YouTube. JumpCut. Joost. The Web is now filled with video. Driving it all is the nearly ubiquitous availability of broadband Internet connections that let computer users quickly receive the large files needed to experience "smooth" online motion and sound. If the explosion of video seems to you like just another example of B2C media moving faster than B2B media, you’re right. But that’s not the whole story. According to BusinessWeek, more than two-thirds of active Internet users had a high-speed connection as of early 2006. Two-thirds. If you look at the B2B subset of these users, virtually 100 percent of them have broadband connections, and have had them for a number of years. So why haven’t B2B companies embraced video? It’s not that they’re afraid of new ideas –– after all, the B2B world embraced CRM before knowing exactly what it meant. And it’s not that video’s effectiveness is in doubt. For dramatic and lifelike representations of people and products, it’s the most powerful medium out there. Consider this insight from a study by KnowledgeStorm and Universal McCann: "84% of Internet users said that online video enhances content related to technology product information and research.” And here are some other facts to chew on: A recent McKinsey survey found that nearly two-thirds of the respondents investing in Web 2.0 technologies (which include video) think they’re important for maintaining company market share, creating competitive edge or meeting customer demand. Meanwhile, 35 percent were either using or planning to use podcasts/video in 2007. It seems to clear that video is going to be increasingly important for disseminating B2B messages –– even if it’s not yet reaching its potential.
— Brian Davies, Managing Partner
