When brands think about ways to create and distribute video content, they often consider their existing work -- commercials, testimonials, how-tos, etc.. -- as a resource. Ideally, this tactic is sitting underneath a more developed content strategy. Regardless, existing content will better integrate into an overall marketing plan if the planned programs, platforms, and projects yield assets that are uniquely built for specific channels. But many brands, and even many agencies, are still not coordinated across online and offline channels to frame this up in advance. They face barriers such as timing, structure, and budget, and are frequently left with …

The growth of digital video has not only given rise to many new businesses and business models, but has even created new verticals. And while the traditional cross-platform video sellers still reign supreme, the market is becoming wide and deep enough to support a variety of approaches. The question is, will the great diversity in video offerings eventually lead to an industry-wide consolidation?

Size matters, mobile video drives more interaction, and we spend more time on our handheld devices than on computers. Those are among the findings in a handful of recent research reports on digital video. Here's a recap of some of the most insightful datapoints from various studies.

The concept of content being written/produced/guided by advertisers and residing within an editorial environment is powerful. It's called branded content (or native advertising, or sponsored content, depending whom you ask that day).

I've learned something valuable from the example of each of the following business figures, from William Randolph Hearst to Gawker's Nick Denton:

Anyone who has been in the mobile industry for a while knows it's been the year of mobile for the past few years now. The headlines, overhyped and exaggerated, have proclaimed mobile's arrival on the merits of banner and display advertising, but when it comes to digital, mobile display is small potatoes. Where things really start to matter - where mobile really starts to take off - is when we take into account the most engaging opportunities in advertising: video designed for the mobile experience.

Attention, multichannel service providers: Consumers are cheating on your TV Everywhere efforts. More than two-thirds of smartphone and tablet users haven't downloaded their pay-TV provider's app, and nearly three-quarters never buy movies to watch from the VOD service. Those are among the findings in a just-released report from video discovery service Digitalsmiths that surveyed more than 1,850 pay-TV customers in the second quarter.

If the Internet has proven one thing, it's that the Web shrinks your industry if you're lucky. If you're unlucky, it kills it outright. A recent report and some articles beg the question: Given that the Web has annihilated the traditional business model for many sectors, is the death of advertising as we know it inevitable, if not a fait accompli? While the promise of an ad-free Web seems impossible given the free, ad-supported nature of most content and a majority of services, the specter of adblocking technology is haunting far beyond the walls of Madison Avenue, causing ripple effects …

A remarkable thing about video is that a brand can get instant feedback on its content. The true test of whether a creative is working online is if people are making the choice to watch it. If viewers like it, they will watch it multiple times and share it with their friends. If enough people like it and share it, it will go viral. That begs the question, what makes people like a brand's content so much that it goes viral?