7 Examples of Successful Video Advertising Campaigns and The Strategies Behind Them
Video
advertising
is
a
great
way
for
your
company
to
generate
sales,
brand
engagement
and
to
find
new
potential
customers.
In
this
article
we
are
featuring
7
impressive
video
advertising
examples
for
you
to
learn
from
and
everything
you
need
to
know
to
start
creating
your
own
video
advertising
campaigns.
Reaching
your
brand’s
target
audience
online
can
be
both
easy
and
hard,
depending
on
how
you
look
at
it.
Video
is
the
king
of
digital
content
and
it
is
now
easier
than
ever
to
create
and
share
them
online
to
your
audience.
The
down-side
is
that
everyone
is
doing
it.
Most
brand
are
getting
involved
with
video
advertising
these
days
so
you
will
need
to
stand
out.
You
will
need
to
create
something
truly
exceptional
and
perfectly
tailored
to
your
audience
if
you
want
to
be
seen.
A
powerful
video
advert
is
one
of
the
most
effective
ways
of
getting
through
to
a
very
specific
portion
of
people
where
they
already
spend
their
time…
online.
Video
is
a
surefire
way
of
communicating
your
message
across
all
kinds
of
channels,
including
ads.
Below
are
7
successful
and
notable
advertising
campaigns
from
companies,
plus
the
strategies
that
made
them
successful.
Take
note,
and
apply
these
tactics
to
your
own
marketing
campaigns.
What
Makes
a
Great
Video
Ad?
First,
let’s
take
a
look
and
see
what
the
elements
are
of
a
successful
video
advert.
A
great
video
should
meet
the
following
criteria,
with
a
few
exceptions:
-
It
grabs
the
eye
in
the
first
few
seconds.
We live in a busy world. Your video should grab attention in about the first 3 seconds. Draw your audience in with something eye-catching. Use a professional videographer to make your video striking. -
It
keeps
viewers
invested
with
an
emotional
core.
Your ad should offer something valuable to the viewer, otherwise they won’t want to waste their time viewing it. Appeal to their human emotions. Be entertaining, inspiring or educational even. -
It’s
tailored
specifically
to
the
audience.
Make sure to tailor your content to your target audience’s feelings or state of mind. One of the key benefits to video ads is how carefully and specifically you can target them. -
It
has
a
clear
Call-To-Action.
Make it clear to your viewers of what you want them to do after watching your ad. Make it easy for them to do it and encourage them to get involved. -
It’s
no
longer
than
it
needs
to
be.
Successful ads can be up to several minutes long, but they still need to be effective and concise. Take as long as you need to communicate your message but don’t drag it out. People get bored quickly these days.
7
Stunning
Video
Advertising
Campaigns
to
Learn
From:
1.
Dollar
Shave
Club:
Our
Blades
are
F**king
Great
Dollar
Shave
Club
created
a
viral
hit
in
2012
when
they
released
this
video
ad.
This
ad
gets
a
lot
right.
It
starts
with
Dollar
Shave
Club
CEO
Michael
Dubin
talking
into
the
camera
at
the
viewer
with
a
cluttered
office
background
behind
him.
He
delivers
a
punchy
joke,
complete
with
an
F-bomb,
within
the
first
15
seconds.
Playing
off
the
success
of
quirky
recent
ads
like
Old
Spice,
this
ad
targets
18-35
year
old
males
and
makes
viewers
laugh,
reevaluate
how
much
they
are
actually
spending
on
razors
and
finally
directs
them
straight
to
the
DollarShaveClub.com
website.
Dollar
Shave
Club,
at
the
time,
was
a
relatively
unknown
company
with
a
limited
budget
to
spend
on
an
ad.
They
really
needed
to
get
there
name
out
there
and
to
have
people
talking
about
them,
so
it
was
vital
that
they
made
a
big
impact
with
their
ad.
This
strategy
paid
off
for
them
as
they
sold
the
brand
to
Unilever
for
$1
billion
just
four
years
after
running
the
ad.
