When it comes to online video content, Undertone Networks' president & CEO says you can be successful when creating it or borrowing it.
Online advertising has come a long way in a relatively short time. Think of it: We've gone from static banners to animated GIFs. Then "rich media" became the buzzword du jour for a variety of Flash-based ad formats featuring sight, sound and motion. Now video is quickly becoming a fixture in most online campaigns.
It wasn't too long ago that marketers debated over whether to incorporate video into their websites and interactive ad campaigns at all. Now we've moved beyond that to weigh the pros and cons of various online video formats, players, ad placement, context, relevance and targeting. The fact is video isn't optional anymore: It's a de facto part of marketers' digital campaigns.
Today, video appearing in online campaigns comes in two forms: repurposed TV spots and web-only video. Both offer benefits to advertisers and if you don't have the budget or creative bandwidth to mount web-only campaigns, don't shy away from using repurposed TV spots for your video campaign. Deploying video assets from TV campaigns is cost-efficient and offers a phenomenal opportunity for marketers to extend their messages online. The brand message is reinforced, which only deepens the bond between consumers and marketers.
Consumers connect with repurposed video
Interestingly, we've observed that repurposed video is proving to be more effective than web-only creative at this point. In our client work, we've tracked campaigns that use both web-only video and repurposed broadcast spots. In one case, the marketer tested both campaigns to compare the clickthroughs and awareness/recall rates. Notably, the repurposed broadcast spot had a 25 percent higher clickthrough rate and resulted in higher consumer recall.
The higher clickthrough rate makes sense: If consumers connect with TV advertising even a little bit, when they see the online version of the spot, the content and message resonate. Where it makes sense, marketers will continue to repurpose broadcast video assets. Marketers shouldn't shy away from doing web video just because they don't have web-specific video and messaging. Repurposed video really does increase consumer awareness and response levels!
Web-only video provides call-to-action
As the name implies, web-only video is created specifically for web campaigns and addresses specific target audiences with targeted messages. It might also feature a call to action or invitation to request more information. Web-only video is gaining traction, particularly as storytelling across digital platforms proliferates via video iPods, mobile phones, handheld gaming devices and other emerging web-based platforms.
We are seeing more and more advertisers experiment with web-only video. They're embedding clickable calls to action and devising other strategies to enhance consumer engagement with web video assets. Creating web-only video messages will allow marketers to invite consumers to complete forms to request more information, interact with the creative and even play games. The goal for such assets should be to move beyond the ad to offer more information. Web-only created video can even be used as a test bed for a marketer's broadcast and other offline creative.
Ultimately, savvy marketers will continue to deploy repurposed video as a linchpin of their online media and marketing strategies while simultaneously experimenting with web-only creative and messaging.
For help on developing web-only content read "How to Get the Most from a Video Shoot."
Also, get tips on how to glean online video from a TV shoot.
Michael Cassidy is president and CEO, Undertone Networks. Read full bio.