They Ask, You Answer, 2nd Edition

38 We’re All Media Companies and the Visual Sale

The stats on video are profound. Even since the first edition of They Ask You Answer, the developments in video have been astounding. Although we could analyze video stats and trends for the next few pages to convince you that “video really is a big deal,” I’d rather we cut to the chase and address the “what” and “how” of video — going beyond the “why.”

However, for those stat lovers out there who thirst for empirical data and “proof,” let’s chew on this one: A recent study by Cisco found that, globally, video traffic will be 82 percent of all consumer internet traffic by 2022, up from 75 percent in 2017.

In other words, of all the time we spend on the internet consuming content, the vast majority of that content is video.

It’s easy to hear numbers like that and immediately dismiss them as flash-in-the-pan trends that will quickly fizzle out. In fact, I’m still astounded by the number of people who tell me, “I don’t watch video online, and if I don’t watch it online, why would my customers?”

If there is one thing I’ve learned over the past 10 years of embracing digital and the principles of They Ask, You Answer, and am definitively clear on, it is this: We should never let our personal opinions screw up smart business choices.

At this point, video has nothing to do with whether or not we like it, use it, or can imagine our customers using it. The marketplace has spoken. Video is not slowing down any time soon.

But let’s go back ...