With the sheer amount of podcasts out there right now we thought we'd share three of our favourite marketing podcasts.

The Content Marketing Institute have brought back their regular podcast. It's a fantastic resource for anyone in marketing, advertising, content marketing, media or social media. Joe Polizzi and Robert Rose originally coined the term 'content marketing' to describe the ability for brands to generate and produce their own content to fuel brand storytelling and marketing objectives. They discuss the latest developments in the world of marketing and also provide opinion, insights, strategy and case studies - worth checking.

Face 2 Face is a home grown Australian podcast. Each episode discovers how Aussie marketers and creatives from the likes of Spotify, Volkswagen, Kathmandu and Telstra are using digital and social media platforms to succeed in a connected world. We collaborated with Facebook, Wooshkaa and Clear Hayes to develop the series which became the number 1 business podcast in Australia. With in depth interviews with some of our industries leading and most innovative brands along with real life insights the series is well worth a listen (well of course we would say that ;-). The Now We Collide team led creative development for the series as well as design and production of the go-to-market materials including video, email, digital and print assets.

The eMarketer Behind The Numbers podcast is great for getting a quick hit of the latest global news and trends from the world of digital media and marketing and how digital is transforming business. They cover all the big stories and emerging trends using eMarketers research and data pedigree. Episodes feature global leaders in their field to provide strategic insights and opinion on the implications of emerging trends and developments for business.

YouTube have made another big move into 'social video' launching a new Stories feature for creators with over 10k subscribers. Following the huge success of Instagram Stories (er…sorry, Snap) it was only a matter of time before the YouTube team launched their version. Using FashionByAlly (who has almost 1million YouTube subs already) as an example of how stories can be created and shared. It will be interesting to see the options this will present to brands and businesses both natively and through advertising. With Facebook Watch now offering in-stream ads and the growth of Instagram Stories and IGTV, YouTube clearly see the threat to their revenue and it will be fascinating to see how this one plays out.

An eye-opening article from the team at Venture Beat which highlights the power of YouTube for attracting new eyeballs in emerging markets. In India this means YouTube reaches 245 million unique active viewers each month and a further 74 million in Indonesia. That's phenomenal numbers and shows how digital video is becoming a regular part of the lives of audiences in emerging markets - and presents challenges for both incumbents and new entrants like Netflix alike who see these markets as the future of their growth - read the full story here.

Not only the traditional ad-world but also the wider viewing public was a-buzz recently with the anticipated launch of John Lewis 2018 Christmas commercial. It proves that when 'advertising' is done well it can entertain instead of annoying audiences, with the spot already having 11million+ views on YouTube - hats off to John Lewis and the team for investing over the long term. For all the nerds out there, check out the 'Making of The Boy and The Piano':

Vertical video has been growing in popularity for a number of years along with the rise of in-app video viewing and sharing on mobile. Snapchat was no doubt one of the pioneers of the format and they have continued to stick with it, while Facebook and Instagram have joined in with 'Stories' and Instagram's latest product IGTV. This is primarily being driven by the growing number of consumers now using their phones for their daily video consumption. TheVideoInk provides an interesting look into Vertical Networks, launched by Elisabeth Murdoch with a focus on producing short-form video for mobile devices, and their "data-driven content strategy".

Talking of mobile video, reports that Tesla is adding Atari games to the in-car display have been followed up with confirmation they are poised to bring in-car video to their next software update via an Elon Musk Tweet claiming that video playback will be available with "version 10" of Tesla's car software.

An interesting article from Variety on the journey Netflix has undertaken from DVD postal distribution company to the world's leading OTT entertainment company - "Netflix’s original-content push took off in earnest on Feb. 1, 2013, with the debut of “House of Cards.” Five years later, the streaming service has grown to the point where it is projected this year to deliver more than 80 new feature films (original and acquired) and an astounding 700 new TV series."

The campaign which caught our eye this week if the Smirnoff US campaign developed by 72andSunny with clever use of the media as the message using Ted Danson and a dash of humour to call attention to YouTube's 6 second bumper formats. It feels like Smirnoff missed a trick by not integrating the campaign across any other channels with no thought for extension across their website or other social channels.

Spotify and Samsung announced a new partnership whereby the music-streaming leader would become the new "go-to music service provider" for Samsung devices. Interestingly, Apple recently overtook Spotify as the number 1 music streaming service in the US and this obviously presents a challenge for Spotify. At the same time YouTube recently launched their revamped YouTube Music App offering 1 month free and then ongoing subscription for $11.99 per month. Samsung has been using Google Play as the default music partner on all devices, until now. In this sense the partnership makes a lot of sense, particularly as Spotify tries to increase it's presence in Asia. Samsung is the largest maker of mobile devices with 30.7% of the global mobile market, with Apple second at 19.4%.

UK AR company Blippar has launched a version of their AR experience which can map urban and indoor environments to within 1cm, providing a user with overlaid maps, navigation or other AR components for the mapped territory, or the application components can be embedded into other apps. The company suggests a wide range of potential environments for this platform, including retail stores, supermarkets, airports, shopping malls or stadiums. Use cases include AR menus floating in front of restaurants in shopping malls, reviews or product info hovering over products on shelves, treasure hunts or a virtual guide for tourists.

More and more startups are emerging offering decentralized social platforms—often using blockchain technology.  The main purpose of these new platforms is to reward users and content creators and not only the platform owners. Angel List has highlighted what they see as the 2 most promising - Steemit and Sapien. Built off the Steem blockchain, Steemit is a Reddit-esque social platform that as of now boasts nearly 800,000 registered users. Steemit’s version of upvotes, however, are tokens that hold real market value. Users—not advertisers—are rewarded for engagement. Sapien is a social news network built on the Ethereum blockchain that already has thousands of active users. The platform features a global reputation system, a reward system for users, and a marketplace for creators. While Facebook isn’t going anywhere anytime soon, these new decentralized social media platforms are growing—and fast. 

