The Impact Of Online Video
Marketers are increasingly spending more of their ad budgets online and it is essential for them to find out what works and what doesn’t. With this in mind, Suzanne Moorey-Denham, managing director of Dynamic Logic, discusses the strengths and weaknesses of online video ads and how they can be utilised for maximum effect…
Our latest research shows that the impact of online video advertising varies widely, depending on whether the ad quickly reinforces the brand and differentiates it from its competitors.
Based on results from 108 different video campaigns, the surveys measured changes in consumer attitudes for several different brands and products including entertainment, FMCG and automotive, from 125,733 respondents.
As marketers and media companies try to better utilise online video advertising to communicate with consumers, research is starting to identify what works and what doesn’t creatively. Our ‘November 2006 Beyond The Click’ demonstrated the power of online video campaigns in their ability to positively impact all branding metrics compared to overall MarketNormsÂŽ benchmarks for online advertising in general. With more data, we begin to see a wider range and variance in effectiveness.
While video norms in general are positive, there are some dramatic differences in the results of the most memorable and least memorable video campaigns. For online video ads to raise awareness for a brand, communicate a message and persuade consumers to buy, the ads must first break through the clutter and simply put – be noticed and recognised as being associated with the brand.
Our research shows, for example, that the most noticed online video ads not only generated the greatest average increase in Online Ad Awareness, but also exhibited the largest increases in Brand Favourability, and Purchase Intent. On the flip side, the worst performing video ads had little or no effect on Brand Favourability or Purchase Intent.
Subsequently, we determined the differentiating factors between the most and least memorable video ad campaigns tested and came up with a few tips for online marketers to consider when using online video to achieve branding objectives. These guidelines are based on the commonalities among the most noticed and least noticed video ads.
Things to consider to improve online video ad effectiveness, based on the most noticed videos
Be sure the creative is intrinsically linked to the brand. In other words, it would be difficult for viewers to describe the ad without mentioning the brand.
Utilise the unique features of the web to enhance the user’s experience. For example, a video ad for a consumable brand might include a link to find out its nutritional value or allow you to download a coupon, find a recipe or email coupons and recipes to friends. It could also include a micro-site that allows you to save and post your favourite recipes online and join discussion groups sharing helpful hints about cooking or hosting a dinner party. We found that the best performing online video ads were engaging and created an interactive experience with their brand.
Enjoyable and entertaining videos generally performed well.
Create online video content that is consistent with your offline marketing campaign. The most noticed video campaigns were synergistic to other marketing efforts.
Consider using companion ads, which are display units that can be placed around the video ad frame or player. Often, the use of these complementary ads with the video help to keep the brand constant and provide an additional branding opportunity while the video is playing.
Key take-aways from the least noticed video ads
Be sure the video content is engaging and establishes relevancy to the viewer quickly as you only have a short amount of time to grab and maintain the viewers’ attention.
Often, it wasn’t clear what was being advertised in the video in the poorly performing ads. It is important to bear in mind that viewers will not want to work at understanding what is being featured and communicated – the branding and messaging should be readily apparent.
When using video, keep in mind that many viewers may not have the audio turned on, so they may be exposed to the video ad with only the imagery and no sound. If you’re relying on a catchy jingle or song to solely communicate your brand message, viewers with the audio turned off may “miss” the point of your ad entirely or misunderstand the brand message.
While it is critical to ensure that video advertising gets noticed and is linked to the brand so it has the opportunity to be effective, this alone may be insufficient. The ultimate goal of advertising is to change or reinforce behaviour and attitudes about the brand, either immediately or at some point in the future, so online video ads need to communicate something that reinforces brand usage or differentiates it from competitors.