We all know the days of traditional print advertising are coming to an end. Even basic image-based web ads are having trouble competing with the biggest monster out there: video marketing.
Online video ads are the most effective form of advertising today, unsurprising given that the majority of web traffic these days comes in the form of video views. It used to be said that we live in an image-driven society. Now, it’s more accurate to say that we are video-driven.
Recent research revealed that YouTube ads have the highest conversion rate of any online advertising medium. Why? Scientists estimate that it is because the ads are usually rich, helpful, descriptive, and engaging.
It is easier to relate characters in video ads to ourselves
In some senses, it seems counter-intuitive that video ads would drive so much ad traffic. It takes much more time to watch a video start to finish than to glance at and be captured by a still image, for example. However, it is much easier for us to identify with people in a video ad. For one thing, they are moving through the world and changing, like the viewer.
It is easier to identify the goal of a character in a video ad and to see the problem that the product or service being advertised is solving for them. We like to see ourselves as active actors in the world, not passive or stagnating objects, which is what flat, still, images subconsciously imply.
Emotional Appeal is the biggest factor
Humans evolved as social creatures, and over time we learned to pay attention to one thing over all else: shifting facial expressions in other humans. A change from a smile to a grimace teaches us that we did something socially undesirable. The opposite gives us reinforcement for our behaviors and our own happiness. A change from a neutral to an aggressive expression indicates that we did something which may lead to harm being inflicted on us.
It is a huge evolutionary advantage to know the effect our action has on our social surroundings, so it makes sense that we would value facial movement above all else.
Here’s the problem: sure, in a still image you may be able to read the emotion of a person, but you do not see it change in response to its environment, so you are not as engaged.
In a video, you can track situational emotional shifts and environmental response. Video marketing allows the viewer to have emotional engagement. Because of this, the viewer can identify with the actors, leading to ad conversion or eventually brand loyalty.
Conclusion
Online video marketing is the only medium that is experiencing predictable growth in conversion rates. Effective video ads have emotional appeal, leading to viewer product engagement. What else do you think makes for an effective video marketing campaign? Any favorites you think advertisers could take lessons from? Comment with your opinions below!
