Video is a powerful tool for telling stories.
That’s obvious in how YouTube.com has become the second most popular internet search engine. And, last month the Pew Research Center’s Project for Excellence in Journalism released a report showing that there is a growing symbiotic relationship between news media and news consumers on YouTube. Which means that the news outlets are increasingly delivering news that is viewed on YouTube but also that those news outlets are increasingly using citizens’ video in their broadcasts.
And another study released in May found that consumers are increasingly watching video on their mobile devices – smartphones and tablets.
Transportation is rich with opportunities to tell stories using video. Video also offers an opportunity to introduce your customers to the people working behind the scenes, or even, perhaps provide access to areas of a project that normally would be off-limits to most customers.
Check out these two classic transportation videos and ask yourself whether your team is fully taking advantage of the storytelling opportunities video offers.
Virginia DOT Exploding Bridges
The Virginia Department of Transportation gave folks a front row seat to a series of bridge demolitions and explosions, using music from the opera, Barber of Seville.
Washington State DOT Snowplow Driver
The Washington State Department of Transportation used a simple hand-held flip video camera to capture the story of a long-time snowplow driver who misses Christmas most years in order that others can drive safely during the holidays.
We actively use video here in Texas, too, and usually get some great interactivity from folks all across the USA. Our most viewed video has over 133,000 views! We use video for emergency communication, project animation, day-to-day operations, etc. Check some of these out: TxDOT’s Heaviest Load (http://youtu.be/Y4pn4a4a2lA) with 133,290 views; US 290/Beltway 8 Interchange Animation (http://youtu.be/5-wmD_Sk0-E) with 22,384 views; and US 287 hail event in Amarillo area (http://youtu.be/td8StmHU964) with 20,319 views.