What is a HTML5 Video Player and Why Should Marketers Care?

I’m sure by now you have heard the term "HTML5" thrown around by your developer friends or IT team. You may have even written a little HTML, but do you know what HTML5 means for video and more importantly, why you should care?

HTML5, at the simplest level, is the next evolution of HTML, which forms the backbone of almost every website. Before HTML5 video, there was no standard for showing videos on web pages. Videos could only be played with a plug-in like Flash, however different browsers supported different plug-ins. Flash is a proprietary technology owned by Adobe but was the de facto standard for web video for many years. HTML5 video was developed to become the new open standard for showing video on the web without plugins. For marketers, this means that video becomes more ubiquitous. So why should marketers embrace HTML5 video? A better question might be “why shouldn’t they?” given the many benefits offered by embracing the technology.

As a marketer, keeping your website up-to-date with current technology and mobile-friendly is critical for maintaining and increasing your customer base. With more people using their mobile devices to watch videos, having a custom video player that is compatible with these devices is a must. HTML5 video technology gives marketers the ability to offer up an engaging video experience on virtually any platform, from iPads to Smartphone devices to web browsers. For marketers and digital agencies, HTML5 video players provide a simpler way to embed videos on websites or within apps. Web developers can customize an HTML5 video player with brand-centric identity like a company logo and visual cues and engagement features like social sharing without having to learn a proprietary programming language.

Some may say Steve Jobs single handedly killed Flash when he said the iPhone and iPad would not support the technology.  As the need for HTML5 video grew due to the proliferation of devices that would not support Flash, online video players first adopted what is known as an HTML5 fallback. That meant that Flash was used first but if Flash was not supported on a specific device or in a specific browser, then the player would “fall back” to an HTML5 player experience. In today’s player world, top-tier players use HTML5-first with a Flash fallback. Why the switch? As I mentioned previously, Flash is a proprietary technology, not an open standard like HTML5, so most developers prefer HTML5. Also, HTML5-first gives more control over the player experience on a wider number of devices when Flash works well on desktops only.

One of HTML5’s biggest benefits for marketers is its native video support. HTML5 videos can be built directly into supporting browsers, which enables publishers to deliver high-quality video faster.

Considering the growing prevalence of HTML5 and the accessibility it provides, it’s important for marketers to adapt to this evolving video format and take advantage of the new capabilities in order to keep up with competitors and stay visible with their audience and engage with customers on every available screen.

Furthermore, as the role of marketer evolves into the marketing technologist it becomes increasingly more important for marketers to embrace new technologies and understand the value of development languages like HTML5 in pushing marketing and brand strategies to the next level.