This week Audi launched the first of a series of 3 big budget Hollywood style trailers from the creative team at BBH in the UK. Watch the Video: Audi Technology - Escape (Extended Cut).

Some of what we're reading, listening, watching this week...enjoy!

Ever heard of NewTV? Well they just raised a cool US$1bn to fund their plans to create a new short form video content platform, a kind of next-generation Netflix, with original content. NewTV is aiming to launch by the end of 2019, with a premium lineup of original, short-form series comprising episodes of 10 minutes each. The brainchild of ex Pixar exec Jeffrey Katzenberg has attracted investment from Disney, NBCUniversal, AT&T and more. Read Jeffrey Katzenberg’s ‘NewTV’ Startup Closes $1 Billion, All Major Studios Among Investors

At the same time as OTT's are planning short-form narrative content development, social media networks are taking an aim at longer form video. eMarketer and their podcast series 'Behind The Numbers' explore how long-form video is spreading across social media in this week's episode. With key moves by Facebook's Watch, Instagram's IGTV, YouTube Premium (previously YouTube Red (RIP)) and Twitter this episode is a great update on all the key developments and moves being made and how video content strategy is leading to advertisers. With some marketers placing pre-roll and mid-roll ads in social shows, there is great potential but the audiences are small and the current measurement capabilities are limited. Listen to eMarketer social-networks-get-serious-about-tv-style-programming

In-case you missed it, Apple became the first company in US history to be valued at over US$1 trillion. According to Bloomberg, iPhone sales continue to be the engine room of Apple profitability with iPhones generating 61 percent of the company’s sales in its last fiscal year, up from 56 percent in 2014. We can't help thinking the iPhone is unlikely to be anywhere near 50% of sales 10 years from now with Apple's push into AR, AI (Siri and HomePod) and even mobility with the company doubling the amount of cars it is testing since Jan 2018.

And talking of AI, The Wall Street Journal is reporting that robots are now making burgers in San Fransisco, "11 thermal sensors lock in the exact doneness" apparently. Watch the video here.

A weekly round up of what we're reading and watching - enjoy!

Twitter haven't given up on video just yet. TheVideoInk reports that Twitter is adding to it's video offering in an effort to bolster it's video credentials. Live and on-demand video deals have remained a major focus for Twitter and has in part led to half of all Twitter revenue coming from video. Read the full article - Even Without a Dedicated Live Stream Team, Twitter is Still All About Video. 

eMarketer released new figures showing the shift from PayTV towards OTT and other cord-cutting services has continued to gather speed in the US accelerating beyond most forecasts. The latest figures show the number of cord-cutters—adults who have ever cancelled pay TV service and continue without it—will climb 32.8% this year to 33.0 million. Read the full article - Exodus from Pay TV Accelerates Despite OTT Partnerships.

Facebook Australia launched their latest thought leadership video and podcast series, Face 2 Face. The series discovers how industry leaders from KPMG, TBWA Melbourne, Optus, Velocity Frequent Flyer, Host/Havas, Guzman y Gomez, AFL and Initiative are building brands in the digital age. The series uncovers key insights for how brands should be adapting for mobile, how has creativity changed, how to build a brand on mobile, and how marketers can engage customers in a meaningful way. Watch the full video series here.

A recent report from Marketing Land shows that Instagram ad spend has grown 177%, outpacing Facebook growth, while YouTube advertisers spent nearly triple what they did last year! Instagram audience growth also continued, helped by Stories, and they'll be counting on this continuing with the recent launch of IGTV. The biggest news though was that YouTube ad impressions rose 225 percent, and CPMs fell by 11 percent. Phones and tablets accounted for 79 percent of YouTube ad spend during the second quarter of this year — up from 71 percent a year ago. Read the full article - Facebook takes a back seat to Instagram as ad spend on the Facebook-owned app grows 177%. 

Paramount Pictures launched Mission Impossible: Fallout with a nice 360 video featuring Tom Cruise perilously dangling from a helicopter, fair enough, Cruise apparently went through 2,000 hours of training in order to shoot the scene. Watch the full video here. 

And finally, we're loving the thought of taking our own private autonomous flying taxi next time we have a meeting. This TED Talk from Rodin Lyasoff, Chief Executive Officer at A³ by Airbus suggests the dream may not be too far from reality! Watch the video - How autonomous flying taxis could change the way you travel.

2018 is in full swing and gathering pace at breakneck speed - Mark Zuckerberg has already promised a new and improved Facebook experience for users but is giving brands the cold shoulder unless they advertise, Twitter has announced it's first ever profit, Aussie retailers are getting busy fending off Amazon, and Apple is about to become the world's biggest investor in original content with $8.3bn outstripping Netflix measley $7.5bn-$8bn.

Our only prediction for 2018 is that more change is inevitable and to be prepared for the unexpected - aside from that we thought we'd share one of our favourite commentators - Proff Scott Galloway from L2Inc - and let him put his neck on the chopping block on our behalf - enjoy.

As Australian retailers and shoppers plunged headlong into Christmas retail mayhem, Boxing Day sales frenzy and New Year buying meltdown we thought we’d take a look at who’s winning a loyal audience and who should be upping their game in this month’s multi-platform video analysis courtesy of our Tubular partnership – Tubular has data for 2.5B videos across 30+ platforms including YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, AOL, Daily Motion and more.

Coles took out number 1 spot in cross platform video views in November achieving a whopping 5.8 million views with former bed-fellow Myer in at number 2 with 5.5 million views.

