2015 was a busy year for us at Roger and for many of our friends in our community of motion design studios and post-driven production companies. In many ways, it’s business as usual as the economy rebounds from the Bush-era economic collapse. Networks are adapting to changes in the way their content is being delivered and they are rebranding and restructuring. Advertisers haven’t slowed down creating compelling marketing campaigns, and there is a continuous stream of emerging outlets for their messaging. Sure, there is a shift in the way media is distributed and monetized, but the Y2K and Nostradamus-style doomsday narrative seems over blown.
STRENGTHS: With new outlets for advertising on social platforms and streaming platforms, and whatever new platform comes out tomorrow, more companies who wouldn’t splurge for traditional network media time are able to create video marketing content without spending all their money on a media buy. This is good for small businesses and boutique production companies nimble enough to wear a lot of hats because of the opportunities it creates.
WEAKNESSES: The downside of all these new marketing options is that the same marketing budgets that used to go towards print and on-air media buys, now need to cover Instagram videos, Facebook pages, Twitter accounts and occasionally pay for a weird, bearded YouTube influencer who makes Minecraft videos. This spreads marketers thin, dilutes creative to lame cross platform approaches, and makes production budgets challenging.
OPPORTUNITIES: There is no shortage of video content to be created. Online newspapers are turning into video blogs with each segment containing pre-roll. It’s like content "Inception" (spot within a spot within a spot, whoa!). We’re also in the midst of an era where brands are producing their own media. Look at Red Bull, they still sell and energy drinks — I think — but they’re everywhere in the extreme sports world and there’s an MLS team named after them. Networks are producing more original content and blogs play host to video content sponsored by major brands. Opportunities are everywhere, you just have to pass on a lot of mediocre ones to fine the gems.
THREATS: Greed, super intelligent robots, snakes.
Drew Neujahr is the Director of Business Development at Roger (www.roger.tv) in Los Angeles. Roger handles design, animation, original content, branding IDs, live-action production and post production.