While the Web is often credited (and rightly so) with creating a global platform for us to come together, there’s another reality — as Jeff Jarvis calls it “a mass of niches,” where we all congregate in micro-groups and networks based on interests, politics, likes and dislikes, existing social connections…

This dynamic presents serious challenges for brands that need to connect with these individual groups, particularly when it comes to large budget projects like video. Traditional TV advertising has been geared to blanket millions of eyes with the same message — yet, companies soon realize this strategy doesn’t play well with the user-controlled experience on the Web.

A generic 30-second spot that worked for television will be rejected outright as a sales pitch. And while people will sit through some pre-roll ads to get to the content they want to see, abandonment rates remain uncomfortably high. Several big budget online video ad campaigns have failed precisely for this reason — they didn’t account for the key differences between TV and online audiences.

Of course, while generic TV-style ads flounder on the web outside of very limited exceptions (Hulu, for example), there are countless examples of the popularity of fan-created video. This success is precisely due to the fact that each video is relevant, authentic, and honest. It’s two-way — a real interaction between brand and customer. But while these videos may spark viral distribution, discussion, and laughter, their hit-or-miss reality and inability to be engineered with any regularity leave a gap that brands need to fill with content that connects and engages their customers.

So, what’s the secret to success? Creating unique video content that targets each micro-niche found on the Web? Anyone who has ever dealt with the budgets and headaches of video production most likely laughed outright at that proposition. After all, few (if any) budgets can scale to support targeted video for each online community and network.

This cost barrier is why most brands primarily rely on the written word to engage online communities and micro-groupings. Through blogs, Facebook fan pages, and more, companies enter into the conversations that are taking place every day on the Web. When done correctly, the personal delivery and honest flavor of these social programs are embraced by online communities.

But wouldn’t it be great if brands could enhance their online relationships with video in the same authentic way that fans do? After all, video brings an emotional experience and puts a human face on the corporate brand far better than any static text or images.

Fortunately, today, the cost of video has finally reached a point where brands can use it in super-targeted ways, and not break their budgets in the process. Low cost production models let brands enter the authentic video world once dominated by user-generated content — letting companies produce video that is relevant to specific online communities, while creating a direct relationship between brand and audience.

In this low cost approach, documentary-style ads forgo scripts, actors, and stock footage and instead capture authentic, intimate stories told by the very people behind the business. These social videos feature real people telling their own stories to give a more genuine feel to brand messages that resonate well with online audiences.

Reducing the reliance on sets, actors, and large production crews, narrative video has another important benefit: it dramatically cuts the costs associated with traditional production. In fact, high quality social videos can be produced at costs as low as $2,000-$5,000 per finished piece. As a result, brands are able to produce a series of videos that appeal to and meet the informational needs of multiple audience niches and communities.

TurnHere produced a series of online video ads for InterContinental Hotels and Resorts (ICH). These videos all used actual ICH employees with minimal direction and scripting. In each video, a local InterContinental concierge offers his or her views and recommendations for their particular hotel and location — speaking directly to customers searching the web for travel ideas and information for specific destinations.

Such specialized videos represent a new way for brands to think about using video to engage with their customers and fans.  And, with the significantly lower costs of production, online video has evolved from the generic 30-second spot and enables brands to effectively produce specialized content to target the endless communities and interests on the Web.