5 ways video is critical to mobile marketing

May 7, 2009

Dave Sloan is director of marketing at Avot Media

The first phases of mobile video were attempts to put your television content or your Web video portal content on your phone.

For the mainstream user, the screen is too small and there just aren't enough compelling reasons to watch TV on a small screen while on the go.

A mobile device does not directly replace a large LCD or plasma HD TV when it comes to watching primetime TV or surfing YouTube. Mobile TV subscription services and mobile video portals have shown some traction, but certainly not significant adoption.

But, beyond simply replicating the TV or desktop video experience, there are new compelling ways to consume mobile video that are poised to change the way we use our mobile devices.

Users will adopt mobile video when the experience is convenient and compelling. Typically, mobile behavior that becomes mainstream is simple, intuitive and does not require complicated text-entry or navigation.

We will see mobile video adoption start to gain traction as an extension of social networking, rich mobile applications and the growing popularity of the mobile Internet.

As the content becomes more targeted, easier to discover and streamed smoothly and clearly, we will see mobile video become mainstream.

Here are five examples of how mobile video can create a convenient and compelling mobile experience. Beyond subscribing to a mobile video channel, these are ways that the casual user will stumble upon a delightful mobile video experience.

1. Watching and sharing videos from a mobile Web site
Jim and Bob are meeting at Starbucks for coffee. Jim is telling Bob about a funny Saturday Night Live video that he recently saw on TV. Jim can quickly pull up the video on http://m.nbc.com from his phone, browse to find the video and play it for Bob.

NBC was the most popular U.S. mobile video brand in 2008, going on to stream 2.4 million videos in the first quarter of this year, according to Nielsen.

2. Sharing videos via social networks
Brian is checking Facebook or Twitter on his iPhone. Mark has shared a YouTube video that Brian can see in his feed. Brian clicks on the YouTube link and watches the video on his iPhone.

Mobile helps drive engagement with social networking sites. Video is a critical component of social networking and the Internet, and users will expect video content from whichever screen they are accessing their content.

3. Sharing videos from desktop to mobile
Sam is working on his PC and finds an important video report on CNN.com that he wants to share with Christine right away. Sam clicks a "Send to mobile" button from the Web site to share the video link via SMS or via email to Christine.

Moreover, Sam knows Christine is traveling today and will be able to receive the link and watch the video via her BlackBerry Storm. If the video is mobile-friendly, any viewer can watch the video from any device.

4. Viewing live videos on mobile Web sites
Dylan has signed up for SMS "powder alerts" from his favorite ski resort's Web site. Dylan and Valerie are up early on Saturday and driving to the mountains to go skiing. Dylan receives an SMS on his Nokia e71 that notifies him that the ski resort has received five inches of fresh snow overnight.

So, Dylan clicks on a link in the SMS to see the "live webcam" so he can check if it is still snowing and if the ski lifts are running.

Live mobile video is very compelling as it gives a visual real-time update to the any viewer from any location. Live webcams can be streamed to mobile devices so that any device with a data plan can watch a live broadcast.

5. Viewing video content in a mobile application
Frank's family is at the breakfast table and his wife asks what the weather is going to be like today. Frank opens up the Weather Channel application on his Google Android phone and watches the daily forecast video.

Easy-to-use mobile applications make it easy to discover relevant video without having to search for it. The appropriate video needs to be formatted for the device and streamed according to available bandwidth so that the video is clear and smooth.

Video in context
In all these use cases, the mobile video experience does not replace the TV or desktop video experience directly. Instead, the mobile device is leveraged to discover and view contextually important video content at a convenient time while away from the PC or TV.

The mobile video killer applications that will drive mainstream adoption will come on the coat-tails of other mobile growth trends such as larger-screen devices, social networking, rich device applications, faster networks, better bundled data plans and optimized mobile Web sites.

When mobile video is convenient, easy to use, quickly discoverable and of the highest quality possible for each specific device and network condition, it enhances and extends the value of mobile and Internet.

So what does this mean for brands and advertisers?

Brands can extend their rich desktop video to mobile users in the right context.

Video found in mobile web sites and applications should be mobile-ready so that users can view them easily with one click.

Video links will be shared and discovered via mobile devices and should be smart enough to detect the device type and video format required.

Brands and advertisers that offer a one-click easy video viewing experience from any phone will stand out above others that present a "your device is not supported" experience.

Dave Sloan is director of marketing at Avot Media, Sunnyvale, CA. Reach him at .