• by Tim Mahlman , Op-Ed Contributor, October 20, 2014

The transition to video as the preferred content type was swift and decisive. YouTube is now the second largest search engine in the world; consumers prefer video not only for entertainment and information value, but increasingly, as part of their purchase decision-making process.

Whether the intent is to inform, entertain or persuade, video is wildly popular with consumers and can't be overlooked. Publishers recognize the opportunity, yet struggle to offer a steady flow of high quality, original video to their audiences.

The cost of quality video production is prohibitive for many, but that's just one of the obstacles for publishers. Video creation and editing technology evolves rapidly and talent is much in demand. Further, distribution at any scale requires video compatibility across hundreds of different systems.

These challenges are not insurmountable and contrary to popular belief, publishers don’t need to break the bank to tap into the video opportunity.

Why Video?

The science behind the consumer preference for video is real and compelling.

Susan Weinshenk, Ph. D. and consultant to brands like Disney and Amazon, explains that video appeals to humans in four distinct and important ways:

1.     Video makes us pay attention to faces. Videos featuring people appeal to a part of the brain that is sensitive to human faces and connects to the brain area responsible for emotions.

2.     Voice conveys rich information. Tone of voice, inflection and volume all help to express information in different ways.

3.     Emotions are contagious. Great writing can certainly evoke an emotional response, yet the combination of audio and visuals in video has the ability to greatly influence a person's reaction to the content.

4.     Movement grabs attention. Humans have been programmed over thousands of years of evolution to pay attention to movement. It helps capture but also keep audience attention, even when movement is subtle.

A steady mix of engaging, relevant video content captures and retains the audience interest.

The Power & Perils of Video Syndication in Expanding User Base

Online video syndication isn't a new industry, though it's been plagued with stream fraud, the video advertising world's answer to the pay-per-click ad industry's click fraud. Unscrupulous networks inflated video ad metrics, and the incentive to do so has only grown. Video ads now have the highest click-through rate among digital ad formats.

Publishers have also faced challenges in maintaining control of the content appearing on their site. So-called premium quality content often wasn't. Audiences were turned off by irrelevant videos. Distribution was complicated by a vast array of systems and the publisher's need to provide video compatible with each one.

Traditional video syndication seemed to offer great potential, but lacked the trust and scalability to make it a viable long-term solution for publishers with content needs. Like so many online processes, online video syndication has been automated in a number of ways in order to accommodate the pure tonnage of new video content and to help publishers identify premium, relevant content for their audiences. Video syndication was reinvented to offer:

• Programmatic, contextual video sourcing
• Transparency for video creators, advertisers and publishers
• Maximum control over the content appearing on publisher sites
• Centralized access to system-neutral videos

With centralized syndication, video discovery is a seamless experience for publishers.