I recently spoke on a panel at the Streaming Media East Conference in New York on Compelling Video Advertising Campaigns and while there had a chance to attend a few other sessions. This is a great conference to attend if you’re interested in anything related to video – digital, streaming, mobile, or other formats. Two real-time video technologies stood out and I wanted to briefly spread the word on each as I think they’re game changers in the world of real-time interactive video.
The first technology was called Qik (pronounced “Quick) and this is an application that allows you to shoot streaming video on your mobile phone and upload it to social communities like Facebook. They demo’d this technology at the conference track I attended and I have to say the quality was pretty impressive – especially when they showed the near high-def video a new Nokia handset was going to be able to stream. They also have an app in beta for the iPhone but nobody is quite sure yet how video will be shot on the iPhone 3.0. With current support for close to 100 mobile handsets, this is definitely a technology that will continue to usher in the era of real-time interactive video while mobile and on the web.
Unfortunately, I could not find any videos to embed but you can go to Qik’s Top Community Users (called Qikkers) and see some of the live and archived broadcasts. And yes, you’ll notice that Mrs. Kutcher is the #1 Qikker. It seems like the Kutchers are bent on domination of the live streaming world…
The second technology was called Mogulus which has recently rebranded to LiveStream.com. Livestream is an application that allows you to broadcast your live feed and chat live with your audience. Similar to UStream, Livestream also allows you to place ads in your broadcast allowing an additional layer of interactivity. To show how serious this application can get, the Pro version (which starts at $350/month) offers all your traditional broadcast tools (overlays, wipes, etc.) so you can literally be your own one man production crew. Though right now most of the Livestream broadcasts are news based, there are some entertaining uses of the live stream platform like below:
From a report in Adweek (by Ann Mack) a few weeks back titled, “Millennials’ Age Of Anxiety”, there was some interesting information in regards to how Millennials are dealing with the current “Great Recession”. What stood out in this article is how easily this demographic group is willing to give up ‘traditional entertainment’ as the Internet and Mobile Phones are their entertainment. What isn’t a news flash is how integral both are to the lives of this younger generation. Below is the money shot from the article:
“There are two exceptions to the idea that teens and twentysomethings are willing to downgrade or give up the amenities: their Internet connections and their mobile phones. They already see these things as extensions of themselves, and the downturn is only increasing that bond. And no wonder — these media offer a wide array of content and applications at low to no cost, easily replacing paid products and services. More importantly they offer connectivity.
For today’s teens, connectivity is entertainment. What’s ditchable are traditional forms of entertainment such as football games and hitting the mall. Socializing and entertainment these days is just as likely (if not more) to take place in the digital or mobile worlds.”
The big news on the Twitterverse and Web over the last few days has been the race to 1 million followers by Ashton Kutcher and CNN. As most people know by now, Ashton pulled out the underdog win late last night. Ashton himself is a very active Twitter user but he also is an active Ustream user as well. If you follow this blog, you know we’re pretty big fans of the Ustream technology. You can see why Ustream is (and will be even bigger on mobile) as Ashton broadcasts his win over CNN live on the video below (skip to 18:00 to get to the race with 10 followers left to go):
The Chicago Trib has a great article on a theater in Naperville (suburb of Chicago) that runs cult classics with audience participation – by mobile text. The technology is called MuVChat:
“The system works this way: Audience members text to a central number, which runs their comments through software. The MuVChat software then displays the texts in a three-line configuration at the bottom of the screen, like a vertical ticker, as the movie plays. Sitting in the projector booth with a standard computer, Heald uses a profanity screening program and can, on the fly, filter comments and ban abusive users.”
Mobile text to screen (where someone sends a text message that is then displayed), has often been popular at events, but this is the first time I’ve seen it used in a theater to add a level of interactivity to a movie. Though this could be considered a Gen Y version of Rocky Horror Picture Show 2.0 – the audience members are clicking out text messages on their mobile phones to enhance their viewing experience – it also offer a unique look into a unique generational trait of Gen Y from a social perspective. That unique trait being the use of text messaging over actual physical interaction as a major form of communication in a social setting.
Maybe it’s just me but sitting in a theater and texting messages on a screen might be considered anti-social or weird by some, but in a very strange way it seems a lot more normal than say this…
Anybody who has an iPhone can probably tell you the majority of the Apps they have are games. What pisses me off about this is that with over 250 iPhone App submissions a day, the iPhone App craze is getting closer and closer to that big bubble burst. The sooner Apple clamps down on its App standards and changes its App Store strategy to one of Quality over Quantity, the better it will be for everybody.
Mashable recently blogged about an updated version of Justin.tv that completely integrates MySpace, Facebook and Twitter across their website and more importantly, on their video pages. In a previous blog entry, we mentioned that real-time interactive video sites like Justin.tv and Ustream would be the next big thing in terms of integrating video and social media. In fact, Ustream has already taken this a step further with integration of Mobile, Video and Social Media on their recently released iPhone App.
