Should WHERE we’re showing videos change HOW we’re making videos?
More and more people are accessing content from their phones, on-the go. And we want to make sure that people are seeing clear, beautifully-made videos on their phones just as much as they are on their desktops and laptops. I think we all know that at this point!!
Think with Google played around with different edits of a commercial and wrote up the results in their “Mobile Video Advertising: Making Unskippable Ads” study. Their report is geared towards bigger companies with bigger budgets, but the NSP team is always taking inspiration from everywhere to see if some of the same principles can be applied to our clients in the dance world.
Google used YouTube TrueView – those ads you can choose to watch or skip when you’re watching YouTube videos – and tested three different cuts of the same video ad.
Remember that crazy Mountain Dew® Kickstart™ “Come Alive” video? It already had nearly 9 million total views on YouTube when Google took it and created three edits to see which one would perform best on phones.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mjwUVZHBcoY
The edits:
Cut #1: “The Original”
This 30-second original tells a story with a clear narrative arc and elements like exciting action, good editing, and catchy music.
Cut #2: “The Big Punch”
A 31-second video that started with a shot of Mountain Dew and a countdown – then goes straight to the middle of the dancing. It puts the brand in front of the consumer before they can choose to skip the ad.
Cut #3: “Pure Fun”
A 1 minute and 33 second longer version that starts in the middle of the action but with no music or context. The brand and product are featured over time but far less obviously.
So, what did they find out?
You can read the full story here (warning, it’s long!) but we took away these three video marketing tips for dance:
1. There is power in the unexpected.
The longer, crazier ad was viewed at a 26% higher rate on mobile – probably because viewers wanted to see what happened next. Keep people engaged with great editing and non-traditional arcs.
2. Mobile viewers are engaged longer than you’d expect.
Not only did more viewers watch the long ad on mobile than on desktop, they stayed engaged longer, too. This suggests that we don’t need to keep our dance videos and trailers super short. The length of your video isn’t as important as the excitement and intrigue your content generates!!
3. It doesn’t take “ads” for people to know who you are.
People who watched the long one with less obvious references to Mountain Dew still remembered the brand just as well as those who watched the ads with the more blatant product placement – which is great news! We can let the movement kick-off and engage the viewer, and we don’t have to start off our videos right away with your logo.
Video, especially now that everyone’s on their phones all the time, is such a powerful tool to introduce your company, show who you are, and help you share your work!!