Demographics of your YouTube video watchers

Ever wondered who on earth is watching all of those YouTube videos you have uploaded? Now you can.

What a great feature. The above shows the demographic breakdown of the views of two ads on my YouTube channel. Lots of young guys watching the beautiful M&S models. A much more mature group of females watching the Dove Pro.Age ads. Dick Stroud

Goodness gracious me. Is this a spoof or for real?

I am a great fan of Web video. But, when it goes wrong it goes wrong big time.
Chuck Nyren has posted an item about this video:

I guess the target market is supposed to be older execs, mostly Baby Boomers, who make such decisions in major companies. Or actually the target is the sales force (inside and out) hawking Vista to Boomer execs.

It is that sort of experience that makes me squirm, wriggle about in my seat and in desperation slam the stop button. Surely it is spoof? Microsoft could not have produced this, aimed at any age of audience – could they? Dick Stroud

Growingbolder.com - brave venture but will it succeed?

Way back in August 2007 I wrote about a video based social networking site called GrowingBolder. For ages afterwards I received an e-mail newsletter reporting on the progress this site was making toward being launched. To be honest, there wasn’t anything compelling enough to make me want to click back to the site, so I lost track of how the company was doing.

I have just received a press release reporting on the web site’s progress. Since I was quoted I thought I better go and have another look.

Anybody who reads this blog knows of my big reservations about age-centric web sites. I will not go over that ground again. Whatever you think of the business model, you have to give it to the site's founders since they have clearly committed a massive amount of work to the venture.

Since I am a totally sold on the power of video I naturally warm to the site’s use of this as the major communications media. I really do wish them well. Will this be enough to overcome the inherent weakness of a community based on age? Only time will tell. Dick Stroud

Age-neutral content

Last week I recorded some video material for Redwood – a UK content company. It was great to deal with a company that really understands the age-neutral nature of video and how it is changing the rules of the Web. Have a look at their promotional video.

It is even more unusual to encounter a company that practices what it preaches. Have a look at the way the company uses video to describe themselves. Have a look at the “About Us”. page. Dick Stroud

TeeBeeDee interview

Whilst looking at Mark’s new Web site (see the next post) I came across this interview with the CEO of TeeBeeDee.
The venture-backed company is headed by veteran magazine publisher/media exec Robin Wolaner. Twenty years ago, she was the founding publisher of Parenting magazine. She was a senior exec at Time Inc and CNET. An interesting lady. Dick Stroud

ING Direct - good use of Web video

It is great to see a large financial services company start using Web video. ING Direct, one of the world’s largest online banks, uses this video – prominently shown on the home page – to provide customer testimonials. OK, you can argue about the style but I reckon it is pretty good. Notice anything about the age of the ‘customers’? Dick Stroud.

‘Factlet’ Web video

I read about commoncraft on Karl Long’s blog, which in itself is certainly worth a visit.

Commoncraft produce short videos that explain what things are and how things work. This, “I need to know” training mechanism certainly works for me. This example is about social bookmarking.

I bet it could be adapted, that’s assuming it needs to be, for the 50-plus market. You can see lots of other examples on the commoncraft YouTube channel. Dick Stroud

Video and the top performing online campaigns

Dynamic Logic has announced the most effective online advertising campaigns of 2006 (UK and US) by evaluating how well each campaign achieved its branding objectives.The thing that most interested me was the following statement:

Interestingly, most of the U.S. campaigns utilized some form of video ads, which previous Dynamic Logic research has shown can effectively cut through the clutter, yielding higher awareness for brands on average compared to online advertising in general.

Video ads can also provide a successful format to communicate to consumers. Many of the video ads appearing among the top campaigns happened to be repurposed TV spots that were adapted for online, and also implemented a variety of video formats, including pre-roll, in-banner and interstitial ads.

Companion units were placed near the video, allowing viewers to interact with the ads and maintaining constant brand presence while the videos were playing.

The top U.K. campaigns included two cinema campaigns for Adrift and The Sentinel, which utilized video as part of the campaign assets.

