• by Char Beales , November 10, 2011

A recent CTAM study, “Roadmap to Video Apps (What Makes Viewers APPY?)” teaches us that the best things in life are still free.  

When rating the attributes of video applications, like YouTube, Hulu or iTunes for smartphones and tablets, 63%  of respondents said that “free or low subscription rates” is the most important attribute for a video application.

Given this economy, that is not surprising.

However, what is surprising is that regardless of mobile device, roughly 75% of video app users are most commonly accessing the apps while in the home. And consumers say they are open to advertisements on apps in exchange for a free or a lower costs service, and generally even more receptive to ads on tablets. Marketers and advertisers can insert applause here.

We also learned that video apps such as YouTube and iTunes are significantly more likely to be used on mobile devices such as the iPod Touch, smartphone or tablet (67% and 41% via mobile vs. 54% and 33% respectively via in-home devices such as internet-connected TVs, internet-connected video devices and gaming consoles).

Of the online survey respondents, roughly 95% of video app users have used a downloaded, or pre-installed, video app (paid or free) via a mobile device (smartphone, iPod touch or tablet) and roughly 80%  via in-home device in the last 30 days.

Plus, video apps are good for television. Nearly half, 46% of video app users report being more engaged with the programs or networks associated with the video apps after accessing them.

In another first, the CTAM study found that “Sync-to-TV” apps actually increase consumers’ engagement with television programming rather than distracting from it. Sync-to-TV refers to a second screen app (in this case on iPad or iPad 2) that recognizes a program broadcast through a TV set and launches interactive “modules” on the second screen corresponding with the programming or show playing on the primary screen.

But with so many coming on to the market every day, there may be a lot of great video apps going unnoticed. What we learned in the study is that getting the buzz going is key, so if you want to be noticed, start spreading the news.  Sixty-five percent of video app users say that word-of-mouth plays an important role in their decisions on which video apps they’ll add to their collections.

Understanding how video apps affect viewers across platforms is critical in both reaching and engaging with a new generation of viewers. For savvy marketers, advertisers and developers, the bonus is that by carefully listening to what these insights tell us, we unearth how we can truly make an app work to build brand loyalty, connect viewers to advertising  -- and lead to profits.