It’s not a news flash that Interactive Video is poised to be the next huge growth area online and with YouTube’s recent move towards Premium content over User Generated Content these real-time social video communitiesshould see even more explosive growth. The new social video sites allow both a one-to-one and one-to-many interaction that happens in real time. Factor in the ability to go mobile with social video and you then have the ability to broadcast anytime, anywhere and to anyone you choose. That is powerful.
Much has been made recently of Annotated Video on YouTube which is another version of Interactive Video or “Choose Your Own Adventure” Video (CYOA Video for short.)Though CYOA video has been around in various forms throughout the years, it has mostly been distributed through DVD and even Games – Night Trap anyone? As both digital video and streaming video have become an even more integral part of the web (and mobile), CYOA video has found its place again as a prominent fixture in the video world.The question remains, however, if CYOA video itself will turn out to be a Fad or next great Trend in the Interactive Video World. The quick answer? CYOA video is definitely here to stay and will become an integral part of the future of Interactive Video (Mobile or otherwise..)
Before we get to my main reasons on why CYOA video is here to stay, let’s take a moment to view a few prominent examples:
As much as the first 4 examples are fun to view and interact with, I believe the 5th example, Alternate Endings, really signifies where this Interactive Video trend is headed.Though the acting is admittedly horrible (and as a result the video is hard to watch), Alternate Endings is the first CYOA video that’s been ported over to the iPhone.Yes, YouTube video is available to view on the iPhone but not in annotated or interactive form.So, the other 4 examples I listed above will not work in the Interactive method that was intended.The Alternate Endings App for the iPhone, however, includes all the video footage for the CYOA content so the experience is pretty seamless.On the flip side, the app itself is a pretty big download (400mb+) so even the most eager early adopters in the Interactive Video space will be hard pressed to claim we’ve reach a golden age for Interactive Video and CYOA content.Now if only the app itself were a minimal download, the video content was streamed and you could interact with it….well, that’s where we’re looking at the next big thing…
I recently wrote about Mobile Ustream being the next Killer App for Mobile and this mobile video technology could easily help usher in the era of CYOA video from both an individual and community interaction.Most CYOA content though, while speaking to communities as a whole (YouTube for instance), is still mostly a individual experience. So how does this all pertain to Interactive Marketing and Advertising and more importantly, how can a brand properly leverage CYOA content? To both the community at large and for the individual experience?
For starters, CYOA video allows the consumer to better interact and discover your brand.Take the Samsung Instinct example above. Their target demographic is “Tech Savvy men and woman between the ages of 20 – 45 who embrace technology and use it everyday”. The CYOA style of the video allows the target demo to then choose their own path in this often fast paced and chaotic advertainment. The product is integrated well into the video so it doesn’t appear as a blatant ad or product placement even though we know it is from the onset. The main message to take away from it is that the Instinct will help guide you through your fun and chaotic lifestyle (though I think we all wish life really was much more fun and less chaotic then it is now…) So this is one brand’s execution of CYOA video but one video does not a Trend make.Would over 5 million views on YouTube qualify?
The YouTube Street Fighter Video has over 5 million views and has been favorited over 13 thousand times on YouTube.
Another CYOA video called Find Sparta has over 1.6 million views and has also been favorited over 4 thousand times.
The point I’m trying to make is that though these videos aren’t in the realm of The Evolution of Dance video (115 million+ views), they are the new trend on YouTube that are drawing increasingly more traffic views and thumbs up from the YouTube community.
Finally, if the above statistics weren’t enough to convince you of the importance of CYOA Video, consider that the costs for production are relatively cheap.Most of these efforts can be pulled off at a fraction of the cost of a broadcast spot and they’re also zeroing in on the interactive entertainment the YouTube audience is craving for.
There are, of course, potential barriers that might limit CYOA video’s potential. Up until recently, when you selected the next CYOA video, the page on YouTube would need to load another page and video. Though there are now methods around this, it still doesn’t allow the seamless CYOA experience you’re intending for your audience. Mobile bandwidth is also especially critical to CYOA video if it is to ever grow beyond the desktop and into the mobile world. Then there’s always the annotations themselves. Currently they’re awkward on the video and aren’t as seamless as they could, or rather should, be. However, outside of bandwidth, these areas are easily correctable and should be absent from the next generation of CYOA video.
CYOA video is definitely here to stay it’s just a matter of how best to leverage it for your brand and your audience.Though CYOA video definitely fits entertainment marketing the best, it can also be used for other marketing areas or products that might have struggled to find viewers on YouTube for their videos.Even the most mundane or ‘boring’ product videos and ads can be now made more entertaining through CYOA style direction. CYOA video should definitely be considered as part of any integrated campaign, especially if budgets are tight.
