The New Rules of Marketing and PR, 6th Edition

6Audio and Video Drive Action

Audio and video on the web are not new. Clips have been available on websites since the early days. But until recently, neither audio nor video was used much online because the content was difficult to locate and impossible to browse, and there was no easy way to get regular updates. And since much audio and video content was lengthy—as much as an hour or more—and people had no idea what was in these files without actually watching or listening to them, not many did.

The migration of audio and video from online backwaters to the forefront with valuable content happened because of sites like YouTube, Vimeo, and iTunes, with easy ways for people to view and listen. In addition, high-speed Internet connections became the norm, and the technology to create and upload audio and video became simple enough that anybody can do it (including you).

Improv with the CIO

Videos use emotion to tell stories in ways that most other forms of marketing cannot. That's a technique that Tim Washer, creative director at Cisco Systems, uses all the time. The videos Washer creates are used to market Cisco's technology products and services to multinational customers—and have a little fun in the process.

“The most interesting stories come from our customers telling us how they use technology to transform their business, create new sources of revenue, or improve their customers' experience,” Washer says. “We always try to make these interviews more interesting than a corporate ...