Your video banners need to stir a user's curiosity, not send them running for the hills. Here's a guide for creating ads that scream to be clicked.
The nightmare of banner ad retaliation is still fresh in the minds of many marketers. There was a time when abominable strobe banners screamed into the eyeballs of any user unfortunate enough to navigate to a page that hosted one, causing a penetrating irritation that left consumers permanently sensitive to online advertising. Many of us are still walking a thin line, wanting our ads to captivate and engage while at the same time avoiding irritation and intrusion.
It remains to be seen whether video display ads will ultimately prove successful as direct response vehicles. However, what is clear is that video has proven much more successful than its JPG predecessor when it comes to brand awareness and favorability. While display ads ultimately correlate to conversion, this doesn't track all the variables down the purchase path.
So what makes a consumer click? Roll? Touch? Unmute? What specific strategies motivate a shorter time until the first interaction? "On the web, attention spans are miniscule," says Diaz Nesamoney, CEO of video ad service Jivox. "Delivering your message quickly and crisply will ensure the interaction occurs before [users] navigate away from your ad." Online display ads aren't like an outdoor billboard. Unless viewers interact with the video in some fashion, it's wasted real estate.
FedEx Racing launched a video banner with the core objective of causing brand interaction. Within the first few seconds, a FedEx racecar speeds into the frame, slams on the brakes and a text overlay appears: "Change the tires by clicking and holding the flashing lug nuts." If no action is taken, a series of text comments such as "Move it or lose it buddy," "Turtles change tires faster" and "Go back to the grandstands, chump" slides across the screen.
The tone of voice -- casual, direct and challenging -- works particularly well for men browsing sports sites and the visual elements -- race car, smoking tires and power tool -- support this demographic. The ad's success leads to my first point:
Design a message a niche audience will respond to. The number one reason why ads fail on the internet is that they are too often designed to appeal to a very broad audience. Unlike TV, which is perfectly suited for mass-broadcasted generalized ad campaigns, the web rewards creative executions geared towards a tight niche audience. To decrease the time it takes for them to interact with the ad, consider the following questions:
- What product or service are you promoting?
- Who is your target for the message?
- What message are they likely to respond to?
For its premiere of "Human Footprint," National Geographic built an ad that invited people to "rollover to see your footprint." They targeted environmentally conscious viewers who are concerned with consumption and conservation. The visuals were slightly appalling: a rolling numerical counter calculated the number of hamburgers, showers, sodas, microwaves and gallons of gasoline the average American consumes in a lifetime. Depending on what element the viewer rolled over, an in-frame video on that subject would launch to provide more info.
Once you've determined what message consumers are most likely to respond to, make the display as friendly and inviting as possible. In Northwestern University's "Top 10 experiences that motivated media usage" study, respondents listed the following reasons as to why they click on content:
- Entertains and absorbs me
- Looks out for people like me
- Regular part of my day
- My personal timeout
- A credible, safe place
- Connects me with others
- Touches me and expands my views
- Makes me smarter
- Turned on by the ads
- Easy to use