With dwindling consumer attention spans, there is growing consensus that if you’re able to get your consumers to actively spend time with your brand, there will be a positive impact on brand metrics and a lift in sales.
So, what’s the best way to get your target audience to engage with your branded experiences? All our work suggests that using online video is the most reliable channel to help brands be heard using messages that resonate with their audience.
Video viewership, both on desktop and mobile, has grown dramatically over the last two to three years. More Indian youth are swapping TV for online video, with the likes of YouTube boasting nearly 60 million unique users monthly. Nearly 40 percent of YouTube videos are being watched on mobile devices, and clips in local languages have a great deal of viewership as well. If you haven’t done so already, now is the time to learn how to maximize the potential of video.
One way to leverage video is through the teaser – a short clip no longer than 15-30 seconds that piques the consumer’s interest. Video teasers put the viewer in control, and if well executed, are highly effective at coaxing users to expand an ad to watch the full content.
A fantastic example of a campaign that used teaser videos effectively is Flipkart’s recent “Nahin Khareeda? #AchhaKiya” (Didn’t buy? Good for you) campaign that ran across the country in June. The campaign consisted of five teasers aimed at promoting the company’s upcoming sale, with all five videos describing a purchase that did not materialize and ending with the voice over: “Achha kiya jo nahi kharida” (It’s a good thing you didn’t buy it) – hinting that they can purchase it at the upcoming sale.
Although each teaser lasted only 16 seconds, it was a hit with viewers and the hashtag #AchhaKiya soon starting trending. The campaign was simple, creative and didn’t carry any heavy branding or distracting animations. This resulted in optimal audience engagement. More importantly, there was a clear call to action – to visit the Flipkart website.
From banner ads to in-stream players, the modern desktop and mobile web site design gives marketers a variety of ad formats and dimensions to choose from. If the objective is to tease users into a full video experience that captures their active attention for as long as possible, how should brands make use of these spaces?
Here are three tips to consider:
1.Stream video through newer ad formats
Publishers, brand marketers and agencies have been venturing into newer digital video formats, moving away from the old-fashioned banner. Some of the newer IAB display formats offer greater consumer interaction and have been shown to be effective at garnering a reaction from the viewer, so use these to your advantage.
Another new ad format is the vertical video, which replicates how content is usually consumed on smartphones, allowing users to view video ads without having to rotate their device. Allowing consumers to watch video without rotating their devices, translates to higher viewer engagement and interaction.
However, remember to check that users can access your teaser in a single click, allowing them to stream the video within the ad unit itself.
2.Maximize the video size
Do away with all player controls, logos, branding elements, clickable buttons in your teaser. While brands may feel they need this, the result crowds the creative and takes away from video as the main act.
Instead, set the player controls to fade out automatically when the video starts playing, and fade in when the user hovers over the video. In fact, our data actually shows that having player controls visible reduces the engagement rate and the average time spent once the user engages with an ad.
3.Less is more
Campaigns that incorporate teaser videos are a marketing strategy mainstay, but with social platforms to promote them (think Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, LinkedIn…), teaser videos are getting more fun to play with.
Figuring out the ideal length of a teaser can be challenging, but producing short videos with calls-to-action is the way to go. It is after all a tease. Make it brief, but interesting so you leave your audience hungry for more. The idea is to have video content that delivers valuable insights, whilst illustrating that bigger, better content exists about the brand, product or campaign. If your teaser video has sufficient pull, customers will head to your website or YouTube page to check out a full video.
Authored by: Anshuman Saha, Head of Sales at Exponential India