Industry Survey forecasts adoption of Interactive Video in 2009.

Advertising, marketing and media executives will increasingly migrate from a planning and experimentation phase to significantly increase implementation of their online video initiatives in 2009, a recent survey of more than 400 senior-level decision makers, has revealed. The survey, conducted by PermissionTV, identified online video as the top priority for digital marketing budgets, and also demonstrated a strong preference among marketers for increased sophistication and interactivity in online video capabilities to help promote their brands.

“As corporate and brand marketers look to evaluate and improve the effectiveness of digital marketing initiatives, online video will play an increasingly critical role in all interactive campaigns,” said Matt Kaplan, VP of Solutions and Chief Strategy Officer of PermissionTV. “These survey results demonstrate the strategic importance of online video in the overall marketing mix, as well a growing requirement for more sophisticated video experiences.”
Key Findings

* More than two-thirds of respondents (67 percent) identified online video as a primary focus of their 2009 digital marketing campaigns, versus social media campaigns (41 percent), search (34 percent) and podcasts/webcasts (32 percent).

* In Q2 of 2009, more than half (52 percent) of respondents expect to be implementing or extending an online video project, whereas currently less than one-third (32 percent) are doing so.

* Nearly 60 percent of respondents consider interactive video experiences to be the next evolution for online video. Also, 62 percent believe that non-linear, interactive storytelling will become the most effective medium for marketers. o Links to other videos is the most widely needed interactive capabilities for respondents, followed by graphic overlays, user comments and user-defined contents paths.

* Respondents expect their 2009 digital marketing efforts (33 percent) to be least affected by budget cuts, followed by traditional marketing (24 percent), tradeshows (21 percent) and guerilla marketing (14 percent).

* A majority of respondents (63 percent) are most likely to invest in a branded content/video destination next year. o Viral video (39 percent) and interactive experiences (38 percent) follow as the second and third priority, while only 22 percent plan to invest in simple syndication.

* When asked how online video will enhance customer engagement, a vast majority (71 percent) stated it would help build brand awareness.

* Driving lead generation was the second largest objective (47 percent), followed by enhancing loyalty/retention programs (44 percent) and converting customers (41 percent).

“As the PermissionTV survey shows, marketing executives across many industries recognize online video as a critical component of their digital marketing initiatives,” said Chad Ciesil, President at WhittmanHart Interactive, a leading interactive marketing firm. “We’re recommending the use of online video in all of our client’s campaigns as it can lead to greater customer engagement and better campaign ROI.”
Additional Survey Findings

* More than two thirds (64 percent) of respondents reported that strengthening relationships with existing customers and/or prospects is the primary goal of online video initiatives.

* When focusing on respondents from the traditional and digital/interactive advertising agencies, more than 90 percent are overwhelmingly confident in their ability to recommend online video initiatives to clients.

* Digital/interactive agencies expressed more confidence in recommending online video to clients compared to traditional agencies; however, traditional agencies claim more responsibility for driving online video initiatives than digital/interactive agencies.

To view presentation of results CLICK on link below:
http://www.permissiontv.com/about/blog/30/2008-12-17-the_results_are_in_digital_marketing_survey>