From Pharrell's 24 Hours of Happy to Volvo's Epic Split – the rise and rise of creative video content
We know that technology is transforming advertising as a whole, but this year video content itself was taken to a whole new level. Video advertising is the fastest growing ad format worldwide with branded video sharing around the globe growing almost 50x since 2006. So why is video such a popular ad format?
Pharrell's 24 Hours of Happy
People have an emotional connection to video because it is an audio-sensory experience. It is the same reason that fans go to see their favourite bands live, as they get more than just audio – they get motion, lights and action too. Millennials are huge drivers of this, as Zenith Optimedia this week discussed at its Cannes Lions session ‘How YouTube stars are transforming entertainment and brand marketing’.
The talk touched on a creative revolution happening amongst Millennials, who are more likely to reject traditional advertising but are also willing to consume huge amounts of branded content. The overwhelming message for advertisers is that they need to offer more this demographic – ads needs to inspire an emotional connection or reaction, and video is the ideal format.
Just look at the three Cyber Grand Prix winners – Pharrell Williams, Chipotle and Volvo. Pharrell’s '24 Hours of Happy' was a 24-hour version of his hit song, bringing in famous and non-famous friends to complete the day-long video. What’s key about the content is that it caught the attention of the UN, which named 20 March an international day of happiness, with over 1,500 remakes of the video being used to effect change across the globe.
Continuing the theme of change, Chipotle’s 'Scarecrow' follows the journey of Chipotle’s Scarecrow ‘cultivating a better world’ by sourcing non-GM products – as does the brand itself. This was accompanied by an advergame that allows users to fight against GM food within their own online city, improving the lives of its residents. This crucially tapped into the success of app-based games like Farmville and received a quarter of a million downloads in the first four days.
Taking a more dramatic approach, Volvo’s 'Live Tests' featured a series of outrageous stunts designed to highlight technical features of its trucks. Jean-Claude Van Damme’s 'Epic Split' is the most notorious of these, demonstrating the vehicle’s precision handling. The video was shared over 70 million times!
These ads inspire change, provide entertainment and prompt discussion, and this is something that is harder to achieve outside of video advertising. They have the ability to be funny, to use music to create drama and build emotional connections, and so are more likely to be shared across social media. This is especially true when they are perceived as useful by consumers, like the three Cyber Grand Prix winners’ ads.
Ultimately video is changing the standards for advertising, and taking content to a new level where consumers are looking for ads to make them sit up in their seats. This is a challenge for advertisers, but the branding opportunity is huge for those with the ingenuity and creativity to make the most of it.
Nick Reid is managing director of TubeMogul UK