We’re dealing with a new era of interactivity – especially as it pertains to Interactive Video as a whole.Though CYOA video is one small part of this (and admittedly a niche right now) it is the stepping stone to an ever increasing digital world where consumers expect to not only control their video but eventually be a part of the experience as well.
The iPhone app store is now projected to have over 30,000 apps by the end of March.30,000! That number is sure to double by the end of this year due to the iPhone quickly taking on the role of theGolden Child for the entire Mobile Marketing industry. So, in effect, we could be looking at over 60,000 apps by the end of 2009. If anything, the iPhone App Store is quickly reaching a saturation point and in danger of promotingquantity over quality(if it hasn’t reached that point already which I think it has…)
Unfortunately, stories written about developers making over $500,000 because of one iPhone app, are helping to fuel this virtual Gold Rush to get something on the iPhone at any cost. Apple also seems to be taking a role in this by lowering standards for apps to be on their platform. Do we really need 48 versions of a Fart App? However, from a marketing standpoint, it’s much easier for Apple to promote an iPhone app store with 30,000 apps versus an Android or Blackberry app store with 5,000. Regardless if 29,950 of those 30,000 apps are crap, which message do you think is going to resonate with the consumer more when deciding on a new smartphone?
So far, this pissing contest would clearly belong to Apple. What about the consumer though? Unless you’re 14 and bored in ScandinavianHistory class, I don’t think you’re going to have time to go through and try out all the apps available in the app store. Thankfully, there’s quite a few iPhone App review sites you can visit here, here and here.
Another option is to check the Top 50 apps on your iPhone or through iTunes. This is a good indicator of what apps are currently ‘hot’ and, for the most part, usually are worth the download. Carpe Diem though. What’s good for the goose might not be good for the gander. Though an app might be ‘hot’ it might not be your cup of tea (see Fart app mention above.) Apple also recently enforced a new Ratings rule which only allows consumers who have downloaded and tried the app to review it. This has helped prevent developers from artificially inflating the ratings on their app.
Finally, you can always fall back on asking your friends / co-workers about any interesting apps they might have recently downloaded. I know there’s at least 5 apps that are mainstays on my iPhone deck due to personal recommendations.
Over the course of the next few weeks, I’ll be writing a few more columns detailing our own experiences with creating and promoting our own app as well as one we’re building for a major brand client. This should help provide some great insight into the iPhone app process…
LBS (Location Based Service) and Mobile Transactions (e-Commerce / Couponing) are often cited as the next big growth areas / tech for mobile devices.Video is another growth area, but outside of viewing Film/TV content and capturing very low res video, there hasn’t been much to get excited about.That’s why this recent announcement from Ustream (courtesy of Techcrunch) that they have gone mobile, IMO is going to be one of the next big things that combines the best elements of Mobile, Interactive Video and Social Media.This will be big not only in Mobile Marketing but in overall Interactive Marketing as well.As the article mentions:
“The broadcasting app, however, is what we are excited about. It includes integrated chat, audience polling, and GPS mapping. The polling lets broadcasters ask their audience what they want to see or what actions they should take in a live broadcast situation. Another key feature: mobile video broadcasters can send out a message via Twitter or Facebook to their audience to tell them when they are about to start streaming live. (See video below). Under the hood, Ustream has developed its own low-latency streaming technology which reduces the amount of transcoding that needs to be done on the server as well as the amount of buffering that needs to be done on the phone.”
What’s exciting about Ustream heading over to mobile (and iPhone specifically) is that this now allows for real-time ‘interactive’ live streaming.Add in the ‘audience participation’ and you have a mobile version of EdTV.Vacation photos and videos are huge for just about everybody – now imagine streaming your walk up Machu Picchu live to your parents or friends and have them direct a virtual tour? Or doing your own version of ToddTV and illicit instant feedback on what your audience thinks you should do in certain situations (note: this could be dangerous for that 18-24 year-old male demo – why didn’t we have this tech when I was that age???)
Most importantly, this will also be huge for brands that want to use innovative interactive marketing methods for future campaigns.You could easily drive brand awareness and engagement for your product through a real-life, instant ‘webisode’ that adds in a promotion / contest type element for the engaged and active viewer.This is the UGC version of American Idol. This is a future game changer…
P.S. If you haven’t heard of Ustream before think of it as YouTube but for live broadcasts via webcam.Whereas YouTube video is uploaded and then streamed, Ustream is streamed live all across the internet.Ustream was recently in the news for one member’s Shiba Puppy Cam which generated over 14 million views – http://www.ustream.tv/channel/shiba-inu-puppy-cam.This is just a bunch of puppies in a cage – over 14 million views!!
We Are Organized Chaos (WAOC) is Zugara’s (www.zugara.com) interactive marketing and advertising blog where we’ll be featuring some great projects and discussing upcoming trends in the digital world. Work — good and bad — will be critiqued. Hope you’ll enjoy reading our insights and thoughts on interactive.
