At the advent of online video, many marketers realized that viewer engagement was difficult. So we began thinking differently than we would for a medium, like television, where the viewer had to pay attention…until DVR came along, that is.
But the thing about evolution is that, well, it keeps evolving. Now we have skippable ads, a loose definition of “broadcast” television, and an increasing amount of online video viewers on mobile devices. So how do brands engage viewers?
It’s easy. All you have to do is make sure you get your CTA, branding and engaging content out in front of the viewers…sometimes in two seconds or less.
Funnily enough, this goes back to the 2009 Super Bowl when Miller High Life ran a series of 2-second ads. When this guerilla ad buy worked out splendidly for our beer brewing brethren to the north, marketers of all stripes took note.
Now we’ve taken these lessons we learned and applied them to another medium where we have to capture viewers’ attention quickly: online video. Whether you’re waiting for the “skip video” button to pop up or scrolling through your feed, that video has to capture your attention immediately to have fighting chance.
No more saving the CTA for the closing credits. Less mystery. Less intrigue. Fewer slow burns, more quick hits. You’ve got two seconds to accomplish your campaign’s goals.
Of course, it’s not as much of a desperate plea for attention as it sounds. All it takes is an understanding of how visual storytelling and copywriting work together. How to make your CTA feel fun, not forced. How to deserve attention, not demand it.
And that’s what we do at G/L Content Studios. Do you need to get viewers’ attention? We can do it…quickly. Get in touch and let’s see how we can do it.