Redrawing the customer engagement maps
On-demand consumption of online videos with increased watch-time is changing the way brands interact with customers, but do they really know their audience?
The power of the video as a communication tool has never been more potent. With people spending more time with their digital devices and digital media emerging as the only channel of engagement for many brands, the lock down is pushing advertisers to rethink the pitch and also the way they target their audiences.
According to a number of research reports, the online video has steadily become to advertising what visuals (think Marlboro and the man with a cowboy hat) or an iconic mascot (think Amul and the girl in a polka dotted dress) once were. Done well, it could become a lasting mnemonic for the brand, otherwise it disappears in a flash. It is therefore critical that advertisers know the audience well to leverage both the medium and the moment for their brands.
To do that companies must read between the numbers. A report by Google India and Kantar (April 2020) finds that people are not only spending more time watching videos, but they have also expanded the scope of their viewing and the frequency with which they access videos. “The most fundamental shift that has come about is in on-demand consumption,” says Abhishek Saigal, head of Consumer and Market Insights, Google India.
According to him and reports that came out earlier this year (App Annie and the State of the Mobile 2020, Nielsen reports on the impact of Covid-19) the online video is fast becoming a way of life. People watch to learn, to be entertained and also to stay informed. The point that most researchers are making is that videos serve many purposes and brands must be able to integrate it into their entire communication framework, at different stages and formats, rather than using it as a singlepoint engagement tool.
Saigal illustrates the role that videos play with an example. He says his team met a young man who worked as a mason in Udaipur. He had sent over 10 years on the job, learning as he went along, but felt disadvantaged because he had never had any formal education. He recently went on Youtube to learn how to make blueprints for constructing houses. Since he was unfamiliar with the technology, he asked his young neighbours for help. Having learnt it well, both how to use the internet and how to make blueprints, the man has been able to move up within his business circles and take his business up a notch further too. The story busts several myths—of videos being a young people’s choice, or that learning is mostly among children or those pursuing their hobbies, among others. “The implication for brands is that they can access audiences across ages through the medium of online video, where choice, variety and the flexibility of ubiquitous access are driving deep engagement of 67 minutes average daily watch-time,” says Saigal. Also, just as videos help in the pursuit of a passion or a desire for learning, it can also jump-start action. According to a Google report that was released last year, more than 80 per cent of online video viewers take action after watching a video (with a call to action) on Youtube.
Saigal says that their research shows that online videos are watched across age groups, by men and women. Also Indians watch anytime, anywhere and most prefer local languages with Hindi being the favoured choice for 54 per cent of those surveyed and English second, with 16 per cent.