African Trends for Online Video in 2013
1) Local Culture and Online Video in 2013
If you’re still using phrases like African Renaissance in your campaign meetings you are passé, dahling. Today’s customers are bored with SA’s great era of ’94. They want you to quit seeing them as PC citizens of the rainbow nation, replace all that hype with some entertainment and give them a decent injection of real South African culture. SA’s online marketing world is being atomically blasted with the information today’s clients actually care about and are willing to engage in. For online video in 2013, it’s the African Trendaissance and anyone who’s anyone is hopping on the gravy train. Why? Because it’s something new, interesting and effective. Finally!
2) Vimeo, Video and YouTube
With 78% of your typical audience watching online videos weekly and 55% of viewers taking action after watching them, can your business afford not to have video campaigns? I thought not. Next.
3) Tall Tales
Now say it with me: storytelling, storytelling, storytelling. There. Now you’ll remember what to tell your campaign managers. It’s simply unacceptable not to add explainer videos that weave a decent yarn about your business to your website. With the brilliant invention of (budget-friendly) 2 and 3D animation, you have no excuse whatsoever. Stories attract and hold interest. They are to marketing what da Vinci is to The Mona Lisa. If you know nothing about art, that means they are very, very important.
4) Humour
According to trends in online video in 2013, you need videos that hook the South African culture. Locals of all shapes, sizes and colours have one thing in common: that good old SA sense of humour. The brand who hit the mark first and best was SA’s favourite chicken griller. Nandos has been tickling local funny bones with its videos so successfully that it continues to generate virality with almost every (oft-banned) campaign. Get what makes South Africans giggle and alacazam! You go viral.
5) Impatience and Boredom
As websurfers’ attention spans shrink, online video in 2013 is having to add oomph through simple messages that don’t tire out overloaded information-aged brains. Shift aside, bling, glitz and complexity. Say ‘Hello’ to bare-bones minimalism.
If you want to be worthy of your clientele you’re going to have to hop, skip and jump towards the nearest hip video-geek marketing squad before the rest of the country catches on. Viva Funky Mother Africa!
