Youtube and advertising: how do I achieve a successful campaign?
That YouTube, the famous online video platform, has replaced television as we remember it is a verifiable fact that grows every year in favor of content without ties, without schedules and without waiting. Young people (and not so young) from all over the world consider it the number one reference from which to access their favorite audiovisual media and there are many brands that take advantage of the successful tool to promote their products with guarantees. The most important streaming video website on the Internet offers its users an endless number of creative corners where they can quench their thirst for entertainment while offering space to companies to connect with their potential clients .
As the latest analyses offered by the company show, the growing possibility of reaching millions of users in a short time (37% of young Americans consume YouTube in an excessive and instantaneous manner) makes the platform the new preferred stage for brands. The safest landing strip from which to unload the entire promotional arsenal. According to Juanjo Durán , head of Spanish-language content alliances for Google Play Movies and YouTube, “The video platform has become the second most important search engine after Google.” With a billion hours of daily streaming around the globe, YouTube “has more content than any human being would consume in a lifetime.”
That said, it all sounds appealing and accessible to both regular YouTube users and advertisers, who benefit from almost infinite options to reach consumers. From spots before videos, advertising spots after X minutes, through sponsorships of certain creators or display ads. Brands are the protagonists of a more than evident change within the world of advertising. However, adapting to such a stage is not always profitable; whether you are called Coca Cola, McDonald's, Nike, Carrefour or Mercería Juanito.
Endless possibilities to reach the consumer
Because yes, YouTube is constantly occupied by profiles with an insatiable hunger for content, but how can we take advantage of it to benefit our product or brand? How do we make our advertising attractive to the millions of users who daily inhabit the most famous online video site? Since it was acquired by Google in a multi-million and historic sale in 2006, YouTube has evolved to become a digital training monster capable of offering levels of quality as high and surprising as they are unrepeatable. The viewer has become accustomed to enjoying audiovisual pieces that amaze, fascinate and, of course, deserve their time . Advertising cannot be less, and in order to compete for the user's attention it has to deserve a place in the voracious scheme of the consumer. How? Very simple: being at the creative level of the video that follows it. There is no point in setting out to give a speech about infallible law firms if you do it in a blatantly soporific way. What users want is their content instantly (long live the Internet age!) and they will not give away a second of their time on ads that do not provide creative value .
In search of virality
The voice of experience is the wisest, and a few weeks ago I came across the typical pseudo-political advertisement of Mario Rajoy rapping a collage of phrases in the purest “El Intermedio” style. I say typical because visually it offered zero hook, but that music and the message had me hooked for the two minutes it lasted. Greenpeace had achieved the seemingly impossible: hooking a consumer of intelligent humor through Mariano Rajoy and the awareness of energy consumption. Miracle.
Did the campaign work? Well, technically not. I didn't click on the link to their website that appeared at the end of the spot, nor did I end up becoming a member of their organization, so their website was not affected organically. Its media impact was quite different: a proven global success that today has almost a million hits . Immediately after enjoying that musical bizarreness, I found myself sharing it on social media and being amazed by the talent of its creatives in the WhatsApp group in question. Not only had Greenpeace managed to make me forget about the content I was going to see (dubbing of old films; not a great idea) but it had naturally invited me to bounce its message. Possibly they had not found a client with me (which would be ideal in terms of return) but a new channel through which to spread their message (which is even more ideal).
Segmentation by age and interests as a key
It is abundantly clear that adapting to the platform and to the segmentation of users by age and interests is essential for the success of a campaign . At the same time, it is essential to offer a promotional work with appeal, value and a message. As happens in movie theaters, the ads that are placed between trailers are usually of an artistic quality above average (although there are always exceptions). The lottery, Coca Cola, BMW or the bank in question do their part to convince the most defenseless and active spectator in entertainment. As Javier Zurro, a journalist from El Español, points out in a recent analysis of advertising in the cinema : “The consumer in a theater cannot change the channel or turn off the screen. They have difficulty leaving and re-entering when the advertising ends.” In fact, “cinema” advertising is offered with the room completely dark not as a preparation for the film, but to focus our attention completely on the message of the brands , so leaving good feelings in the spectator ends up capitalizing on the creative engine of these campaigns. It is just as important as achieving a high percentage of return on investment.
So how do I run a successful YouTube campaign?
That said, the question answers itself: what does my brand need to connect with the customer via YouTube ? First of all , great ideas, work and the necessary feedback before going all out . Although the most successful streaming video service in history has moderately active viewers through likes, subscriptions and comments, we will not be the only message they have on their screens nor will we have a dark room where we can seduce them without competition. Skipping the ad is too tempting at this point (obligatory, almost), so we must loyally gain control of the impulses of our potential audience . We must earn the coveted prize of their attention. Which is no small thing. And to achieve this, much, much more is needed than a good product.
That said, it all sounds appealing and accessible to both regular YouTube users and advertisers, who benefit from almost infinite options to reach consumers. From spots before videos, advertising spots after X minutes, through sponsorships of certain creators or display ads. Brands are the protagonists of a more than evident change within the world of advertising. However, adapting to such a stage is not always profitable; whether you are called Coca Cola, McDonald's, Nike, Carrefour or Mercería Juanito.