2.
Geico:
Unskippable
YouTube
pre-roll
ads
give
viewers
the
option
to
skip
after
5
seconds,
so
some
brands
like
Geico
got
clever.
This
ad
is
part
of
a
four-ad
campaign
from
Geico
that
feature
a
video
ad
that
technically
“ends”
after
10
seconds
but
really
carries
on
awkwardly
for
another
minute
or
so
afterwards.
It’s
a
stroke
of
genius
from
the
American
insurance
provider.
Geico
knew
that
roughly
94%
of
all
pre-roll
ads
on
YouTube
are
skipped.
They
put
the
emphasis
on
the
first
5
seconds
of
the
video,
creating
a
sense
of
expectation
in
the
viewer
that
made
them
inept
to
stop
watching.
The
ad
is
probably
longer
than
it
needed
to
be,
but
that’s
what
makes
it
so
funny
and
awkward.
This
video
also
doesn’t
feature
a
proper
Call-To-Action
but
they
do
have
a
massive
company
logo
in
the
middle
of
the
screen
assuring
brand
awareness.
Overall,
this
Geico
ad
is
a
quirky,
unique
campaign
that
makes
viewers
smile
rather
than
feel
frustrated
or
annoyed
that
they
have
to
sit
through
an
ad.
And
it
is
definitely
memorable
enough
to
trigger
discussion.
3.
Knorr:
Love
At
First
Taste
The
food
brand
Knorr
created
an
ad
campaign
centered
around
people’s
love
of
flavors
and
tailored
it
for
success
on
social
networks
such
as
Facebook.
Millennials
are
doing
a
lot
of
dating
these
days
and
up
to
half
of
all
millennials
view
themselves
as
‘foodies’.
So
Knorr
saw
this
as
an
opportunity
to
reach
millennials.
The
brand’s
global
research
project
found
that
people
are
more
likely
to
be
attracted
to
those
who
enjoy
similar
flavors.
By
having
strangers
looking
for
love
meet
for
the
first
time
over
a
fun
meal,
and
requesting
that
they
feed
only
each
other,
Knorr
tapped
into
the
trend
seen
on
social
media
for
videos
featuring
food,
romance
and
real-life
situations.
This
ad
ran
across
Facebook,
YouTube
and
other
social
networks
and
Knorr
even
partnered
with
the
foodie
community,
Tasty
to
help
share
the
video.
Through
this,
viewers
were
directed
to
a
mini-site
where
they
could
fill
out
a
favorite
foods
questionnaire,
which
directed
them
into
one
of
12
flavor
profiles.
This
ad
was
specifically
edited
for
the
platform
it
appeared
on.
For
instance,
this
Facebook
version
has
subtitles
so
that
viewers
can
watch
without
sound.
4.Always:
Like
a
Girl
In
this
Ad,
Always
turned
the
age
old
“insult”
of
“like
a
girl”
into
a
message
of
empowerment
and
confidence
for
girls
and
women.
Feminine
hygiene
brand
Always
did
research
and
found
that
confidence
and
self-esteem
plummet
for
girls
during
puberty
twice
as
much
as
they
do
for
boys.
There
are
many
reasons,
but
one
cause
is
the
hurtful
stereotypes
that
label
women
and
girls
as
“lesser”
than
men
and
boys.
For
instance,
when
someone
says
you
run
“like
a
girl”
or
hit
a
ball
“like
a
girl,”
it
is
meant
as
an
insult.
Always
attempted
to
tackle
these
stereotypes
with
this
powerful
ad.
They
wanted
to
empower
young
girls
as
well
as
appeal
to
the
next
generation
of
customers.
They
chose
YouTube
pre-roll
ads
to
maximize
views
and
reach,
complemented
with
social
posts
and
influencer
outreach.
5.Squarespace:
Make
You
Next
Move
Video
advertisements
aren’t
just
for
brand
awareness.
