Video, especially when viewed on mobile devices, is now the single most effective tool for the marketing of branded goods, according to “Video Marketing Strategy” a new 270-page paperback from Kogan Page. The book’s author John Mowat, a former BBC producer/director who is now managing director of specialist agency Hurricane Media, believes that mobile video now out-performs other screen-based media (such as TV and computers) in terms of raising brand awareness, magnifying “brand voice”, increasing sales and driving website traffic, as well as offering exceptional speed of delivery and measurability.

While many of the complexities of online marketing are probably outside the scope of most hobby filmmakers, the book includes practical tips in areas of content control, including the best equipment for filming, lighting and editing interviews. Mowat also theorises why promotion via mobile video has added power. The key, he suggests, is an emotional connection. People tend to see smartphones as an extension of their selves, so a stronger connection is created between buyers and sellers. “The fact that we physically touch what we are watching makes it feel that we already own it”. So people view content more favourably, thus valuing it at a higher price. Filming and editing films shot on smartphones was the subject of a Club night in mid-June. www.video-marketingstrategy.com