Wednesday, June 25, 2008
Nuns and Public Libraries: The Power of Video
By Mike Lake
As a lover of video and someone who makes his living from creating multimedia, it’s easy for me to tout the benefits of this medium for a variety of applications. But, I recently ran across an interesting article that provided some statistics on the effectiveness of video for persuasion and retention of information. While the power of video may seem self-evident, it’s interesting to see some hard facts supporting it.
The Wharton School of Business did a study a while back on the effectiveness of video. Their research found that “video boosted comprehension and retention by 50% over a live presentation.” While the movement of imagery, along with the attractive ways in which information can be displayed visually might account for this, I believe much of the power of video…
lies in the emotions stimulated by the music, sound effects and voice–all tugging in harmony at the heartstrings of the viewer. Many studies have shown the correlation between emotion and memory retention. I recently wrote about the power of music. The right song can make the simultaneous reading of the phone book a memorable experience!
Much is being made these days about the demise of television as effective advertising medium. I still question this idea. Studies have shown that video expedites buying decisions by up to 72%. Perhaps it is because we tend to give more credibility to that which we see being played out in front of our eyes as opposed to simply reading text. Think of the difference between seeing a customer on video praising a product or company over you simply reading it. Again, video involves more of the senses; it sells a product or service using sight, sound, and the resulting emotions. So people are much more engaged, and thus more likely to be persuaded.
I experience this in fund raising. Tomorrow night I will attending an annual fund raising gala for a hospital client. We created 5 minute videos commemorating each of the four honorees. A couple of the pieces are funny, the one dedicated to the local telephone company is historically thought-provoking, and the last paying tribute to the nuns who founded the hospital organization is very moving. If this year is like last year where we similarly entertained the audience with video, donations will be up, audience participation in the auction will be greater and the overall response of the attendees will be very enthusiastic. Bottom line: video has proven to raise more money for them. Video just seems to connect people more with the cause.
Viral marketing may actually be the best evidence of the power of video for persuasion. From the thought-provoking “The Machine is Us/ing Us” video which explores the potential of web 2.0, to the “Ray of Light” video created to promote the St. Joseph County Public Library, video engages people like no other medium. How else could a South Bend, Indiana public library excite almost 50,000 people throughout the world?
Leave a Comment