They
can
also
be
used
to
target
your
leads
at
any
step
in
the
buyer’s
journey.
This
video
ad
for
Squarespace
features
a
look
behind
one
of
their
customers:
Actor-turned-fashion
designer,
John
Malkovich.
This
type
of
ad
wouldn’t
be
suited
for
someone
unfamiliar
with
the
Squarespace
brand,
but
it
is
a
great
way
to
build
social
proof
and
stay
on
the
mind
of
those
who
are
familiar
with
them
in
some
capacity.
A
restarting
campaign
is
a
great
way
to
promote
this
type
of
video
advertisement.
Squarespace
is
a
confident
and
consistent
brand
that
uses
video
ads
to
connect
with
leads
at
all
stages
of
the
funnel.
6.Burger
King:
Pre-roll
This
Burger
King
ad
pokes
fun
and
bemoans
YouTube
ads
while
also
being
one
itself.
There
are
a
whopping
64
variations
of
this
video
depending
on
what
the
viewer
had
been
trying
to
watch
on
YouTube.
The
video
references
a
variety
of
things
that
the
viewer
might
have
been
wanting
to
watch
on
YouTube
before
the
ad
started
playing,
including
movie
trailers,
music
videos
and
even
“graphic
animal
attacks.”
It
is
clever
by
using
Google
AdWords’
ability
to
play
ads
before
specific
YouTube
videos
based
on
content
and
keywords.
Since
Burger
King
were
looking
to
reach
young
men
in
New
Zealand,
they
picked
a
few
of
the
trending
videos
in
the
country
to
advertise
alongside.
7.
Volvo
Trucks:
The
Technician
This
Volvo
Trucks
ad
campaign
is
one
in
a
series
called
Live
Tests.
Volvo
Trucks
goal
for
this
video
ad
campaign
was
to
get
up
close
and
personal
with
their
products,
while
also
making
it
as
engaging
as
a
Hollywood
movie.
Each
Live
Tests
video
features
trained
professionals
doing
stunts
and
showing
off
Volvo
Trucks’
many
features.
You
may
have
seen
their
other
more
popular
video
ad,
The
Epic
Splits
featuring
Jean-Claude
Van
Damme.
All
of
these
videos
feature
remarkable
stunts
with
a
huge
visual
attraction
and
an
engaging
story
line.
Volvo
Trucks
were
looking
to
gain
brand
awareness
but
not
necessarily
video
views.
They
were
more
interested
in
real
engagement
from
prospective
customers.
That
is
why
this
video
example
is
so
interesting.
It
generated
exactly
the
response
Volvo
was
looking
for
from
potential
customers
(
such
as
excitement,
disbelief,
shock-value).
Volvo
had
a
fairly
weak
advertising
budget
so
they
understood
their
YouTube
ads
needed
to
be
backed
up
with
clever
PR
strategy
that
involved
sending
out
information
about
the
stunts
to
encourage
bloggers
and
news
media
to
watch
the
video
ads
too.
Keep
Your
Brand
On
Consumers’
Mind
with
Video
Advertising
That
was
7
examples
of
video
advertising
campaigns
that
grab
their
audience’s
attention,
keep
them
engaged,
manage
to
share
their
brand’s
message
in
order
to
generate
sales.
Video
ads
are
just
a
part
of
a
bigger
video
content
marketing
strategy
which
should
cover
how
video
content
works
to
support
your
goals
throughout
the
marketing
funnel.
It
should
also
include
a
combination
of
paid,
earned
and
owned
kinds
of
video
so
you
can
cover
all
your
bases
when
it
comes
to
reaching
your
target
audience
both
regularly
and
broadly.
Apply
these
strategies
to
your
own
marketing
campaigns
and
be
sure
to
use
a
professional
video
production
company
to
make
your
videos
stand
out
from
the
crowd.
For
any
and
all
of
your
video
marketing
needs,
visit
us
at ultimo-media.com.