Short Form Video Advertising Trends that Work
Short form video advertising works by increasing the Ad recall lift.
Ensuring the brand’s message is received and remembered by its target audience base.
During a year marked by indefinite uncertainty, online video grew to become a powerful medium for positivity and exploring new ideas.
“Think with Google,” conducted a survey in May 2020 that highlights the 3 main reasons people are turning to video:
- Learn new skills.
- Uplifting, to keep going.
- For review or product demos.
New video consumer behavior needs to carry through into how advertisers are using video to tell a brand’s story.
In this article Colormatics will discuss the short form video advertising trends that are known to work.
Video Advertising is More Engaging
To understand why short-form video ads are trending in 2020 you will need to be familiar with video consumption and retention statistics.
According to multiple reports by trusted market research companies such as Wyzowl, Limelight and Hootsuite video consumption and retention is growing rapidly.
Video Consumption:
- 49% of people watch at least five videos every day.
- 73% of adults in the U.S. use YouTube.
- Video content gets 1,200% more social shares than text and photos (combined.)
Video Retention:
- Customers retain 95% of what they see on videos (compared to what they read.)
- 94% of video marketers say video helped their users learn about their product or services
- 81% say video helped in lead generation.
To make this data feel more real, think of social apps like Instagram, TikTok, and Snapchat.
The growth of these internet giants are proof video is the most powerful and persuasive medium today.
Ways to Build Stories with Short-Form Video
As a marketing manager, how do you communicate a complicated brand or product story when you are competing against a consumers’ attention span?
You shorten the video format.
As digital attention spans shrink, so does the length of videos audiences are willing to engage with.
Currently, the best performing video ads capture the audience's attention and help them retain the brand message in less than 30 seconds.
Let's take a closer look at the best short form video ads trends.
Bumper ads
Built with shorter sessions in mind, the bumper ad is only six-seconds in length.
Ideal for moments when the consumer is quickly watching a video to find something they need or when they’re deeply engaged in a video.
Viewers can not skip bumper ads, ensuring that the audience sees and hears your message.
For this reason, bumper ads must be appealing to “ad-skippers.” Ad-skippers will appreciate a message that is clear and able to make them laugh.
Where bumper ads are short on time, they are long on impact - driving a significant lift in ad recall.
Because bumper ads increase ad recall, it is important to produce videos that will drive awareness to upper-funnel goals.
30 Second Ads
30-second ads add more detail and dimension to the brand’s story. Viewers are drawn in with a more in-depth story, than bumper ads, even though the ad is still relatively short.
The idea behind the 30-second ad is to keep viewers entertained while creating a meaningful impression.
A study by Google, Mondelez International, and Droga5 found that the 30-second ad was the least skipped and had a view-through rate that was 30% higher than that of 15-second ads.
Motion Design
The story of your brand is never shared through one medium exclusively.
It is told through your brand name, logo, website copy, the products and services you sell.
Together, each of these components create a picture of who your organization is, and why it matters.
When real-world solutions are at the core of what you do — ie: healthcare, financial services, or any other human-centric services — you may think live-action video is your only option.
It is true that live-action videos are an accessible way to share the true impact of your work.
You may be surprised to learn that to explain a complex concept or service motion design is much better equipped.
Motion design is able to tell your brand story using metaphors and illustrated charts or graphs. It is a powerful storytelling tool that takes the complex details of your brand and elevates them.
Video Ads that Perform Well on YouTube
Hang with us as we break down a few of Colormatics video ads that worked well on YouTube, focusing on financial services and healthcare services.
YouTube video ads will perform well when they have the following characteristics:
- Simplified brand message.
- Short-Form Video.
- Humorous or informational.
- Visually appealing.
- Narrated main point.
Lemonade Insurance Video | Motion Design Ad
Video storytelling resulted in a new understanding of the financial service. After 1.5 million views in the first few months, millennials flocked to Lemonade.
Short Form Video
Lemonade Ad is under 60 seconds long and grabs the viewer’s attention immediately by addressing a primary point of interest, “love the things you own.”
Visually Appealing
Motion design immediately grabs the viewer’s attention and tells the complex story of insurance in a fresh, simplified manner.
Healthcare Specialty Service | 30 Second Ad
Video storytelling was deployed digitally across southern California in a variety of strategies and resulted in a response that was both inspiring and compelling to those in need of cutting edge care.
Short Form Ad
Finish Cancer Ad spreads brand awareness of the cancer services Providence provides in Southern California using the least skipped video format, a 30 second ad.
Simplified Brand Message
Video focuses on 3 patient testimonials to simplify the information and improve brand awareness.
Short Form Video Advertising Takeaways
- Video consumption is growing rapidly.
- 73% of adults in the U.S. use YouTube.
- Customers retain 95% of what they see on video.
- Short attention spans need short video ads.
- Bumper Ads are non-skippable and increase ad recall.
- 30 second ads are the least skipped video ad.
- Motion design ads simplify complex content.
