Direct response
The second option after ad awareness is the direct response route. Direct response campaigns are designed to elicit a specific response from a user. Video here is useful primarily for the ad awareness portion only, drawing users into the ad itself.
Unlike brand interaction campaigns, any additional videos in a direct response campaign may actually prove detrimental, as they distract users from actually completing the response portion of the advertisement.
A great example of successful implementation of video into a direct response campaign is this American Airlines ad, which uses a very short video to lure you in and then quickly offers the Flight Search Feature, where you can input your fare request directly into the ad unit (the direct response portion of the campaign). All of it is simple and straightforward, and not a lot of video was required to drive the response.
Brand endorsement
The final campaign objective -- and an often overlooked opportunity for advertisers -- is brand endorsement. The goal here is to encourage audience endorsement by providing tools for users to share, making the user an evangelist for your brand. These virally forwarded impressions are not only free to the advertiser, but they are also, in effect, more targeted impressions because they are coming from someone who knows what you like.
In this example, the video lures people in and gives them a taste of what they will get when they click "Grab It" and take the video widget with them, to send to their friends or to embed into their own profiles on their social sites (MySpace, Facebook, etc.)
Online advertising offers many more interactive opportunities than traditional venues, and video -- in all its forms -- adds another layer of complexity. As long as the campaign objective is clear, attaining online ad success should be easy. The key is to use video and interactivity in ways that support specific campaign objectives and goals. Throwing new interactive features into ads just because they are hot -- without any rhyme or reason -- is a sure way to muddle your objective, confuse your audience and minimize your returns.
It is essential for all parties involved to know what the overall goal and objective for the campaign is. It is also helpful when your rich media provider can then systematically recommend a set of ad formats, features and video options that will enable you to meet or exceed your goals.
Michael Griffin is executive VP of business development, EyeWonder.