Taking a deeper dive into the Coles numbers, their most watched video uploaded in November was a 15 second video optimized for social media entitled “Watermelon, meet Iceblocks! Here’s the coolest new way to eat watermelon.” which was viewed 1.1million times on Facebook across just 4 days from November 11^th – 15^th, garnering 14,000 Likes and nearly 3,000 comments and almost 6,000 shares (you do the Engagement Rate maths…). Coles have recognised and are tapping into the shareable nature of social style food vids pioneered by BuzzFeed Food.

In fact, 98% of Coles video views came via Facebook in November 2016 with the views shared across 8 videos and all of them were less than 15 seconds long, with of course accompanying ad spend. Interestingly in the same period Coles published 24 videos on YouTube achieving collectively only 129,000 views. On YouTube though the videos are much longer with many between 1-3 minutes long.

Coles strategy is clearly to achieve reach through social style videos on Facebook, realising the audience is less likely to stick around and watch anything longer than 15 seconds, whilst YouTube is being used much more as an engagement platform for longer form videos. To achieve these Facebook views would require a significant amount of paid activity - acknowledging that Facebook organic reach sits at around 10% (at best) and Coles has 1.1 million followers on Facebook, based on the average Engagement Rate (ER), to achieve 5.8 million video views across 8 videos would require significant paid investment.

Rounding out the Top 5 were Woolworths with 3.5 million cross platform video views, Harvey Norman with 2.4 million and David Jones with 1.9 million cross platform video views.

David Jones is interesting as it is the only retailer in the Top 5 which generated a significant amount of video views from Instagram. David Jones published 24 videos to Instagram in November generating almost 200,000 views with a mixture of influencer and social videos plus more traditional ads. David Jones clearly recognise the importance of Instagram as part of their content strategy for their audience and product range although the engagement rate for the videos on Instagram is fairly low across the board when compared to peers, something which could warrant further investigation.

When it comes to the big players in the retail category Facebook is clearly winning the battle as the platform for video views and, by default, advertising dollars over Christmas holiday period with the platform making up the large majority of video views ahead of YouTube and other social video platforms. The audience numbers and stats for Facebook are obviously there, but with recent rumblings about the way Facebook had overestimated their audience measurement and the fact that audience views on Facebook are measured at only 3 seconds for a view to “count” plus the fact that all videos are autoplayed in an ‘audio mute’ state vs YouTube for example where around 30 seconds is required for a view count and audio is ‘active’ on play, a more integrated approach to digital/social video content strategy and a deeper understanding of the platforms should always be the first consideration beyond just paid reach metrics of the traditional ad model.

The revolution that is occurring in video content proliferation and distribution is changing the way brands and publishers think about how they reach and engage audiences.

At Now We Collide we take a strategic approach to the role video content plays within the overall content ecosystem which helps to inform our creative teams and the production and distribution of video content.

Part of this approach uses data and analysis of video content trends and creative across multiple video platforms. We use multiple data sources to find and understand content trends, creators and publishers. One key source of insights comes from Now We Collide's partnership with Tubular Labs, the world's only cross-platform, all device, video data source. With in depth understanding of the software and data we are able to assess analytics across over 30 video platforms including YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Vine and Vimeo.

So - as part of a regular blog post series we'll be giving a sneak peak of just some of what we have access to by providing the top 5 video creators by audience views in Australia across the key video platforms.

We used to say seeing is believing.
Now we have to say ‘experiencing is believing’.

It seems about 1 in 5 briefs I work on at the moment have a VR component with an interest from brands and agencies looking to explore the possibilities of the immersive and engaging world of 360 video and virtual reality.

The next 18 months will be a telling time to see how audiences transition from standard video viewing to embrace VR and invest in a personal headset, closing themselves off from the real world to engage with the most immersive form of content.

For anyone that has put on the Samsung Gear VR, Vive of Oculus, there is usually a wow moment when you realise just how immersive and engaging the VR world can be. One thing is for certain we are just at the beginning of where the technology will lead us and it will be exciting to see what other AR/VR players like Magic Leap, Sony and Microsoft can bring to the table. Let’s just see if Apple will make a move in 2017/18. Let’s hope so.

We know that premium publishers and tech giants are getting on board with big investments - USA Today, the New York Times, and AOL are making big VR plays. Google is working on a VR version of Chrome. NBC and Samsung broadcasted the summer Olympics in VR. Hulu, Crackle, Jaunt, and Within already have dedicated apps, or “theaters,” where viewers can consume massive amounts of VR content. 

Other media powerhouses and film studios including Live Nation, Vice Media, 21st Century Fox, and the Walt Disney Company are placing big bets on VR with large-scale investments.

The NBA (National Basketball Association) has also started creating longer form VR experiences with its mind blowing VR production ‘Follow My Lead’ which tells the story of the 2016 NBA finals, taking audiences behind the scenes for an experience like no other.

Now more than ever we are seeing significant brand dollars being spent on VR experiences that prove that content innovation can lead to commercial investment, leaving audiences feeling inspired by the bravery and courage of a brand to do something different in the VR space.
 

Great example of a brand investing in VR 

One thing we know for sure, is that when you are inside a VR experience you are the most captive audience a brand can have and the experience you create needs to be compelling. There is no other form of media right now that is as immersive as a VR experience and brands need to take advantage.

The Numbers

Greenlight VR released results this week from its survey of 1,300 adults that found the majority of consumers—71 percent of them—feel that VR makes brands seem “forward-thinking and modern.” However, there’s even better news for brands’ bottom lines: 53 percent of respondents said they’d be more likely to purchase from a brand that uses VR than from one that doesn’t.

“We’re seeing specific VR activities have unique emotional footprints, offering fascinating insights for those who are considering their VR strategies,” Steve Marshall, svp of research and consulting for Greenlight VR, said in a statement announcing the findings.

