Social Networks Play A Leading Role in Online Video Discovery

How do frequent online video viewers find the content they watch?
Yahoo posed the question to 1,775 consumers aged 16-44 who watch online video at least several times a week, finding that almost 8 in 10 find videos through social means, with 50% finding them through their social network and 45% from word-of-mouth. Not far behind, more than 7 in 10 discover videos by some form of browsing, most commonly by browsing online (45%), but also through recommendations while watching videos (34%).

Video viewers also discover content by actively seeking it out: half of the respondents reported finding videos through video aggregators and more than one-third through search engines.

Ads play a smaller role: only about 1 in 5 reported finding content as the result of an ad.

The study indicates that video discovery varies with the type of content being watched. So while video aggregators are the top discovery source for online video clips and music videos, word-of-mouth is the leading way by which these frequent viewers come across originals, TV programs, and movies.

In terms of online video sharing, 59% say they share videos on social networks of relevance to their friends and family, while 45% share them on social to connect with friends and family. By next year, though, roughly half of the respondents said they would be more selective about what they share. Perhaps as a result, only one-third expect the Facebook newsfeed to be dominated by video.-MarketingCharts

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Top Ten Super Bowl Videos...So Far

Check out these top ten online video shares for the 2014 Super Bowl - as of January 25. Courtesy of Unruly. Cheers!

1. Axe Peace | Make Love, Not War

2. Business Association with Tom Hiddleston | Jaguar USA

3. Volkswagen Game Day Teaser

4. Bud Light "Arnold Zipper"


5.Dannon Oikos: Big Game Tease


6. Pepsi #Halftime American with Lee Brice

7. Doritos "Finger Cleaner"

8. Pepsi #Halftime: What if the Grammy's Had a Halftime Show

9. Bud Light "Arnold Warmup"

10. GoDaddy - BodyBuilder

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The Must Have Marketing Metrics to Measure Digital Video Ad Success

Merging video ad metrics is a must for measuring digital video advertising and it can be as simple as tallying impressions or as complex as tracking the reactions of audiences viewing ads across multiple screens, according to a new eMarketer report, “Digital Video Ad Metrics: Making the Most of the Measurement Toolbox.”

Video ad metrics are tricky. Several metrics are popularly used but often inadequate by themselves—such as impressions and clickthrough rates (CTRs). But even more robust metrics—such as completion rates—work best when viewed together with other prime metrics, such as social activities and brand health studies.

Metrics can be compared with tools, with the right tool for the right job making work easier. For video advertising, the right job is determined by the marketer’s objectives—from high-level brand awareness to direct-response conversions.

The three metrics most used among agency and brand professionals when buying digital video ads, according to an October 2013 study from BrandAds, were impressions, clicks and completions.



But just because a metric is widely used does not mean it is the most useful. The same research found that brand lift studies and viewability analysis were two metrics that would influence video media planning and buying tactics for about three-quarters of respondents—if a third party provided those means. (The same survey also found that a strong majority of agency and brand respondents did not have access to tools to measure the impact of their digital video ad campaigns.)

Integrating digital video ad metrics is essential—and difficult. A key step to help marketers both merge metrics and uncover further information is clarity about objectives for that campaign at that time.

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Marketers Use Stories for Successful Digital Video

As clients and prospects spend more time with video, marketers shift their attention digital video, long an amusement for consumers and a tool for business-to-consumer (B2C) marketers, is pushing its way into the business-to-business (B2B) marketing mainstream, according to a new eMarketer report, “B2B Video Marketing: Best Practices for 2014.”

B2B marketers are investing in video marketing because, like most internet users, B2B clients and prospects are devoting more time to watching digital video. Businesspeople are drawn to video for pretty much the same reason consumers watch video—it’s entertaining.

In many of eMarketer’s interviews with market leaders over the past year, we asked about video best practices. One of the key themes? Spin a good tale.

