In the battle of short video platforms, can Haokan Video make up for the shortcomings in content quality?

Short videos are a black hole for netizens' time and attention. The war between short video platforms is intensifying, but the quality of content is generally poor. Haokan Video is a short video APP under Baidu. Its rise represents the way out for short videos in the second half: focusing on the creation of high-quality original IP, MCN strategic cooperation, user activity rewards and the organization of photographer cultural activities.

Short videos are the largest traffic "black hole" on the current mobile Internet , and are madly absorbing the time and attention of netizens.

Taking the National Day holiday as an example, people watch Douyin on the high-speed rail or short videos on the Baidu App. They don’t need to buy VIP or worry about consuming more data fees, but they are afraid of getting addicted.

When a product starts to prevent addiction, it means it is so popular that it cannot be stopped; nowadays, short videos have a great impact on the length of time spent on WeChat Moments and public accounts , which is also considered to be one of the challenges that Tencent needs to face in adjusting its organizational structure.

Short video platforms use algorithms to recommend content based on user interests, which is more suitable for viewing in a fragmented mobile environment. This is tantamount to cutting off the source of funds for online video platforms that have previously spent huge sums of money purchasing copyrighted content.

According to QuestMobile :

In July 2018, the total usage time of the short video app industry in the mobile Internet accounted for 9.2%, close to the 9.5% of online video, and the average usage time per person increased by as much as 162%.

Currently, the comprehensive short video platforms are mainly giants such as Toutiao (Xigua Video + Douyin + Huoshan Video ), Baidu (Haokan Video), Tencent ( Kuaishou or Weishi ), and Weibo ( Miaopai ).

Some other short video platforms have gradually been marginalized in the competition, and the Matthew effect of mobile Internet , "only first, no second", is still playing a subtle role.

Among the many short video apps on mobile phones, the one that users can make the most choices in their intuitive reactions within 0.3 seconds will win, just like the information flow news end.

1. The premise of Mingdao’s momentum: understanding the “first principles” of the short video industry

The author Axing believes that platform traffic depends on three major factors: content quantity, recommendation accuracy, and content quality. This is also the first principle for observing the development of the short video industry.

First of all: in terms of the quantity of content, the volume of UGC (user-generated content, uploaded spontaneously by mobile phones) is definitely many times larger than that of PGC (professionally produced content, mainly produced by editors). The former is exploding in geometric proportions, while the latter is growing linearly. Therefore, the current leading short video platforms are mainly based on UGC and supplemented by PGC. In order to make people willingly produce content on the platform, either the platform has extremely large traffic or the platform gives rewards. People flock to platforms with high traffic activity such as Baidu or Toutiao. The Haokan Video App, which also has high traffic, also has a prominent user reward mechanism.

Furthermore: In terms of recommendation accuracy, it is difficult to retain users if there is no algorithm to do interest stratification and matching for massive amounts of content. Currently, the content of Haokan Video is connected with Baidu App through " Baijiahao "; the content of Xigua Video is connected with Douyin and Huoshan Video through " Toutiaohao ", and their user data flows are also connected to provide a basis for personalized recommendations. The reason why Tencent is not doing well in information flow and short video platforms is mainly because it lacks the gene for algorithmic information distribution. In addition, each major business unit operates independently, making it difficult to connect various product systems with one account (such as a public account or Penguin account ).

Finally: In terms of content quality, the current vertical screen short video content has generally become "Kuaishou-like", that is, the various aspects of life and the fireworks of life. However, widescreen short video content is rapidly becoming MCN-oriented. Only MCN has relatively strong original content selection and planning capabilities, and its output is more frequent and stable. It also has the incubation power of matrix self-media , and is also easy to gain the favor of the platform. Of course, this does not exclude some personal accounts that occasionally produce high-quality hits, but many of them are either integrated by MCN or are short-lived.

To be fair, "content quality" has always been the shortcoming of short videos. If compared with the previous column production and TV content supported by the film and television industry, or the traditional online video platforms with a large amount of purchased or self-made content, they seem to be more "grassroots". This shortcoming, which many Internet people are well aware of, has been obscured by the product advantage of massive content distributed through algorithms.

The second half of the short video competition is about the combined efforts of content quantity, recommendation accuracy, and content quality. Whoever can be the first to improve content quality on the premise of sufficient content quantity and complete recommendation algorithm will most likely break through. Since users’ perceptions and tastes are often refreshed by high-quality content only after they become aesthetically fatigued by low-nutrition content, it can be said that users are already quite hungry for high-quality content.

2. Haokan Video and Global Photographers Try the “Boutique” Route

It is not difficult to find that in order to build a prosperous ecosystem for short video platforms, only Internet giants have the conditions to do it. Even Tencent and Alibaba seem to have little to show for their achievements in the field of short videos. The most promising competition is still between Baidu and Toutiao. Pear Video, which has a national team license, and Zoomin.TV, the world's largest MCN agency and photographer alliance, may be the important weights that influence the tilt of the balance.

