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The Evolving Role of Live Online Video in Corporate Marketing
Copyright © 2012 Wainhouse Research, LLC Page 1
The Evolving Role of Live Online Video in Corporate Marketing
Copyright © 2012 Wainhouse Research, LLC Page 2
The Evolving Role of Live Online Video in Corporate Marketing
Copyright © 2012 Wainhouse Research, LLC Page 3
Contents
Expanding Video’s Horizons
How Live Video Attributes Pave a Path to Marketing
Gauging the Impact of Live Video Adoption
Key Takeaways
About the Author / About WR
List of Figures
Figure 1: Agree / Disagree: Expanded Use of Online Video Can Enhance External Communications -
Segmented by Frequency of Live Online Video Use
Figure 2: Frequency of Use for Online Video Applications Among Users Who Have Experienced Live
Business Online Video
Figure 3: Abilities of Live Video - Percentage of All Live Video Users who "Strongly Agree" that Live
Video....”
Figure 4: Abilities of Live Video - Segmented by Frequency of Live Online Video Usage; Percentage of
Executives who "Strongly Agree" that Live Video...."
Figure 5: Abilities of Live Video - Social Media Measures; Enterprise vs. Government vs. Education
Figure 6: Factors Influencing Streaming Technology Purchase Decision – Segmented by Preference for
Live / On-Demand Online Video
Figure 7: Measures of Web Communications Effectiveness - Segmented by Organization's Frequency of
Live Online Video Deployment
The Evolving Role of Live
Online Video in Corporate
Marketing
Gauging How Organizations Leverage
Online Video to Drive Promotion and
Build Community
Steve Vonder Haar
November 2013
White Paper commissioned by:
Steve Vonder Haar
June 2014
White Paper commissioned by:
Executive Visions on Video
in the Workplace
WHITE PAPER
WHITE PAPER
The Evolving Role of Live Online Video in Corporate Marketing
Copyright © 2012 Wainhouse Research, LLC Page 4
WR Paper:
Executive Visions on Video in the Workplace Copyright © 2014 Wainhouse Research. All rights reserved.
The Evolving Role of Live Online Video in Corporate Marketing
Copyright © 2012 Wainhouse Research, LLC Page 5
The Evolving Role of Live Online Video in Corporate Marketing
Copyright © 2012 Wainhouse Research, LLC Page 6
Expanding Video’s Horizons
This report is the third in a series of
white papers and webinars tracking
the usage, deployment and executive
perceptions of online video in the
corporate sector.
The concept for this series was
inspired by previous market research
published on behalf of Cisco Systems
that measures the growing use of
online video on the Internet.
Commissioned by Ustream and
produced by Wainhouse Research,
the Business Video Now Series seeks
to take the next step in gauging
momentum in the evolving online
video market.
The aim of Business Video Now is to
foster greater awareness of and
understanding of online video trends
by providing data-driven insight,
focusing on the expanding role of the
technology in enterprise
communications. Results from a
survey of 1,007 executives conducted
in the fourth quarter of 2013 serve as
the foundation for information
presented in this series.
Future editions of the Business Video
Now Series will identify the video
applications that executives
frequently employ and discuss
lessons learned from
implementations of technologies
enabling online video.
ABOUT THE
BUSINESS VIDEO NOW
SERIES
The Evolving Role of Live Online Video in Corporate Marketing
Copyright © 2012 Wainhouse Research, LLC Page 7
Figure SEQ Figure \* ARABIC 1: Agree / Disagree: Expanded Use of Online Video Can Enhance External Communications - Segmented by Frequency of Live Online
Video Use
Live online video is emerging as a tool that marketers employ to cut through the clutter of
communicating with external audiences. Whether the video is used to extend the reach of product
launch events, to create engaging descriptions of merchandise for sale or to provide richer forms of
customer support, the technology is helping to transform best practices in corporate outreach.
While some executives may perceive live video as a solution best implemented for employee training
and executive presentations, they sell themselves short if they try to limit its use to these internal
communications applications. Indeed, according to results from the Wainhouse Research Enterprise
Web Communications Survey – a survey of 1,007 executives conducted in the fourth quarter of 2013 –
those who use live online video most extensively are highly likely to see it as a valuable tool enabling
corporate branding and promotion
As illustrated in Figure 1, 59% of executives who report daily usage of live online video for business
applications say they “strongly agree” with the idea that expanded use of online video can enhance
communications with external audiences. Another 35% of these frequent video users “somewhat agree”
with this statement. Among those who never use live onl ine video, in contrast, only 9% “strongly agree”
and 49% “somewhat agree” that expanded use of online video can enhance external corporate
communications.
