Study: Advertisers Must Approach Video 'Super Sharers' With Care

Kathy Sharpe of Sharpe PartnersMore than just a source for stupid-human tricks, online video is fast becoming the de facto medium for friends and family to connect, according to new research conducted by interactive agency Sharpe Partners.

"Videos are really the postcards of our future," Kathy Sharpe, CEO of Sharpe Partners, told Online Media Daily. "It's not about YouTube celebrities or viral videos, but connections between friends and family."

That said, over 80% of the U.S. online population have yet to share a video online, according to Forrester Research. And, among the remaining 20%, Sharpe uncovered serious resistance to advertising.

"75% of respondents said they are finding a way to skip ads," said Sharpe. "Advertisers have to be very careful about they way they approach super sharers."

For the study, Sharpe interviewed 865 so-called "super sharers," who reported sharing at least five non-professional videos over the past 60 days.

In order to grow the super sharer population, providers and marketers need to establish easier solutions and services for sharing, Sharpe found. This can be achieved by implementing simpler tools that connect communities to consumers, convincing consumers of how secure their videos are, and connecting the desktop editing experience to sharing tools.

Even among super sharers, a full 46% expressed concerns over privacy, Sharpe found.

"Privacy is the biggest concern among consumer," Sharpe said. "That super sharers are wary of uploading videos is a big issue."

But, that's not the only problem. A full 32% of super sharers still issues with editing videos, and 25% are still unsure about their ability to successful upload videos online.

"Again, if the super sharers are having trouble with this, there's a big problem," Sharpe said.

Regardless, the age of video is upon us, Sharpe said. "It's a generation thing," she added. "Within five, among consumers under 30, video is going to overtake photography."

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