“People in general gravitate toward visual storytelling,” explained Liya Sharif, senior director of global marketing at Qualcomm. “Video is an incredible way to tell a story for either a B2B or B2C brand.”

Jennifer Anaya, vice president of marketing for North America at Ingram Micro, added, “Even though this is B2B, everyone likes a good story, and everybody likes to laugh.”

It’s easy to imagine how a video could present a laundry list of product features. But that won’t work. According to Michael Peachey, senior director of solutions marketing at Salesforce.com, “Any time the story isn’t the main priority in a film, you’re not really making a connection with the people you’re marketing to in trying to help them understand the real value of the situation.”

Likewise, Neda Stoll, senior marketing manager at Intel, emphasized: “The most important thing is, ‘Are you telling an interesting story?’”

How are you using video?

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B2B Marketers Increase Online Video Budgets

Roughly 1 in 2 (52.5% of) B2B marketers expect to increase their marketing budgets this year, per results from Advertising Age’s 2014 BtoB Outlook: Marketing Priorities and Plans survey. That’s a slightly larger proportion than last year (48.7%), although budget increases are forecast to be relatively minor: only 36.4% of respondents plan an increase greater than 10%. The B2B sector appears to be following the broad shift in marketing spending from traditional to digital: this year, 38.7% of B2B marketers will devote at least 30% of their budgets on digital, up from 30% last year.

Indeed, about 8 in 10 respondents plan to increase their digital spending, an increase of 13% points from last year’s survey.

B2B marketers also seem to be following the returns: roughly half half will increase their event budgets (a 7.2% point increase in respondents from last year), as trade shows and events are increasingly celebrated for their strong ROI.

Interestingly, a greater proportion of respondents this year will increase their telemarketing budgets, although fewer than one-quarter will do so. Otherwise, there hasn’t been much of a change in the share of marketers expecting to increase their traditional media budgets.

When it comes to online spending, a larger share of respondents this year plan increases almost across the board, with websites the only exception. One of the big movers appears to be video, with more than 6 in 10 planning an increase in spending, a 7.9% point increase in respondents from last year. Roughly half also expect to spend more on webcasts and webinars, up 9.4% points from the 2013 survey.

The shift towards digital also shows up in respondents’ content marketing efforts, which 3 in 4 marketers are planning to invest more in. This year’s survey registered a 12% point increase in the proportion of respondents planning to deploy content marketing on social platforms and a 9% point increase in the share who will use mobile for content marketing. By contrast, there’s been a 10% point drop in the share of respondents this year plan to use print strategies for their content marketing efforts.

Although fewer than 4 in 10 B2B marketers currently use mobile as part of their marketing strategy, almost half said that it is extremely important for their organizations to advertise on mobile this year.

About the Data: The data is based on a survey conducted during November and December among 364 B2B marketers.

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Online Videos Exceed 50 Billion Monthly Views for First Time on Record

comScore, Inc. released data from the comScore Video Metrix service showing that 188.2 million Americans watched 52.4 billion online content videos in December, while the number of video ad views totaled 35.2 billion.

Top 10 Video Content Properties by Unique Viewers
Google Sites, driven primarily by video viewing at YouTube.com, ranked as the top online video content property in December with 159.1 million unique viewers. Facebook ranked #2 with 79.1 million viewers, followed by AOL, Inc. with 76.2 million, Yahoo sites with 53.5 million and NDN with 49.4 million. Nearly 52.4 billion video content views occurred during the month, with Google Sites generating the highest number at 13.4 billion, followed by Facebook with 3.7 billion and AOL, Inc. with 1.4 billion. Google Sites had the highest average engagement among the top ten properties.

