Last month Cisco released a study forecasting that video will overtake 90 percent of consumer IP traffic and 64 percent of mobile IP traffic by 2013. While the company’s $590 million acquisition of Flip Video in March likely colored their findings, the increasing popularity of video cannot be denied. As a PR guy well-educated in the declining readership of print media, this report got me thinking about how the spread of video alters our work and how we can maximize it for our clients most effectively.
No sooner had I read the study, when the subject of upping the use of video came up in an intra-agency client call. PR reps from New York to Newburyport had the same question: how can we create, edit and circulate footage in a manner that is successful and authentic, while not cutting in too deeply to our time on the phones with producers, editors and bloggers?
Video hosting sites offer a low-cost opportunity to reach consumers and journalists. To create content for these sites, we’ve created the Matter Media Center, where our teams can easily craft and rework the visual and audio components that make compelling multimedia content.
To help further a client’s use of video in a time-conscious way, consider events and opportunities where video can be easily incorporated. We already attend store openings, press tours and trade shows for our clients, so why not take the extra step of bringing along a handheld to shoot an insider’s view? As newspapers and magazines continue to integrate video into their online platforms, be an asset to editors by offering in-person, taped interviews with CEOs and customers to enhance their burgeoning use of multimedia.
It’s important to note that whether a video is watched on television or online, audiences are conditioned to determine within the first few moments of viewing something whether it’s advertorial or not. So, it’s vital to anchor the use of video around a cardinal talent of a good PR person: the ability to tell an engaging, honest story. Here’s a fun example of a successful video from one of our clients, Verizon Wireless.