I keep visiting Web sites that are trying to communicate with the 50-plus that are crying out for the use of video. Unfortunately, video is still associated with youth in the mind of many web designers. Big mistake. Dick Stroud

Ageing Web video

Like so many developments on the Web, the initial burst of enthusiasm amongst young people rapidly ripples through to older age groups. Just think that the really advanced 18 year old who thought it was the height of technological sophistication to purchase a book using the Internet will just have had their 30th birthday. eBay has rapidly (in business evolution terms) gone from being the thing of the young to the hobby/home business tool of oldies (average age of UK users must be pushing into the 50-plus).

According to data compiled from Nielsen/NetRatings, comScore and Quantcast, Web users aged 35-64 represent anywhere between 48% to 65% of YouTube's audience. The average age of YouTube US users is the US is estimated at 39 years old.

Web video is fast going to go the same way.

Pew/Internet’s recently published report (Online Video) has the latest take on the ageing of Web video. I have reproduced a couple of the charts. The numbers that really interest me are:

The comparisons on use between the 30-49 and 50-64 years olds (just a 11% difference). This about the same difference in the behaviour for receiving and sharing links with others. The difference does increase for the more complex activities like posting video links online.

The difference in the propensity of the 18-29 and 65+ to watch news and comedy videos. A ratio of 1.8 for news and 4.7 for comedy.

Instinctively I feel both of these results are right but it is nice to have a bit of research to back-up your gut feelings.

What this shows, again not an amazing conclusion, is that different ages use Web technologies for their own purposes. What starts as a generic demonstration of a technological leap (like YouTube and MySpace) soon morphs into serving the behaviour and needs of different age groups and lifestyle groups. Dick Stroud

YouTube.co.uk launches

I have already posted my reservations about the Zimmer's video.
I don’t have any doubts that it is a brilliant idea of YouTube to use another older person to launch their UK site. No explanation needed. Just watch. Dick Stroud

Very neat way of viewing video and PowerPoint

Have a look at this very amusing example of how you can merge video and PowerPoint. You have to have a certain sense of humour to find the example funny. I can see a lot of scope for this service. Dick Stroud

More Boomers Watching Online Video

At 39.4 years old, the average adult who downloads video is about five years younger than the average Internet user, according to BIGresearch.

The data refer to all Internet users or Internet video viewers.

Like the BIGresearch data, a demographic profile from Arbitron/Edison Media Research is based on self-reported survey results, but still points to the significant trend of more mature viewers. The survey indicates that over a fourth of online video viewers are 45 or older. Dick Stroud

Social networking expanding across demographics

A rise in the number of niche services (often age related) means that social media is no longer the preserve of the young. My recent blog postings about the numerous 50-plus social networking sites is testament to this fact.

Established networking sites such as MySpace and Facebook have experienced a surge in older user levels as their offerings gain prominence in mainstream media circles. Over 40% of users, aged 18+ who visited MySpace over a four-week, period were 35+ (according to Hitwise).

Another aspect of social networking is the use of video on the Web. Over 60% of viral ads initiated by advertisers are videos, according to a new study by Competitrack. This does not include user-generated spoofs, spin-offs etc.

The number of viral videos climbs even higher when TV ads uploaded by fans are included. Media Post has more details about the study.

According to the research, videos that are produced specifically as online virals tend to be longer, much more narrowly targeted and more outrageous than those shown on TV. The study's archive of 3,000 advertiser-initiated online virals listed 8% as not safe for work (NSFW).

The definition of viral advertising varies. The study used a variant of the Word of Mouth Marketing Association's definition: entertaining or informative messages that are designed to be passed along in an exponential fashion, often electronically or by e-mail.

Besides video, the other types of viral ad types include microsites, games, social networks and multimedia viral campaigns. Dick Stroud

Boomers hit YouTube.

Nearly a quarter of all online video viewers are 45+, according to research from Arbitron/Edison Media Research .