Top U.S. Online Video Content Properties Ranked by Unique Video Viewers December 2013 Total U.S. - Home and Work Locations Content Videos Only (Ad Videos Not Included)
Propert	Total Unique  Viewers (000)	Videos  (000)*	Minutes  per Viewer
Total Internet : Total Audience	188,249	52,374,583	1,164.5
Google Sites	159,090	13,384,434	356.7
Facebook**	79,105	3,749,940	50.1
AOL, Inc.	76,178	1,414,138	60.4
Yahoo Sites	53,499	392,542	47.8
NDN	49,388	530,275	71.2
Amazon Sites	44,626	215,795	17.1
VEVO	39,424	632,788	51.0
Microsoft Sites	36,662	609,765	36.9
Vimeo	32,932	142,426	32.3
Turner Digital	29,008	221,105	39.0

*A video is defined as any streamed segment of audiovisual content, including both progressive downloads and live streams. For long-form, segmented content, (e.g. television episodes with ad pods in the middle) each segment of the content is counted as a distinct video stream. Video views are inclusive of both user-initiated and auto-played videos that are viewed for longer than 3 seconds.
**Facebook's December 2013 online video viewership, particularly the number of video views, is substantially higher than prior months due to both organic and inorganic factors. The largest (and inorganic) source of increase is the recent inclusion, following a technical validation effort, of a significant volume of short (typically 6-second) Vine videos that have been uploaded to Facebook. The other, and currently less significant, factor is the limited roll-out in December of auto-play videos in the Facebook News Feed.

Top 10 Video Ad Properties by Video Ads Viewed
Americans viewed nearly 35.2 billion video ads in December, with AOL, Inc. maintaining the #1 position with 4.3 billion ad impressions. LiveRail.com came in second with 3.6 billion ads, followed by Google Sites also with 3.6 billion, SpotXchange Video Ad Marketplace with 2.9 billion and TubeMogul Video Ad Platform with 2.5 billion. Time spent watching video ads totaled 13.2 billion minutes, with AOL, Inc. delivering the highest duration of video ads at nearly 1.9 billion minutes. Video ads reached 55.6 percent of the total U.S. population an average of 204 times during the month. Hulu delivered the highest frequency of video ads to its viewers with an average of 82.

Top U.S. Online Video Ad Properties Ranked by Video Ads* Viewed December 2013 Total U.S. - Home and Work Locations Ad Videos Only (Content Videos Not Included)
Property	Video Ads (000)	Total Ad  Minutes (MM)	Frequency (Ads per Viewer)	% Reach Total  U.S. Population
Total Internet : Total Audience	35,235,361	13,235	204.1	55.6
AOL, Inc. (including Adap.tv)	4,326,305	1,850	26.9	51.9
LiveRail.com†	3,566,607	1,506	23.4	49.2
Google Sites	3,564,204	353	32.3	35.6
SpotXchange Video Ad Marketplace†	2,895,520	975	24.5	38.0
TubeMogul Video Ad Platform†	2,467,934	802	21.3	37.3
BrightRoll Platform**†	2,451,140	1,148	14.8	53.3
Specific Media**	2,185,660	859	13.8	51.2
Hulu	1,388,482	551	82.3	5.4
Tremor Video**	1,209,948	537	11.7	33.3
Videology†	991,078	445	10.5	30.4

*Video ads include streaming-video advertising only and do not include other types of video monetization, such as overlays, branded players, matching banner ads, etc.
**Indicates video ad network
†Indicates video ad exchange/DSP/SSP

Top 10 YouTube Partner Channels by Unique Viewers
The December 2013 YouTube partner data revealed that video music channel VEVO maintained the top position in the ranking with 38.5 million viewers. Fullscreen held onto the #2 spot with 27.3 million unique viewers, followed by ZEFR with 26.6 million, Maker Studios Inc. with 24.7 million, and Warner Music with 22.7 million. Among the top 10 YouTube partners, Maker Studios Inc. demonstrated the highest engagement (72 minutes per viewer), followed by VEVO (51 minutes per viewer). VEVO streamed the greatest number of videos (622 million), followed by Maker Studios Inc. (523 million).

