2017 Video Trends: 3 – 2 – 1 ACTION!
We all know that 2016 was a huge year for video technology and video marketing making upcoming video trends a hot topic. Retailers and brands have embraced video as a way to get their messages across clearly and creatively. Consumers love video because it gives them exactly the information they want in an easy to follow and very portable (thanks to mobile devices) way. While most companies are now leveraging video as a part of their online and offline marketing strategy, some are pushing the boundaries with cutting-edge technology and techniques that help them stand out from the crowd. If you are considering the use of video for your 2017 marketing campaigns, it is a good idea to look ahead at the video trends that will become popular in 2017 and beyond.
Trend #1: More Integration with Social Media Platforms
While online video trends today are dominated by Youtube, that may not be the norm going forward. Many platforms like Instagram, Facebook and Twitter are moving to make video a bigger part of their user experience. While Twitter pulled Vine up by the roots, Facebook invested $2 billion in Oculus Rift. The need to create a compelling user experience on social media is driving innovation. Facebook is developing the Facebook Surround360, a high quality VR camera that will encourage the production and publishing of amazing VR content on Facebook. Instagram and Snapchat both allow you to manipulate video easily and publish right away. Social media platforms know that video is king and they are out to capture the eyes of you and your followers!
Trend #2: VR will Become the Norm
If you are old enough, you might remember when people referred to a “color TV” because there were still so many black and white television sets around. Video Trends then moved to “HD TV” when standard definition was still common. Today, we just call a color HD set a “TV”. The same is going to happen with virtual reality or VR video. While there are different types of VR experiences you can view, the ability to interact by looking around in a scene, the 3D realism, and the unique perspective that VR gives you are all very appealing to audiences and marketers alike. An additional indicator is that industry giants like Facebook and Samsung are pushing VR as the front runner of the hot video trends to come. While producing high quality VR content is still a challenging feat with high cost and expertise involved, those barriers are crumbling and we are beginning to see more high-quality, low cost VR content at places like trade shows, festivals, and online. If you think VR is simply a flash-in-the-pan, you better look around, because its sneaking up from behind current video trends to become a major form of media today and for years to come.
Trend #3: Use of More Non-Standard Aspect Ratios and Resolutions
The days of 4:3 and 16:9 are fading fast. Today’s playback devices are responsive and can play back a variety of aspect ratios designed for specific content. Watching video of a rocket launch? Why not watch it in vertical or portrait aspect ratio? Watching a program on retro 8-bit video games? Then a low resolution pixelated look may be just the thing to take you back to the golden days of Donkey Kong! The point is, that because we are no longer limited by our playback devices, content creators can now make more intentional decisions about the shape and resolution of the videos that we watch. Now that can make for an amazing and unique viewing experience!
Trend #4: More Videos Will be Live
Because so many people have a camera in their pockets these days, we are becoming accustomed to seeing videos in near real time. The challenge in current video trends has always been with the bandwidth needed to stream live video. This is changing rapidly. Streaming video is becoming common and available from almost anywhere that you can get a solid data signal from your cellular network. That means more people are going to be broadcasting live from events, parties, work, home, and even from the sky! DJI, the leading manufacturer of consumer camera drones, now allows you to broadcast a live feed of video from your drone at 400 feet in the air via Youtube and Facebook. Video trends indicate that broadcasting live has major appeal because it helps you connect personally with your audience. They can see things in real time and you can develop exclusive content for the people who want to “see it first”!
Trend #5: More Video Apps
Just like Facebook, Instagram and Snapchat are improving the way they deliver video to followers, many other companies are creating apps that allow for much more creativity in using videos. No longer are filters enough. Now you can shoot, edit, stream, annotate and do just about anything imaginable with video from your mobile device or laptop. The appeal of apps is that they, unlike traditional video editing software, are designed to be easy to learn, and share via social media platforms. No longer does it take weeks or months to edit together your best friend’s wedding. With the right apps, you could have a version of the video done before the bride and groom leave for their honeymoon!
Trend #6: Augmented Reality
If Pokemon Go taught us anything about video trends, it’s that people want to get out and see the world and still stay connected with friends online. Augmented reality can be the perfect combination of cool cyber effects and the natural beauty of the world around us. Think about how cool it is to look up into a starry sky. Now think how much cooler it is to hold your phone up and see the constellations with their names, mythology and details called out for you to see! Your ability to then add your own spin to augmented reality means that you have a never-ending pallet in the world around you. The combination of what you can see IRL and what you can add with augmented reality is only limited by our imagination!
Trend #7: Videos for Everything
Five years ago, if your kitchen sink was backed up, what did you do? You called a plumber to come fix it for you. Today, that has changed. Video trends are on the move as many people are realizing that there is a wealth of information available about almost anything they want to learn. Looking at new cars and can’t decide what model is best for you? There are thousands of car reviews just a click away. Want to know how to train your dog? Feeling down and looking for some inspiration? There’s a video (or one hundred) for that! Good video is designed to educate, inspire and entertain. If you think about it, a combination of those three things covers just about any topic imaginable. So next time you have a question and don’t feel like reading pages and pages to find the answer, check Youtube! There’s bound to be someone who had the same question, got inspired, and made a video to share the answer!
With 2017 shaping up to be an amazing year for video, it’s no wonder that the Sparksight team is excited. If you are interested in how your organization can capitalize on what’s next in video, please be drop us a line – or better yet – send us a link to a video that inspires you! We love to see your vision of what’s to come in the world of video technology!
Vertical video is BAD video. It doesn’t look good the the viewer is missing 66% of the image. Please educate those with cell phone on how to shoot proper video. How many people hang the TVs in the vertical position in their homes? None. Just because amateur and lazy shooters don’t rotate their phone into the proper position for shooting video does not make it right. It’s just BAD VIDEO.
Hi Ken, Thanks so much for your feedback we are always glad to hear from those who are as passionate about good video as we are! Perhaps a future blog could be geared towards helpful suggestions for shooting quality video. I am sure many will be grateful for the tip!