Two billion. The number of hits that YouTube gets in a day, as not only a viewing platform but as a search tool too – making it the second largest search engine in the world (after Google).
But why has YouTube or (more importantly) video become so popular? From speaking with our clients, and reflecting on how business communication has transformed itself in recent years, I believe its popularity has derived from something far more highbrow – a shift in society and our behaviours.
To demonstrate this, you only need to think about the way we operate today to understand the efficacy of video. In a world where we are constantly grappling with time and a need for more of it, we have effectively become a time poor generation that can’t afford to spend huge amounts of time on one thing. Video, however, suits our lifestyle and solves our desire to get information quickly and concisely whilst on the move.
Video & business
Whilst the idea of using video is by no means a new concept, corporations have only recently embraced it and taken note of people’s desire to engage with a business via this channel. This was proven in BergHind Joseph’s 2012 Global Players study, which highlighted a marked shift in the way brands (be it B2B or B2C) were communicating. Those companies featured demonstrated an increasing willingness to invest in professionally-shot video footage as a realisation had been made: stakeholders want to quickly understand what an organisations offer really is, what it stands for, and the position it takes when it comes to things such as social responsibility.
Ten to twenty years ago, few of us would have cared or striven to understand these intricate ideas. This was primarily down to the way brands conducted themselves – they could get away with being translucent rather than transparent – giving people a glimpse of the truth whilst still maintaining a tight grip on what the reality was and how it wanted to be perceived.
Today, however, information has become a commodity and has made stakeholders far more knowledgeable and demanding, forcing organisations to become transparent and more authentic in their communication – an idea that raises the efficacy of video and see’s organisations (as featured in 2012 Global Players), using it in novel ways: from getting employees, customers and other stakeholders to offer a personal take on a business (Microsoft); to company’s explaining their philosophies, policies and approach on business focused topics such as innovation (GE); the design and functionality of a product (Nokia); or the contribution of science in everyday life (Pfizer).
Want to find out more about the power of video in business communication?
Watch our recent video series on ‘Why use video for business communication?’; ‘What ingredients make a great business video?’ and ‘What returns can video offer a business?’
