I can’t believe there is anyone out there who doesn’t know about TED’s website, but there might be. It’s all about spreading ideas. Getcher self on there now and be browsin’ – there is bound to be something there for you!
TED has recently been nominated for two Webby Awards this year — “Best Podcast” and “Best Use of Video or Moving Image.” Incidentally, the podcasts are videos and I subscribe.
It’s a really interesting choice given the other sites that have also been nominated. The other four nominated sites, such as NIKE ACG – Sweet Spots, Project 77, Doritos’ Hotel 626, and Volkswagen Innovations use video very interactively. Volkswagen, for example lets you interact with car features in an entertaining and very creative way that capitalizes on storytelling that could only be done on the web.
Where as TED lets you play a video and let’s you watch until it’s done. No wait. You can pause, and play again, too.
Prior to the shifting of subscription based TV viewing to IPTV (TV viewing on the web), the understanding about passive video on the web is that video needed to be no more than a couple minutes long, or you needed to engage the viewer somehow or you would lose your audience.
Web is still all about instant gratification. And I more than anyone can attest to that – oh! Look! Shiny object! The instant our attention is compromised; we can click away with the knowledge that we will find something else we will be interested in.
In fact, the whole experience of being online compromises focused attention. E-marketer reported “Internet usage is frequently accompanied by multitasking. Users are doing everything from eating to housework while online.”(1) Even the pages themselves contain video on blogs or YouTube often have other content, including moving images in advertising.
Another reason cited that video is shorter than it’s passive TV counterparts is that we are in an active frame of mind. We sit back and watch TV to relax (or at least you might, I’m usually online). But when we are online, yes, there is the old “lean-forward” opposed to “lean-back” analogy. Regardless we are often online to do something, find something or connect with something. Because we can. We like that. Its no surprise the TV remote control is an important household object.
But because of the online instant gratification environment, because of the amount of chatter, and clutter that bombards us, perceived value is at a premium for the user. We certainly will no longer regard or respond to brand messages the way we used to.
If there is not something in it for me that I will find interesting, fascinating, entertaining, whatever, then you lost me. The second you try to sales-speak me or I sense an agenda, my eyes glaze over. I don’t need to be sold. I can go find my own stuff out. Maybe when I am specifically looking to research something I’ll find you. This inclination of mine is not unique and helps explains why relevance is the top reason people pay attention to ads online and why people report clicking sponsored links ads within search results more often than any other type. (2)
But maybe I’m just not looking for you. Maybe its just easier to stick with whatever I am use to, or cheapest or convenient. Or buy whatever shiny object has captured my attention in the store. So what reason do I have to watch your entire video?
The other four projects take advantage of technology to retaining their audiences by encouraging the user to take an active part in the video experiences. Storytelling is a powerful factor in the engagement.
But its not like you can’t have a nice long ten minute video online that you passively watch online. The growth of IPTV indicates that. It’s just that you have a lot more going against you.
Or… do you?
Along comes TED. Videos are beautifully shot, sound is great, awesome compressing and encoding – sure. But hey – it’s often it is just one person talking. You’re just sitting there watching them FOR TWENTY MINUTES!!
I’m not kidding people.
And yet it has been nominated for two Webby People’s Voice Awards this year — “Best Podcast” and “Best Use of Video or Moving Image.” What is it that TED has that could possibly compare to the slick marketing, technology rich experiences of Doritos or Volkswagon?
Valuable content. Check it out. You’ll see for yourself. Content rules.
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(1) E-Marketer, What’s Competing for Internet Users’ Attention? (Dec 2008) http://www.emarketer.com/Article.aspx?id=1006819
(2) E-Marketer, Which Online Ads Get Attention? (Mar 2009) http://www.emarketer.com/Article.aspx?R=1007003