What Comes After Video Marketing? Ingenious Video Campaign Examples
Innovative technological breakthroughs are constantly reshaping how businesses connect with consumers. With cutting-edge technologies now available to organizations of all sizes, creativity knows no bounds. It is easier than ever for advertisers to transcend traditional boundaries and create video campaigns that even a decade ago, we could never have imagined.
3D billboards? Yes. Ten-minute brand videos on TikTok? Sure.
What about sustainable ads, using AI to reduce the carbon footprint of advertising? And check this out: Cyber Agents, a digital agency in Japan, is using AI to tailor 3D video advertisements to individual viewers. Based on data about the viewer’s characteristics and the context of the ad, AI can adapt the hairstyle, clothing, and even facial expressions of the characters in the video to make the ad more interesting and compelling for specific individuals. The 21st century is truly here.
In this article, we explore some of the most dynamic and disruptive video campaigns we’ve seen lately. While the technology is impressive, it’s what the advertisers do with the tech and how they use it to craft a compelling narrative that is truly ingenious.
3D billboards: Stepping up and (literally) stepping out
If you’ve been on any form of social media in the last two years, you’ve probably noticed a variety of 3D billboard videos being posted. This all started with a massive 3D feline that appeared on the side of a Tokyo billboard, astonishing all who saw it, and continued with some of the world’s biggest brands from Pokemon Go to Louis Vuitton creating incredible larger-than-life installations.
One of the most impressive of these has to be the huge holographic Barbie that appeared in front of Dubai’s Burj Khalifa as a promo for Greta Gerwig’s recently released Barbie movie. The gigantic doll stepping out of her bright pink box certainly caught the attention of passersby and has since become an internet sensation. As more and more brands try their digital hands at 3D billboards, many ask, “What will they do next?”
Long-form video: Hilton’s 10-minute TikTok takeover
TikTok has become a world phenomenon specifically because it caters to the 15-second attention span. But in this unusual campaign, the Hilton Hotel chain flipped the script, challenging scrollers to spend 10 whole minutes on a single video. Many Creative Directors faced with the idea for this campaign would likely have said, “There’s no way this will work.” But it did. And here’s why.
The video featured both hotel heiress Paris Hilton and various online content creators like KelzWright and GirlBossTown, and challenged viewers to watch until the end for a chance to win Hilton Honors Points. But this in itself wasn’t what made the video so successful. Actually, it was the fact that the immense length was so unexpected on a short-form content platform. According to one of the video’s featured actors, “10 minutes on TikTok is like three years in the real world,” and while this has meant success for this specific ad, we wonder if it could be replicated. Can you really disrupt a short-form platform with multiple long-form ads?
Generative AI: Coca-Cola makes masterpieces in motion
What do you get when you take iconic artwork and add an ice-cold Coke? Answer: something new, different, and pretty weird. In this campaign, the iconic brand mixed live action with animation and a touch of AI to make masterpieces of the art world interact with a bottle of Coke in a fun, fresh, and very different way.
The brand plans to expand its campaign into the NFT space by creating online collectibles and will also use 3D billboards to celebrate the art of both old masters like Van Gogh and contemporary creators such as WonderBuhle.
The highest ad ever filmed: On top of the Burj Khalifa (and the world) with Emirates
To AI or not AI? This is an example of a video campaign so daring, many people didn’t even believe it was real. In an effort to be truly unique, Emirates Airlines put one of its flight attendants on top of Dubai’s Burj Khalifa, the world’s tallest skyscraper. And no, it was not AI-generated; it was very real. Well mostly. In a behind-the-scenes reveal, the brand showcased how the video was made. The audience learned that the “flight attendant” was actually a trained stuntwoman. Given the height of the building (2715 feet!), we’ll give them a pass…
Even so, this ad really stands out in a world where everything feels like it was created with CGI or generative AI. What also makes it so disruptive is the wild concept and matching tagline, which has all believing that Emirates really is “on top of the world.”
Attention metrics: Driving enhanced video ad experiences
The effectiveness of video ads is typically measured by standard metrics, such as impressions, completion rates, and clicks. Now, there’s a new metric on the block, which is changing the way that advertisers track the impact of video ads on audiences, and craft better ad experiences.
It’s called Attention Metrics. Unlike viewability, which only tells advertisers the potential of impressions being viewed, attention indicates to what extent an ad has captured the actual attention and interest of viewers. Now that there are ways to measure attention, advertisers can take advantage of more sophisticated, richer ad formats to grab it.
Onyx by Outbrain is an attention-driven branding platform that supports a range of customizable video ads designed to maximize customer attention. For example, luxury car brand Audi partnered with Outbrain Brand Studio and Onyx to create an interactive mobile ad with two paths to engagement: by swiping the ad, the viewer is shown a 15-second video about the car, or by tapping the ad, they are taken to the Audi website. By pushing the boundaries of creativity and interactivity, the multi-touch video campaign achieved a 4.14% engagement rate and 79% higher engagement than comparable formats.
Old theme, new twist: Have a break, have a buttercup123 from KitKat
1957. That was the year when the famous KitKat tagline “Have a break, have a KitKat” first appeared. We’re all for technology and progress, but when a slogan is doing so well after 65 years, you know KitKat got something very right!
The brand recently launched an ad campaign that takes a new twist on the legendary tagline. Unlike in 1957, one of the biggest bugbears of modern living is remembering all your passwords. The ad encourages viewers not just to take a break, but to take a break from technology. In other words, don’t let technology ruin your day; enjoy a good old-fashioned chocolate break instead.
In the medieval-themed ad, a guard stands on a castle wall, questioning a visitor who wants to come inside. He asks strange and random security questions: “What’s the middle name of your first pet?”, “If your uncle was a soup, what would he be?”, and “What’s your favorite type of rock?” bringing to mind those password reset questions we’ve all had to answer (and often, can’t remember the response to). Clever and so relatable.
Reality TV crossover: Bonds Underwear books a yachtie voyage with Below Deck Australia
Haven’t tuned into the Below Deck reality series? You’re missing out – especially on the Aussie franchise where Captain Jason Chambers runs a tight… well… ship. Bonds Underwear hopped onto the series’ popularity with an extremely cheeky campaign advertising the fit and sturdiness of its men’s briefs. And while a partnership with a popular show isn’t exactly “new news”, in this case, it’s extremely topical, given the Captain’s recent massive social media popularity.
His rise to royal status comes on the wings of the most recent episodes where two other crew members were terminated from the show after alleged incidents of sexual misconduct. While we’re unsure whether Bonds Underwear got an early preview of the notorious episodes, they are definitely wise to capitalize on Captain Jason’s popularity, which is still on the rise.
Where Will Video Advertising Go Next?
It’s exciting to see where video advertising is heading. As more technologies unlock and unfold, we’re sure there will be plenty of advertisers and agencies who will use them to make memorable campaigns. From the metaverse to NFTs, holograms, and video ads personalized with AI, the ever-evolving world of tech is giving us more opportunities than ever to amaze and engage audiences worldwide.
