Facebook makes the case for a 'video-first' approach at Social Media Week London
The ninth Social Media Week London launched yesterday with founder Toby Daniels taking to the stage at the BFI Southbank.
While the SMW website stated the theme would explore 'mobile technology, networked connectivity, data and machine learning, and other technologies’ it was clear that one trend was going to dominate the week: video.
Arguably the biggest platform, Facebook, explored the video theme with its regional head of creative shop, Ian Crocombe, talking about ‘new creative opportunities for a video first world’. While in previous years the buzz has been on mobile first, the discussion has turned to how we entertain and educate on platforms such as Facebook.
If the giant that is Facebook says, ‘we see a world that is video-first, with video at the heart of all our apps and services’, then if won’t be long before others adopt this focus.
Discussions then moved on to explore how brands can champion social to support video assets and echoed our view: just because something works on TV, that doesn’t mean it will work in social. Something a number of brands and agencies still don’t seem to fully understand.
Video and content were also prominent for the most traditional brands. Nadine Heggie highlighted how even National Geographic (launched in 1888) can champion social to grow its audience and become the number one media brand on social media.
For a brand built on spectacular photography and still imagery, it was refreshing and interesting to hear how it is embracing having a presence on Snapchat to share content in real time. The publisher is also continuing to test and learn, by taking its audience with it to places they otherwise could not go. This includes using Facebook Live to talk to photographers at the top of Mount Everest.
It’s clear that video and content were the order of the first day of SMW, but clearer still that although a central part of any marketer’s plans, video needs to be created specifically for each platform and TV adverts don’t always work on social! Let’s see what today brings…
James Mulrennan is business director at Socialyse