WHY BRANDS SHOULD ACT LIKE MEDIA OWNERS

A recent panel at Marketing Week discussed how more and more non-media brands are starting to enter the media space.

When it comes to video content, most brands are going through an accelerated period of learning. It’s long been believed that audio-visual content and TV ads are one of the strongest ways to communicate a message and get results. However, recently online video is starting to bring the effectiveness of audio-visual communications to a wider group of brands.

Brands like Red Bull have embraced this trend. Rather than just selling fizzy drinks, Red Bull has started to transform itself into more of a media company. So far, their consumers have displayed real enthusiasm for engaging with the brand about entertainment.

According to Lindsay Nuttall from the online retailer ASOS, video is fast becoming a central pillar of what they’re doing. Video touches multiple parts of the ASOS communications strategy; everything from lo-fi ‘how to wear’ instructional videos right through to interactive YouTube videos.  Online video increasingly offers cost-effective ways to marry the beauty, engagement and filmic quality of TV advertising with shoppable features.

Data is another aspect that is drawing brands into the media space. Online video appeals to tightly targeted audiences, and can bring the currency of data to any experiment. According to Bruce Daisley from YouTube, Google is working to show companies their paid media and earned media through simple, data rich interfaces. Ultimately, marketers need to know if they have invested in getting a campaign to be seen by a million people, and then 8 million consumers end up viewing it.

Key discussion points in this video include:

Is it vital for brands to start creating their own content?
What drives the success of online video? What is the best way to measure success?
What makes a piece of video content shareable?
What are the best ways to engage consumers with your video content?
How is social media impacting the online video space?