Cracking video creative in a digital world

Cracking video creative in a digital world

New research sheds light on how brands can get the best out of video in a digital world where multi-screen users are less receptive to advertising than on traditional TV.

Colmar Brunton and parent company Millward Brown have joined forces to produce AdReaction Video Creative in a Digital World, which delivers insights into video viewing behaviour by multi screen users in New Zealand and around the world.

Colmar Brunton Media and Digital Account Director Kerri Tait says the findings help marketers understand how, where and why people view video, when consumers are open to advertising and which creative approaches work best on each screen.

“Kiwis are in front of multiple screens every day and they spend as much time watching online video as they do watching TV,” Ms Tait says.

She says there’s no single element that makes a campaign effective in the digital world. It is a combination of reach (the right people), receptivity (context) and creative effectiveness (content).

Millward Brown Regional Head of Media and Digital Mark Henning joined his colleague, Global Brand Director of Creative Development Daren Poole, to present the key findings to a business audience in Auckland today at an event hosted by Colmar Brunton and Group M.

Mr Henning says the AdReaction survey reveals that Kiwis view video for just over three hours per day with half of that on TV (31% live and 19% on demand). The other half is digital video and half of the digital video is consumed via mobile devices.

“In Australia and New Zealand there are huge benefits of successfully extending beyond TV into multi media based on knowledge of audience viewing habits,” he says.

Targeting is also important and audiences are more inclined to react positively to targeted advertising based on their interests and the types of brands they follow. They are less favourable towards targeting based on web browsing history or social media profile.

“Attitudes toward targeting are less positive when it feels like stalking. Relevant is good. Spooky is too much,” Mr Henning says.

“But while TV advertisements are generally accepted as part of the furniture, many people are resistant to digital video ads so the industry has plenty of work to do.
Mr Henning says the key to overcoming that resistance lies in earning the right for attention and embracing the concept of viewer control.

“Just as audiences increasingly expect to be in control of where and when they watch video, they want greater control over ad exposure. In fact they are more likely to be receptive to advertising when they are given control, such as the option to skip or click to play.”

The survey found mobile app pop ups, pre-roll advertising, social auto play and in-banner auto-play were a turn off to digital video viewers.

Daren Poole says as well as targeting the right people in the right context, marketers must learn some content lessons to create videos that consumers won’t skip.

“Marketers in a digital world have five seconds to engage viewers and prevent them from skipping ads,” he says.

The survey revealed some unsurprising keys to engaging audiences such as humour, offering rewards and focusing on categories and brands the viewer is interested in.

But Mr Poole says there are some less obvious tips such as creating intrigue, not being afraid to break category conventions and integrating the brand early.

“Intrigue is really important for engaging and holding an audience but you have to think about how to create that in the first five seconds.”

“Marketers must also think about ad length online. Anything over 30 to 40 seconds is unlikely to hold attention and 15 second ads are increasingly becoming the norm online.”

Mr Poole says the final piece of the digital advertising puzzle is to consider digital early in the creative process and be prepared to adapt ads to optimise them for different channels. For example – product shots will need to be larger for mobile formats, especially smartphones.

Group M CEO Sean Seamer says his company, together with Colmar Brunton and Millward Brown, are working together to resolve the key challenges facing marketers today, ensuring brands are contemporary and relevant.

“Key to this is how we address the audiences lost from traditional media. This obviously requires a change in approach and we are partnering with Kantar, and the wider WPP network, to ensure that our clients are armed with the data they need to facilitate this change."

ENDS

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