Even those who have never experienced VR had good things to say about the technology, with 91 percent reporting positive feelings after watching an informational video about it. Among those who haven’t tried VR, 65 percent were interested, 32 percent were surprised at what it could do, 25 percent felt “happy” and 58 percent reported being “amazed.”

 
What is the perfect brand VR Experience?

It comes down to the brand objectives and how people will contextually be viewing the experience. When people are in groups with one person viewing a VR experience the viewer doesn’t want to feel trapped inside for too long (4-5mins max) and will want to share or talk about their experience soon after. When a viewer is alone with VR, the sky’s the limit, a viewer will stay engaged for longer and want to stay immersed.

 ‘Virtual reality by definition intensifies the impression of reality. All of the viewer’s senses are heightened including sight, sound, and motion; content that delivers fully immersive experiences will be in high demand.’ 

 This potential for VR storytelling will take branded entertainment to a whole new level. Imagine Apple showcasing its VR capable Iphone 8 (yet to be released) where viewers can take part in a Mars landing and film the experience in first person using features on the Iphone 8. Viewers could zoom into the phone to play with a realistic, 360-degree model of the device or even watch a video shot with that new device, thereby zooming into an entirely new storyline set on Mars.

 Production Value

 There are a number of aspects when considering the production value of producing VR or 360 video content.

 VR is not the same as 360 Video.

 While the two can be packaged up as a VR experience, there is a difference between the two. 360 video is effectively filming a real world environment with a 360 camera, which can be produced in 2D using a whole range of cameras from consumer to prosumer or in stereoscopic 3D using more high-end professional grade equipment.

 Once captured 360 video can have 3d, overlay graphic elements or interactive hotspots added to make the experience more engaging.

 A great example of a mixed live action 360 video shoot and 3D environment can be seen here with Google Spotlight Story Help:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G-XZhKqQAHU

Help uses a mix of studio, 3d and real world 360 video. This is of course a pretty amazing experience best viewed in VR and not desktop.
VR environments, games and stories that are completely virtual are created in 3D and compiled using software like Unity 3D or Unreal Engine.

2D vs 3D

 If done right, VR created as a 3D experience is always going to be more compelling, while 2D is a great way to create a high resolution experience and keep production costs down. Poorly implemented 3D x 360 video footage can cause a great deal of discomfort to the viewer including headaches, eye strain or nausea. With a 2D video, you’re getting more resolution out of the device because you’re not having to stack the left and right channels (or top and bottom channels) within the phone’s limited resolution. Oculus CTO John Carmack explains, “People that are resolution-picky will probably prefer monoscopic videos, which can have twice the resolution of stereo videos. The stereo effect may not be worth anything to you if you can't get past the blurring.”

How To Get Views?

Virtual reality viewing roughly falls into 3 categories. First is desktop and mobile video play with no headset (think Facebook or YouTube 360 native players). Next are expensive headsets tethered to a computer, aimed mostly at gamers, like the Oculus Rift or the HTC Vive. Finally there are mobile viewing experiences that combine with a smartphone, like Samsung's Gear VR or Google's Cardboard. 

Marketers need to think about how and when audiences will be viewing their content and ensure they are driving people to experience branded VR through a quality headset. This should be coupled with distribution of content to key VR publishers for optimal reach across platforms and devices. As with any type of video content distribution and seeding strategy is paramount.

Now We Collide leverages Tubular’s actionable insights to win at online video.

Independent creative content agency Now We Collide, today announced a strategic partnership with Tubular Labs, the worldwide leader in online video intelligence.

The new partnership allows Now We Collide to build on its existing research and strategy offering by providing deep audience research to inform innovative content strategy.

Tubular Labs provides actionable insights based on analyzing over 1.6 billion videos and the engagement of over 400 million viewers across 29 platforms, including YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, Vine, Instagram, AOL and Yahoo.

It is the only online video intelligence platform that provides real-time cross-platform data and insights to brands, media companies and MCNs everywhere.

Through the Tubular platform, Now We Collide provides data analytics and insights for brands through influencer identification, audience and fan engagement analyses, and brand competitor analysis.

Now We Collide’s Managing Partner, Keir Maher said, “Tubular’s offering sets the benchmark in allowing us to understand exactly what is happening within the field of content across brands, publishers, content creators and influencers.  This means we can provide our clients with unique insights into how to attract and engage with audiences across the digital social web with meaningful data and optimised business outcomes. It also helps to inform our creative team in developing contagious content which will resonate with audiences.”

Tubular Lab’s Co-founder and VP of Business Development, Allison Stern added: “Tubular’s mission is to empower video teams everywhere with the right intelligence to win at online video.  Now We Collide is perfectly poised to use Tubular insights for better-informed content strategy, influencer identification, and media buying recommendations to its brand and agency clients.”

See: http://www.bandt.com.au/

Facebook launched Instant Articles back in May 2015 but initially it was open only to a select few launch publishers as outlined in this article from Tech Crunch at the time of launch.

Today Facebook has opened Instant Articles to anyone who uses Facebook as "A new way for publishers to create fast, interactive articles on Facebook.". Designed and developed as a mobile first application available on IOS and Android it provides a fast and responsive way for publishers and brands to deliver a rich and immersive environment to view and interact with content.

This is exciting as it promises additional access for brands and publishers to realise the power and potential of video and content to connect and engage with audiences. The debate over whether Instant Articles will detract from a publishers 'owned' audience and content seems to have abated lately as Facebook have actively sought to collaborate and work with publishers however concerns still remain over the power Facebook is gaining over the digital ecosystem.

For brands, Instant Articles presents both an opportunity, in the form of increased content reach, awareness and creative potential, and a risk in the form of driving audiences to  owned assets, landing pages, conversions and in terms of organic vs paid no matter how rewarding your content is for audiences.

