MEC Australia head of performance Miki Clarke
Wherever you look, news of the rise of ad blockers is everywhere. In the UK, a study by eMarketer is forecasting that more than a quarter of UK internet users will be using ad-blocking software by the end of next year.
On Australian shores, a recent survey by Accenture ranked Australians as the most frustrated with online advertising interruptions, out of 28 nations surveyed. This frustration inevitably turns into willingness to pay for ad-blocking solutions to remove them.
All this ad aversion raises a valid question about the role, reach and, most importantly, the future of online ads. Can online advertising avoid death by ad blockers?
To get straight to the point, yes. But it’s not always easy. Brands not only need to generate content that cuts through and grabs people’s shortened attention spans, but they have to ensure it makes a big enough impact to entice audiences to share it with their friends. It’s not good enough for brands to just upload their TV commercials onto YouTube and expect people to actually choose to search and watch those ads.
If we take a look at YouTube’s list of ads that Australians chose to watch in 2015, it was funny, emotional or heart-warming content that topped the charts. YouTube is even trying to make it easier for brands to reach interested eyeballs with some helpful tips, including keeping ads short and sweet, showcasing what your brand does (especially in the first five seconds), and providing a clear call-to-action.
As handy as these tips are, marketers should also be looking to leverage and amplify the efficacy of such content when it hits. Here is my advice for ensuring the effectiveness of your content:
Name and tag videos wisely
Put brand vanity aside and label videos according to what people are most likely to recall from your ad.
Showcase the content on your website
No one should rank higher than you for your own brand terms, assuming most users will incorporate your brand name into their search. Once they’re there, encourage them to share, but in an enticing way, as opposed to the bog standard share buttons. Speak the same language as the video – ‘Make your mates laugh’, ‘Share the joy with a friend’ etc. Make it an obvious ‘here’s what you do next’. If they’re on your page, you already know they like your content. Another major bonus is once they’re onsite, you’re able to retarget at a later date.
Aid content rediscovery with paid search ads
Capture all possible variations of terms that people may search – that’s a no-brainer. If no one searches for a particular term, you don’t pay anything. But if they do and they find your content, why not acknowledge them and maybe even reward them with a discount code, free trial or some more content they may like.
An example of a brand that did a great job of creating a funny and highly shareable piece of content that is essentially an ad, is Sportsbet with ‘The Born Sledger’. However, when a large and highly influential entity that shall remain unnamed presented the video to us as an example of great content, they mistakenly referred to it as a TAB ad. So obviously recall isn’t great due to lack of branding.
To avoid making the same mistake, follow the tips above. But first create some killer content, of course.