The facts show that the total audience for online video continues to increase. The latest report issued by Nielsen Online reports that 137.4 million Americans watched Web video in December. Youtube remains at the forefront of this trend; in December 2009, YouTube delivered more than 10 times as many video streams as any other site in the U.S. Reports show that on average Web video viewers are also watching longer clips.

These figures are bound to attract more and more advertisers to enter the world of online video for commercial purposes. Indeed, an estimation from eMarketer expects that by 2013, budget for online video advertising will increase by 6,7%.

 

Nevertheless, in the midst of this commercial shift, the question for many remains. How should we use online video? Although the Web is a unique space for interactive communication that elicits reaction and responses from viewers, online video advertisement is still based on the same concepts that have worked for television. The sector appears to be stuck in a model that resembles traditional marketing. According to Mike Shields of Media Week, “online video advertising can provide entertainment and information, but offers very little in the way of community interaction beyond outdated sharing and commenting features.”¹

 

Brands should start using video as an interactive tool to talk with customers as well as to promote brands. It could allow an exchange, a mutually beneficial interaction that provides new ideas for advertisement, and develops future prospects in the online domain. Advertisement through online video must find a new way of breaking with the traditional model to become competitive and efficient.