83% Of People Watch Videos On Social Media With The Sound Off

Last November we produced a vertical film called 'Rectangle', which debuted at the Vertical Film Festival; an international film festival for films shot vertically. Recently in September, the film was picked up by the PLOT19 Storytelling Conference in Munich and screened in a viewing booth where attendees could experience the film in a rather unique and intimate way.

This got me thinking about how often people use their mobiles to watch videos on social media (hinging on the vertical format which has been made popular by social mobile platforms such as Facebook and Instagram) and how often people watch while in the bathroom, which is a private and closed off space much like the viewing booth at PLOT19. It might sound like a strange thing to think about, but as marketers we need to realise the potential of the places people find time to gaze at their social feeds, and then respond with the way we deliver marketing content accordingly.

It turns out according to a new report from Verizon Media 83% of people watch videos on social media with the sound off. Being in a quiet space (read "bathroom") without headphones was high on the list among the reasons people chose to watch without sound. As a result, the recommendation is that advertisers caption their advertisements.

Furthermore,  the report found when captions are available 37% of people said they would eventually turn the sound on because the videos appeared more interesting.

Captioning videos increased ad recall by 8%

Interestingly, the report also claimed that captioning videos increased ad recall by 8% helping the videos overall performance and delivered a 13% rise in brand linkage.

However advertisers should be careful not to flood the screen with too many branding elements. The report concluded that when brand logos and captioning were combined, viewers would become too distracted resulting in a 12% decrease in ad memory.

The conclusion: it's a delicate balancing act to deliver the right branding placement while avoiding overcrowding the creative and working with the right video producer will ensure all the elements are lined up for the most impact.

64% of users are more likely to buy a product online after watching a video. 

Other top video statistics continue to hail video as the key driver for online product sales. According to Hubspot, 90% of users say that product videos are helpful in the decision making process and after watching a video, 64% of users are more likely to buy a product online. There are a variety of ways a product video can be presented. Often a product demo video is a short video showing how a product works, it’s key features and benefits. You’ve likely seen one before, and quite likely the video has convinced you that the product is what you’re after and this lead you to buy.

And What About 'Rectangle'?

It turns out 'Rectangle' was a hit at PLOT19 and will go on to screen again in Munich at the 2019 SERIENCAMP FESTIVAL in November. 

SERIENCAMP FESTIVAL brings more than 30 series of various genres to a variety of screens. As Germany's first series festival, it attracts over 5,000 visitors a year. 'Rectangle' will be made available to our audience on a 52" monitor in our specially built "viewing box" as well as a small cinema.

PLOT19 is an interdisciplinary storytelling conference for professionals from marketing, film, TV, advertising and many more industry experts working with storytelling techniques and narratives.