Zac Echola is muffin but trouble

Think it: Flawed thinking

Published on 28/07/08
by Zac Echola

I sometimes hear: “Why should we shoot a video for the Web, seen by only a few thousand people, when a picture in the paper will be seen by tens of thousands of people?”

That’s making three fatal assumptions: 1) People actually look at the photo in print. 2) The photo and the video are the same thing to the news consumer. 3) A photo and a video are of equal value.

First, a photo has illustrative value. It’s very hard to tell an entire story in a single photograph (though not impossible, let’s try to avoid this argument, please). Photos are best used when packaged with text. As such, we can often “read” photos, online or off, with only a quick glance.

Simply because the photo on the front page of the paper, doesn’t mean anyone bothered to look at it on their way to the coupons and funny pages. Don’t confuse the purchase of an entire newspaper with the granular metrics of the Web.

Second, while videos are still generally passive experiences, they require much more effort to view than a photo. Obviously, putting more time into a video makes sense on some kind of Marxian level I’m too tired to articulate right now.

The point remains that a news video can be a complete package, without the need for other items. A good video can tell a story in 15 to 30 seconds, which may be longer than readers attention span with a comparable article and photo package.

Third, a photo in the paper (or online) doesn’t open up new opportunity for a new type of revenue stream (video ads).  If videos require more energy to view than a photo, they also command more attention, which is lucrative to advertisers.

While I’m not advocating doing video instead of photos, videos should be used as an editorial tool where appropriate. Use the right brush for the right painting. A constant stream and decently sized video archive will also give your advertising staff something new to sell.

The end. Or is it?

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