With a potential global audience of over 1.5 billion the opportunities for publishers and brands on Facebook are undeniable and time will tell how Instant Articles fits into this. As an independent content agency specializing in video we are excited to see continuing developments in technology and ways content can reach audiences and consider how this can be applied as part of a multi-platform approach to strategy and creativity.

Econsultancy have just released their 2016 Digital Trends Quarterly Briefing in association with Adobe. They always present some interesting reading and statistics on trends which are taking place across the digital landscape so we thought we would provide a digest and our take on what the key considerations are – in a sense we’ve done the reading of this 40 page document so you don’t have to (or to encourage you to!)

The 3 key opportunities as provided by the 7,000 marketing, e-commerce and digital professionals who participated in the survey are:

1. Optimizing the customer experience
2. Data driven marketing that focuses on the individual
3. Creating compelling content for digital experiences

 Essentially, providing great customer experience is seen as the prime opportunity and provides the catalyst for data driven marketing and creating compelling content. This is good news because there are still many Australian and international brands who are yet to show evidence that they are realizing this opportunity – is 2016 the year that this shift happens?

It is well documented that people have moved from being passive toward active and participation based consumers – actively researching, viewing, curating, creating and sharing content across the digital social web. Content has become the currency to drive awareness, consideration and engage customers. The use of data to understand who your customers are and how they are interacting with the brand, services or product is essential to informing the content strategy and creative.           

Within this, targeting and personalization are seen as areas which have swiftly moved to the top of the priority list to enable consumers to enjoy the best possible experience. This is evident by the top 2 responses provided when asked “Most exciting opportunity – 2016 vs ‘five years’ time’”

 Source: Econsultancy / Adobe Quarterly Digital Intelligence Briefing - January 2016

The constant evaluation and changes required in infrastructure to take advantage of innovation and the opportunities it creates is seen as an area where companies have made limited progress. Having the infrastructure and people in place to make sense of the data available is only occurring in 37% of organizations. Commentary in the report states “A good CX (Customer Experience) requires the linking of technology, data and teams so that experiences are consistent and seamless, and requires a culture and organization that reflects the fifth stage in Econsultancy’s digital maturity model10 ; a fully integrated structure.

This is important as the emergence of data as a priority for marketing is by far ranked as the most important element for an organisation’s success. Here’s the conundrum, as the report states “Accessing, defining and using customer data is one of the most difficult challenges faced by the modern marketing organization”

When examining how respondents prioritize their efforts over the medium term future, the first order of business is to bring together technology, process and talent in ways to create a seamless, consistent and valuable experience. There’s a bit of marketing buzzword bingo there but it is still interesting that many companies are really grappling with the day-to-day implementation of these principles. In this respect the most important priority in the findings is "Optimizing the customer journey across multiple touch points” – 70% and next “Ensuring consistency of message across channels” – 63%. The insight for us here is that this will require massive collaboration, both within organizations where multiple departments and stakeholders have responsibility and critically, across external agency partners.

The report then looks at the role of creativity in the face of all this technological change and data availability. Creativity is seen as a key influencer of business success with companies fostering creativity enjoying greater market share by a factor of 1.5 when compared to their less creative counterparts according to a Forrester / Adobe study. The insight here being that agile creation of ideas is only possible if there’s a connected approach to strategy and creative.  This point is made when the report quotes Jarek Ziebinski of Leo Burnett  “pulling meaningful, actionable insights from your data and using those to drive the creative process and in turn elevate business results might become one of the most efficient approaches to modern marketing.”, well said.

Interesting then that according to the report, when it comes to planning and execution, only 16% of respondents agreed with the statement “Digital permeates all our marketing programs.”. It seems the power of digitally based marketing to provide data is still a double edged sword where the ability to clearly measure ROI around digital content means that if marketers do not have the resources to measure it then they are reluctant to pursue it (and can we guess that they will often stick to the un-measurable analogue based status-quo approach??).         

So we can see that marketers (and assuming businesses) understand the need for continued change, driven by the way customers have changed their habits and the way they now demand more from the services, brands and products they purchase. The customer experience is all-important and achieving this through understanding data and applying this throughout marketing to provide a more personalized approach to communication and content. As an independent video content agency  90% of all internet traffic predicted to be video related by 2019 according to Cisco, the ability to integrate video into the content ecosystem will become critical. That’s the opportunity for 2016, there are some businesses who are already doing it really well but for the majority there’s work to be done.

Here at Now We Collide we work with a lot of brands looking to engage with customers and build a broader fan base with meaningful and relevant content. Mobile video is often a great way to do this as we consume more and more video online via mobile through Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat and other big native players and publishers.

Here are 5 steps from a recent study from comScore with recommendations on best best practice

Hook the viewer quickly: You’ve got two or three seconds to grab the viewer’s attention before they scroll by.

Come in close. Engaging the viewer demands special video editing. Use close-ups, quick cuts, interesting imagery, and strong point-of-view angles.

Go big. On-screen text showing product info needs to be clear and large.

The silent treatment. Viewers probably have their devices on mute, so develop creative that works with no sound.

Tell them what to do. Include a simple call-to-action or a compelling offer at the end of the video. Use the same message in the text around the native video ad unit.

“Native mobile video campaigns not only work but can be especially effective when following creative best practices,” says Andrew Lipsman, vice president of marketing and insights at ComScore.

“It’s important for brands to make an impression quickly and engage with the consumer on a more visual level to drive campaign success.”

While this all may be true for native video formats, the same can be said for mobile video campaigns in general. They are good rules to follow. What do you think? Please feel free to leave your comments below.

Download the full study for free (registration required) and view the best practices video below to see effective examples of the five tips above.

We partnered with ESPN to develop a new video led branding campaign in a move to cement growing interest in U.S. and international sports among a younger Aussie male audience.