Simply put, executives familiar with live
online video recognize the role it can
play in marketing communications. And
this growing interest in leveraging live
online video for corporate branding and
promotion is one of the key factors
driving the expanded viewership of live
online video in business
communications. In a previous report
published in the Business Video Now
series, Wainhouse Research estimated
that workers watched 1.12 billion hours
of business live online video content in
2013 – a total forecasted to more than
double by 2016.
The Evolving Role of Live Online Video in Corporate Marketing
Copyright © 2012 Wainhouse Research, LLC Page 8
This viewership forecast is driven – in part – by the one-to-many nature of video-enriched marketing
communications. If successful, a single marketing event can draw hundreds or thousands of viewers,
typically generating more eyeballs (and viewer minutes) from a live online marketing session than is
possible from the distribution of an employee-targeted video distributed behind the corporate firewall.
Consider the implications of this trend. Employee training and executive presentations are cited in
survey results as the two applications of online video that are most frequently implemented by
companies that deploy streaming technologies. But while this inward-facing content is created most
often, it does not lead the pack in generating actual viewership of live business video in the corporate
market. Rather, it’s the outward-facing applications of video that generate the most consumption of live
online content. (Figure 2)
Overall, for instance, 89% of executives who say they have experienced live video report that they have
watched a product launch event via live online video at some point. And 22% of those experienced with
live video say they watch product launch content on a daily basis. Similarly lofty viewership totals were
tallied for other external applications for video, such as using video to deliver “descriptions of products
for sale” and for “corporate branding and advertising.”
Viewership of internal communications applications, such as employee training and executive
presentations, also was strong. More than 80% of viewers of live online video say they have also
Figure SEQ Figure \* ARABIC 2: Frequency of Use for Online Video Applications Among Users Who Have Experienced Live Business Online Video
The Evolving Role of Live Online Video in Corporate Marketing
Copyright © 2012 Wainhouse Research, LLC Page 9
experienced these applications. However, adoption patterns for these applications still lagged slightly
behind viewership totals for the most actively watched marketing applications of live online video. This
happened even though organizations tend to produce more live video events for internal use than they
do for external audiences. The inescapable conclusion is that – event-by-event- marketing applications
of video typically reach more viewers than targeted internal communications applications.
How Live Video Attributes Pave a Path to Marketing
Survey results presented in prior reports published in the Business Video Now Series illustrate that
executives perceive online video as an effective venue for delivering a message to a business audience,
are using online video more than ever before and are preparing to boost their usage of live online video
for business applications even further in coming years.
Indeed, executives’ embrace of live online video appears to accelerate as their exposure to the
technology grows. Among the group of survey respondents reporting that they now watch live online
video on a daily basis, 47% say they are watching more live online video than was the case just three
years ago. And 18% of this high-frequency group report that their consumption of live online video has
more than doubled over the course of that three-year period.
So, live online video viewership clearly is proliferating in the enterprise. The question is “Why?” Multiple
factors undoubtedly contribute to this corporate viewership trend. But survey results suggest that
executive interest in leveraging live online video for external communications applications is playi ng a
significant role in driving the next stage of adoption for this technology.
Let’s consider the responses provided to a survey question in which executives with experience in using
live video technologies were asked to quantify their outlooks towards a range of live video attributes.
Survey respondents were asked to agree/disagree with a range of topic statements related to the
technologies enabling live online video adoption and its use in business communications.
The Evolving Role of Live Online Video in Corporate Marketing
Copyright © 2012 Wainhouse Research, LLC Page 10
The top-level findings for this question, illustrated in Figure 3, demonstrate some bedrock truths related
The Evolving Role of Live Online Video in Corporate Marketing
Copyright © 2012 Wainhouse Research, LLC Page 11
to executive perceptions of how live online video creates value in enterprise deployments. The first key
The Evolving Role of Live Online Video in Corporate Marketing
Copyright © 2012 Wainhouse Research, LLC Page 12
takeaway is that video delivers the most value in business communications when i t is presented
The Evolving Role of Live Online Video in Corporate Marketing
Copyright © 2012 Wainhouse Research, LLC Page 13
alongside other on-screen data. Among all survey respondents who use live video, 64% “strongly agree”
The Evolving Role of Live Online Video in Corporate Marketing
Copyright © 2012 Wainhouse Research, LLC Page 14
Figure : Abilities of Live Video - Percentage of All Live Video Users who "Strongly Agree" that Live Video....”
that live video is more effective when combined with PowerPoint slides and other on-screen data.
