of agencies are planning to increase their budget for digital video, while 34% are going to maintain the existing level of spending.
42% of marketers are planning to increase their digital video budget, but 58% of them are going to maintain it, which may also mean that they are already allocating the right budget towards video content.
YouTube rivals Facebook as the most important platform
Not everyone agreed when asked to pick the preferred platform for digital video distribution, as agencies and marketers pick a different platform, a battle which could be simplified as Youtube VS Facebook.
62% of agencies picked video platforms (YouTube, Vevo, etc) as their favourite method distribution, while 65% of marketers prefer social platforms (Facebook, Snapchat, etc) as their first choice.
The stats indicate that social platforms are dominating video distribution, as YouTube is still considered a social network, and that’s how the dilemma turns into a choice between YouTube and Facebook (if there’s a reason to only pick one).
What’s more, agencies also have a strong preference over DSPs (demand-side-platforms), as they allow them to buy advertising in an automatic process, facilitating the process of buying their display, video, mobile and search ads.
29% of marketers seem to prefer ad networks for the video distribution, while publishers are close both for agencies and marketers, indicating how Buzzfeed, Vice and the rest became popular.
Don’t underestimate live video
Live video is not expected to disappear from the online world anytime soon and both agencies and marketers want to invest in it. Facebook seems to be their first choice, with YouTube coming second, while they also seem to acknowledge the rise of Snapchat, and also the existence of Periscope as additional solutions for live video content.
Facebook can be a great choice for a brand trying to expand its audience and reach its existing audience, being the most popular platform. In fact, Facebook places video content higher on users’ news feeds, which creates another advantage for video creators.
However, as the competition increases on the platform, it may be a good idea to consider more options. Luckily there are many platforms to explore.
Increased investment in branded content
It’s not surprising to see that there is an expected increase in branded video content, as 45% of respondents are planning to do so in the next year, while 54% of them are maintaining the quantity of digital video they’re already producing.
Moreover, there is an increased interest in pre/mid/post video advertising, in an attempt to blend commercial content with value, although user experience is at stake with this trend, especially if the advertising is disruptive, irrelevant and more than 10 seconds.
Micro content
Short form content makes the perfect fit for online advertising and social platforms, as it may offer more chances to reach an audience without being too annoying or time-consuming.
That’s why 41% of the respondents are ready to invent in short form content, with 25% of them staying in longer form and 14% of them exploring the idea of micro content (videos that last up to 5 seconds).
It has been observed that all types of videos may be effective, provided that they are distributed to the right platform and at the right context.
Short form content may have been very popular lately, but this doesn’t mean that there still isn’t room for longer videos.
Takeaways
Here’s what we’d highlight from the survey.
- A quarter of total ad budgets are going to digital video (and this will increase)
- 65% of agency respondents see an increase in use of digital video in the next 12 months.
- 65% of marketers think social platforms are the most important media for digital video campaigns
- Live video content is expected to increase (with Facebook Live being the first choice)
- Branded content is the most likely to see an increase in the next 12 months (45%)
- Short form content is the most popular choice for video content.
This article first appeared in www.clickz.com
