To leverage video’s growing power as a marketing medium, companies such as Vidyard and YouTube are evolving their marketing strategies.

If marketing innovation has taught the industry anything over the years, particularly through social media, it’s that with art and creativity there will always be a need for data, science, and research. Tyler Lessard, chief marketing officer for video marketing platform Vidyard, told the Content Standard video is no different, and it presents opportunities for a “blend of both the art and science of marketing.”

“In the last few years, we’ve seen video grow in people’s lives. It’s an obvious trend in terms of creation and consumption, but there’s a tremendous opportunity for marketers,” Lessard said. And Vidyard has worked to keep ahead of that trend: The company was recently awarded $18 million in financing to fuel its video marketing innovation practices by building out its products and bettering customer service and brand experiences. “It’s helping us to scale our development innovation and scale what we do in our mid-market and large enterprises around the world,” Lessard continued.

When it comes to video marketing innovation, start-ups aren’t the only ones bulking up their capabilities and exploring the space. Tubefilter’s Joshua Cohen recently reported on YouTube’s Tubular Labs acquiring ReelSEO, an online video news site. This purchase is a clear indication that YouTube is serious about becoming the leader in online video marketing. With ReelSEO, providing insights, data, and trend reports on video marketing success will be easier. “Tubular Labs’ mission is to empower video creators and marketers with actionable intelligence to crack the digital video code,” Tubular’s CEO Rob Gabel wrote in a LinkedIn post.

With video projected to comprise 79 percent of all online traffic by 2018, it’s no surprise that consumer-generated videos and branded video content floods—and will continue to flood—the online airways. If there’s one thing Vidyard’s and YouTube’s recent moves point to, it’s this: Online video marketing must comprise both the “art” and “science” aspects of which Lessard spoke. For marketers, that’s the best new formula for differentiating content and keeping ahead of the competition.

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