INSIGHT: Creating a successful online video campaign

What makes a successful online video campaign?

Ben Poole, head of interaction, MEC Asia-Pacific: An understanding that your online video has to be distributed across paid, owned and earned venues is a good starting point. Sweat the asset - make it scaleable, discoverable as well as shareable.

Calvin Soh, vice-chairman, chief creative officer Asia, Publicis: A contagious idea, and success above and below-the-line, need to have a strong point of view, storybility [sic] and co-creation. Especially if you want it to be passed around (active) not just talked about (passive).

Why do some video ads go viral and some don't? 

CS: Old spice only went berserk when they allowed participation on YouTube. That also gives the conversation longevity.

BP: Posting a video on YouTube and hoping it gets popular is a million-to-one shot. Agencies and brands have to wake up to that. So please don’t isolate your video, and please don’t ‘post and pray’.

How accurately can you predict the potential success of video campaigns?

BP: Check industry performance; check category performance; check your own past performance. Create benchmarks, expectations and targets around that.

CS: You try, but I don’t know if you can. Your chances of succeeding are higher if you follow the three principles of contagious ideas. Your chances are infinitely higher if you join an existing hot conversation or change the category conversation completely.

What role does social media play in the distribution of online video?

CS: It varies and it depends on how mature the netizens are. In China, people are searching and exchanging information. They follow a blog even if it was a blatant advertisement. In other countries, that would be the death knell. Authencity is king.

BP: It depends how much shareability and talkability the video has. Posting a bland, unloved, un-interactive broadcast TVC on to social spaces won’t get you anywhere.

How can you encourage people to share and spread video content?

BP: Make your video customer-centric. Why would they share it? Why should they? What would they think, feel and do if they saw this video?

CS: There have been models where you pay seeders. In some ways that’s the old model. It can work, sometimes. But the best by far is when people want to or are willing to share it. Once it stops being free then it will revert to the old model.

What’s the best online video ad you’ve seen recently?

CS: A Pat Fallon one which only Publicis Asia people have seen. It’s a conversation starter. And a Japanese variety show which used zombies to scare kids to sleep. Try not searching for that!

BP: A sequential smoking cessation campaign. The more times the individual ignored the message, the harder hitting the plea became. Addressable video advertising done well.

This article was originally published in the April issue of Campaign Asia-Pacific.