Mobile Video :: Keys to Success

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Back in March, I had the opportunity to attend The Near Frontier of Mobile Video conference in San Francisco. The conference was hosted by Google, and had both agency and client leaders speaking about their experiences with mobile video campaigns. The conversation started with a broad overview of the current landscape, and then dove deeper into the data by looking at the effectiveness of mobile video campaigns and consumer behavior. While most mobile conferences start by emphasizing that we’re now in the “Golden Age” of mobile, the fact is that we’ve already been there over the past few years. Now, let’s take a moment to outline some of the high level takeaways and keys to success you can use for your next mobile video campaign.

The Highlights

73% of people have their phones with them at all times

Smartphones are the #1 device people use to consume entertainment, pop culture, beauty/fashion, and music

YouTube has over a billion users (about 1/3 of all people on the Internet) and more than half of YouTube’s views come from mobile

The number of hours people spend watching videos on their mobile devices is up 100% YoY

So with all of that being said, how can we make sure that we’re getting the most out of our mobile video ads?

Keys to Success

Content is key

As with all advertising, good creative goes a long way. Understand your target audience and tell the appropriate story.  Engage your audience and avoid becoming the video they’re simply waiting to skip. Don’t focus on selling a product or service if it doesn’t make sense to do so in the context of a mobile video.

Keep it fresh

Don’t continue to use the same creative for long periods of time. Try rolling out updates with your creative in phases to tell an overarching story.  If that’s not an option, consider different cuts with varying lengths to keep things from becoming stale.

Video length matters

While there’s no perfect formula for the appropriate video length, it’s important to study the data you receive after a campaign has run. If your audience is only sticking around through the first 12 seconds of your 30 second video, consider shortening the length and see if the completion rate increases.

Stay innovative

With mobile devices becoming more advanced each year, our advertising capabilities continue to increase as well. Consider using haptic feedback to appeal to a physical connection with your audience, 360 degree video, or even integrating your video with VR device capabilities.

There’s no one size fits all strategy for every mobile video ad, but by following the above guidelines you can ensure your campaigns are on the right track. After all, we are in the “Golden Age” of mobile video, right?