MUMBAI: India has become the fourth largest online video consumption market, aided by 50 per cent growth over the last couple of years. This sudden explosion has made video marketing an obvious choice for marketers.
“Internet is no longer the medium that brands invest in when they do not have budgets for TV. The scenario has now changed, thanks to two main factors – television has become increasingly fragmented and the youth has shifted online,” said Visa marketing director- India & South Asia Shubhranshu Singh.
The challenge rises in the fact that the medium needs to be optimised. With smartphone penetration increasing every year, generating contextual and relevant content for the medium is the main challenge. “For this medium to be used to its potential, the offline and online planners need to work hand in hand. The content creation for this medium needs to be done creatively and not simply picked from that generated for TV,” said Vdopia Media vice president Debadutta Upadhyaya, while speaking at the 8th Marketing Conclave organised by the Internet and Mobile Association of India (IAMAI).
In case of video marketing online, the context of the ad becomes very important. It is no longer a case where people watch the ad without an option as it appears along the side panels of its screen during a match or in between a movie or serial on TV.
Singh said, “Online, the consumer may see an ad and search about the product or conversely see the product and search for a video on it. The toggle between the viewing and search is five to ten times faster than in the offline case. This makes it very interesting.”
One point of view is the possible change in definition of the term TV itself. Now the medium may be classified as Internet screen and non Internet screen. “This is the main reason why the content for the mediums needs to be differentiated. The two media attract different audience and, thus, the same content will just not do. Also, video offers a tool for measurability which marketers look for in any medium they use.”
Additionally, content on the Internet never dies or goes offline; it only gets buried. This is one of the main reason why there is an urgency to seek creative thought process in generation of online video marketing content. “There is a certain ‘whackiness’ in online video content that is accepted which cannot be replicated on TV,” averred Singh.
Amagi Media Labs co-founder KA Srinivasan, however, refused to accept that this is a case of TV versus online video marketing. “Television penetration is only going to increase in the future. Also as we adopt new technologies, television will be able to provide targeted regional advertising options. This will give the marketers a chance to change the message according to the demography and geography,” he said.
For many, the term ‘online video’ translates to YouTube. While YouTube uses a lot of user generated content, online video marketing also includes the development of professional videos. It is the latter that marketers can use to actually market the product while the former may provide valuable insight into consumer psyche.
“India is experiencing an industrial and digital revolution simultaneously. So where one part of the country is laying down new roads and building buildings and bridges, the other part is going viral. Today, the focus is shifting from penetration to consumption,” Singh said.
While TV and print will always figure in a planner’s marketing plan, digital, specifically online video marketing, will find its own place and importance.
