Creating Value From "How-To" Videos

We are all media companies now. One effect of the digitization of content is that the barriers to entry have come down: While the creation and distribution of content used to be the preserve of specialized companies with deep pockets and expertise, in a post-media-meltdown universe, that monopoly is changing. Any company seeking to build a relationship with its consumers has the ability to communicate — especially online — through its own content. The growth in the consumption of online video and the relatively low cost of creating Web-quality video content have created new opportunities for engagement beyond the traditional model of advertising around someone else's content. "How-to" videos — instructional, short-form videos produced professionally but to Web rather than broadcast quality — are a great example of a new Web-based genre that can create value for brands, advertisers, publishers, and, most importantly, consumers. Consumer product strategy professionals looking to use this "content as marketing" must understand the inherent nature of the format and the importance of effective distribution and integration in order to maximize their impact.