Page 6 - index

RESEARCH, ANALYSIS & TRENDS

Paid micro-videos will go mainstream

The digital media experts at Millward Brown once again Millward Brown’s report is even pointing out some dif-
tried to forecast the most meaningful trends to help ferences of the platforms, such as:
brands make sense of the constantly changing digital
media landscape.
 Vine videos need to be simple, authentic, and aim
for high viral potential. They should fit with other
th
Now in its 7 year, the 2015 report identified the need content on the platform while being eye-catching
for marketers to empower programmatic media buying and reinforcing implicit associations with the brand.
systems and predicts that native advertising becomes
an established medium, advising advertisers to partner  For Instagram, the slightly longer form allows po-
with best-in-class publishers who strike the right bal- tential for additional branding cues, but the videos
ance between advertising and editorial. should be entertaining and emotional throughout.
While the ad could use a cut-down TV ad, a more
effective use is likely to be a new creative that rein-
Interestingly, Millard Brown predicts further – which forces a clear campaign concept.
brings us to the topic of the month - that new and excit-
ing paid marketing opportunities will emerge on micro- According to Jackie Bartolotta, micro-videos currently
video platforms and that second screen syncing will appeal to fans devoted enough to “follow” a brand.
bring greater multiscreen control. However, paid options will allow brands and their media
planners to target those consumers with whom the
Jackie Bartolotta, then still Director Strategic Intelli- brand may resonate, enabling a much larger reach
gence and Knowledge Services at Millward Brown at among the current user base of 200M on Instagram
the release of the report, wrote the chapter “Paid adver- and over 40M on Vine.
tising propels micro-video into the mainstream”, which
caught our attention. While current reach of these channels is lower than TV,
well-executed creative developed specifically for micro-
Jackie asserts that “micro-video platforms provide smart video has extremely high viral potential, she believes.
paid marketing opportunities, but only brands who
know, learn, and love those platforms will succeed.” “Brands embracing paid micro-video should be aware
that these shorter ads might actually require more effort
It is a simple fact that to succeed in micro-video as a to be effective. Poor creative could have a negative
paid channel, it will be more important than ever for impact, as consumers may become annoyed by clutter
marketers and their creative agencies to ensure a invading their personal territory”, she warns.
brand’s communication is engaging and make every
second count for consumers. Hence, to optimize engagement, “creative agencies will
need to develop stories that work well across multiple
“Brands efforts to find a place on social micro-video micro-videos, and media agencies will need to learn
platforms, like Vine and Instagram, have so far been how to optimize the new paid targeting options and the
handled as earned media, as consumers rewarded their role of micro-video within a broader media campaign”,
creativity with likes and shares, but there is now some Jackie recommends.
movement into paid placements”, Jackie explained.
In any case, Millward Brown expects to see more
“Micro-video platforms will become more important as brands airing simple 5-10 second TV creatives that
an ad channel in 2015, but brands will need to tread mimic a Vine or Instagram style, to reach their custom-
carefully to avoid consumer backlash for invading their ers. We will see in retrospect if Jackie is right. ◊
personal space”, she concluded. Of course, ads on
these platforms must be immediately captivating and By MediaBUZZ

entertaining, as consumers on these sites have high
expectations of creativity.
6 Asian eMarketing March 2015 - Video Advertising