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3 Minute Read

Video Has Won In Public Affairs.

3 Reasons You're Still Not Using It.

The shift to video consumption isn't coming—it's here. If you're not running video-first campaigns, you're falling behind.

The shift to video consumption has been one of the biggest trends in media over the last several years. This change has critical implications in public affairs, but most practitioners still rarely use it. In today's quick read, we show you how to overcome the three most common reasons holding public affairs teams back from deploying more video.

Reason 1: You Haven't Accepted That Video Has Won

The most common question we get when discussing the need for video is: "Is video necessary?" The unequivocal answer is YES. Here's a few data points on why.

🔱 Americans now spend 3+ hours daily watching video content across all platforms—more time than they spend on all other media combined.

🔱 The average American watches 35 minutes of streaming video before even checking email each morning.

🔱 Video content receives 1,200% more engagement online than text and images combined.

Finally, video is uniquely suited to public affairs work, because it is the best way to explain often complex policy issues. A few static images and words in a display ad can only go so far. Video is what allows you to tell your story.

Traditional text-heavy advocacy tools were built for a world that no longer exists. Today's policymakers—especially younger staff who often filter information before it reaches principals—consume information in quick, visual formats. They expect video content that respects their time and attention spans.

Remember that you're not just competing with other public affairs campaigns for their attention. You're competing with Netflix, TikTok, YouTube, and every other video platform for the precious minutes of your targets' day. A video-first approach isn't about keeping up with trends—it's about meeting your audience where they actually are, not where you might wish they were.

Reason 2: You Think Video Takes Too Much Time

Every public affairs professional knows how fast legislative and regulatory needs change. When deadlines are coming at you at warp speed, the instinct is often to think you don't have time for video.

But the latest AI tools have changed this. Videos that previously took weeks to produce, now take hours. If there's time to draft a message for your campaign, there's time to turn it into video.

Not only have production speeds dramatically increased, but quality has as well. Studio level effects that were previously out of reach for most campaigns are now accessible by organizations of any size.

Reason 3: You Think Video Is Too Expensive

Maybe this is the biggest change that AI has wrought to video—high-quality video ads are now 4x-5x less expensive than traditional market prices. This has made video accessible for virtually any budget, and in turn unleashed the video boom. If you think you can't afford video, you're probably used to yesterday's prices. Many vendors will try to charge you more, but the market has moved on.

Three Ways To Operationalize This Email

🔱 Audit your current media mix and calculate what percentage goes to video versus text-based outreach.

🔱 Review your last campaign's static ads with clean eyes and ask yourself what story they actually told to your audience.

🔱 Test Connected TV and online video in your next campaign, and see the results for yourself.

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🔱 If you'd like to learn more about how to deploy video-first strategies in your next campaign, contact us today.

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