by Jerome Mouton Today we highlight three case studies that are shining examples of best practice on YouTube. What makes these interesting is that all three campaigns decided to go the branded-entertainment route, unlike the majority of South African marketers, who simply upload TV ads.
I think that this is the primary reason that they’ve achieved such amazing viewership and audience-engagement volumes.
1. Silver Slipstreams
What I love about this video is that it’s a breath of fresh air and ticks all the right boxes. This is the type of content that bloggers will easily embed on their sites, because it’s not trying to sell but entertain.
The creators were not limited by the traditional 30-seconds, and the result is a great example of true engagement and content strategy. Not surprisingly, this is also the most-watched video on the Mercedes Benz SA channel, with 280 907 views so far.
2. The Power Inside
Starring Harvey Keitel, this is a bizarre, zany story about aliens who disguise themselves as moustaches and uni-brows, and take over the upper lips and eyes of people around the globe. The main character, together with his friends and the help of technology, must find a way to defeat the invaders. Six episodes were launched.
Now, if you look closely at the YouTube stats for this campaign, you will discover that episode one received 2.4 million views, and the other five between 200 000 and 400 000 views.
So what went wrong? The content creators made the mistake of uploading the last five episodes a month after they uploaded the first one. They should have finished all the episodes first and uploaded an episode every week.
It’s critical for brands to keep a regular schedule; YouTube marketing is not a one-night stand. By creating regular content on YouTube, you will keep your channel-feed active and build more subscribers.
Short films are a fantastic way to entertain your target audience, and this campaign was a good example.
3. True Move H
This campaign is my favourite; looking at this video, you just know the majority of the views was earned, because it’s the type of video people can’t wait to share.
A social media afterthought?
Looking at the success of these three dedicated YouTube productions, I often wonder why marketers, strategists, media- planners and buyers generally always start with TV first, and then launch commercials on YouTube — almost as a social media afterthought.
Surely it should be the other way around?
The reason viewers skip ads on YouTube is because most commercials have already had widespread TV exposure, so why watch these again? If you start with a YouTube TrueView campaign, your earned views will probably increase drastically as well — in a highly competitive marketplace, where audiences are bombarded with enticing entertainment propositions, we are hardwired to look for the new!
Originality the only way
However, with masses of media clutter to rival your message, originality is the only way to claim people’s attention spans. Content on YouTube will only be viewed if it succeeds in entertaining and engaging viewers.
Remember, the less an ad looks like an ad, the more it will be consumed and shared. Content designed to engage = more earned views, and a higher ROI.
Jerome Mouton is founder and creative director at 34 South Media, a video-content agency specialising in branded entertainment. He contributes the monthly “YouTube Views” column, focusing on YouTube marketing, best practice and viral videos, to Marklives.
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