The Evolving Role of Live Online Video in Corporate Marketing
Copyright © 2012 Wainhouse Research, LLC Page 15
Live video users also are developing a greater trust in the technology underpinning the delivery of live
online video content. Sixty-three percent of live online video users report that the technology is “easier
to use and more reliable than in years past.”
When looking at these survey results from all users of live video users, however, marketing applications
do not appear to be held in high regard. Less than 55% of all respondents say that they “strongly agree”
that live online video is an “effective vehicle for marketing and customer acquisition” or that it can be
used as “focal point for online interaction and community building” or leveraged to enhance an
organization’s social media presence.
These top-level results, however, merely obscure stark differences in opinion that exist between
executives that use live online video frequently and those with less exposure to the technology. Figure 4
segments perceptions of live video attributes by the extent of executives’ usage of the technology. The
The Evolving Role of Live Online Video in Corporate Marketing
Copyright © 2012 Wainhouse Research, LLC Page 16
Figure SEQ Figure \* ARABIC 4: Abilities of Live Video - Segmented by Frequency of Live Online Video Usage; Percentage of Executives who "Strongly Agree" that Live Video...."
attrib
utes
are listed from the top of the chart based on the difference in response totals cited by those using live
video daily compared to those viewer live online video less than monthly.
Active users of live online video have high regard for the technology across the board. This should be
expected. After all, if they did not believe in the technology, they likely would not be using it on a
regular basis. The truly noteworthy theme emerging from Figure 4, however, comes in comparing how
much ground selected issues gain in the eyes of active users when their responses are compared to
those who use the technology intermittently.
Those same corporate marketing issues that ranked near the bottom of the overall survey results
illustrated in Figure 3 are the same attributes that soared most when comparing the responses of active
users of live online video with those using the technology less than monthly. Among those using live
online video daily, for instance, more than two-thirds (67%) “strongly agree” that live online video can
The Evolving Role of Live Online Video in Corporate Marketing
Copyright © 2012 Wainhouse Research, LLC Page 17
be employed to boost an organization’s social media presence. Only 23% of those using live online video
less than monthly shared that outlook.
Likewise, 66% of daily users of live online video “strongly agree” that the technology can “serve as a
focal point for online interaction and community building.” Only 38% of executives using live online
video less than monthly responded in a similar manner.
These results help to paint a picture of how perceptions of online video evolve as individuals becom e
more familiar with the technology. Sporadic users of live online video are likely to recognize its
improved reliability and the value it can add to online presentations that blend video with other on -
screen data, such as PowerPoint. These opinions do not change simply because executives begin using
the technology more. Rather, as exposure to live video capabilities expands, executives come to better
understand the role it can play in reaching external audiences and energizing the way an organization
interacts with partners, customers and prospects in the social media arena.
One of the fundamental truths of the enterprise online video market is that the longer executives are
exposed to the technology, the more they use it. Sixty eight percent of executives who watch live online
video daily started using live video at the desktop more than three years ago, according to survey
results. Among those viewing live online video once a month or less, 48% had their first experience with
the technology within the past two years.
As end-users’ tenure of experience grows, it should be expected that more executives will graduate into
the ranks of active users of the technology watching live online video on a daily basis. Because
perceptions of live online video’s value appear to evolve with usage patterns, a greater percentage of
executives over time will likely come to regard live online video as a viable vehicle for enhancing
external corporate messaging.
It should be noted, however, that not all
individuals will value live online video’s
growing role in communications targeting
external audiences. Instead, this theme will
resonate primarily with executives working
in the corporate segment. Individuals from
other verticals with less of a focus on
external communications, such government
and education, are far less likely to make
the connection between live online video
The Evolving Role of Live Online Video in Corporate Marketing
Copyright © 2012 Wainhouse Research, LLC Page 18
Figure : Abilities of Live Video - Social Media Measures; Enterprise vs. Government vs. Education
technology and its impact on social media.
