Although television and the film industry have a long history, the first one used to be considered just a means of entertainment, and the second one was a form of art. They both contained ad placements, but none of them could showcase the exact power of video content from the viewpoint of marketing and communications. On the contrary, the first platform that succeeded in doing that was YouTube. After being launched in 2005, the company recorded numbers of video views that were shocking, and eventually, video content took a new role in the marketing strategy of companies. How different was it?
Before YouTube, marketers used to prioritise ad placements in TV programmes and movies, of course. They were just materials where businesses could talk about themselves, show their product, and so on. After YouTube revolutionised the industry, business strategists realised that instead of making just ad placements, they could create video content themselves and become both a streamer and an ad publisher. Sounds cool, doesn’t it?
Since then, video materials have become the most effective way of communication in the media industry, resulting in new forms of advertisements and even more. Different businesses adopted video format as a part of their services, using that format not only as a marketing material but also as a type of service. For instance, many media companies that used to print the news started providing video content and earning money directly from YouTube viewership. However, the concept of video content as a product is older than YouTube.
The Phenomenon of Video Poker Games
Poker, which is not a surprise, used to be one of the most played games in different periods, after originating in the 18th and 19th centuries. The casino industry took advantage of this and made the game a true hit among gamers and an attractive option to bring new players under their roofs. However, some casinos took a few steps forward and integrated the concept of video poker in the 1970s. The game slightly changed, the rules were different, and the logic was different, but video poker became the new hero of the casino industry.
Already in our days, when cryptocurrencies became a reliable payment option on many digital platforms, online casinos started actively advertising a combination of video poker and crypto, offering Bitcoin video poker games with attractive bonuses. Did this strategy work? Absolutely, it did, given the fact that today many gamers sign up for that game, and in many cases just because it’s a video game.
If traditional poker requires a lot of concentration, extra skills, and experience, video poker is mostly a part of the entertainment function casinos have, and for some people, it’s just an activity for their spare time, that doesn’t require a lot of strategic thinking.
The Boom of Streaming Platforms
The streaming giant – Netflix, changed the course of media production when it replaced DVD rentals with video content streaming. It pioneered industry, spreading the new concept from country to country.
While some people may argue that Netflix didn’t create something new, but just developed the media industry, we would rather disagree with that claim because the company started a new era of video content when movies and series became attractive to everyone. Did this affect the overall quality of media production? Of course. Given the fact that Netflix has a promise to bring dozens of movies each month, we can see that some of the content is low quality, although a group of subscribers still enjoy that. Not only Netflix, but Amazon Prime Video today offers more than 30,000 movies and TV shows, which is an insanely big library.
After the rise of streaming platforms, movies are no longer just a form of art, but a part of daily entertainment. You may have friends who just scroll the movie trailers on Netflix, and that’s enough for them to spend their recreational time. In fact, the popularity of video content landed us in an era where some people don’t watch the video, they just scroll through it.
The Best Marketing Component for Businesses
The developments made video content an integrated part of marketing strategies. And it’s not a choice but a reality that marketers cannot help but take into consideration. In 2022, internet users spent 19 hours a week on average to watch video content. Without a doubt, the major influencer of this trend is social media, which has also become the main factory where different businesses implement their marketing strategies.
The plans of tech companies to invest in VR technologies showcase that the demand of the audiences is going to grow towards more immersive digital experiences, where the video format is essential, and it will stay as a primary marketing tool for effective communications with current and potential customers for a long time.
