Video network firm clears path for brands to license viral content for marketing campaigns
Video distribution network Rightster has claimed brands will be saved the “laborious” process of sourcing third party videos for use in their marketing following the launch of a new web portal containing some of the internet’s most shared content.
The company, which has offices in Sydney and Melbourne, has released VideoSpring, a video database which also provides licenses to use the content.
Rightster said it will alleviate the need for marketers to wade through the “long and complex clearance process” with creators of content on platforms like YouTube and Facebook, many of whom are hard to track down.
It is also likely to limit the temptation to simply lift content from social platforms, which has been regarded as something of a grey area for brands.
Mumbrella reported last month how travel agency STA Travel is one of two companies facing possible legal action after reproducing an image in its brochures taken from a holidaymaker’s Facebook page.
Rightster said its library contains viral and user-generated content from Youtube, Vimeo, Instagram and Facebook, with the list updated daily.
It added that all videos are exclusive to the portal and have been cleared for commercial use and are ready for licensing.
Richard North: “Online content is a mess”
Asia Pacific general manager Richard North described the online video environment as a “mess” such is the volume of content being created.
VideoSpring will provide an online warehouse of some of the world’s most watched and shared videos, and enable brands and agencies to licence the content easily, he said.
“We have seen a trend of brands leveraging content that has already been produced, and repurposing it in a creative way, rather than producing new content themselves,” he told Mumbrella.
“The benefit of using a video that has already had millions of views is that you know it’s going to resonate with an audience.
“But the reality is that there is so much viral content it’s a mess. Even within our own business, while we’ve had a viral clip licensing business for a while, it’s been a laborious process to research through catalogues and find new and trending content.”
VideoSpring will enable brands and agencies to find content faster, and which they can license easily, he said.
“In the past it probably hasn’t been that clear and it’s been a tough process to find the owners of the clip and get the licenses that you need,” he said.
North said the use of viral videos helps brands establish an immediate connection with consumers and takes away the element of risk of whether a brand’s own-produced content will strike a chord.
“The key is around creativity and getting the brands and agencies to repurpose videos into something new,” he said. “If it’s something that people already recognise and like you have an instant connection with a viewer.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0OhSVETEfAM&feature=youtu.be
Panadol Australia, Vicks VapoRub in India and Pampers in Singapore are among the brands that have worked with Rightster and incorporated user generated content in their marketing.
“We source from a range of platforms, anywhere video might be trending or going viral,” North said. “We then contact the owner and work out an arrangement to license that out to third parties.
“It’s a cost effective way for brands to create engaging content rather than producing footage from scratch.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LgKaWMRtnBI&feature=youtu.be
Rightster chief executive Patrick Walker added: “The world is creating and sharing more content than ever before. We want to challenge the traditional stock-footage model and help brands leverage content that is already popular and inherently shareable in a digital era where consumers are also creators, and where content consumption online has skyrocketed.”
He added that engagement and authenticity are “more important than ever for brands” with user-generated content providing marketers with a “powerful means to tell relatable and culturally relevant stories”.
Steve Jones
