The "Change" Brought by Smartphones to Video Content | Video Marketing Frontline (Part 1)

The proliferation of smartphones has diversified the environment for viewing video content, making it an even more crucial touchpoint between consumers and brands. How is this shift impacting video marketing? Google's YouTube Product Marketing Manager, Masanobu Nakamura; Koji Taniguwa, Producer of DIGIDAY [Japan Edition] at Infobahn; and Keisuke Konishi, Consulting Director at Dentsu Consulting Inc. discussed the current state of video marketing.

(From left) Keisuke Konishi, Dentsu Inc.; Masanobu Nakamura, Google; Koji Taniguwa, Infobahn

*This interviewis also available onDIGIDAY [Japan Edition], a digital marketing strategy information media.

In an era demanding "consumer-centric content"

Tanikou: I believe the environment for watching web videos has changed significantly before and after the widespread adoption of smartphones. How do you perceive this change, Mr. Nakamura?

Nakamura: YouTube viewing from mobile devices has visibly increased, currently accounting for about 65% of total viewing in Japan. I believe this growth stems from environmental changes—specifically, the ability to watch videos anytime, even in situations where it wasn't possible before, like during commutes, school trips, or right before bed, simply by having a smartphone. Mobile viewing will undoubtedly continue to grow.

Konishi: Now that smartphones have become the "first screen" replacing TV, I believe what viewers have gained is "freedom."

Taniguwa: "Freedom"?

Konishi: Yes. Before smartphones became widespread, prime time television was the main window for gathering information. Now, smartphones allow people to use fragmented time, like commuting or traveling to school, for information gathering. In other words, whenever they want has become their "anytime prime time."

Considering this from the perspective of "customer time" – understanding consumers' sequential actions along a timeline – there lies a significant opportunity. Isn't it precisely these fragmented moments of a few seconds or minutes that present a new chance to build connections with consumers?

Data shows that users aged 15 to 19, in particular , frequently use their smartphones after getting into bed. Therefore, figuring out how to effectively capture the younger generation seems crucial.

Nakamura: Google also promotes the concept of " Micro-Moments." These are the moments when an intent to "do something" arises, and people immediately use the device closest to them to search or buy. We see these as crucial moments when consumers make decisions or form preferences toward brands.

Konishi: Looking at smartphone video viewing habits, demand for TV content itself still seems high. However, from the perspective of capturing brand fans, smartphones are more suitable due to their higher physical access frequency. Considering this, developing unique media planning for people watching videos on smartphones is a natural progression.

While 2015 is often called the "first year of video marketing," it wasn't just a year of increased video viewing and corporate ad usage; it was also a year of "diversified formats." With the introduction of auto-play videos in Facebook's News Feed and the expansion of video platforms across other media, marketers gained more options. In this environment, simply creating a TV commercial and then posting it on YouTube won't get viewers to watch it.

Nakamura: I think a major shift is that YouTube viewing has moved beyond being "something you watch when you're bored." Recently, there's been a significant increase in "purposeful viewing" scenarios. With smartphone-based searches and purchases now routine, consumers increasingly engage with content—not just videos—with specific goals or intentions, like "I want to know something" or "I want to see something."

For example, they might watch a video that came up in conversation with classmates right then and there, or check out trending videos or TV shows they've been curious about on social media before bed. The proliferation of smartphones has fundamentally changed both how content is consumed and what kind of content is in demand.

Taniguwa: Take the U.S. Nestlé case. Rather than promoting their own products, they actively produce cooking how-to videos. I believe the core insight driving this content creation is that "customers are seeking experiences." By providing content that visualizes these experiences, they effectively drive traffic to their e-commerce sites.

Nakamura: Unilever launched the global YouTube channel "All Things Hair," commissioning numerous creators active on YouTube to produce content. The background for creating this channel stems from data the company gathered over a period. They discovered that when users watch video content on YouTube in categories like beauty and fashion, only about 3% of the content they view comes directly from brands. The remaining 97% is content created by YouTube creators, the so-called YouTubers. Building on this, they analyzed hair care-related keywords frequently searched on Google and produced video content aligned with those keywords, successfully attracting a large audience.

This approach offers a significant insight for producing web video content. No matter how much time and money is invested in production, if the content isn't actually being viewed, it's an effective strategy for companies to collaborate with content creators who produce material from a consumer perspective, like YouTubers.

Taniguwa: Incidentally, according to the US research firm L2, approximately 45% of beauty-related video content consists of makeup tutorials. Are tutorial-style videos also trending popular domestically?

Nakamura: Yes. For example, in Japan, makeup videos by YouTuber Asahi Sasaki are popular, and viewing time for beauty-related videos has increased about fourfold compared to the previous year. YouTube runs a marketing campaign called "Make a Living Doing What You Love," and I think one result of this is that consumers now recognize, "I can find out how to do makeup by searching on YouTube."

Turning valuable content into advertising

Tanikou: At Infobahn, we often assist companies with their owned media strategies. Recently, there's been a significant increase in demand for "creating content as video rather than text." What these companies most want to know is "how to run effective video ads on YouTube." Do you have any advice on that?

Nakamura: Previously, the main starting point was "creating videos as advertisements," based on the premise of running ads in limited spaces and timeframes. However, in the open, diverse world of the web overflowing with content, it's necessary to understand that "content exists long-term and is accessible anytime, anywhere" when creating videos. On top of that, you then promote that video as an advertisement, defining the venue and timing as needed.

For example, even if you upload your latest TV commercial to your company's YouTube channel without promoting it, unless the commercial itself has compelling elements like entertainment value or novelty that make people want to watch it, it's difficult for it to be viewed repeatedly, receive high ratings, or get shared. What becomes crucial here is clearly presenting the context: "Understanding the target audience's hobbies, interests, and life challenges, and then showing how the brand can provide stimulation or support in response." This makes the video itself valuable content worth watching.

Furthermore, getting viewers to take action after watching is even more crucial. While expanding TV commercials online to reach more consumers is certainly important for complementing reach, the true and most important goal of marketing is to anticipate what kind of awareness or attitude change you expect beyond that.

Taniguwa: "Placing the product within a context that viewers find interesting, like a story" is something we're also conscious of. Furthermore, we should also consider what kind of video to create for that context, or what kind of ad to place there.

Therefore, if video content exists as a standalone piece within the YouTube platform, even if it's interesting as a work, it probably holds little meaning for marketing. What's needed now is video content created with a clear understanding of "what position this video holds and what purpose it serves."

*Continued in Part 2.
※The full interviewis also available onthe digital marketing strategy information media "DIGIDAY [Japan Edition]".