Watch the short documentary about how it all came together.

The video content created merges pivotal sporting moments from the world of NBA, American Football and X Games with murals drawn by graffiti artist Sofles. The time-lapsed amalgamation of sports and street art created social buzz among the 18 to 34-year-old demographic and prompted them to share the content across their networks.

ESPN Marketing Manager, John Webb told Mumbrella “It’s one thing to make a great TV commercial that we can run on our own platforms but we wanted to build something that will become shareable, that strikes gold and potentially goes viral.” he said. The video quickly became the most viewed and shared across ESPN Aust/NZ social networks drawing massive social reach and advocacy.

“We wanted to design a campaign that goes beyond our hardcore fan based and hit those casual fans who are on the fringes who we want to bring more into the network."

“Using Now We Collide and Sofles was the perfect way to design something that we could use on Instagram and Facebook and would go out to Twitter and hit the demographic that are congregating on those platforms.” - John Webb.

Facebook have been realising the power of video for some time with just about every timeline including an abundance of snackable but often irreverent and/or irrelevant content for the viewer. With this growth and this realisation they have invested in the development of a new video hub that will look and work much like Youtube, but have one huge advantage, the content you see will now actually be based on your likes, interests and browsing habits.

Here is more from Socialmediaweek.org

Facebook revealed a sneak peek of their own video platform within Facebook. Unlike YouTube, which relies on search and users seeking out specific videos), Facebook is doubling-down on showing you videos that you didn’t even know you wanted to see, or knew existed. You’ll see video content from friends, pages you follow, posts you Like, and beyond.

Facebook encouraged more video content from publishers, creators, and advertisers beginning a few years ago, and this new video hub seems to be a massive culmination of their encouragement and longer vision. With this new video destination, Facebook recently updated its newsfeed algorithms to consider the types of videos you watch, the ones your friends watch, how many videos you watch, and for how long.

A dedicated space on Facebook just for videos:

Facebook will allow you to easily save videos in this new hub, a feature that technically exists now, but your saved videos will better integrate into your Facebook experience, making it easier to go back to that saved content.

A section of Facebook dedicated to videos will result in people spending more time on Facebook, naturally. More content means more time, especially if Facebook is able to take your friends, Likes, pages, and interests to better serve you relevant content.

For small and medium businesses, this is an important feature to consider. There’s a good chance your customers and fans will soon spend more time on Facebook, meaning the content and messaging you push on Facebook becomes more important. Facebook saw over 4 billion video views every day in April of this year, and it’s clear that they know which videos you’ll enjoy. Once this video destination is live for everyone, that daily view number might skyrocket, and the comparisons of Facebook and YouTube might begin to sway more and more in Zuck’s favor.

SUGGESTED VIDEOS SHOW YOU MORE CONTENT YOU’LL ENJOY

This feature has been rolled out for most people with Facebook on iOS, and Android is coming over the next few months. Suggested videos is a way for Facebook to keep you engaged with videos for longer periods of time. You’ll see more videos with similar content determined by the source or publisher. For example if your roommate posts a video, and you engage with it, there’s a strong chance you’ll see more content from your roommate, or perhaps a mutual friend’s video. If you interact with a video from Nike, you might see more content around sports, apparel, and athletes.

Facebook will offer a 55-to-45 revenue split of video ads, with 55% going to the publisher of the content. However, in order to claim this 55%, you must be an official partner with Facebook, so don’t get too excited until you become one. Facebook’s next step within suggested videos will be ads between videos to generate sales for both Facebook and the advertiser. A win-win for all, more or less.

Click here to watch the related video from Facebook

Community based social aggregator Reddit (see Mashables' Beginners Guide), renowned for it’s democratic approach to content and what’s popular on the net has launched Upvoted as a way for people to find the best of Reddit content. Reddit is credited with launching some of the biggest viral videos around and the idea is that the Upvoted editorial team will profile the best of Reddits' videos, infographics, illustrations, and podcasts and present them on a dedicated advertiser friendly website.

More details from Wired.

360 video is quickly moving from niche to mainstream as both YouTube and Facebook are taking it the masses. You may have noticed that YouTube has added 360 video as a main navigation in there Channels list while Facebook have teamed up with the little company they bought for $2bn last year, Oculous Rift, to introduce 360 to the Facebook Newsfeed. If you haven't seen some of the recent awesome examples check them out - Facebook: Star Wars: The Force Awakens Immersive 360 & GoPro Spherical: Sand Dune Jumping in VR with Ronnie Renner. More to come from the team at Now We Collide on this soon...

As anyone in advertising and marketing already knows, video consumption is on a meteoric rise. Audiences are viewing and sharing more video content than ever before. The offshoot of this increase is a huge opportunity for brands to target audiences and consumers with relevant and meaningful content, and with screens providing larger and clearer resolution, it seems mobile is where it's at right now.

At Now We Collide, we have seen the impact a simple Facebook video strategy and good creative can do first hand. Our OxKing Minions video has generated over 1.3m views and 35k likes in less than a week.

One online publishing phenomenon is Buzzfeed making big waves with video content. With its insanely engaging content such as listicles, and quizzes, being shared by millions, it was inevitable that it would embrace video in a way never seen before. Created as a 'viral lab' back in 2006, it began by summarizing online trends and producing content around them. The brand now publishes around 700+ different items of content everyday across 25+ different categories such as news, beauty, tech, and food, and has established itself as a site that incorporates investigative journalism, and current affairs analysis, alongside some of the most buzzworthy articles on the internet.

Using Tubular data we are able to take a deep-dive into the cross-platform video strategy of the brand and take a look at just how well video is working for it. But first, did you know the following?

