Ask What Webisodes Can Do For You

According to Wikipedia, a webisode is a short episode which airs initially as an Internet download or stream as opposed to first airing on broadcast or cable television. The format can be used as a preview, a promotion, as part of a collection of shorts, or a commercial.[1][2] A webisode can be part of an already established drama or series or it may consist of entirely original material. Depending on its purpose, the webisode may or may not be considered a part of an established program's continuity.

A webisode is simply a web episode – collectively it is part of a web series, a form of new media that characteristically features a dramatic, serial storyline, where the primary method of viewership is streaming online over the Internet.^[3] While there is no set standard for length, most webisodes are relatively short, ranging from 4–15 minutes in length.^[4]

The changing business of advertising requires that you look at new ways to bring your messages to consumers. Online and interactive video are a way to deal with two major issues facing CMO’s in 2009: the growth of online audiences and the need for better targeting and accountability. Recent research conducted by Permission TV forcasts adoption of interactive video in 2009 and illustrates the point. The study was conducted among 400 senior-level, decision making executives. More than two thirds of these executives put online video at the top of their priorities for digital campaigns in 2009.


Why Online Video?

By nature, humans are visual and enjoy story telling. Branded content engages people with a narrative that is in context with product usage and target. Dr. Albert Mehrabian presents in his Communication Perception Study that 55% of perception is generated by visuals, 38% by vocal and 7% verbal. We process visuals 60,000 times faster than text.

There are many sources that allow you to leverage content that already has been produced for specific categories or you could create new content from the ground up. We are in the age of 360° Marketing where multi-media means multi-choices for consumers. We need to make new people-centered plans with strategic precision because interactive, social media is fast becoming the new set of media. Is not mass any more, it is personal. It is about conversations and engagement where success depends on new tools, new technologies and new models that put the human at the center of marketing. Via cable, online or mobile, branded content will put your brand center stage with consumers.

To review your online strategy, integrated marketing needs and content requirements, contact us at: info@ethosagency.com

Digital Marketing Focus in 2009 (% of Respondents, Multiple Response OK)
Anticipated Focus	% of Respondents
Online video	66.8%
Social media	41.6
Search	34.1
Podcasts/Webcasts	32.0
Rich media	30.5
Banner ads	22.8
Mobile	17.4
Source: Permission TV, January 2009

Most Likely Online Video Initiatives in 2009 (% of Respondents)
Video Initiative	% of Respondents
Branded content/video destination	63.9%
Viral video	39.0
Interactive experience	38.3
User-generated video	29.1
E-mail video campaign	28.8
Video syndication	22.5
E-commerce	21.8
Source: Permission TV, January 2009