More than half of executives who work in the corporate sector, labelled as “enterprise” in Figure 5, say
they “strongly agree” that live online video “leverages our social media presence” and “can serve as a
focal point for online interaction and community building.” Questioned on these same topics, less than
40% of workers in government and education cited comparable outlooks.
The results underscore the need for executives to marry the deployment of li ve online video
technologies with the stated communications needs of their organizations. Adoption of live online video
for external messaging is likely to fall behind the curve in vertical segments where such outbound
communications do not play a key role in defining an organization’s success. Conversely, companies that
do place a premium on the role of
marketing and audience outreach should
recognize the growing role that live online
video can play in a comprehensive external corporate messaging strategy.
Gauging the Impact of Live Video Adoption
Recognizing that online video usage patterns correlate with shifting executive outlooks towards
enterprise streaming, one can also surmise that these usage patterns are associated with a change in
priorities when executives consider streaming technology investments and measure the impact of these
investments on their business.
Survey results confirm this extended correlation and demonstrate how executives who use live online
video frequently place higher priority than others on leveraging live online video more extensively in
external corporate communications.
The Evolving Role of Live Online Video in Corporate Marketing
Copyright © 2012 Wainhouse Research, LLC Page 19
Figure 6, for instance, examines the technology issues that tend to influence an executive’s decision on
whether to invest in a specific enterprise streaming platform. The chart compares responses from
executives who say they prefer live forms of online video to the responses of executives citing a
preference for consuming on-demand online video. As was the case in Figure 4, these issues are
The Evolving Role of Live Online Video in Corporate Marketing
Copyright © 2012 Wainhouse Research, LLC Page 20
Figure SEQ Figure \* ARABIC 6: Factors Influencing Streaming Technology Purchase Decision – Segmented by Preference for Live / On-Demand Online Video
listezZZZZZzžd based on the extent of difference between these two survey group segments. Those
issues demonstrating a significant different of opinion between the two segments are listed towards the
top of this chart.
Certainly, some areas of agreement exist between the two survey audience segments. The issues of
“price” and “ease of use” are rated in similar ways by users with a live video preference and those who
would rather use on-demand video. As a result, these issues are listed at the bottom of Figure 6.
At the other end of the spectrum, the topics generating the greatest disparity of responses were
“potential scalability of selected solution,” “preference to use a specific technology approach” and “the
ability to distribute live video events via multiple web sites.” For each of these three categories, the
proportion of respondents citing the issue as “very important” to the streaming purchase decision was
more than 10 percentage points higher for executives citing a preference for live video when compared
to those stating a preference on-demand online video.
Each of these technology issues is relevant to corporate adoption of live video for marketing
applications.
The Evolving Role of Live Online Video in Corporate Marketing
Copyright © 2012 Wainhouse Research, LLC Page 21
● The issue of scalability is important to companies seeking to deliver a live marketing video event
to hundreds (or possibly thousands) of viewers at the same time.
● The “preference to use a specific technology approach” refers to whether an organizat ion
deploys an on-premise or hosted software solution for streaming. Hosted solutions are best-
suited for one-to-many marketing applications.
● The ability to distribute video via multiple web sites can be used to expand the reach of a
marketing video, boosting the exposure generated by a live event.
Just as marketing issues rise in importance in the eyes of active live video users who are contemplating
investments in streaming-enabling technologies, the metrics of effectiveness that are used to gauge the
success of these technology deployments also evolve as executives use live online video more
extensively.
At companies that do not deploy live online video events, the evaluation metrics used in measuring the
effectiveness of the technology is somewhat one-dimensional. The focus for these survey respondents
rests on the tangible financial impact that comes from deploying communications technologies. Thirty -
two percent of these live video laggards, for instance, describe “generates revenue” as a “very
important” measure of effectiveness. That puts it ahead of all other potential gauges of effectiveness.