8 MIND BLOWING FACTS ABOUT BUZZFEED VIDEO

5 of the top 20 most watched videos in the past 90 days belong to Buzzfeed properties

Buzzfeed's top 5 videos of all time are about food (2 just about pizza!)

Food is by far the most popular content for video uploads to Facebook

Pop culture, sex, and lifestyle content does well on other video platforms

The brand has more views from YouTube but more engagement from Facebook

Most engaged Buzzfeed video is 'S'mores Dip' with 4.2 million shares, likes & comments

161 videos have generated 10M+ views for Buzzfeed

Only 5% of video views come from Buzzfeed.com itself

BUZZFEED: MORE VIEWS FROM YOUTUBE, BUT MORE ENGAGEMENT ON FACEBOOK

Buzzfeed has around 30 different video properties across the main social video sites, as well as AOL, Yahoo, and Dailymotion, and other video platforms. This syndication is critically important to the company, who confirmed earlier this year that only around5% of video views come from Buzzfeed.com itself.

To date, the majority of the brand's combined video content has been uploaded to YouTube (46%) compared to Facebook, (37%) and Vine and Instagram (17%). Given that more content has been uploaded to YouTube it's unsurprising that videos on that platform have generated more views for Buzzfeed properties (8.2 billion or 53%) than views from Facebook (6.8 billion or 45%).However, Facebook generates the most engagement for the properties with 61% of total shares, likes, and comments compared to 38% for YouTube.

In the past 12 months, of all the four main social video platforms, it's Facebook that is driving the most engagement to Buzzfeed video content. The graph below shows Facebook engagements in blue, with YouTube in red.

BUZZFEED ON YOUTUBE: 8.2B VIDEO VIEWS

YouTube is the world's largest video site, and the second largest search engin,  so it forms a core part of Buzzfeed's publication and distribution strategy. Its flagship channel, Buzzfeed Video has 7.3M subscribers, and you can add around another 9M subscribers for the other branded channels on the site.

In the last 12 months, under the umbrella of Buzzfeed Motion Pictures, the company has uploaded 2,760 videos to YouTube (an average of 53 a week), which have generated a combined 6.5B views, and 100M engagements. Buzzfeed's all-time view count on YouTube is 8.2B, so you can see that the overwhelming majority of these views have been generated in just this past 12 months. Buzzfeed's most popular upload to YouTube is 'If Disney Princes Were Real', uploaded to the Buzzfeed Video channel in September 2014. To date, it has generated 40.1M views, and 461K likes, comments, and shares.

BUZZFEED VIDEO ON FACEBOOK: 6.8B VIDEO VIEWS

Buzzfeed has uploaded 3,103 videos to Facebook in the past 12 months, which is an average of 60 per week, a slightly higher rate than uploads to YouTube. It also represents a 122% increase in uploads to the social networking site compared to the previous 12 months. In fact, there have been more videos uploaded in the last 12 months than the average all-time upload rate which strongly suggests Buzzfeed are capitalizing on the high engagement rate.

In last 12 months, Facebook uploads have had an average view rate of 2.2 million, and Buzzfeed's programming strategy for Facebook video seems to be paying huge dividends for the brand. Ze Frank, President of BuzzFeed Motion Pictures, confirmed earlier this year that Facebook has been “very, very significant" as a traffic generator, and that:
 

“Facebook’s decision to lean into autoplay has really fundamentally changed the way we think about the first five seconds of content”.

In terms of content, food and drink is by far and away the most popular topic uploaded to Facebook by Buzzfeed properties, and Buzzfeed Video and Buzzfeed Food are the top pages on the site in terms of views and engagement. Both of these accounts upload food-related content, but while Buzzfeed Video is also active on YouTube, Buzzfeed Food has found a natural home on Facebook and is clearly focused on growing its reach and influence even further.

BUZZFEED SUCCESS: BUILDING A COMMUNITY THAT SHARES

From the very start, Buzzfeed rejected the traditional content distribution approach in favor of a social-sharing strategy. Founder Jonah Peretti understood that with millions of people online during work hours, any content that relieved the boredom was going to be a hit. The so-called “Bored at Work Network” publishing strategy targets workers looking to pass their time on social media, and whose enthusiastic consuming or sharing of content can make a post or a video go viral in hours.

But Buzzfeed went even further in a bid to make its content the most shareable on the web. It started using posts and videos as a communication tool, and not just as content filler. When Jonathan Perelman, then BuzzFeed’s GM of Video & VP of Agency Strategy, spoke at the 2014 ReelSummit, he shared the brand's magic formula for video content marketing, and confirmed that consumers share video content for 5 main reasons:

To be social

To express how they are feeling about a particular topic

To show off, or humble-brag

To prove they were the first ones to find something

To make friends and colleagues laugh

However, Buzzfeed also creates video that helps form a shared experience for the viewer. We all love being part of a community, and identifying with fellow participants, whether that's bonding over a love of milkshakes, or remembering what it was like to go to school in Ohio in the 80's, or any other number of subjects we can all relate to.

Social media is the perfect vehicle for building communities around people, and Buzzfeed has implemented one of the strongest social strategies around its video content we've ever seen to reach as many potential community members as possible. You may not be a regular Buzzfeed reader, but the chances are at least one piece of content will have resonated with you based on your some aspect of your life - whether that's how much you dread work, your relationship status, your food preferences, or whether you are a cat, dog, or gerbil person. Buzzfeed has made sure of it, believe me.

