YouTube Increases Running Time To 15 Minutes: You Have More Time To Tell Your Story
- No Comments
- August 13th, 2010
Citing improvements in automated copyright patrolling by the Content ID System, YouTube recently announced that videos can now run 15 minutes, a 50% increase from the previous limit of 10 minutes.
While I’m not sure that I buy the notion that it was Content ID alone that sparked the change (it’s just as easy to infringe in blocks of ten minutes as fifteen) I am persuaded that this is good news for healthcare communicators.
A Better Way To Manage “Fair & Balanced”?
According to Prevention Magazine’s 13th annual national survey Consumer Reaction to DTC Advertising of Prescription Drugs, consumers are paying attention to risk information but there’s room for improvement.
“Consumers are more responsive to the ˜fair balance’ in traditional media due to its familiarity and the recognizable formula,” says Cary Silvers, Director of Consumer Insights at Rodale. “In magazine and TV ads, risk has appeared in a very consistent manner, mainly the black and white page and the voice-over. New and evolving online formats have not delivered the same level of recognition thus far.”
source: PharmaLive
What You Can Do With Your 15 Minutes of Fame
While it is ultimately up to FDA to set the guidelines (I’m not holding my breath) here are some ideas about what YOU can do with your extra YouTube running time:
- Tell your story in a more narrative fashion. Video is a visual medium and you’ve also got YouTube’s high-definition feature at your disposal
- Interweave patient stories with method of action animations that make risk understandable and acceptable at the personal level
- Consider putting the PI as a roll at the end of your program. It’s not sexy, but it works and makes your Medical/Legal review team happy.