VARCA: The era of the thirty second TV ad is fast diminishing as online video marketing makes inroads into the marketing strategy for brands. Speaking at Goafest 2012, YouTube global vice president Lucas Watson explained how video marketing online can be used to optimize the power of digital.

Online video marketing operates on three tenets- passionate communities, the concept of paid, owned and earned and lastly everybody can do it.

Giving the example of pop-star Lady Gaga, Watson explained how online video marketing can develop passionate communities and through the use of social media make a video popular. This helps in increasing brand visibility and at the same time engage the consumers with the brand.

YouTube has recently introduced True View where the uploader is charged for the video only if it is viewed from start to end. This makes marketing spends more targeted and reduces wastage as opposed to television where one has to pay for the slot no matter the amount of views.

Lastly, online video marketing is open to everyone, the size and scale of the organization notwithstanding. In face, many start ups have used online video marketing to launch the brand. An example of this incident is a brand called dollarshaveclub.com. The brand sells economic razors in the US, where Gillete sells razors at $ four or five on an average. Within two weeks of the online launch, the video recorded four million views. In fact, 48 hours into the launch, the company was flooded with orders to an extent where they had to put up a message asking customers to have patience as they order for more razors.

"The trick in case of online video marketing is to identify that one thing that will strike a cord with the TG. If you go into the concept with the thought of creating a viral video, you will be disappointed. But instead if you think about what will interest your consumers and make them feel connected to your brand, you have greater chances of success. Human insights combined with creative tension is what makes for a good engaging online video campaign," explains Watson.

The task ahead for creative directors at agencies is no longer limited to coming up with great ideas. They also need to go out there and source the ideas that are making themselves seen on the web. Also, online video, as said before is not time bound like traditional TV advertising and thus leaves more scope for innovation and adventure.

Another wave that has hit our industry, which is already in a state of flux, is the mobile internet phenomenon. According to a research, almost one fourth of the online video viewership globally is through the mobile internet. Mobile internet gives marketers a chance to target more touch points in a consumer‘s life using the entertainment proposition. So now, consumers can be targeted while waiting for the bus or during lunch.

Another aspect that works in tandem with developing and understanding human insight is building trust. In this case the trust has to exist between the agency and the brand and it is of paramount importance in order to have a cohesive and comprehensive online video presence.

"Also, as we move towards tomorrow, we need to realise the importance of being opportunistic along with developing good strategies," Watson explains. He goes on to say that simple observations like the characters or roles that people relate to while uploading a video can play a big part in the video going viral or not.

"Make it easy for the people to participate," he concluded.