In 2012, Digital Video Advertising (DVA) is coming to a screen near you… at a higher saturation and in increasingly varied formats than ever before. What is causing this proliferation you ask? Marketers are increasingly seeing the advantage of the engagement opportunities offered by online video. Additionally, DVA guarantees certain levels of reach, frequency, demographic and lifestyle audience targeting that is unattainable with traditional TV buys.
Forecasters predict that DVA spending will increase by 25% in the next 12 months, accounting for 24% of the total online ad budget. So what are you waiting for? Get started on your DVA strategy with the help of these 6 DO’s and DON’Ts of an effective digital video advertising campaign.
DO: Work with the medium
This ain’t your Grandma’s standard television programming. Or even Al Gore’s World Wide Web. This is the 34,000 Google-searches-per-second, nearly-one-billion-people-on-Facebook, “so-17-seconds-ago” unlimited-mobile-data Internet. Take advantage of the medium. As the Internet has democratized the sharing and consuming of information users have become accustomed to a two-way relationship with brands.
Incorporate these expectations into your DVA strategy. Make your 30 second spot interactive with clickable components. Incorporate games and surveys into the video format. Link to coupons, prizes, and store locations. Prompt the viewer to react to your ad on your Facebook page. Below is an example of an interactive mid-roll that Columbia did on Hulu for their “Omni-Heat” outerwear product line. While the video ad plays the viewer can roll over various touch points and learn more about Columbia spokesperson Wim Hof and the company’s outerwear products.
DON’T: Hold your viewer captive
I get frustrated when I try to listen to a song via YouTube only for my gratification to be delayed by a pre-roll ad. It is even more frustrating when the 30 second news clip I have clicked to watch is preempted by a commercial that is equally long. No one likes to experience delayed gratification for something they are used to getting instantly or be held captive by an advertisement when the payoff (30 seconds of content) is minimal.
So don’t hold your viewer captive. Steer clear of purchasing inventory like the 30 second pre-roll spots before 30 second video clips. This is especially applicable when you’re purchasing inventory on mobile devices, where it is difficult for the viewer to browse elsewhere until their content comes back on. Monopolizing the small amount of time the user is already investing in a short clip will only make viewers feel that you are taking advantage of them.
DO: Go Social
Although essentially a subcategory of “Work with the Medium,” “Go Social” deserves it’s own call-out as more often than not social video strategy is a beast of its own. As a marketing tool, social video assets are designed to be disseminated and shared through social media channels. Successful social videos are entertaining enough that users opt-in to view on their own, and then want to share them or take some other sort of action. A successful social video campaign piggybacks on word of mouth marketing and can be more engaging than any other type of DVA campaign.
A great example of a social DVA campaign from 2011 is Ford’s promotion of the 2012 Focus with Doug, the orange “spokespuppet.” Appearing only on YouTube, Twitter, and Facebook, the Doug videos are longer form, funny, and edgier than a traditional TV campaign could be. For a simple orange puppet Doug was quite the success, garnering 44,000+ Facebook fans, over 1.7 million video views, strong conversions to sale, and an improved brand image among target buyers.
DON’T: Hire a celebrity to star in your video
Ford has shown us how effective a relatively nondescript puppet can be as the face of a brand. Studies have shown that celebrities can’t guarantee the same amount of engagement. In fact, branded celebrity videos drive 12% fewer visits to brands’ Facebook pages than non-celeb videos. This may be because those viewing the videos are more interested in the celebrity than the brand itself.
So spare yourself the expense associated with star-power and get creative with your spokesperson. Use a real-life person within your company to promote a relatable and legitimate brand image. Or go with a quirky new character or persona that is unique only to your brand. Car Insurance companies have been especially adept at this, think: Geico’s empathetically anthropomorphic Gecko, Progressive’s obnoxiously lovable Flo, or Allstate’s devious Mayhem.
DO: Implement an integrated, multiscreen strategy
Coordinate your TV and digital buys in a way that links the two while highlighting the media opportunities (and limitations) of each. Reference your online properties in your TV ad and maintain a common branding look and feel in both. Then take advantage of the online medium to expand on the message of your TV commercials. Digital video ads can be longer form, edgier (more entertaining), social and interactive (more engaging).
DON’T: Waste your audience’s time
With 15 to 30 seconds to get your message across you better make it count. Use the limited time you have with your audience’s even more limited attention span to teach, entertain, or generate intrigue about your product. If your ad is longer form, a minute or more, providing information in an engaging way becomes even more important. The longer the ad the less patience the viewer will have unless you are offering them something interesting or entertaining in return.
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I hadn’t heard that celebrities drive fewer visits. Interesting. Hopefully stats like that won’t go to Flo’s head.
One social video campaign that recently went viral is VW’s The Bark Side . So far it’s just the video, which is great from a content standpoint (who doesn’t like dog videos?) but it’s really interesting when you consider that the video is meant to drive traffic to VW’s Star Wars Superbowl Invite Page, which will provide another bump in shares once the invite app is launched.
All this to increase anticipation and the number of eyeballs on the VW Superbowl spot: The Youtube video description reads “Keep an eye out for our 2012 Game Day commercial—it will all make sense.” And no, there isn’t a single car, product or price featured in any of the creative (yet). Definitely hits the ‘keep it social’ and ‘multiscreen strategy’ points.