Ranking second on the list, cited by 29% of executives at companies not using live online video, is the
metric “improves productivity.” (Figure 7)
Executives at companies that implement live online video extensively appear to take a broader
worldview. For this group of executives at organizations using live online video in more than 100 events
annually, the top-ranking metric of effectiveness is “improves corporate brand image.” This issue was
The Evolving Role of Live Online Video in Corporate Marketing
Copyright © 2012 Wainhouse Research, LLC Page 22
Figure SEQ Figure \* ARABIC 7: Measures of Web Communications Effectiveness - Segmented by Organization's Frequency of Live Online Video Deployment
described as “very important” by 67% of executives at companies deploying live online video at that
high frequency level. The issue ranking second for this group active in live video adoption was “places
our company at the “cutting edge” of technology.” This was cited by 64% of this high frequency video
group as a “very important” measure of web communications effectiveness.0000000000
In short, executives at organizations using live online video m0000ost frequently care greatly about how
they are perceived by outsiders. As organizations boost their adoption of live online vi deo, executives
are increasingly likely to view it as a tool for enhancing communications with external audiences. In turn,
this expectation helps shape what organizations are looking for when they deploy streaming
technologies and how they go about measuring the impact that online video has on day-to-day business
operations.
The Evolving Role of Live Online Video in Corporate Marketing
Copyright © 2012 Wainhouse Research, LLC Page 23
Key Takeaways
Live online video is no one-trick pony. Results from Wainhouse Research’s Q4 2013 survey of 1,007
executives illustrate that the technology can play a role in corporate communications applications that
extend beyond their stronghold behind the corporate firewall where organizations typically use the
technology to enrich employee training and make all -hands employee meetings more accessible.
Indeed, live online video is being used extensively for corporate outreach – a trend that promises to
have outsized impact on boosting overall viewership for live business video content online. Here are key
trends to keep in mind as the worlds of live online video and corporate marketing increasingly overlap:
● Video Viewership Begets Expanded Video Interest: Executives who watch live online video for
business purposes most frequently are the most likely to see value in expanding the use of the
technology in external messaging. Of those executives watch live online video daily, 59%
“strongly agree” that expanded use of online video can aid an organization’s outbound
communications.
● Perceptions of Live Video Evolve with Increased Viewership: Survey results suggest that a
handful of bedrock principles shape the core perceptions of live online video. Most executives
see it as more reliable than in years past and more effective when presented in combination
with other on-screen elements, such as PowerPoint slides. As users gain experience with live
video, their horizons expand to better recognize the impact that video can have in boosting an
organization’s social media presence and its role in supporting the development of online
communities.
● Marketing Boosts the Live Video Footprint: Employee training and executive presentations will
remain popular corporate applications for live online video. But their use primarily behind the
firewall will limit the number of individuals that see any single live online video business event
designed for employee-to-employee communications. By their nature, successful marketing
events will reach large audiences. As a result, broader adoption of live online video for
marketing applications will boost the viewership volume for live online video designed for
business use.
● Growth of Live Online Video Boosts Competitive Risks for Some: Organizations with the
greatest need to communicate with external audiences are the most likely to perceive live
online video as a valued tool for communications outreach. While adoption of live online video
for marketing is not a leading priority for those in the government and education segments, the
concept is significantly more popular with those working in the corporate market. Recognize
that marketing-oriented organizations will put themselves at a competitive disadvantage if they
don’t embrace live online video options likely to be adopted by rivals.
The Evolving Role of Live Online Video in Corporate Marketing
Copyright © 2012 Wainhouse Research, LLC Page 24
● Image is Everything: Or so it seems for organizations that deploy live online video extensively.
Concerns over corporate brand image and being seen as working on the “cutting edge of
technology” are paramount for organizations that are most active in producing and distributing
live online video events. As adoption of live online video expands, the number of organizations
leveraging live online video as a key part of their overall marketing strategy will only grow over
time.
About the Author / About WR
Steve Vonder Haar is a Senior Analyst with Wainhouse Research, focusing on enterprise streaming &
webcasting. Steve has covered the technology industry for more than 20 years. He previously served as
Research Director of Interactive Media Strategies and as Director of Media and Entertainment Strategies
for the Yankee Group. He is a graduate of the University of Missouri Columbia with degrees in Journalism
and Economics, and holds a Master’s degree in Bus iness Administration from the University of Texas-
Arlington. He can be reached at [email protected]
About Wainhouse Research: Wainhouse Research is an independent analyst firm that focuses on
critical issues in the unified communications and collaborat ion market. The company provides 6 different
vendor subscriptions covering unified communications, group videoconferencing, personal & web-based
collaboration, audio conferencing, streaming & webcasting, and distance education & e-Learning
solutions, as well as a single all-inclusive subscription for enterprise users. The company acts as a
trusted advisor providing strategic advice and direction for both the UC&C industry and its enterprise
users. For further details contact [email protected] or see http://www.wainhouse.com.