We at Primeau Productions have heard the phrase that the world has “become more flat.” Obviously, it does not mean the Blue Ridge Mountains have been compressed to little hills, rather it refers the ability of people around the country and around the world to instantly communicate.

If a company in Greer, South Carolina or Athens, Georgia posts a video to their website or to social media, it can be seen by people in London, England or Buenos Aires, Argentina about ten seconds later.

Here’s the interesting thing about video. Maybe in the earliest days of posting video local viewers tended to stay, well, more local. As it has turned out, people in similar places with similar interests have a lot more in common than we may think.

Interestingly, market research studies show that Greenville, South Carolina (where Primeau Productions is based) is demographically similar to Burlington, Vermont, Boulder, Colorado, Milwaukee, Wisconsin and Austin, Texas.

It is not so unusual for a family living in Boulder, Colorado to move to Austin, Texas or a business or practice based in Milwaukee to open a branch in a place like Burlington, Vermont. It is not a stretch of the imagination to understand that a Greenville, SC realtor might get interest from a family moving from Chattanooga, Tennessee (also shown to be demographically similar).

With these facts in mind, it is not difficult to understand that a South Carolina or Georgia business posting a video to social media or on their website, will find appeal in similar markets.

But what are people seeing – and why?

The latest research has shown that people living in similar areas, watch video for similar reasons. Here are some interesting video viewing facts:

• About 91-percent of people have watched an explainer video to learn about a product or service. A family moving to South Carolina from a city such as Austin, Texas will most likely want to watch a video explaining a dental practice, law office, car dealership or gym.
• Following up from the above, about 82-percent of those same people watching a professionally shot video will want to buy the product or service compared to those posting no video at all.
• Video shot locally and seen nationally is NOT a passing fad. The most current studies show 89% of consumers want to see more videos from brands in 2024. In other words, it is not so unusual for the viewer of a video made by a company in Greenville, SC to be from a place like Ashville, NC or Boulder, CO (demographically similar).
• Here’s an important point also backed by market research: 87% of consumers say video quality impacts their trust in a brand. Long gone are the days where an amateurish, “unfocused,” or hastily shot video. Whether you are a locally-based company wanting to appeal only to locals, or a company or practice interested in local plus some national business, or even temporary tourism business, viewers in Burlington, Vermont or Beaufort, South Carolina want to see video that is professional.

Primeau Productions knows the video viewing world has become flat. Towns and cities, customers, clients, and end-users, tend to be drawn to videos that explain, appeal, and in a sense, offer comfort and confidence. The earth has become too flat to settle for second best.