Video brochures are still a relatively new product in the marketing sphere and a new addition to many companies marketing communication mix. With that being said, they are gaining more and more traction with more companies beginning to recognise, and utilise, the potential of video in direct marketing and are adding it to their marketing communication mix.As they become increasingly more prominent as a creative marketing solution, it has led to thought about where the product may be in the future, and how we can improve upon an already incredibly effective idea.
Screens
The main piece of technology in video brochures, is of course, the screen. As LCD technology advances and moves forward, the opportunity to improve upon video brochure technology does also. Two of the most current trends in LCD technology appears to be the curved, ultra HD screens for televisions, and the much more relevant, bendable displays.
One positive thing to take away from the development of the curved, ultra HD screens is that as they progress and become the norm, the costs generally start to come down meaning that clearer, sharper displays will become more accessible.
Bendable Displays
The more relevant advancement as mentioned, is that of the bendable displays. Corning are currently developing what they call, willow glass. Willow glass is paper thin measuring just 0.05mm.
With the usual suspects having already developed prototypes using bendable screens including Nokia, Samsung, and LG, big tech companies can see the potential of this seemingly indestructible glass that could replace our current screens on our handheld devices and pave the way for better wearable technology.
This paper-thin, flexible screens could be implemented into video brochure products and their flexibility could lead to more creativity in creating video in direct marketing campaigns such as more freedom with brochure customization. The thin size will then hopefully give way to smaller components to ensure that the thinness of the screen is fully realised. This in turn, would lead to thinner video brochures and direct marketing tools.
The durability of willow glass will also mean that video brochure products will be sturdier which is always a good thing!
We will have to Wait and See…
However, this technology is still being developed and it could be a while until it becomes more widespread and commercially available to everyone to use. Although, it is worth noting going forward, as its progression could spell good news and progress for video brochures later down the line.
Wireless
Wireless technology is continuing to move forward. We have wifi hotspots in our homes, in coffee shops, in restaurants, in shopping centers and even speckled throughout cities and towns to provide everyone with wireless internet access.
Google has even launched Project Loon which will use balloons that float in the stratosphere to attempt to connect the remaining two-thirds of the world who are not connected to the world wide web. It’s a fascinating project and well worth taking a look at.
As the world becomes more and more connected, this brings opportunities and in relation to video brochures, will go a long way in solving a perplexing problem: How do we measure who has actually watched the video, for how long, how many times, and transfer that in to useful data to better future campaigns for our clients?
We have explored the option of a counter that counts for each time the card is opened and viewed. While this is possible, it cannot track whether or not the video was watched the whole way through and whether or not the message was effectively communicated.
This process would also mean that the end user would need to manually upload that information in order for it to be reviewed, which, is not very likely and in many ways, not an effective way to solve the problem.
The Challenge
The challenge is to get the information and have it instantly (or at the least with no effort from the end user) and securely transferred to the client.
The most seamless way to do this is through the use of wireless technology, however we cannot always rely on end users to be within reach of a wireless connection and so the rapid increase in wireless availability will only serve to help this situation.
So, if video brochures now have wireless capabilities, where does this information go? This gives way to even more opportunities that will only increase the prospects and effectiveness of a video direct marketing campaign.
Apps
In order to manage data and learn from your video direct marketing campaigns, an app could be built that acts as a sort of hub. Ideally, the data would be wirelessly transmitted to this app, either on your mobile device or on your computer so that the data can be analysed for future campaigns.
The future of video brochures is looking very bright. As technology advances, video brochures will benefit resulting in better, even more effective direct marketing campaigns.
That being said…
There have been some moves within the industry to incorporate wireless technology. I won’t go into tremendous detail, however, it seems that it is possible to go too far in that you can risk losing what drives the impact and that is the physical video brochure itself.
As it all develops further, new technology will only serve to increase the uses and effectiveness of video brochures.
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