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K-State Today

November 3, 2014

Monday Marketing Minute: Video tsunami creates need for teamwork

Submitted by Jeff Morris, vice president for communications and marketing

Each month more than 1 billion unique individuals watch at least one video on YouTube, with 40 percent using a mobile device. YouTube reaches more viewers ages 18 to 34 than any cable network, and more than a million advertisers use the Google ad platform. Quite simply, we are seeing a tectonic shift in media habits.

The explosion in demand for video has affected our campuses as well, especially with requests for streaming events and video capture. The number of streaming projects at K-State has doubled in 2014 compared to a year earlier. Please keep in mind that a project may include several events, such as interviewing multiple job candidates. As a result, our university video teams have been challenged to meet this significantly increased demand.

Requests for promotional videos also have grown; currently there are nearly 100 projects in the queue. One of our goals this year is to support this demand for video by refining our processes and further defining priorities. We anticipate demand will continue to climb, and we are evaluating strategies to most effectively and efficiently serve the university with the resources at hand.

A cross-departmental team has been formed to work on solutions, comprised of professionals from the Information Technology Services, K-State Research and Extension, and the Division of Communications and Marketing. We currently share resources across units at peak times and are researching innovative ways to use automation and technology.

By tracking the number of views, we can measure relative effectiveness of video efforts and use this data in the future when setting priorities. We've learned that keeping videos shorter works much better than long format, especially for mobile device users. Viewership declines dramatically after three minutes.

We appreciate your patience as our teams work to meet the increased demand and maintain our high standards for quality. Kansas State University has a very robust video presence and will continue to strive for improvement. See you on YouTube!