COVID-19 has reinforced the need for marketers to be flexible and able to quickly alter creative based on the needs and demands of consumers. Sticking to legacy principles just won’t cut it these days.
We’re seeing continued growth in over-the-top video services and streaming platforms. While streaming video services have some things in common with linear TV, what worked for legacy media doesn’t necessarily work for these newer experiences.
So how can brands get the most out of these digital platforms, using video not only to attract consumers but to engage them and deliver results at scale?
Here’s a look at Dentsu’s Attention Economy Research, where they worked with Google & YouTube to identify the three key elements to drive attention and, ultimately, video performance.
Start with creative intelligence
There is no denying a direct correlation between campaign performance and creative effectiveness. What is considered “effective” creative will evolve in parallel with consumer demands and marketers must learn to navigate this evolution against their own media activity in real time. Dentsu’s data scientists were able to uncover five tips for more effective creative:
Logo placement matters. If you are developing skippable assets, avoid placing your logo or brand name near the “Skip Ad” button and instead in a more prominent, viewable position.
Be sure to give the viewer a clear next step. Simple CTAs will ensure viewers remain on the intended path.
Use varying shots and frames to keep attention levels high. Dynamically shot videos, voice-overs, and text capture attention and drive action.
Consider shorter formats when promoting deals. Once a discount or deal is mentioned, viewers tend to stop watching and take action.
If you are building a sonic brand, establish it early. If you’re using a jingle or some other sonic tagging, feature it early in the ad, when you’re most likely to have people’s attention.
Embrace creative tests
As it becomes easier for consumers to skip, ignore, or block ads, employing creative tests to understand how ad quality impacts sales, purchase intent, and ROI have become even more critical. Some key findings from Carat’s use of Google’s Video Experiment tool were:
Videos touting the “softness” of products drove 6.9% higher purchase consideration among women.
Creative featuring the product as “premium” drove 6.1% higher purchase consideration among men and drove the highest lift (6.3%) in overall purchase consideration among all audience demographics.
From a frequency perspective, exposing a viewer to an ad twice drove the highest lift in purchase consideration and brand-lift results were strongest across mobile devices.
Actionable testing results like these are only a snapshot of what is available when brands make experimentation a part of their process.
Think like a creator
Ad spending is not just to show up at the right place and right time, it is also a great opportunity to further engage with viewers by showing up as a creator. Dentsu and YouTube developed Project Green Screen, a program that educates, inspires, and empowers brand marketers to develop content much like a YouTube creator would. Some of the key points they emphasize are:
YouTube is a relationship platform. A certain level of commitment is needed to develop and produce effective content and ensure ongoing engagement with fans and commenters.
To create authentic relationships, a brand’s YouTube content must be aligned and deeply consistent with its values. This also plays into collaborating with the right creators in the right way.
Content SEO and discoverability are huge components to the success of winning in video. It’s crucial for brands to dig into audience insights and trends to inform content themes, creator partners, in-market opportunities, demographic impacts, and more.