Power of Online Videos

“Online Video advertising will continue to grow to a $2 billion dollar industry by 2011″
- EMarketer, a leading Internet Market research company

Online videos are part of a growing trend in Internet usage. More and more people are leaving their TVs off and computers on. As seen in different websites like YouTube and Revver, there is a growing number of videos of all different genres to suit the tastes of anyone who comes online to be stimulated visually. And there are no disruptive commercial breaks as well.

The benefits of online video are many. Comparatively, hosting a video online is much cheaper than paying for airtime. Moreover, videos can be seen globally by anyone who as an Internet connection. Online videos have a means to be viral, spreading to people via word-of-mouth, incurring slight cost on the side of the advertiser as well as being more effective manifolds. For advertisers who still adhere to the TV medium to pick the traditional masses, online video can be a complement to target a different market segment. Most of all, the power of online video is not only available to the largest corporation but the common man as well, making it a level playing-ground for everyone.

Online video will be more strongly adopted due to emerging technologies in the Internet era. Increase in broadband usage due to falling costs and stronger standards will power the demand for videos online. Even telecommunications companies like Verizon are forced to reconsider their old model of communication by voice only. Incorporating videos as another means of communications is inevitable. Video-enabled mobile networks will prefer on the next stage.

Online videos will impact offline businesses as traditional advertising mediums will continue to shrink in proportion to online advertising. Failing to tap into the trends of ‘play on demand’, ‘moving away from the TV’ and online video marketing, offline businesses is at a clear disadvantage in pushing their products to the masses. For online businesses, the impact will be more profound. Image and textual advertising are limited in driving their messages out. Online videos appeals more to the audio and visual senses – they make a story or message more fluid and easy to digest.

The power of online video cannot be underestimated. As part of a growing trend online, embracing it will bring more opportunities. Online videos are not necessarily a MUST but they are definitely a big PLUS.