Earlier research for 2004 and 2005 from the Pew Internet & American Life Project and Princeton Survey Research Associates found that 58% of those who download videos were age 28 or younger – unfortunately this is the kind of ancient data that is still informing too many reporters' views.

There is a big mismatch between the stereotypes about the ‘i-generation’ being the only group who use Web 2.0 features and the reality that all age groups are using video, social networking etc. Dick Stroud

Video – it's early days

The BBC has just launched a new “Food” section to its web site that is stuffed with video.

Not sure how to make Eggs Benedict? Just watch Paul Merrett show you how it is done. If there are any publishers reading this blog then have a ponder what this is going to do to the cookery book market!

This is a beautifully constructed web site, but there is a but.

The 'but' is I wonder how useable it will be for older people with eyesight and dexterity problems. Have a look at the way you scroll through the recipes and the low colour contrast.

We are just entering a new world of video usability and I think the rules are yet to be written. Even Jakob Nielsen has only a small amount of guidance about using web video, even so it is worth reading, containing a beautiful eye tracking map of the way people view video clips.

These are exciting times for companies wanting to radically improve the user web experience through the use of the richest of all media (video). I suspect web designers will give little thought about older users, or indeed any users, and we will see some horrendous examples of video-overkill.

This BBC web site is not a perfect model but it is pretty good. Dick Stroud

Power of viral video

This has nothing directly to do with the 50-plus although in the long term may a have massive impact on the care industry.

Intel has announced a new microprocessor for the UMPC (Ultra Mobile Portable PC)market. Nothing shattering about that.

What is interesting is that an Intel promotional video was released onto youtube on the 11th April. Seven days later it has clocked up 128,000 views and is referenced by countless blogs. Does anybody still need convincing about the viral power of video?

As to the video itself, I suspect we will look back at this within a couple of years and groan. A bit like the HP videos, released a decade ago, showing the “home of the future”.

Whilst we are talking about techie stuff go and have a look at these two web sites.

Twittering might just be the big thing of 2007. I am not going to bother explaining –just and have a look at the web site. Even better have a look at a global map of Twittering in action.

I wonder if Google will have competition on its hands for searching video content? Blinkx is a site that enables you to search 7 millions hours of broadcast video. Try searching for “Twitter”.

That’s it – my next post will be back to the 50-plus market.Dick Stroud

Travel and cookery get the video habit

This is an off-subject blog posting about video. At the beginning of 2007 I suddenly became aware that the future moved. I think video-free web sites will soon start to look the same way that animated GIF's appear to us today.

Here are a three examples of companies using video to bring life (and value) to their Web activities.

Lonely Planet has launched a brand new online channel featuring the best travel videos from around the world. This is a vertical YouTube for travel. You can upload and watch videos created by Lonely Planet as well as other travelers. Users can rate each video, share them with friends and create playlists and friend groups. All good Web 2.0 stuff.

Ocado is a rapidly growing home delivery grocery service. Instead of boring old recipes go and look at how to prepare the meal and with a push of the button add all of the ingredients to your shopping basket. Now that is smart marketing.

The dreaded Martha Stewart has just launched her new web site that is dripping with video.

No video no credible web presence - what do you think - is this the message of 2007? Dick Stroud

YouTube, HisTube and HerTube

This blog posting is not specific to the 50-plus but they are very much affected by the topic. Click on the image to open it in another window.

I hate the term "the new killer app of the Web" but I really believe it is true when applied to video. The combination of the high uptake of broadband, Google’s interest in the video (purchasing YouTube), the simplicity of imbedding video into web sites and the richness it can add to the communications mix makes it a no-brainer. The only question is the speed of uptake.

It seems that right now video it is more popular with men than women. Movie clips is the only area where women watch more than men. This research was published by Piper Jaffray. It is a small sample size (200 people) but is the only research that I have seen about gender. Note to Piper Jaffray’s manager of Web content – if you your research is being published by third parties then make it available on your own web site!

My guess is that as the practice of web video moves into the mainstream we will see a reversing of this gender bias. Dick Stroud