Top YouTube Partner Channels Ranked by Unique Video Viewers December 2013 Total U.S. - Home and Work Locations Content Videos Only (Ad Videos Not Included)
Property	Total Unique  Viewers (000)	Videos (000)	Minutes per  Viewer
VEVO @ YouTube	38,460	622,057	51.1
Fullscreen @ YouTube	27,346	358,267	40.9
ZEFR @ YouTube	26,598	143,042	14.9
Maker Studios Inc. @ YouTube	24,726	522,869	72.2
Warner Music @ YouTube	22,672	151,209	19.1
warnerbros vfp @ YouTube	20,032	61,301	5.3
The Orchard @ YouTube	18,987	78,701	11.8
google @ YouTube	17,965	47,075	4.6
rumblefish @ YouTube	17,396	45,932	7.4
UMG @ YouTube	16,295	66,580	11.0

Other findings from December 2013:

• 86.9 percent of the U.S. Internet audience viewed online video.
• The duration of the average online content video was 4.2 minutes, while the average online video ad was 0.4 minutes.
• Video ads accounted for 40.2 percent of all videos viewed and 5.7 percent of all minutes spent viewing video online.
  
  

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Online Video Ads Were Up 205% in 2013

According to comScore, the audience for online video has grown 4 percent over the past year. The number of video ads? Up 205 percent.

People are watching a lot of online video. But the ad-serving firm Vindico sees something more nefarious in those numbers. Vindico, which tracks 40 percent of all video ads served on the Web, found that 57 percent of 2.7 billion ads it tracked over a recent two-month period were not viewable.

Perhaps even more eye-popping was the list of sites delivering the most video ads over that time. No YouTube, Hulu or Yahoo here. Instead, No. 1 is Blinkx.com. Vindico recorded 217 million views on Blinkx, about 23 percent of which were viewable.

CBS came in second with 195 million views and an 88 percent viewability rate. MSN was third, with just a 57 percent viewability rate. Several other top brands produced surprisingly low rates, including AOL and HuffPost, each at 60 percent.

Sites to appear in Vindico’s top 20 video site ranking:
• Wikia.com: 66 million impressions, 18 percent viewable
• Reellibrary.com: 28 million impressions, 18 percent viewability
• Uvidi.com, which syndicates content from the likes of Glamour, Vogue and Parents, 33 million impressions, 25 percent viewability

Surprisingly, there seems to be a huge spike in autoplay video running below the fold where people can’t see it. This is a huge priority, and nobody knows what to do about it. Also noted: the number of video ad networks has jumped from 50 in 2010 to 150 today, further muddling the supply chain.

Vindico has developed its own video viewability grading system. Most major media brands have avoided getting Ds and Fs, but more than half of the ad networks and exchanges the company monitors have.

Overall the industry is mistakenly using a volume-driven, display advertising mentality when serving video ads.

The real questions are:
What is the definition of viewability, and is it really applicable to digital video?

Technology that can catch bogus ads before they are delivered is key. But brands and their agencies are at fault for creating unrealistic expectations. Media buyers, trying to justify share shifts, are saying, ‘We’re getting incredible rates and scale’ [with Web video]. Such CPM goals drive bad behavior.

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Nearly 1 in 3 Smartphone Users Watch Long Videos [study]

Full-length movies, TV shows nearly as popular as snackable clips

The assumption that a small screen—like that of a smartphone—might be more typically used for viewing short, snackable video clips rather than long-form content seems simple. But research suggests full-length movies and TV shows come close to news clips and previews in popularity among smartphones video viewers.

According to research from Digitalsmiths, just over 42% of internet users in North America watched news video content on their smartphones, and more than 36% watched previews for TV shows or movies.

That compared with 30.9% of respondents who said they watched full-length movies on their phones, and 27% who watched TV show reruns.



Most respondents did not have any special subscription service to watch digital video content, but among those that did, Netflix was most popular, followed by Amazon Prime.



In the US alone, 72.1 million smartphone users watched video on their devices at least monthly this year, a figure that will rise to 86.8 million by the end of 2014.

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