Written online content will eventually become obsolete and replaced by video.
There, I said it.
According to Smashing Magazine, the total amount of digital content on the web as of 2010 was 1 zettabyte (think only slightly less than infinity). That number has only increased exponentially since.
As the amount of human-generated, digital content skyrockets, new business pioneers will seek innovative new ways to engage their customers and separate themselves from their competition.
Some already have.
In the world of online advertising, there is a great shift happening. Online video – as opposed to written text – is becoming one of the web’s fastest growing trends as an exciting, cutting-edge way to reach out. The once primarily text-based internet has evolved involved into a digital world of video content.
Unlike television, however, companies on the web are modifying their video engagement to develop not a series of long-winded, forgettable advertisements, but something sharper, shorter, informative, and far more entertaining, and interactive.
Two key mediums taking center stage as game changers: Pre-Roll Video and Native Video Advertising.
Pre-Roll Video:
We all have experienced Pre-Roll Videos. YouTube, Facebook, Hulu, and other streaming sites – the major mediums through which people are experiencing media – all showcase 15 – 30 second videos before getting to the searched content.
Many of these videos allow you to skip the meat of their message after about 5 – 10 seconds so you can move on to watch what you really clicked to see: “How to Hang Pegboard,” “Guy Wrestles Shark,” or “Cats Behaving Badly.”
But, ultimately, the message of that small snippet of video (even 5 seconds) can leave a much more lasting impression than blankly skimming over the words on a page.
Pre-Roll integrates television, web, and mobile, and – while akin to TV commercials – has a much deeper impact on the overall message by making the processing of information that much easier.
Native Video Advertising:
On the other side of this digital revolution is Native Video Advertising. While still retaining an air of mystery in the world of online marketing, Native Video Advertising is defined as a form of paid media where the ad experience follows the natural form and function of the environment or user experience in which it is placed.
Simply put, an advertiser’s video ad hides in plain sight. The message is carefully camouflaged on the website you are already reading or in the video you’re watching to blend seamlessly with your user experience. More importantly, these ad videos don’t smash you over the head with their presence like their loud cousins, banner ads, or their dreaded drunk uncles, pop-ups.
They’re just a small snippet of advertising in otherwise entertaining videos. This new type of advertising is said to produce over 82% brand lift and is to be adopted by over 122 major advertising publishers throughout the US by the end of 2013.
Digital Space Exploration
Will video, even compelling new formats such as these, replace written content over night?
Certainly not.
Video ads, whether pre-roll or native, remain expensive, time consuming, and out of reach for most companies.
But in the days to come, when industry pioneers create a cost-effective way to combine sound, sales, and imagery with the instant gratification of live video, the written content of today will be obsolete. Why waste time with lengthy, complex copy when you can get more feeling, more awareness, and more impact with something as engaging as video?
They say a picture is worth 1000 words. Only time will tell what the New Word could really add up to!
