2018 will be the year of the V - Video

This year will be big for video. By 2021 over 80% of global internet consumption will be video content (Cisco). I feel that this will be the year where the curve rises dramatically to reach that target.

Instagram stories were a huge hit this year, with organisations such as UNICEF, Adidas and New York Times producing strong and engaging content on the platform.

We will see more video being shot and consumed in vertical format. Personally, I'm not a fan of vertical. But, I do like how vertical images take over your full screen on SnapChat and Instagram stories, which means you don’t have to tilt your phone. It also does away with distractions, immersing the user in the content.

An increase in the production of video is likely to lead to saturation. With so many videos screaming for attention, being pumped into the feeds we consume, my advice would be to make your video relevant to your audience, makes sure it is well produced, and tell a good story.

As a result of so many videos being produced and so many stories vying for attention, I'm interested to see if there will be a break-through in the form of new and innovative means of storytelling hitting mainstream platforms like Youtube, and being adopted by news publishers.

This is likely to involve A.I. and heighten consumer immersion.

I don't think 360/VR video will progress much further this year. I'm a big fan of this format, but I can't see it being used beyond special campaigns just yet. I think 2019 may be the year VR is more widely adopted.

Lastly, you will see a lot more people replacing blog posts like this with a video. As I would need subtitles for any audience outside Scotland, I'll stick with the written posts for now.

Have a great year!