How? The publisher uses an algorithm called 'ViralRank' within its purpose-built Social Dashboard to determine what content is being shared across social media in real-time. It can then optimize the promotion of that video or post to increase its reach even further. This data can also determine the kind of content that readers and viewers engage with, which in turn feeds into future programming strategies. Perelman also confirmed that Buzzfeed produces video content around three main types of data-driven intent: emotional gift, information, and identity:

Emotional Gift Videos: This type of video is created to tap into the wide range of human emotions. A Buzzfeed video should be able to change the viewers mood from a sad one to a happy one, or an interested one, and give them some relief from the relentless bad news that floods the Internet every day. These types of videos are created to make the viewer feel something, because if a certain emotional reaction is triggered, the viewer is more likely to share. Great examples of this type of content from Buzzfeed video includes 'Giant Men Meet Tiny Kittens' or 'Adults Try Public School Lunches':

Informational Videos: These videos try to present information in a new, or a quirky way. Perelman stated to never underestimate the power of the viewer to resonate with content if they already know something about a topic, but were willing to learn more if it was presented in an entertaining way. Also, Buzzfeed has determined that these type of videos make for great sharing among communities and friends and family, particularly if they help to prove or disprove an argument. An excellent example of a great informational, and highly shareable video, is '12 Food Facts You Won't Believe Are True'.

Videos Viewers Can Identify With: Viewers want to identify as something, to belong to a community or group that defines who they are, and what they believe in. Video content created around this intent does extremely well for Buzzfeed as it's highly shareable. Perfect examples include 'Walking With Tall People #ShortPeopleProblems' and 'Things You Didn't Realize Everyone Does'.

8 THINGS BUZZFEED VIDEO DOES REALLY REALLY WELL

Buzzfeed is a unique publishing house, grown from scratch with custom-built in-house systems that identify what content will do well, where it will do well, and how likely are viewers and readers to share it across their own social networks. It's a powerhouse and has access to infinitely more resources than the average video creator or brand. But, there are some strategies that we can can all learn from. Buzzfeed does the following extraordinarily well:

#1 An Effective Multi-platform Video Strategy: If a social or video platform is active and drawing a substantial audience, then Buzzfeed will have at least one, but more likely several, channels or accounts. But, the brand doesn't just upload the same video to different sites, it identifies its target demographic and where they are most likely to engage, and uploads content where it's going to be shared. There's a reason that Buzzfeed Food is blowing up on Facebook and not YouTube, and why Buzzfeed creates the kind of foodie content it does to match the audience of any given platform. Yes, it takes time and resources to create across-platform video strategy, but you need to be where the audience is, and understand how they are going to interact with your content.

#2 Consistent and Pro-active Social Sharing/Cross-Promotion: Buzzfeed makes video content to be shared, not consumed, and it will cross-promote content from different properties everywhere it thinks it will work. Unlike many big brands - and other publishers - Buzzfeed creators and social teams do not work in a silo. Their in-house algorithmic software confirms what's blowing up on social and will do what they can to squeeze as much engagement out of the videos as possible. The brand understands that not everyone is going to sign up to every social media account they run, so a fairly large chunk of viewers may miss the latest upload. By sharing videos across social media accounts, Buzzfeed ensures that as many eyeballs as possible get to see them.

#3 Created a Trusted Brand: Viewers have grown to trust Buzzfeed's video content, and that's one reason why they are so willing to share. There's nothing to scare the horses - and if there is, Buzzfeed will slap on a NSFW label so viewers know exactly who they can share with without embarrassment.

#4 Creates Strong Tentpole Content: I'd have to spend a few days more than it took to write this article to find out if there is a topic that Buzzfeed Video hasn't at least touched on when it comes to tent-pole content. It has produced videos around everything from 'Back to School', Halloween, Super Bowl, National Dog Day, Valentine's Day, Christmas, and all points in-between. If it's a cause for celebration or a landmark event, Buzzfeed will think of an angle and create some killer content around it.

#5 Enticing Titles and Thumbnails: Viewers are fickle and will spend just a few seconds to decide whether they will watch a video, or scroll on by. Much like a first date, brands and creators only have one chance to entice that viewer to click, and a winning title, and compelling thumbnail are your two main weapons in the battle for views. Buzzfeed excel at both.

#6 Sticks With a Winning Formula: The 'X tries X Food' series has been a phenomenal success for Buzzfeed, and as the topic seems to be a bottomless well in terms of ideas, we can expect more of the same. And why not, it works, it taps into that 'community' spirit that gets viewers to share, it's engaging, and educational, but most of all, it's incredibly entertaining.

#7 Tests a Range of Video Content: The beauty of having a multi-video platform strategy (and a huge production team, and an in-house team of data analysts) is the capacity to test what content works where, why it works, or doesn't, and how to increase upon success. Your Facebook audience may differ so much from your YouTube one that posting to Facebook is a non-starter. But without consistent testing, you'll never know.

#8 Branded Video Collaborations: Buzzfeed's first foray into branded collaboration was this video for GE, and since then it has created sponsored video content for Intel, Carl's Jr, Johnson & Johnson, Virgin Mobile, YouTube, Purina, and other brands. Buzzfeed's unique influence across different demographics enables brands to reach new target audiences via engaging, compelling, and authentic content that's highly likely to get shared.
 

Purina's 'A Cat's Guide To Taking Care Of Your Human' was uploaded to Buzzfeed Video's own YouTube channel where it generated 9.2M views, and 540K likes, shares, and comments.

BUZZFEED VIDEO AND THE FUTURE

Buzzfeed has created a video production, distribution, and social sharing juggernaut and we have a feeling that really, this is just the beginning. Buzzfeed Motion Pictures employs around 200 people, making the Hollywood based team one of the largest original content creators in the online video space. It produces around 50 pieces of video content a week, and is creating short-form, mid-length, and long-form content not only for its own properties, but with major industry collaborators.

BuzzFeed CEO Peretti has made it clear that he wants to extend the brand's reach to TV and film, and with a recent $200M cash injection fromNBCUniversal, the Comcast owned TV and film giant, we can expect to seeBuzzfeed content make its mark beyond the Internet.