Is Online Video Becoming More Immersive?

We have recently noticed a shift in the way brands create experiences in the online video world. Years ago brands already started to realise that simply putting a video on YouTube or any other video portals was not enough to achieve viral fame and glory.

Nick Knight_demo_US from Beck’s Green Box Project on Vimeo.

This left them with a number of options to try and ensure their videos got the attention they felt they deserved. A few of the techniques used included:

1) Online video optimisation (utilising SEO friendly tags, keywords and headlines

2) Viral seeding (reaching out to relevant influencers to help spread the content)

3) Media buying (the old fashioned model, in new places)

However, the more forward thinking brands started to realise this was not enough. To truly engage people the videos should not only be widely spread, but also be interactive. Interactivity gives people the opportunity to actively participate, rather than casually consume.

The first real example of an online video experience on YouTube was Wario and the ‘Shake It‘ campaign. Others followed, such as Doritos and the 360 degrees experience and the Expendables movie launch.

But recently we have noticed a shift towards more interactive and immersive experiences. Take the Desperados YouTube channel for example. This moves beyond moving pictures, but actually invites the user to become part of the story.

Beck’s have just launched a similar campaign Interestingly, this one is actually on Vimeo – whereas all the other campaigns were hosted onYouTube. This is actually a really clever move, as Vimeo skewes strongly towards the creative types.

So what do you think? Are brands making the right move in moving towards more immersive experiences?

Via Digital Buzz Blog