Domestic friends are relatively unfamiliar with Zoomin.TV. Zoomin.TV has 3,500 top videographers in 110 countries around the world, including many big-name documentaries, photographers, and full-time TV reporters. It can be said that it has gathered "enthusiasts" from the global video community. Because of its professionalism, it is the most senior and largest MCN in the short video field. It is understood that the Pear Video video system has borrowed a lot from Zoomin.TV.

It is understood that in late July this year, Haokan Video, Baijiahao and Zoomin.TV entered into a strategic partnership. The original import and output capabilities of the world's well-trained top photographers have set a benchmark for high-quality content for Haokan Video.

In addition to introducing high-quality content from Zoomin.TV, Haokan Video and Zoomin.TV have taken their strategic cooperation a step further by jointly creating the high-quality program "Amazing Chinese Stories". Each episode of the story has aroused enthusiastic response from Haokan Video users.

Given that the content of many PGC platforms is still at the stage of editing TV and film programs, they are relatively insufficient in terms of copyright; Zoomin.TV's original content introduces these PGC platform contents and cooperates with them, as well as joint productions like "Amazing Chinese Stories", which is a boost to the copyright of the short video industry. Only by taking the original route can a true "IP" be formed .

Currently, Toutiao Xigua Video has also started to offer the Golden Second Award to reward high-quality original IPs, while Haokan Video’s strategic cooperation and joint production of content with Zoomin.TV are actually introducing overseas matrix IPs to the country’s largest information traffic platform, and using new media to tell China’s stories to the world.

3. Lessons from Haokan Video’s rapid growth into the leader of the short video industry

Unlike Zoomin.TV's photographers who have been around for 16 years, the stories of mobile short video photographers come from the people, and the platform must believe that "the experts are among the people."

It is understood that from October 1st to 19th, Haokan Video launched the "Shared World" video shooting competition, rewarding and supporting traffic for original and high-quality content of photographers; this will help excellent content stand out.

Although Haokan Video was born with the golden key of Baidu App, it was the last to become an independent App. In addition to relying on the support of hundreds of companies, I believe that its rapid rise to the top of the short video industry still has unique methods and inspirations in user and content operations .

1. Consider user participation as the source and provide cash incentives

Douyin adjusted its positioning this year to "record a beautiful life" and exploded again after a head-on confrontation with Kuaishou. It also directed traffic to participating users by increasing the number of recommendations from fans and nearby people.

In stark contrast to the self-media on TikTok who are concerned about monetization difficulties, the Haokan videos themselves are more "real" in activating user participation.

Haokan Video has actively introduced the live quiz mode since it was popular at the beginning of the year; as the quiz mode with prizes declined and all companies stagnated their subsidies, Haokan Video innovatively introduced an incentive mechanism for recruiting disciples similar to Qutoutiao , which is similar to the " blockchain thinking" mining model.

Considering the quick listing of Qutoutiao, we cannot underestimate the stimulation of cash on user activity. Such a mechanism applied to larger-scale short videos can indeed enable both users and UP hosts to profit.

1. While adhering to the light entertainment tone, we attach importance to the incorporation of multi-category content

Generally, netizens watch videos in a relaxed and comfortable scene, but as the active time of users on short video platforms increases, they need support from multiple content aspects so that they will not become addicted and feel guilty about wasting time. In particular, some relatively hardcore financial, knowledge popularization, and technological content require the entry of professional MCN agencies.

Just like the Chinese stories jointly produced by Zoomin.TV and Haokan Video, they are also conveying some professional and interesting information. For example, filming the Chinese civilian overseas rescue team, the Ram Society, is a very novel and positive news topic.

1. Content distribution algorithm uses a combination of search engine and interest engine

The so-called "good-looking" includes multiple layers of connotations such as interesting, fun, and stylish. If you want different content to attract potential target fans, you need an accurate portrait system as a prerequisite for big data .

The connection between Haokan Video account and Baidu account can help users break through the "information cocoon" and "nipple effect" in terms of recommendation, and continue the superiority of the integration of Baidu App search engine and interest engine (search when there is something to do, watch when there is nothing to do).

Write to the end

The short video market is indeed presenting a "red ocean" trend, with the first echelon competing fiercely in terms of the originality and recommendation of high-quality content, MCN integration and support, and user material incentives. The short video platform has gradually become a pan-entertainment online platform that integrates short videos, small videos, live broadcasts, etc., which is a must-fight place for Internet giants.

The rise of Haokan Video represents the way for short videos to break out in the second half. It focuses on the creation of high-quality original IP, strategic cooperation with MCN, user activity rewards, and the organization of cultural activities for photographers, etc. It quickly became the traffic leader of the information flow platform, demonstrating its vigorous vitality.

Source: Li Xing (lixingo2o)