An Update On The Best Video Marketing Strategies From The Google Teams
Introduction
When one imagines a high-end fashion brand, the immediate associations might be iconic fashion shows, elegant couture, and signature styles. What might not spring to mind are makeup tutorials on social media platforms like YouTube.
However, shifting towards a more personal and accessible approach could be pivotal for brands aiming to engage with audiences on their terms. By mirroring the aesthetic and vibe of organic content on various platforms, advertisements are more likely to strike a chord with viewers. This strategy is often referred to as achieving “relevance” by marketers and media strategists.
We reviewed the work of experts from Google Media Lab’s Team Adrenaline and Google Creative Works to unearth best practices from a series of creative tests conducted across different platforms. These two teams manage the media strategy for all of Google’s digital advertising campaigns. They shared insights on audience reactions to various ad formats and strategies for genuine engagement when a brand appears alongside content that users cherish.
The Importance of Relevance Across All Scales
As digital landscapes evolve, marketers are rethinking the effectiveness of traditional media channels. From a comprehensive perspective, any brand interaction could be considered advertising—a passerby noticing a storefront or someone watching a YouTube Ads. Successful media strategies now embrace the full spectrum of advertising experiences.
Changes in user behaviour underscore the necessity for relevance in advertising to make an impact on any platform. Suzana Apelbaum, a global group marketing specialist for creative and innovation at Media Lab, explained, “Previously, we viewed social media platforms mainly through a reach and frequency lens. But with shifts in user engagement, we recognised the critical need for relevance, leading us to adapt our strategy to ‘reach plus relevance plus frequency’.”
Apelbaum’s team has adjusted their approach, creating unique briefings for each platform and considering specific best practices, features, and user behaviours. This tailored approach is essential as YouTube viewership has expanded beyond desktops to mobile devices, demanding content suitable for various screen sizes and orientations. As such, it is vital to consider technical specifics like video dimensions and platform user interfaces.
Expanding Creative Horizons
The move towards accommodating multiple platforms has necessitated a significant increase in creative output. Andrew Wong, senior integrated media manager at Media Lab, noted, “We now produce a diverse array of content formats—from short-form videos and GIFs to static images—across multiple platforms, much more frequently.” This shift also requires a fundamental change in organisational mindset towards the modern marketing mix, emphasising the need for a flexible and responsive creative strategy.
Context and storytelling are just as crucial as technical considerations. With most YouTube interactions now on mobile, creative teams must optimise content for more minor, vertical screens. Real-time reporting and brand lift surveys are invaluable for understanding ad performance and refining future campaigns.
Strategic Use of Influencers
Incorporating local influencers into marketing campaigns can be alluring due to their potential to enhance brand recognition. However, recent insights from a series of video experiments by Global Creative Works suggest that a more tailored approach might yield greater effectiveness. According to Billy Corbyn, head of Global Creative Works, customising advertisements to align with the marketing funnel’s specific stage could prove more advantageous. These experiments indicate that influencers have the potential not only to boost brand awareness but also to actively stimulate online sales by prompting viewers to engage and take action.
While leveraging the reach of influencers remains a popular strategy, focusing on strategic alignment with the marketing funnel could lead to more tangible results. By tailoring content to meet the needs and behaviours of consumers at different stages of the purchasing journey, marketers can optimise the impact of their campaigns and drive measurable outcomes such as increased sales and conversions.
Thus, while influencers can play a valuable role, prioritising customisation and alignment with the marketing funnel offers a more practical approach to maximising campaign performance and achieving business objectives.
No One-Size-Fits-All Solution
The experiments conducted by Global Creative Works also unveiled that there isn’t a one-size-fits-all ad type that consistently outperforms others across all marketing objectives. Instead, the key lies in tailoring specific elements of the ads to suit particular goals within a campaign, thereby enhancing overall effectiveness.
For example, one of the experiments highlighted that influencer-led ads were particularly successful in driving sales, demonstrating their efficacy in prompting viewers to make purchasing decisions. On the other hand, ads featuring celebrity endorsements were found to excel in improving brand consideration, indicating their effectiveness in enhancing brand perception and consideration among consumers.
This underscores the importance of strategic selection and customisation of ad elements based on the desired outcomes of a marketing campaign, allowing marketers to maximise the impact and achieve diverse objectives effectively.
Leveraging Long-Form Content
An intriguing finding from the experiments was that longer video segments, even those surpassing 30 seconds, often captivated viewers as effectively as shorter clips. This observation highlights the potential of immediately engaging viewers with compelling content to sustain their interest, irrespective of length.
This suggests that while shorter videos are commonly favoured for their brevity, longer formats shouldn’t be dismissed outright, as they can still effectively retain audience attention when crafted with engaging content from the start. Ultimately, this insight allows marketers to experiment with different video lengths and prioritise captivating storytelling and content delivery to keep viewers invested in their message, regardless of the duration.
Embracing Creator-Led Campaigns
In a notable move, a campaign promoting the Google Pixel 7a in Germany adopted a bold strategy by exclusively leveraging creator-led content. This approach proved to be highly successful, resulting in a substantial boost in viewer engagement and consideration, surpassing the performance of traditional advertisements. Mariya Kvitka, an associate product marketing manager at Google, emphasised that this success stemmed from a deep trust in the creators and a platform-first mentality centred around delivering entertaining content. The campaign effectively resonated with the audience by prioritising collaboration with creators and focusing on providing entertaining content tailored to the platform, highlighting the effectiveness of a creator-led approach in modern marketing strategies.
Building for Platform Relevance
The recent introduction of tools like BrandConnect has enabled teams to measure the direct impact of sponsored content on creators’ channels, offering unprecedented insights into how these collaborations influence brand perception.
In conclusion, the evolving digital advertising landscape demands a flexible, platform-optimised approach that resonates with audiences. The continual testing and adaptation of video marketing strategies are crucial to discovering what is most effective, ensuring that every campaign is as impactful as possible.
Our digital marketing agency deeply acknowledges the pivotal role of video advertising in enhancing every aspect of marketing acquisition. It is our objective to consistently devise and trial efficient strategies that could yield improved performance for our clients’ advertising campaigns. Get in touch with us to know how you can start your next video advertising campaign!
