Top 3 Video Marketing Lessons from Nielsen’s 2011 State of the Media Consumer Usage Report

Posted on Jan 6, 2012 in Social Video, Visionaries | 0 comments

NielsenWire published a report today that is packed with data about how, when, what, where and how much media Americans consume. They sliced and diced it various ways with respect to 3 key platforms – TV, Web and Mobile – and 1 key filter- Social. Many consider social a platform itself, but I view it as an agnostic driver for cross-platform (or transmedia, as the cool kids call it) consumption. I put video in that same category, and believe that social media and video combine as a powerful 1-2 punch for PR and marketing professionals. Not the left jab-right cross 1-2 the great Ali perfected … but the equally as potent community-content combo that drives conversation and commerce. Based on analysis of the data these are my 3 key takeaways for video marketers.

TV may not be as sexy or exciting as online or mobile, but it is still the best way to reach a mass audience quickly. It is certainly the most dominant video device in the land. 290 million Americans in 115 million homes own at least one TV as compared to 211 million online and 116 million (ages 13+) accessing the mobile Web. Yes, we still love our TVs with 31.3% of the 115 million US HHs owning 4 or more televisions. By contrast, 75% as many (86 million HHs) have broadband access and 43% in the U.S. have smart phones. This access translates to usage. 288 million Americans (ages 2+) access video via TV as compared to 143 million on the Internet and 30 million on smart phones. The 25-49 year old demographic viewed an average of 30 hours of TV each week as compared to < 1 hour of video on the web and mobile combined. And, don’t expect TV to go away. The numbers are steady and the medium is evolving. Note the top 5 mobile video channels are YouTube followed by 4 TV brands – Fox, ABC, Comedy Central and CBS. I chalk it up to strong, professionally produced content delivered by recognized, trusted brands (hint, hint ).

Create transmedia visual messages that result in a consistent experience for your audience on all platforms. While TV dominates, followed by the web and mobile they all reach large, critical audiences. TV is holding its own and the gaps are closing. Mobile growth is exponential, driven by smart phone and tablet sales, and online is showing no signs of slowing down. People are not migrating from one platform to another; they are cruising across all platforms and your content should serve as a bridge. 94% of the 86 million broadband HHs also value TV enough to pay for access, and they dont cancel their cable/satellite for TV and home web when they buy their smart phones and tablets. Cord-cutting is happening, but not so fast. More so, it’s not how they access information that is indicative of the need to produce and distribute content appropriate for each platform – especially as those lines also blur. The real need is highlighted by what they’re doing. Sure, we’re simultaneously watching and surfing and tweeting and chatting and sharing but, more specifically – 40% looked up info related to a TV program they were watching (note to media relations and marketing integration pros) and 30% looked up info on a product in an ad (note to “the 30 second spot is dead’ crowd).

Social media is connecting the dots but content is driving the conversation. Of the top 5 video destinations (YouTube far ahead of VEVO, Yahoo!, Facebook and MSN) all have social media features and 2 (YouTube and Facebook) are social media platforms. Audiences are expecting, if not demanding more content with 80% of mobile users identifying ‘new content’ as very or somewhat important. Furthermore, when asked about their preferred sources for product and service information 63% said consumer reviews and/or ratings (sounds social to me, wonder how many were video), 50% responded company website (which should have video content and social functionality), 47% noted call centers (wow!), 45% identified e-mail (which should contain embeds or links to video) and finally … 34% specified video clips (no one singled out text or photos, but they should be part of the mix too). Communities have formed and technologies and consumption habits have developed to set the expectation for rich media. Professional communicators are playing catch up when it comes to quality content.

Whether or not you agree with my conclusions, there is no doubt that video consumption is growing on all platforms and marketers should continue to respond. Give the people what they want – more video. Just make sure it represents your brand and drives specific business results. And, remember – if it isn’t measured it didn’t happen – at least in the eyes of the CFO and others who approve our budgets.

What do you think?

Larry is president of Latergy, a video services boutique that provides multimedia content strategy, production, distribution and measurement services to professional communicators. Thomas works with global agencies, companies and organizations to help tell their visual stories creatively, efficiently and effectively. Prior to Latergy, Thomas pioneered online video marketing and PR as co-founder and president of PR Newswire’s MultiVu and COO of Medialink Worldwide, a NASDAQ company that was sold to a VC-backed competitor who took it private. He lives in NJ with his wife, Sherry Lynn, and their plethora of pups. Contact him at lthomas@Latergy.com.